Habakkuk 1:15 kjv

They take up all of them with the angle, they catch them in their net, and gather them in their drag: therefore they rejoice and are glad.

Habakkuk 1:15 nkjv

They take up all of them with a hook, They catch them in their net, And gather them in their dragnet. Therefore they rejoice and are glad.

Habakkuk 1:15 niv

The wicked foe pulls all of them up with hooks, he catches them in his net, he gathers them up in his dragnet; and so he rejoices and is glad.

Habakkuk 1:15 esv

He brings all of them up with a hook; he drags them out with his net; he gathers them in his dragnet; so he rejoices and is glad.

Habakkuk 1:15 nlt

Must we be strung up on their hooks
and caught in their nets while they rejoice and celebrate?

Habakkuk 1 verses

Habakkuk 1 15 Meaning

Habakkuk 1:15 describes the Chaldean army's ruthless methods of conquering nations, portraying them as fishermen who indiscriminately capture their prey with various nets and hooks. The verse highlights their unbridled joy and self-satisfaction in this brutal process, signifying their disregard for human life and their complete trust in their own might. It underlines their reduction of conquered peoples to mere catches, stripped of their dignity and destiny.

Habakkuk 1 15 Context

Habakkuk chapter 1 is a dialogue between the prophet Habakkuk and the Almighty God. In the first part of the chapter (1:2-4), Habakkuk laments the pervasive violence, injustice, and moral decay within Judah and questions why God seemingly remains silent. God responds (1:5-11) by revealing that He is raising the Chaldeans (Babylonians)—a swift, fierce, and formidable nation—to execute judgment upon Judah for its sins. Habakkuk, in turn, is utterly shocked and deeply troubled by God's chosen instrument (1:12-17). This specific verse (1:15) falls within Habakkuk's second lament (1:12-17). Here, the prophet acknowledges God's power in raising the Chaldeans, yet he is appalled by their exceeding cruelty, godlessness, and self-worship. He perceives them as dehumanizing conquerors, treating people as if they are fish to be indiscriminately caught and destroyed, revealing their unjust methods and the very basis of Habakkuk's profound complaint: "Are they therefore to empty their net and continually kill nations without pity?" (1:17).

Habakkuk 1 15 Word analysis

• They bring up: Hebrew: yaʿăleh (העלה), from the root ʿālāh (עלה), meaning "to go up," "to ascend," "to bring up." It signifies an active process of pulling something out of the water. Here, it conveys the Chaldeans' deliberate action in gathering people from their natural setting, like fish from the sea.

• all of them: This phrase emphasizes the comprehensiveness and indiscriminateness of the Chaldean conquest. No one is spared; entire populations are targeted without distinction. It highlights the total subjugation and captivity.

• with a hook: Hebrew: beḥakkâ (בְחַכָּה), literally "with their hook." This refers to a single fishing hook, used to catch individual fish. It implies precise, direct capture, but also an ignominious fate for the one hooked. For people, it denotes a forceful and demeaning capture.

• They catch them: Hebrew: yājōrru (יָגוּרוּ), from the root gārār (גרר), "to drag" or "to sweep away." This verb suggests a more forceful and extensive action than a simple catch; it implies dragging or hauling in a large catch. It portrays the ruthless efficiency of their operations.

• with their net: Hebrew: beḥermō (בְחֶרְמָם), specifically referring to their "dragnet." A dragnet is a large net used to sweep through a body of water, capturing everything in its path. This highlights the large-scale, systematic nature of their conquest, collecting entire populations. The word ḥerem can also be associated with total destruction or devotion (to God, but sometimes metaphorically to evil purposes), emphasizing the completeness of the Chaldeans' taking of captives.

• and gather them: Hebrew: yĕqabṣūm (יְקַבְּצֻם), from qābaṣ (קבץ), "to collect," "to assemble." This verb reinforces the imagery of accumulation and organization after capture. The Chaldeans are not just seizing individuals; they are amassing entire nations as their spoils.

• in their seine: Hebrew: bemiḵmeretām (בְמִכְמַרְתָּם), referring to a casting net or a fishnet that encloses fish. This provides yet another, slightly different, image of total encirclement and entrapment, reinforcing the prior net imagery. The use of multiple terms for "net" and "fishing gear" underscores the thoroughness and varied means of their capture, leaving no escape.

• Therefore: This conjunctive particle introduces the consequence of their successful and comprehensive capture.

• they rejoice: This indicates an expression of joy, triumph, and satisfaction. It's a cruel and arrogant joy derived from their destructive power and successful subjugation of others.

• and are glad: This reinforces the previous term, emphasizing their internal state of contentment and delight in their accomplishments. This satisfaction reveals their spiritual emptiness and self-idolatry.

• Word-groups Analysis:

  • "They bring up all of them with a hook, they catch them with their net, and gather them in their seine": This repetitive use of fishing metaphors—hook, net, dragnet, seine—serves to paint a vivid picture of the Chaldeans' dehumanizing conquest. They treat people as impersonal catches, devoid of dignity, reducing entire nations to mere spoils of war. The progression from hook (individual) to net/seine (large-scale) emphasizes the scope of their dominion.
  • "Therefore they rejoice and are glad": This phrase starkly highlights the moral depravity of the Chaldeans. Their joy is not found in righteousness or blessing but in their ruthless success and the devastation they cause. This satisfaction is a direct affront to God, as it is based on pride and self-worship, making them ripe for future judgment.

Habakkuk 1 15 Bonus section

The metaphor of people or nations as "fish" being "caught" by a conqueror or even by divine judgment is prevalent in ancient Near Eastern thought and prophetic literature. It implies the victim's powerlessness against a stronger force, leading to their complete capture and subjugation. While God uses the Chaldeans as His instrument, the prophet is distressed by the Chaldeans' motives—their own unholy desires and self-glorification, rather than executing God's will with humility. Their joy comes from their own perceived strength and success, not from God's decree, thereby making their actions sinful despite serving a divine purpose. This illustrates the principle that human agents are held accountable for their choices and motivations, even when they inadvertently fulfill God's plans. God may permit evil, and even use it, but He never condones it.

Habakkuk 1 15 Commentary

Habakkuk 1:15 portrays the Chaldeans as cold, calculating, and successful predators who view humanity as their prey. Their instruments of war are depicted as fishing gear—hooks, nets, and seines—symbolizing their methods of capture, enslavement, and destruction. This imagery communicates not only the efficiency but also the inhumanity of their conquest; nations are caught indiscriminately, dehumanized as fish, and subjected to the invaders' will. Their "rejoicing and being glad" further underlines their wicked pride and self-wsufficiency, demonstrating their lack of remorse for the suffering they inflict and their reliance solely on their own might. This deepens Habakkuk's theological dilemma: how could a holy God use such an unholy people, who take perverse joy in their violent success and essentially worship their own instruments of power (as elaborated in v.16), to execute His justice? This verse sets the stage for God's further explanation and condemnation of the Chaldeans' ultimate fate in Habakkuk chapter 2, where their pride and self-glorification are revealed as the very source of their downfall.