Habakkuk 2:5a-The Babylonians are Proud, Restless, Insatiable Because of Their Imperialistic Greed
Habakkuk Chapter Two • Sermon • Submitted • 1:12:15
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Habakkuk 2:5 indeed, wine betrays him; he is arrogant and never at rest. Because he is as greedy as the grave and like death is never satisfied, he gathers to himself all the nations and takes captive all the peoples. (NIV)
Habakkuk 2:5 But indeed, because his wine betrays him, the strong man is proud. Consequently, he is never at rest because his greed is enormous like Sheol, that is, he in fact can never be satisfied. Yes indeed, for his own advantage, he gathers all the nations, in other words, for his own advantage, he takes captive all the peoples. (My translation)
As we noted in our study of Habakkuk 2:2, this verse begins the fourth major section of the book of Habakkuk which ends in Habakkuk 2:20.
Now, the fourth section recorded in Habakkuk 2:2-20 contains the Lord’s response to Habakkuk’s argument and records the Lord’s decision to judge the Babylonian empire in the future for their unrepentant sinful behavior.
Habakkuk 2:2-3 form a prologue presenting the context for this vision and Habakkuk 2:4-20 contains the content of this vision.
Therefore, Habakkuk 2:4 is a transitional statement because it marks the beginning of the content of this prophecy regarding the destruction of the Babylonian Empire.
Habakkuk 2:5 begins to communicate the content of this vision or revelation from the Lord God of Israel in 605 B.C.
The content of this revelation from the Lord reveals that it concerns itself with the Babylonians.
Specifically, this vision reveals that the God of Israel will eventually judge the Babylonians for their sinful, unrepentant behavior just like He used Babylon to judge the southern kingdom of Judah for their sinful unrepentant behavior along with other nations in the Mediterranean and Mesopotamian regions of the world in Habakkuk’s day.
Habakkuk 2:5 contains six assertions, which are all describing the Babylonians, which is indicated by the immediate preceding context in Habakkuk 1:5-17 and the immediate context to follow, which is of course Habakkuk 2:6-20.
The first assertion emphatically states that the strong man is proud because his wine betrays him.
The reference to wine here is figurative.
The noun yǎ·yin literally means “wine” pertaining to a naturally processed, fermented grape juice which if consumed in excess amounts results in drunkenness, the context would indicate that the word is used here in a figurative or metaphorical sense for the Babylonians’ imperialistic success.
However, many expositors believe Habakkuk 2:5 is referring to literal wine and the sin of drunkenness which the Babylonians were guilty of like many nations in history including the United States of America in the twenty-first century.
They cite the fact the Babylonian Empire was overthrown under Belshazzar who was drunk along with his concubines and those who ran the government (cf. Dan. 5).
They also cite that ancient historians assert that drunkenness was a characteristic of the Babylonians.
However, I believe that the reference to wine here in Habakkuk 2:5 is metaphorical or figurative language.
This is indicated by the next five assertions here in verse 5 which assert that the Babylonians are never satisfied with the conquering of nations and the capturing their people.
Also, the Babylonians abuse of alcohol did not engender pride but rather their military success.
This is indicated by the Lord’s statements in Habakkuk 1:5-11 where He describes the Babylonians military prowess and success and by the prophet Habakkuk’s statements in Habakkuk 1:12-17 where he too describes the Babylonians military prowess and success.
So therefore, we could say that the Babylonians were intoxicated with conquest, power and dominion.
The NET Bible writes “Wine is probably a metaphor for imperialistic success. The more success the Babylonians experience, the more greedy they become just as a drunkard wants more and more wine to satisfy his thirst. But eventually this greed will lead to their downfall, for God will not tolerate such imperialism and will judge the Babylonians appropriately (vv. 6–20).”[1]
When the Lord asserts that the imperialistic success of the Babylonians betrayed them, He means that this success has led them to think they are superior to other nations and peoples in the world.
In other words, He means that the imperialistic success of the Babylonians betrays them in the sense that it deceives them into thinking that they are superior to other nations and peoples in the Mediterranean and Mesopotamian regions of the world in Habakkuk’s day.
