Habakkuk 2:15
"Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!"

Commentary

Gill's Exposition

Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink,.... Before the full accomplishment of the above prophecy concerning the abundance of the knowledge of the Lord in the earth, and before the utter destruction of antichrist; between that and the Reformation, when it had its fulfilment in part; the following practices inveighed against would be used, as we find they are, and for which the man of sin and his followers will be punished: one of which is expressed by a man's "giving his neighbour drink"; which is a commendable action, when drink is given to a person in want to quench his thirst, or in sorrowful and distressed circumstances to refresh and cheer him; but when this is done to intoxicate him, and draw him into uncleanness, it is an evil one; and which is the sense of the phrase here, as appears by the "woe" denounced, and by what follows; and is to be understood, not in a literal sense, but in a

figurative one; and is expressive of the various artful methods and alluring ways used by the Papists, especially the Jesuits, after the Reformation, with the Protestants, to forsake their religion, and to draw them into the superstition and idolatry of the church of Rome; and which are in the New Testament signified by "the wine of her fornication", with which the kings, nations, and inhabitants of the earth, are made drunk, Rev 17:2 crying up the devotion and religion of their church, its antiquity, purity, holiness, and unity; pretending great love to the souls of men, that they seek nothing but their spiritual good; promising them great advantages, temporal and spiritual, worldly riches and honour, and sure and certain salvation within the pale of their church, without which they say there is none; and by such means they have intoxicated many princes, kingdoms, and multitudes of people, since the Reformation; and have drawn them off from the profession of the Protestant religion, and brought them back to Popery again, as in Poland, Bohemia, Hungary, Germany, France, and other places; and these methods they are now taking in all Protestant countries, and in ours, and that with great success, as is notorious, and time will more abundantly show; but there is a "woe" lies against them for it: that puttest thy bottle to him; giving him not only a glass or cup at a time, but a whole bottle to drink off at once, in order to inebriate him. The word is by some translated "thy gall", or "thy poison" (k); which fitly enough expresses the poisonous doctrines of the church of Rome, which men insensibly imbibe, infused in her wine of fornication, or drink in through the alluring and ensnaring methods taken. It properly signifies "heat" or "wrath". The Targum is, "that pours it with heat, that he may drink, and be inebriated.'' The Syriac version is, "woe to him that gives his neighbour to drink the dregs of fury.'' The words may be truly rendered, "adding thy wrath" (l); that is, to the alluring and enticing methods before mentioned, adding menaces, wrathful words, and furious persecutions: and this the Papists do where they can; when good words and fair speeches will not prevail, and they can not gain over proselytes with flattery, deceit, and lying, they threaten them with racks and tortures, with prisons and galleys, and death itself in various shapes, to force men into their communion; and which they have put in execution in many places, in Bohemia, Hungary, and in France even to this day; and this is what in the New Testament is called "the wine of the wrath of her fornication", Rev 14:8 , and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness! as Ham did on his father's nakedness when in such circumstances: all the above methods are taken in order to intoxicate them, deprive them of the use of their reason, as is the case of a drunken man; and so bring them to believe, with an implicit faith, as the church believes; to believe things contrary to reason; to give into the spiritual whoredom and idolatry of that church, as men when drunk are easily drawn into uncleanness; to cast off their profession of the true religion, as a garment is cast off, as men when drunk are apt to do; and particularly to reject the doctrine of justification by the righteousness of Christ, which is the only robe to cover the nakedness of men, and receive the doctrine of merit and justification by works; in short, to apostatize wholly from the religion they have professed, and join in communion with the whore of Rome, that so they may look upon their apostasy, which is their nakedness, with the utmost pleasure and delight. (k) "venenum tuum", Montanus; so some in Drusius, and R. Jonah in Ben Melech. (l) "adjugenti, sive adhibenti furorem tuum", Tigurine version.

Source: Gill's Exposition (Public Domain)

Hebrew Word Studies (11 words)

H1945 הוֹי
Definition:

16ᵑ6, =הֵידָדJeremiah 51:14ᵑ6; also Modern Aramaicú hú, ú hú(in a lament), SoUrmia-Dial. 102. 4) — expressing usually dissatisfaction and pain,Ah, Alas; Ha(not distinctlyWoe!which isאוֺי): used in lam 16ᵑ6, =הֵידָדJeremiah 51:14ᵑ6; also Modern Aramaicú hú, ú hú(in a lament), SoUrmia-Dial. 102. 4) — expressing usually dissatisfaction and pain,Ah, Alas; Ha(not distinctlyWoe!which isאוֺי): used in lam

H8248 שָׁקָה
Definition:

6+, suffixוְהִשְׁקָהּNumbers 5:27; 2masculine singular consecutiveוְהִשְׁקִיתָNumbers 20:8+; 1 singular consecutiveוְהִשְׁקֵיתִיEzekiel 32:6, etc.;Imperfect3masculine singularיַשְׁקֶהNumbers 5:26,וַיַ 6+, suffixוְהִשְׁקָהּNumbers 5:27; 2masculine singular consecutiveוְהִשְׁקִיתָNumbers 20:8+; 1 singular consecutiveוְהִשְׁקֵיתִיEzekiel 32:6, etc.;Imperfect3masculine singularיַשְׁקֶהNumbers 5:26,וַיַ

Possible Meanings:
  • cause to drink water (semantic_range)
  • give to drink (semantic_range)
  • water (semantic_range)
  • irrigate (semantic_range)
  • water (semantic_range)
H7453 רֵעַ
Definition:

17friend, companion, fellow; —׳רabsolute2 Samuel 13:3+, construct1 Chronicles 27:33; suffixרֵעִיJob 31:9+,רֵעְַךָDeuteronomy 5:17+,רֵעֶ֑ךָExodus 2:13+, alsoרֵעֶיךָ2 Samuel 12:11(singular; Ges§ 93ss),ר 17friend, companion, fellow; —׳רabsolute2 Samuel 13:3+, construct1 Chronicles 27:33; suffixרֵעִיJob 31:9+,רֵעְַךָDeuteronomy 5:17+,רֵעֶ֑ךָExodus 2:13+, alsoרֵעֶיךָ2 Samuel 12:11(singular; Ges§ 93ss),ר

Possible Meanings:
  • evil (semantic_range)
  • distress (semantic_range)
  • misery (semantic_range)
  • injury (semantic_range)
  • calamity (semantic_range)
H5596 סָפַח
Definition:

17) {saw-fakh'}; a primitive root; properly, to scrape out, but in certain peculiar senses (of removal or association) -- abiding, gather together, cleave, smite with the scab.NAS Exhaustive Concordan 17) {saw-fakh'}; a primitive root; properly, to scrape out, but in certain peculiar senses (of removal or association) -- abiding, gather together, cleave, smite with the scab.NAS Exhaustive Concordan

Possible Meanings:
  • join (semantic_range)
  • attach to (semantic_range)
  • attach me (semantic_range)
  • pray (semantic_range)
H2573 חֵמֶת
Definition:

15;הַחֵ֫מֶתGenesis 21:19;וְחֵ֨מַת ַ™מיִםGenesis 21:14(see Di), [Habakkuk 2:5חֲמָתְךָseeחֵמָה].Topical LexiconMaterial and Cultural Backgroundחֵמֶת denotes a leather bag or skin sewn from goat or sheep 15;הַחֵ֫מֶתGenesis 21:19;וְחֵ֨מַת ַ™מיִםGenesis 21:14(see Di), [Habakkuk 2:5חֲמָתְךָseeחֵמָה].Topical LexiconMaterial and Cultural Backgroundחֵמֶת denotes a leather bag or skin sewn from goat or sheep

