John Calvin Commentary Habakkuk 2:5

"Yea, moreover, wine is treacherous, a haughty man, that keepeth not at home; who enlargeth his desire as Sheol, and he is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all peoples." — Habakkuk 2:5 (ASV)

The Prophet has taught us that a tranquil state of mind can only be had by relying on the grace of God alone; and that those who exalt themselves, fly in the air, and feed on the wind, bring upon themselves many sorrows and anxieties. But he now comes to the king of Babylon, and also to his kingdom; for in my judgment, he speaks not only of the king, but also includes that tyrannical empire with its people, representing them as a great company of robbers.

He then says, in short, that though the Babylonians, like drunken men, rushed here and there without any control, yet God’s vengeance, by which they were to be brought to nothing, was near at hand. Whatever, therefore, the Prophet adds to the end of the chapter tends to confirm his doctrine, which we have already explained—that the just shall live by faith.

Indeed, we cannot be fully convinced of this unless we firmly hold this principle: that God cares for us, and that the whole world is governed by His providence, so that it must be that He will eventually check the wicked, punish their sins, and deliver the innocent who call upon Him.

Unless this is our conviction, no benefit can be derived from our faith; indeed, we might be deceived a hundred times, for experience teaches us that the hopes of men, as long as they are fixed on the earth, are vain and delusive, as they are only mere imaginations.

For if God does not govern the world, there is no salvation for the faithful. In that case, God would delude them with vain promises, and they would flatter themselves with an empty prospect, or hope for that which is not. Hence, the Prophet shows how it is that the just shall live by faith: it is because the Lord will defend all who call upon Him. And since He is the just Judge of all the world, He will finally execute judgment on all the wicked, though for a time they act wantonly and think they will escape punishment because God does not execute immediate vengeance upon them. We now perceive the Prophet's design.

Regarding the words, these two particles, אף כי (aph ki), when joined together, amplify the meaning. Some render them as 'how much more'; others take them as a simple affirmative and render them as 'truly.' I approve of a middle course and render them as 'yea, truly' (Etiam certe). They are taken this way, I think, in Genesis 3:1, where Satan asked the woman, 'Yea, truly! Est-ce pour vrai?' For the question is that of one doubting, yet it refers to what is certain: 'How is it that God should forbid the eating of the fruit? Yea, is it so truly? Can it be so?'

So it is in this place, 'yea, truly,' says the Prophet. That it is an amplification can be gathered from the context. He had said before that those who exalt themselves, or consider themselves well fortified, are fearful in their minds and driven back and forth. He now advances another step: when men are carried along by unrestrained wantonness and promise themselves all things, as though there were no God, they surpass even the drunken, being hurried on by blind cupidity.

When, therefore, men thus abandon themselves, can they escape the judgment of God? Such madness is far less bearable than that simple arrogance of which he had spoken in the last verse. Thus, then, are the two verses connected: 'Yea, truly, he who in his pride is like a drunken man, and does not restrain himself, and who is even like wild beasts or the grave, devouring whatever meets them—he surely will not ultimately be endured by God.' Vengeance, then, is near to all the proud who are cruelly furious, passing all bounds and without any fear.

But interpreters differ as to the meaning of the words that follow. Some render בוגד (bugad) as 'to deceive,' and it means so in some places; they render the clause thus: 'Wine deceives a proud man, and he will not dwell.' This is indeed true, but the meaning is strained. I therefore prefer to follow the commonly received interpretation: that the proud man transgresses, as it were, through wine.

At the same time, I do not agree with others regarding the expression 'transgressing as through wine.' Some give this version: 'A man addicted to wine or to drunkenness transgresses'; and then they add, 'a proud man will not inhabit.' But they pervert the sentence and mangle the Prophet's words, for His words are, By wine transgressing the proud man. He does not say that a man addicted to wine transgresses; rather, he compares the proud to drunken men who, forgetting all reason and shame, abandon themselves to all that is disgraceful.

For drunken men distinguish nothing and become like brute animals, so that they shun nothing base and unbecoming. This is why the Prophet compares proud men to drunken men, who transgress through wine—that is, who observe no moderation but indulge themselves in excesses. We now, then, understand the real meaning of the Prophet, which many have not perceived.

As to the word inhabiting, I take it in a metaphorical sense, as signifying to rest or to continue in the same place. Drunken men are carried along by a certain excitement, so they do not restrain themselves, for they have no power over their feet or their hands. But as wine excites them, they ramble here and there like insane persons. Just as such an unruly temper lays hold of and bewilders drunken men, so the Prophet very aptly says that the proud man never rests.

And the reason follows (if this meaning is accepted): because he enlarges as the grave his soul, he is like to death. This, then, is the insatiableness he had mentioned—that the proud cannot be satisfied and therefore include heaven, earth, and sea within the compass of their desires. Since, then, they thus run here and there, it is no wonder that the Prophet says they do not rest.

He enlarges then as the grave his soul; and then he adds, he heaps together (or congregates, or collects) to himself all nations, and accumulates to himself all people. That is, the proud man keeps within no moderate limits. For though he were able to make one heap of all nations, he would still think that not enough, like Alexander, who wept because he had not yet enjoyed the empire of the whole world. And had he enjoyed it, his tears would not have been dried, for he had heard that, according to the opinion of Democritus, there were many worlds.

What did he mean? Even this: 'Were I to obtain the empire of the world, I should still be poor; for if there are more worlds, I should still wish to devour them all.' These proud men surpass every kind of drunkenness.

We now understand the meaning of the words. And though they contain a general truth, the Prophet no doubt applies them to the king of Babylon and to all the Chaldeans; for as has been said, he includes the whole nation. He shows here then, that the Chaldeans were much worse and less excusable than those who with great fierceness exalted themselves, for their rage carried them further, as they wished to swallow up the whole world.

But to express this more fully, he says that they were like drunken men. He no doubt indirectly derides here the counsels of princes, who think themselves very wise when they either by deceit oppress their neighbors, or by artful means seize the lands of others for themselves, or by some contrivance, or even by force of arms, take possession of them. As princes take wonderful delight in their iniquities, so the Prophet says that they are like drunken men who transgress by wine—that is, who are completely overcome by excessive drinking. At the same time, he shows the cause of this drunkenness by mentioning the words גבר יהיר, 'proud man.' As, then, they are proud, all their crafts are like the freaks of drunkenness—that is, furious, as when a man is deprived of reason by wine. Having thus spoken of the Babylonians, he immediately adds—