Habakkuk 2:15-16
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
This verse highlights a particularly insidious form of abuse: making someone drunk not just to incapacitate them, but to exploit their vulnerability and shame for cruel entertainment. It’s a stark picture of how power can be used to debase others, turning their helplessness into a spectacle for the oppressor’s twisted pleasure.
“Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink— you pour out your wrath and make them drunk, in order to gaze at their nakedness! You will have your fill of shame instead of glory. Drink, yourself, and show your uncircumcision! The cup in the LORD’s right hand will come around to you, and utter shame will come upon your glory!
English Standard Version (ESV)
Habakkuk is addressing the Chaldean empire, which he's just described as a rapacious and insatiable power. In this passage, he pronounces a series of "woes" upon them, detailing their cruel and debauched actions against conquered nations. This verse specifically condemns their practice of intoxicating their neighbors, not just to subdue them, but to mock and humiliate them in their defenseless state.
Imagine a conqueror forcing his defeated enemy to drink until they lose all control, then mocking them in their most vulnerable state. This is the stark image Habakkuk paints.
The prophet Habakkuk uses powerful, visceral imagery to condemn the cruelty of oppressors, particularly the Chaldeans. He describes them making their neighbors 'drink' and become 'drunken' not necessarily with literal alcohol, but with the 'wrath' poured out by the aggressor. This intoxicating mixture leads to a state of helpless exposure, where their 'nakedness' is gazed upon with cruel delight.
This 'nakedness' isn't just physical; it represents their utter humiliation, loss of dignity, and complete subjugation. The oppressor's goal is to see them stripped of everything, to revel in their shame and weakness. It’s a picture of absolute power used not for justice or order, but for utter degradation and mockery.
Habakkuk's prophecy isn't just a lament; it's a divine indictment. The 'woe' pronounced here sets the stage for God's ultimate reckoning.
The 'woe' pronounced in this verse is a solemn declaration of divine judgment against those who act with such brutal contempt. Habakkuk is not just observing; he is relaying God's perspective. The actions described – forcing others into a state of helpless intoxication and then shamelessly gazing at their degradation – are an affront to God's justice and holiness.
While the verse focuses on the oppressor's cruel actions and their wicked satisfaction, the broader context of Habakkuk's prophecy reveals that this is not the end of the story. God hears the cries of the oppressed and promises to act against the arrogant and the violent. The 'woe' is a foreshadowing of a divine reversal, where those who inflict shame will themselves face shame and judgment.
Ask a follow-up
Understand the original words
chemah · Hebrew Noun
The divine displeasure or righteous indignation against sin, often manifested in judgment or the consequences of disobedience.
ervah · Hebrew Noun
Often used metaphorically for shame, vulnerability, or a state of dishonor; being uncovered before the eyes of others.
qalown · Hebrew Noun
A profound sense of disgrace, humiliation, or dishonor, often resulting from sin or divine judgment. It signifies the stripping away of one's dignity and standing.
kabowd · Hebrew Noun
The weight, splendor, brilliance, or reputation of God or a person. In this context, it refers to the human pride or status that will be replaced by disgrace.
arel · Hebrew Adjective
Refers to the covenant sign of God’s people in the Old Testament. To 'show' it in a shameful context here implies exposing oneself to utter disgrace, losing all protection and dignity.
Yahweh · Hebrew Proper Noun
The covenant name of the one true God of Israel, YHWH. It signifies His self-existence, faithfulness to His promises, and supreme authority over history.
kowc · Hebrew Noun
A metaphor for divine judgment or wrath. Drinking from the cup implies experiencing the full measure of God's righteous anger against sin.
Habakkuk's prophecy speaks against the brutal and humiliating tactics of the Babylonian Empire during its rise to power, a period marked by conquest and the subjugation of nations around 600 BC.
c. 630-621 BC
Josiah's Reforms and Assyrian Decline
King Josiah institutes religious reforms in Judah, while the Neo-Assyrian Empire begins to weaken significantly, creating a power vacuum in the region.
605 BC
Battle of Carchemish
The Neo-Babylonian Empire, under Nebuchadnezzar II, decisively defeats the Egyptian and Assyrian forces, establishing Babylonian dominance over the Near East.
c. 600 BC— this verse
Babylonian Expansion and Cruelty
Nebuchadnezzar II's empire expands, marked by military campaigns and the subjugation of surrounding nations. This era is characterized by the empire's brutal tactics and expansionist policies.
597 BC
First Deportation of Judah
Nebuchadnezzar deports Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, along with many of its elite, to Babylon following a revolt. This marks a significant weakening of the kingdom.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Second Deportation
Jerusalem is destroyed, the Temple is burned, and a large portion of the remaining population is exiled to Babylon, effectively ending the Kingdom of Judah.
This passage describes Noah becoming drunk and being exposed by his son Ham, mirroring the shameful nakedness Habakkuk speaks of resulting from intoxication and debauchery.
Psalm 76:8This Psalm speaks of God's fierce wrath being poured out, similar to how Habakkuk describes the oppressor making others drink of his wrath until they are shamed.
Jeremiah 25:15-29Jeremiah also uses the metaphor of a "cup of wrath" poured out by God upon nations, paralleling Habakkuk's imagery of oppressors forcing others to drink a destructive "cup."
Nahum 3:5-6Nahum pronounces a woe upon Nineveh for her 'lewdness' and 'shameful nakedness' exposed to all nations, connecting the shame of exposure with wicked actions of a dominant power.
Revelation 14:8The New Testament echoes Habakkuk's imagery, stating that Babylon made all nations drink the wine of her passionate lust and then exposed their shameful deeds.
barnesHabakkuk 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!"
From cruelty the prophet goes on to denounce the woe on insolence. "Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor" (to whom he owes love) drink (literally, that maketh him drink); that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also , that thou mayest look (gaze with devilish pleasure) on their nakedness." This may either be of ac…
ellicottHabakkuk 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!"
(15-17) Woe on the cruel invader who has made the world drink of the cup of wrath. (15, 16) Woe unto him.—It is possible that wanton outrages committed by the debauched Babylonian soldiery in the hour of triumph are here meant. And this is in accordance with the mention of drunkenness as their special sin in Habakkuk 2:5. But we mu…
This verse highlights a particularly insidious form of abuse: making someone drunk not just to incapacitate them, but to exploit their vulnerability and shame for cruel entertainment. It’s a stark picture of how power can be used to debase others, turning their helplessness into a spectacle for the oppressor’s twisted pleasure.
Habakkuk is addressing the Chaldean empire, which he's just described as a rapacious and insatiable power. In this passage, he pronounces a series of "woes" upon them, detailing their cruel and debauched actions against conquered nations. This verse specifically condemns their practice of intoxicating their neighbors, not just to subdue them, but to mock and humiliate them in their defenseless state.
Habakkuk is addressing the Chaldean empire, which he's just described as a rapacious and insatiable power. In this passage, he pronounces a series of "woes" upon them, detailing their cruel and debauched actions against conquered nations. This verse specifically condemns their practice of intoxicating their neighbors, not just to subdue them, but to mock and humiliate them in their defenseless state.
"“Woe to him who makes his neighbors drink— you pour out your wrath and make them drunk, in order to gaze at their nakedness! You will have your fill of shame instead of glory. Drink, yourself, and show your uncircum…" — This verse highlights a particularly insidious form of abuse: making someone drunk not just to incapacitate them, but to exploit their vulnerability and shame for cruel entertainment. It’s a stark pi…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026
