The Meaning of Habakkuk 1:6 Explained

Habakkuk 1:6

KJV: For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are not theirs.

YLT: For, lo, I am raising up the Chaldeans, The bitter and hasty nation, That is going to the broad places of earth, To occupy tabernacles not its own.

Darby: For behold, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and impetuous nation, which marcheth through the breadth of the earth, to possess dwelling-places that are not theirs.

ASV: For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, that march through the breadth of the earth, to possess dwelling-places that are not theirs.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For, lo, I raise up  the Chaldeans,  [that] bitter  and hasty  nation,  which shall march  through the breadth  of the land,  to possess  the dwellingplaces  [that are] not theirs. 

What does Habakkuk 1:6 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The Lord urged the prophet and his people to see that He was in the process of raising up the Chaldeans as a force and power in their world. The name "Chaldeans" derives from the ruling class that lived in southern Mesopotamia and took leadership in the Neo-Babylonian Empire. The last and greatest dynasty to rule Babylon was of Chaldean origin. Thus "Chaldean" was almost a synonym for "Babylonian." The Chaldeans were Semites, descendants of Kesed, the son of Nahor, Abraham"s brother ( Genesis 22:22). Some modern Iraqis, especially those from southern Iraq, still identify themselves as Chaldeans. The Neo-Babylonian Empire began its rise to world domination with the accession of Nabopolassar to the throne of Babylon in626 B.C. This aggressive king stimulated the Babylonians to become a ruthless and impetuous nation that had already marched through the ancient Near East and conquered several neighboring nations (cf. Ezekiel 28:7; Ezekiel 30:11; Ezekiel 31:12; Ezekiel 32:12). Thus Babylonia would be the rod of God"s punishment of Judah as Assyria had been His instrument of judgment of Israel.
"The seventh-century prophets depicted the Lord as the sovereign ruler over the nations." [1]

Context Summary

Habakkuk 1:1-17 - The Apparent Prosperity Of The Wicked
Habakkuk probably lived toward the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, when the Chaldeans were preparing to invade the land. Jerusalem was filled with wickedness. Crimes of violence and lawlessness had become so numerous that the prophet was appalled at the sight. He could only point to the fate of other nations, which must also befall Judah unless the people repented. Paul quotes Habakkuk 1:5 in Acts 13:41. The Chaldeans are compared to the leopard, the evening wolf, and the east wind. The prophet turns to Jehovah in an agony of expostulation and entreaty. Was He not from everlasting? Was He not Israel's Rock? The prophet's solace is the reflection, "We shall not die." An ancient reading is, "Thou canst not die." We are reminded of Revelation 1:18. O thou undying, unchanging, life-giving Savior, we cling to thee amid the storms that sweep the world, as limpets to the rock. [source]

Chapter Summary: Habakkuk 1

1  Unto Habakkuk, complaining of the iniquity of the land,
5  is shown the fearful vengeance by the Chaldeans
12  He complains that vengeance should be executed by them who are far worse

What do the individual words in Habakkuk 1:6 mean?

For indeed I am raising up - the Chaldeans a nation bitter and hasty which marches through the breadth of the earth to possess dwelling places not [that are] theirs
כִּֽי־ הִנְנִ֤י מֵקִים֙ אֶת־ הַכַּשְׂדִּ֔ים הַגּ֖וֹי הַמַּ֣ר וְהַנִּמְהָ֑ר הַֽהוֹלֵךְ֙ לְמֶרְחֲבֵי־ אֶ֔רֶץ לָרֶ֖שֶׁת מִשְׁכָּנ֥וֹת לֹּא־ לֽוֹ

הִנְנִ֤י  indeed  I 
Parse: Interjection, first person common singular
Root: הֵן  
Sense: behold, lo, though hypothetical part.
מֵקִים֙  am  raising  up 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular
Root: קוּם 
Sense: to rise, arise, stand, rise up, stand up.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
הַכַּשְׂדִּ֔ים  the  Chaldeans 
Parse: Article, Proper Noun, masculine plural
Root: כַּשְׂדִּים  
Sense: a territory in lower Mesopotamia bordering on the Persian Gulf.
הַגּ֖וֹי  a  nation 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.
הַמַּ֣ר  bitter 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: מַר 
Sense: bitter, bitterness.
וְהַנִּמְהָ֑ר  and  hasty 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: מָהַר  
Sense: (Qal) to hasten.
הַֽהוֹלֵךְ֙  which  marches 
Parse: Article, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
לְמֶרְחֲבֵי־  through  the  breadth 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: מֶרְחָב 
Sense: broad or roomy place, wide, expanses.
אֶ֔רֶץ  of  the  earth 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
לָרֶ֖שֶׁת  to  possess 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: יָרַשׁ  
Sense: to seize, dispossess, take possession off, inherit, disinherit, occupy, impoverish, be an heir.
מִשְׁכָּנ֥וֹת  dwelling  places 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: מִשְׁכָּן  
Sense: dwelling place, tabernacle.
לֽוֹ  [that  are]  theirs 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular