Habakkuk 2:5Yes, moreover, wine is treacherous. A haughty man who doesn't stay at home, who enlarges his desire as Sheol, and he is like death, and can't be satisfied, but gathers to himself all nations, and heaps to himself all peoples.
The setting
Jerusalem, ~605 BC. The Babylonian Empire is expanding rapidly, conquering nation after nation with insatiable appetite, modern-day Iraq...
The emotion here: horrified at witnessing unstoppable evil
The original word
nephesh (נֶפֶשׁ) — the soul's deep craving, an inner void that can never be filled
Why it matters
Babylon conquered 19 nations in 23 years under Nebuchadnezzar's expansion
Read with care
What most readers miss in Habakkuk 2:5
This describes addiction psychology 2,600 years before modern science understood it
Common misconceptionPeople think this is just about money, but Habakkuk is describing the psychology of any addiction - the 'enlarging desire' that grows stronger the more you feed it.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Habakkuk 2:5
Bible Genome reading
Habakkuk 2:5 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Habakkuk 2:5 comes from the book of Habakkuk, written during the Divided Kingdom period. These words are attributed to God. The dominant emotion in this verse is angry, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is reflective. It belongs to the prophecy genre of biblical literature. Key themes include greed, insatiability, moral corruption. Notable phrases: wine is treacherous; enlarges desire as Sheol; like death. This verse contains prophecy.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same angry
“Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, 'I am strong.'”
— Joel 3:10
“You blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel!”
— Matthew 23:24
“Listen to this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who tell their husba…”
— Amos 4:1
“I hate, I despise your feasts, and I can't stand your solemn assemblies.”
— Amos 5:21
“Your eyes shall not pity; life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”
— Deuteronomy 19:21
Your reflection
What does Habakkuk 2:5 mean to you, today?
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