Possible Meanings:
  • fortress (semantic_range)
  • great Hamath (semantic_range)
H0637 אַף
Definition:

Genesis 40:16* (*with pronoun, as rather often) Ialsoin my dream,Numbers 16:14;Deuteronomy 2:11*;Deuteronomy 2:20*2 Samuel 20:14(see Dr)2 Kings 2:14*Esther 5:12; more frequently in poetry, especially Genesis 40:16* (*with pronoun, as rather often) Ialsoin my dream,Numbers 16:14;Deuteronomy 2:11*;Deuteronomy 2:20*2 Samuel 20:14(see Dr)2 Kings 2:14*Esther 5:12; more frequently in poetry, especially

H7937 שָׁכַר
Definition:

18; Ecclus 40:20שכרstrong drink; Arabicbe drunken, alsobe full,fill; Assyrianšikaru; =שֵׁכָר,šikaru,drunken, perhaps also verbšakâru; Ethiopic: Aramaicשִׁכְרָא,=שְׁכָר, especiallydate-wine(Löw p. 125) 18; Ecclus 40:20שכרstrong drink; Arabicbe drunken, alsobe full,fill; Assyrianšikaru; =שֵׁכָר,šikaru,drunken, perhaps also verbšakâru; Ethiopic: Aramaicשִׁכְרָא,=שְׁכָר, especiallydate-wine(Löw p. 125)

H4616 מַעַן
Definition:

compareמַ֫עַל; Köii. 116); — with suffixלְמַעֲנִי,לְמַעַנְךָ, andלְמַעַנְכֶם; —1. preposition: —a.Genesis 18:24wilt thou ... not spare the placeלמען חמשׁים הציקיםfor the sake ofthe 50 righteous?Deuter compareמַ֫עַל; Köii. 116); — with suffixלְמַעֲנִי,לְמַעַנְךָ, andלְמַעַנְכֶם; —1. preposition: —a.Genesis 18:24wilt thou ... not spare the placeלמען חמשׁים הציקיםfor the sake ofthe 50 righteous?Deuter

Possible Meanings:
  • purpose (semantic_range)
  • intent (semantic_range)
  • on account of (semantic_range)
  • to the intent (semantic_range)
H5027 נָבַט
Definition:

30look(literally), followed byלְ.Hiph`ilPerfectהִבִּיטNumbers 21:93t.;וְהִבַּטְתָּ֫1 Samuel 2:32, etc.;ImperfectיַבִּיטNumbers 12:84t.;וַיַּבֵּט1 Samuel 17:424t., etc.;Imperativeהַבֵּט1 Kings 18:43+;ה 30look(literally), followed byלְ.Hiph`ilPerfectהִבִּיטNumbers 21:93t.;וְהִבַּטְתָּ֫1 Samuel 2:32, etc.;ImperfectיַבִּיטNumbers 12:84t.;וַיַּבֵּט1 Samuel 17:424t., etc.;Imperativeהַבֵּט1 Kings 18:43+;ה

H5921 עַל
Definition:

“The Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters” (Genesis 1:2). From the opening verses, עַל marks God’s sovereignty above the chaotic deep, foreshadowing His orderly governance of the “The Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters” (Genesis 1:2). From the opening verses, עַל marks God’s sovereignty above the chaotic deep, foreshadowing His orderly governance of the

Possible Meanings:
  • upon (semantic_range)
  • on account of (semantic_range)
  • to (semantic_range)
H4589 מָעוֹר
Definition:

15.Topical LexiconMeaning and Semantic Rangeמָעוֹר signifies the exposure of the body that leads to shame and humiliation. While literally describing physical nakedness, the term also conveys dishonor 15.Topical LexiconMeaning and Semantic Rangeמָעוֹר signifies the exposure of the body that leads to shame and humiliation. While literally describing physical nakedness, the term also conveys dishonor

Possible Meanings:
  • pudendum (semantic_range)

Interlinear data not available for this verse yet.

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