Habakkuk 2:8

Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee,.... Those that survived the persecutions of the Roman emperors; those that were left of the great numbers put

Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee; because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein.

The prophet proceeds to give account of the reasons on which the Divine nemesis moves in this affair, and these may convince and confirm us in it. Thou hast spoiled many nations; slain their people, sacked their cities, robbed their treasuries, led captive the subjects, and deposed kings, and done this to many nations, whose cry is come up to heaven. , and , recounts some six or seven nations. It is likely all the nations that lay round about this kingdom were spoiled by it. Now shalt thou be paid in thine own coin. The remnant of the nations unspoiled by thee, shall combine against thee, and execute the Lord’ s just sentence, and spoil the spoiler. Thee, O Babylon. Because of men’ s blood; either shed by private murders which cried to Heaven for vengeance, or shed by ill application of the sword of justice, or continual needless wars upon her neighbours. And for the violence, injustice and oppressions, of the land; of the whole land of Chaldea, if you understand it actively, or else, if passively taken, it is the violence done by Babylon to the land of Judea especially. Of the city; either Babylon, which oppressed Jerusalem, or Jerusalem, oppressed by Babylon. And all that dwell therein: this also, as understood actively or passively, is applicable to either Babylon’ s or Jerusalem’ s citizens and inhabitants.

Habakkuk 2:8 Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee; because of men’ s blood, and [for] the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein.Ver. 8. Because thou hast spoiled many nations] God loves to retaliate (as hath before been often observed), to spoil the spoilers by a remnant of the people, by such as were of no note, and much unlikely to do such exploits. Thus he spoiled these Babylonians by Cyrus and his Medes; the Persians, by Alexander and his Macedonians (whom they so slighted, that Darius, in his proud embassy to him, called him his servant, but himself the king of kings, and cousin of the gods). So the Roman empire was miserably rent and torn by the Goths, Vandals, Huns, Lombards, people not before heard of, and the Greek empire by Turks, Tartars, Saracens, Scythians, &c., that it might the better appear, haec non sine numine fieri, these events happen not without divine intervention, that it was the Lord’ s own doing, who often suffers his enemies, like Adonijah’ s guests, to feast and frolic in a jocular security and promise of continued prosperity. But at last, when they are at the height of their joys and hopes, he confounds all their devices, and lays them open to the scorn of the world, and the spoil of the remnant of the people whom they vilified. Because of men’ s blood] Heb. Bloods, every drop whereof had a tongue to cry to God for vengeance, saying, Give them blood to drink, for they are worthy, Oh let not bloody and deceitful men live out half their days, Revelation 16:6 Psalms 55:23. That soldier can never answer it to God that hath not a good cause, and striketh not rather as a justicer than as a soldier. And for the violence of the land] Heb. Of the earth, though principally of that land of desires, the promised land, and the inhabitants thereof, whom he that touched, touched the apple of God s eye, that little man in the eye (Ishon) that may not be meddled with, Zechariah 2:8. Of the city] Jerusalem, called the city by an excellence, and by a better right than ever Rome was. See Lamentations 1:1, and Jeremiah’ s elegy there over it, when captivated by these Chaldees.

(8) Violence of.—Scil., violence wreaked on, both here and in Habakkuk 2:17.

Verse 8. For the violence of the land] Or, for the violence done to the land of Judea, and to the city of Jerusalem.

8. remnant of the people] the peoples. The most natural meaning is, all the other peoples in contrast with the Chaldean: the nations shall make common cause against him and spoil their spoiler. Others consider that reference is made to the desolating wars of the Chaldeans which have reduced the inhabitants of the world to a “remnant.” This is less natural. Altogether unacceptable is the view that the remnant or rest of the nations are those nations whom the Chaldean did not spoil, for in Habakkuk 2:5 he is said to have gathered to him all nations. violence of the land] violence done to the earth, Jeremiah 50:23; Jeremiah 51:7; Jeremiah 51:25. The term “city” is collective, cities. Bloodshed of men, desolation of the earth, which also is sentient and moral (Isaiah 16:7; Isaiah 45:18), and burning of cities—these are the things for which nemesis awaits the Chaldean. The like shall be done unto him—he shall be spoiled, his proud cities burned in the fire (Habakkuk 2:13), and his glory covered with shame (Habakkuk 2:16). This refrain recurs Habakkuk 2:17.

Because (or For). The prophet assigns the reason of the woes he had just pronounced.

Habakkuk 2:8 justifies the destruction of the Chaldeans, which is only just retribution for the cruelties perpetrated by them.