Habakkuk 1:14 (LSB)

Passage

And You have made men like the fish of the sea, Like creeping things without a ruler over them.

Nearby Context

Habakkuk 1:12 Are You not from everlasting, O Yahweh, my God, my Holy One? We will not die. You, O Yahweh, have placed them to judge; And You, O Rock, have established them to reprove.

Habakkuk 1:13 Your eyes are too pure to see evil, And You cannot look on trouble. Why do You look On those who deal treacherously? Why are You silent when the wicked swallow up Those more righteous than they?

Habakkuk 1:14 And You have made men like the fish of the sea, Like creeping things without a ruler over them.

Habakkuk 1:15 The Chaldeans bring all of them up with a hook, Drag them away with their net, And gather them together in their fishing net. Therefore they are glad and rejoice.

Habakkuk 1:16 Therefore they offer a sacrifice to their net And burn incense to their fishing net Because through these things their portion is rich And their food is fat.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "like", "fish", "creeping", "things", "without", "ruler", and "over". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "like" and "fish", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "Your eyes are too pure to see..." into verse 15's "The Chaldeans bring all of them up...", so "like" and "fish" 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 "like" and "fish" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.