BibleWord.ai› Bible› Habakkuk› Chapter 1› Verse 14

Habakkuk 1:14

Old Testament Minor Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Habakkuk 1:14 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “and makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them?” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

and makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them?
Habakkuk 1:14 — American Standard Version

Context — Habakkuk 1

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
11Then shall he sweep by [as] a wind, and shall pass over, and be guilty, [even] he whose might is his god.
12Art not thou from everlasting, O Jehovah my God, my Holy One? we shall not die. O Jehovah, thou hast ordained him for judgment; and thou, O Rock, hast established him for correction.
13Thou that art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and that canst not look on perverseness, wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy peace when the wicked swalloweth up the man that is more righteous than he;
14and makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them?
15He taketh up all of them with the angle, he catcheth them in his net, and gathereth them in his drag: therefore he rejoiceth and is glad.
16Therefore he sacrificeth unto his net, and burneth incense unto his drag; because by them his portion is fat, and his food plenteous.
17Shall he therefore empty his net, and spare not to slay the nations continually?
← Habakkuk 1:13Habakkuk 1:15 →
← Full Chapter 1 Habakkuk Overview

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And makest men as the fishes of the sea, etc.] That is, sufferest them to be used as the fishes of the sea, which are easily taken in the net, and are common to everyone; whosoever will may take them up, and kill them, and use them for their food; and which also among themselves are often hardly used, the lesser being devoured by the greater; and in like manner the prophet suggests, that the people of the Jews, who were men made after the image of God, and made for society and usefulness, and moreover were God’s covenant people; and it might have been expected, that a more special providence would have attended them, more than other men, and especially than what attended the fishes of the…”
Read attributed excerpt →
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“And--that is, And so, by suffering oppressors to go unpunished, "Thou makest men as the fishes . . . that have no ruler"; that is, no defender. All may fish in the sea with impunity; so the Chaldeans with impunity afflict Thy people, as these have no longer the God of the theocracy, their King, to defend them. Thou reducest men to such a state of anarchy, by wrong going unpunished, as if there were no God. He compares the world to the sea; men to fishes; Nebuchadnezzar to a fisherman (Hab 1:15-17).”
Read attributed excerpt →
Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“And makest men as the fishes of the sea - mute, helpless, in a stormy, restless element, no cry heard, but themselves swept away in shoals, with no power to resist. As the creeping things - whether of the land (as it is mostly used), or the sea Psalms 104:25. Either way, it is a contemptuous name for the lowest of either. That have no ruler over them - none to guide, order, protect them, and so a picture of man deprived of the care and providence of God. return to 'Top of Page'”
Read attributed excerpt →
Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“And makest - Not infusing cruel appetites, but permitting them to act according to such appetite which was already in them. As the fishes - Of which the greater greedily devour the smaller. Creeping things - Which in the waters are food for the lesser fry; so the world, like the sea, is wholly oppression. No ruler - None to defend the weak, or restrain the mighty. Habakkuk 1:15”
Read attributed excerpt →
Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“1:14-15 fish . . . hooks . . . nets: Habakkuk portrays the Babylonians as fishermen, drawing in conquered peoples.”
Read attributed excerpt →
Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“creeping: or, moving no: Pro 6:7 Habakkuk 1:15”
Read attributed excerpt →

Related study paths

Read Habakkuk 1 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification