Habakkuk 1:15

“They take up all of them with the angle, etc.] The prophet continues the metaphor of fishing, and observes the different ways of taking fish; which is to be applied to the case he is speaking of: as fishermen take all they can with their angles, so “they” or “he”, for it is in the singular number, Nebuchadnezzar and his army, take up all out of the sea of the world; are ambitious of getting all kingdoms and nations of the world under their power and dominion; particularly all Judea, and all the inhabitants of it, good and bad, without any distinction; for all were fish which came to their net: this may design the artful and alluring methods they first made use of to get the people into their…”

“they take up all of them--all kinds of fishes, that is, men, as captives, and all other prey that comes in their way. with the angle--that is, the hook. Some they take up as with the hook, one by one; others in shoals, as in a "net" and "drag" or enclosing net. therefore--because of their successes. they rejoice--They glory in their crimes because attended with success (compare Hab 1:11).”

“They take up all of them - (literally “he taketh up all of it”) the whole race as though it were one, With an angle; they catch them - literally, he sweepeth it away In their (his) net - One fisherman is singled out who partly by wiles (as by the bait of “an angle”), partly by violence (the net or drag) sweeps away and gathers as his own the whole kind. Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldaeans are herein a faint image of Satan, who casts out his baits and his nets in the stormy sea of this life, taking some by individual craft, sweeping others in whole masses, to do evil; and whoso hath no ruler, and will not have Christ to reign over him Luke 19:4, he allures, hurries, drags away as his prey.…”

“They - The Chaldeans draw out all alike, good or bad. In their net - Destroying many together. And gather - As if they could never have enough, they drive men into their nets. Habakkuk 1:16”

“take: Jer 16:16; Eze 29:4, Eze 29:5; Amo 4:2; Mat 17:27 they catch: Psa 10:9; Luk 5:5-10; Joh 21:6-11 drag: or, flue-net therefore: Jer 50:11; Lam 2:15, Lam 2:16; Eze 25:6, Eze 26:2, Eze 35:15; Rev 11:10 Habakkuk 1:16”