SEV Biblia, Chapter 2:5
¶ Cuanto más que el dado al vino, transpasador, hombre soberbio no permanecerá. Que ensanchó como un osario su alma, y es como la muerte, que no se llenará; antes reunió a sí todos los gentiles, y amontonó a sí todos los pueblos.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Habakkuk 2:5
Verse 5. Because he transgresseth by wine] From the present translation, it is not easy to see either reason or meaning in the first clause of this verse. Newcome translates, "Moreover, as a mighty man transgresseth through wine, he is proud, and remaineth not at rest." Houbigant thus: "For he, though he be a despiser, and powerful, and proud, yet shall he not have rest." Nebuchadnezzar is here represented in his usual character, proud, haughty, and ambitious; inebriated with his successes, and determined on more extensive conquests; and, like the grave, can never have enough: yet, after the subjugation of many peoples and nations, he shall be brought down, and become so despicable that he shall be a proverb of reproach, and be taunted and scorned by all those whom he had before enslaved. And cannot be satisfied] When he has obtained all that is within his reach, he wishes for more; and becomes miserable, because any limits are opposed to his insatiable ambition. It is said of Alexander:- Unus Pellaeo juveni non sufficit orbis; AEstuat infelix angusto limite mundi. Juv. Sat. x. 168.
One world sufficed not Alexander's mind; Coop'd up, he seem'd on earth and seas confined.
And the poet justly ridicules him, because at last the sarcophagus was found too large for his body!
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 5. Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine , etc.] Or rather, “how much less” or “more f86 , wine dealing treacherously”: or “a man of wine”, as Aben Ezra supplies it; that is, a winebibber, as Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret it: and the sense in connection with the preceding verse ( Habakkuk 2:4) is, if a Jew, elated with his works of righteousness, his soul is not right in him, “how much less” a drunken, treacherous, proud, and ambitious heathen? if the Scribes and Pharisees, who expected the coming of the Messiah, yet withdrew from him, and opposed themselves unto him when come, “how much more” will such persons set themselves against him and his interest, thus described? by whom are meant, not the Babylonian monarchs, Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar and the Chaldeans, as usually interpreted, though there are many things in the account applicable to them; but this is breaking the thread of the prophecy, which carries on the account of the enemies of Christ, and of his kingdom, from his first to his second coming; whereas to interpret this prophecy of the Chaldeans is to go back to times before the first coming of Christ; nor does it seem necessary to say anything more concerning them, since the people of God might be satisfied that these would be in their turn destroyed, and they delivered from them; and that they, the Jews, could not be cut off as a people, since the promise of the Messiah, as springing from them, is firmly established; and it is so strongly asserted, that he should come at the appointed time, and not tarry: after which the prophet goes on to observe two different sorts of people among the Jews; one sort proud and vain glorious, who opposed themselves to Christ when he came; the other sort true believers in him, who lived by faith upon him: so things would stand among the Jews when Christ came, and so they did; there was a separation among them on his account: next the prophet proceeds to observe another sort of enemies to Christ and his interest among the heathens, which was not to be wondered at, and therefore introduced by a comparative particle, “how much more” or “less”; and who must be removed to make way for his kingdom and glory in the latter day, manifestly pointed at in ( Habakkuk 2:14,20) now who can these be but the Romans, both Pagan and Papal in succession? and with these and their rulers, civil and ecclesiastical, do the characters given as well agree as with the Babylonian monarchy, and the Chaldeans, or better and therefore, after Cocceius and Van Till I shall choose to interpret the whole of them; and it is well known that several of the Roman emperors were greatly given to luxury and intemperance, the first character they stand described by in the text.
Tiberius was greatly addicted to this vice; and, because of his greediness after wine f87 , used to be called Biberius Caldius Mero, instead of Tiberius Claudius Nero; his successor Caligula spent the immense riches Tiberius had gathered together in less than a year’s time in luxury and intemperance and Claudius, that succeeded him, scarce ever went out of his doors but he was drunk f89 ; and Nero, who came after him to the empire, was of unusual luxury and sumptuousness, as the historian says f90 ; he used to keep on his banquets from the middle of the day to the middle of the night f91 ; to say nothing of Domitian, Commodus, and other emperors that followed after them: and these men were deceitful and treacherous, both to their friends and enemies; and it is no wonder that such as these should oppose themselves to the kingdom and interest of Christ, as they did.