When the Lord asserts that they are proud, He means that because his imperialistic success betrays him, the Babylonian strong man is “proud” in the sense that he thinks he is superior to the various peoples of the various nations in the Mediterranean and Mesopotamian regions of the world in Habakkuk’s day in 605 B.C.
We noted in our study of Habakkuk 2:4 that pride is often emphasized as the cardinal sin of the nations, resting in their own power and opposing Yahweh (e.g., Isa 14:13–15; Jer 48:29; Ezek 28:1; compare note on Isa 2:12–18).
In the Scriptures, pride is a great evil because it involves pretending to a greatness and glory that belongs rightly to God alone.
It is condemned as evil (1 Samuel 15:23; Proverbs 21:4; James 4:16; cf. Mark 7:22-23; Romans 1:29-30; 2 Corinthians 12:20; 2 Timothy 3:1-2; 1 John 2:16).
It is a characteristic of Satan (Ezekiel 28:2; 1 Timothy 3:6; cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:4, the antichrist).
This first assertion in Habakkuk 2:5 stands in contrast with the previous statement in Habakkuk 2:4.
Therefore, the contrast is between the member of the faithful remnant of Judah who is a righteous person who lives by means of their faith and the Babylonian who is proud because his imperialistic success betrays him into thinking that his nation is superior to other nations in the Mediterranean and Mesopotamian regions of the world at the end of the seventh century B.C.
So therefore, the first assertion states that the Babylonians were proud because of the military success in conquering many nations in the Mediterranean and Mesopotamian regions of the world in the seventh century B.C. or in other words, they thought they were invincible.
In Habakkuk 1:5-11, the Lord describes the military prowess of the Babylonians who he informed Habakkuk would be His instrument to discipline the unrepentant, apostate citizenry of the southern kingdom of Judah.
The prophet Habakkuk in Habakkuk 1:14-17 describes the military prowess of the Babylonians.
Now, the second assertion in Habakkuk 2:5 states that the Babylonian is never at rest and it emphatically negates the idea of the Babylonian being at rest in the sense of being satisfied with the nations and territory he has conquered.
This assertion presents the result of the first.
Therefore, this indicates that the Babylonians are a restless people as a direct result of their pride due to their imperialistic success betraying them into thinking that they are superior to other nations because of their military prowess.
The third assertion in Habakkuk 2:5 states that the Babylonian’s greed is enormous like Sheol.
The reference to their greed here refers to the fact that the Babylonian Empire had an insatiable desire to acquire not only nations and peoples to serve them but also to acquire the wealth and possessions of these nations.
The greed of the Babylonian Empire was enormous because this greed was marked by extraordinary great degree suggesting an exceeding of all ordinary bounds in size or amount or degree and this interpretation is indicated by the fact that the greed of the Babylonians is compared to death.
In particular it is compared to the fact that the grave is never satisfied since an innumerable of people have died and will continue to die until the Great White Throne Judgment of every unrepentant, unregenerate human being in human history.
“Sheol” pertains to the place where the dead reside and speaks of the place under the earth where the dead reside, however, here it is personified since it is ascribing to Sheol the human sin of enormous greed.
In the Old Testament, prior to the resurrection and session of Jesus Christ, “Sheol” was composed: (1) Paradise: the place of the departed souls of believers before the resurrection of Christ (Lk. 23:39-43; Eph. 4:8-9) who were transferred to heaven after the resurrection and ascension of Christ (Eph. 4:10). (2) Torments: the temporary fire for the souls of unbelievers from all dispensations (Lk. 16:19-31) who will be transferred to the Great White Throne Judgment that concludes human history and from there will be cast in the Lake of Fire forever (Rev. 20:11-15).
So the Babylonian’s enormous greed is compared to Sheol in the sense that the enormous greed of the Babylonians is insatiable and like Sheol, which has received, and presently does receive and will continue to receive innumerable amount of people until the Great White Throne Judgment of all unregenerate human beings.
Now, third assertion in Habakkuk 2:5 is presenting the reason for the previous assertion that the Babylonian is never at rest.
Therefore, this indicates that the Babylonian is never at rest because he is greedy like Sheol, which is always receiving new people every day right up until the Great White Throne Judgment of every unrepentant unregenerate person at the end of human history (cf. Rev. 20:11-15).
[1] Biblical Studies Press. (2005). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press.