Habakuk 1:10

1:10 They mock kings

and laugh at rulers.

They laugh at every fortified city;

they build siege ramps ¹  and capture them.

Habakuk 1:15

1:15 The Babylonian tyrant ²  pulls them all up with a fishhook;

he hauls them in with his throw net. ³ 

When he catches ⁴  them in his dragnet,

he is very happy. ⁵ 

[1:10]  ¹ tn Heb “they heap up dirt.” This is a reference to the piling up of earthen ramps in the process of laying siege to a fortified city.

[1:15]  ² tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Babylonian tyrant) has been specified in the translation for clarity (cf. NASB “The Chaldeans”; NIV “The wicked foe”; NRSV “The enemy”). Babylonian imperialism is here compared to a professional fisherman who repeatedly brings in his catch and has plenty to eat.

[1:15]  ³ tn Apparently two different types of fishing nets are referred to here. The חֵרֶם (kherem, “throw net”) was used by fishermen standing on the shore (see Ezek 47:10), while the מִכְמֶרֶת (mikhmeret, “dragnet”) was used by men in a boat. See R. D. Patterson, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (WEC), 165.

[1:15]  ⁴ tn Heb “and he gathers.”

[1:15]  ⁵ tn Heb “Therefore he is happy and rejoices.” Here two synonyms are joined for emphasis.