John Calvin Commentary Habakkuk 1:9

"They come all of them for violence; the set of their faces is forwards; and they gather captives as the sand." — Habakkuk 1:9 (ASV)

By saying that they would come for the prey, he means that they would have no trouble or effort, for they would be victorious before they had any contest or engaged in any war with their enemies. The meaning, then, is that the Chaldeans would not come to spend much time in warfare, as happens when there is a strong power to resist; instead, they would only come for the booty, because the Jews would be frightened and instantly submit. By these words, the Prophet implies that there would be neither strength nor courage in such a rebellious people, for God thus weakens the hearts of those who fiercely resist His word. Whenever, then, people become defiant towards God, He so melts their hearts that they cannot resist other mortals, and thus He mocks their confidence, or rather their madness. Therefore, to prevent the Jews from still harboring any hope from the chance of war, the Prophet says that the Chaldeans would only come for the prey, for all would become subject to them.

He afterward adds that the meeting of their faces would be like the oriental wind. The word גמה, gime, means what is opposite, and its derivative signifies a meeting or opposition (occursus). Indeed, we know that the east wind was very harmful to the land of Judea, that it dried up vegetation, and that it even consumed, as it were, the entire produce of the earth. The violence of that wind was also very great. Thus, whenever the Prophets wished to express a violent force, they added this comparison of the east wind. It was, therefore, as if the Prophet had said that the Jews would now flatter themselves in vain, for as soon as they perceived the blowing of the east wind, they would flee, knowing that they would be completely unable to stand against it.

From this follows what is added by the Prophet: He shall gather the captivity like the sand. This means that the king of Babylon will, without any trouble, subdue all the people and collect captives as innumerable as the sand. For 'the sand of the sea' signifies an immense number of people. In short, the Prophet shows that the Jews were already conquered, because their striving and their contest had been with God, whom they had so often and so stubbornly provoked, and also because God had chosen for Himself servants who excelled in speed, power, and cruelty. This is the substance of it all. He afterward adds—