Habakkuk 1:15 (ASV)

Passage

He taketh up all of them with the angle, he catcheth them in his net, and gathereth them in his drag: therefore he rejoiceth and is glad.

Nearby Context

Habakkuk 1:13 Thou that art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and that canst not look on perverseness, wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy peace when the wicked swalloweth up the man that is more righteous than he;

Habakkuk 1:14 and makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them?

Habakkuk 1:15 He taketh up all of them with the angle, he catcheth them in his net, and gathereth them in his drag: therefore he rejoiceth and is glad.

Habakkuk 1:16 Therefore he sacrificeth unto his net, and burneth incense unto his drag; because by them his portion is fat, and his food plenteous.

Habakkuk 1:17 Shall he therefore empty his net, and spare not to slay the nations continually?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "taketh", "angle", "catcheth", "gathereth", "drag", "therefore", "rejoiceth", and "glad". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "taketh" and "angle", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "and makest men as the fishes of..." into verse 16's "Therefore he sacrificeth unto his net and...", so "taketh" and "angle" belong inside that flow. In Habakkuk context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "taketh" and "angle" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.