Habakkuk 2:15 (DRB)

Passage

Woe to him that giveth drink to his friend, and presenteth his gall, and maketh him drunk, that he may behold his nakedness.

Nearby Context

Habakkuk 2:13 Are not these things from the Lord of hosts? for the people shall labour in a great fire: and the nations in vain, and they shall faint.

Habakkuk 2:14 For the earth shall be filled, that men may know the glory of the Lord, as waters covering the sea.

Habakkuk 2:15 Woe to him that giveth drink to his friend, and presenteth his gall, and maketh him drunk, that he may behold his nakedness.

Habakkuk 2:16 Thou art filled with shame instead of glory: drink thou also, and fall fast asleep: the cup of the right hand of the Lord shall compass thee, and shameful vomiting shall be on thy glory.

Habakkuk 2:17 For the iniquity of Libanus shall cover thee, and the ravaging of beasts shall terrify them because of the blood of men, and the iniquity of the land, and of the city, and of all that dwell therein.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "giveth", "drink", "friend", "presenteth", "gall", "maketh", "drunk", and "behold". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "giveth" and "drink", 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 that..." into verse 16's "Thou art filled with shame instead of...", so "giveth" and "drink" 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 "drink" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.