Habakkuk 2:6 (YLT)

Passage

Do not these--all of them--against him a simile taken up, And a moral of acute sayings for him, And say, Woe <FI>to<Fi> him who is multiplying <FI>what is<Fi> not his? Till when also is he multiplying to himself heavy pledges?

Nearby Context

Habakkuk 2:4 Lo, a presumptuous one! Not upright is his soul within him, And the righteous by his stedfastness liveth.

Habakkuk 2:5 And also, because the wine <FI>is<Fi> treacherous, A man is haughty, and remaineth not at home, Who hath enlarged as sheol his soul, And is as death that is not satisfied, And doth gather unto itself all the nations, And doth assemble unto itself all the peoples,

Habakkuk 2:6 Do not these--all of them--against him a simile taken up, And a moral of acute sayings for him, And say, Woe <FI>to<Fi> him who is multiplying <FI>what is<Fi> not his? Till when also is he multiplying to himself heavy pledges?

Habakkuk 2:7 Do not thy usurers instantly rise up, And those shaking thee awake up, And thou hast been for a spoil to them?

Habakkuk 2:8 Because thou hast spoiled many nations, Spoil thee do all the remnant of the peoples, Because of man's blood, and of violence <FI>to<Fi> the land, <FI>To<Fi> the city, and <FI>to<Fi> all dwelling in it.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "these--all", "them--against", "simile", "taken", "moral", "acute", "sayings", and "multiplying". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "these--all" and "them--against", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "And also because the wine FI is..." into verse 7's "Do not thy usurers instantly rise up...", so "these--all" and "them--against" 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 "these--all" and "them--against" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.