Kimchi interprets this of Nebuchadnezzar; and Jarchi of Belshazzar; and most interpreters think it refers to his drinking in the vessels of the temple, ( Daniel 5:2,3): [he is] a proud man ; the Roman emperors were excessively proud, like the unjust judge, neither feared God, nor regarded man; nay, set up themselves for gods, and required divine worship to be given them. Caius Caligula claimed divine majesty to himself, and set himself up to be worshipped among his brother gods; he built a temple to his own deity, and appointed priests and sacrifices; and placed a golden image of himself in it, and clothed it every day with such a garment as he himself wore f92 ; he also set up his own image in the temple at Jerusalem. Nero suffered himself to be called lord and god by Tiridates king of the Armenians, with bended knees, and hands lift up to heaven. Domitian and Aurelianus took the same titles as Nero did; and Dioclesian would be worshipped as a god, and called himself the brother of the sun and moon; and no marvel that such men as these should be enemies to Christ, and persecutors of his people: neither keepeth at home ; or “dwells not in the fold” f93 ; in the sheepfold of Christ, in his church, being none of his sheep, an alien from the commonwealth of Israel; and so it denotes a infidel, an heathen; a fit character for the Pagan emperors, who had no habitation in the house of God. Kimchi interprets it of Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom not being continued; or of his being driven from his habitation, his palace, from among men, to live with beasts; but it is the character, and not the punishment, of the person that is here pointed at: who enlargeth his desire as hell, and [is] as death, and cannot be satisfied ; death and the grave, though such vast numbers are continually slain by the one, and laid in the other, yet are never satisfied; (see Proverbs 27:20 Proverbs 30:15,16). This describes the insatiable thirst of the Roman emperors after honour, riches, and universal monarchy; who were never satisfied with what they obtained: but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people ; that is, subdued them, and made them provinces of the Roman empire, and tributary to it, even almost all the then known world; hence the Roman empire is called the whole world, ( Luke 2:1) so Agrippa, in his orations to the Jews, mentions all nations as subject to the Romans f94 .
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 5-14 - The prophet reads the doom of all proud and oppressive powers that bea hard upon God's people. The lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life, are the entangling snares of men; and we fin him that led Israel captive, himself led captive by each of these. N more of what we have is to be reckoned ours, than what we come honestl by. Riches are but clay, thick clay; what are gold and silver but whit and yellow earth? Those who travel through thick clay, are hindered an dirtied in their journey; so are those who go through the world in the midst of abundance of wealth. And what fools are those that burde themselves with continual care about it; with a great deal of guilt is getting, saving, and spending it, and with a heavy account which the must give another day! They overload themselves with this thick clay and so sink themselves down into destruction and perdition. See what will be the end hereof; what is gotten by violence from others, other shall take away by violence. Covetousness brings disquiet an uneasiness into a family; he that is greedy of gain troubles his ow house; what is worse, it brings the curse of God upon all the affair of it. There is a lawful gain, which, by the blessing of God, may be comfort to a house; but what is got by fraud and injustice, will brin poverty and ruin upon a family. Yet that is not the worst; Thou has sinned against thine own soul, hast endangered it. Those who wron their neighbours, do much greater wrong to their own souls. If the sinner thinks he has managed his frauds and violence with art an contrivance, the riches and possessions he heaped together will witnes against him. There are not greater drudges in the world than those wh are slaves to mere wordly pursuits. And what comes of it? They fin themselves disappointed of it, and disappointed in it; they will own it is worse than vanity, it is vexation of spirit. By staining and sinkin earthly glory, God manifests and magnifies his own glory, and fills the earth with the knowledge of it, as plentifully as waters cover the sea which are deep, and spread far and wide.
Original Hebrew
ואף 637 כי 3588 היין 3196 בוגד 898 גבר 1397 יהיר 3093 ולא 3808 ינוה 5115 אשׁר 834 הרחיב 7337 כשׁאול 7585 נפשׁו 5315 והוא 1931 כמות 4194 ולא 3808 ישׂבע 7646 ויאסף 622 אליו 413 כל 3605 הגוים 1471 ויקבץ 6908 אליו 413 כל 3605 העמים׃ 5971
