Habakkuk 2:15 (DBY)

Passage

Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that pourest out thy flask, and makest [him] drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!

Nearby Context

Habakkuk 2:13 Behold, is it not of Jehovah of hosts that the peoples labour for the fire, and the nations weary themselves in vain?

Habakkuk 2:14 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Jehovah as the waters cover the sea.

Habakkuk 2:15 Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that pourest out thy flask, and makest [him] drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!

Habakkuk 2:16 Thou art filled with shame instead of glory; drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered: the cup of Jehovah's right hand shall be turned unto thee, and a shameful spewing shall be on thy glory.

Habakkuk 2:17 For the violence [done] to Lebanon shall cover thee, and the destruction of beasts which made them afraid; because of men's blood, and for the violence [done] to the land, to the city, and all that dwell therein.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "giveth", "neighbour", "drink", "pourest", "flask", "makest", "drunken", and "thou". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "giveth" and "neighbour", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "For the earth shall be filled with..." into verse 16's "Thou art filled with shame instead of...", so "giveth" and "neighbour" 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 "giveth" and "neighbour" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.