You make mankind like the fish of the sea,
Habakkuk 1:14-17
like crawling things that have no ruler.
He brings all of them up with a hook;
he drags them out with his net;
he gathers them in his dragnet;
so he rejoices and is glad.
Therefore he sacrifices to his net
and makes offerings to his dragnet;
for by them he lives in luxury,
and his food is rich.
Is he then to keep on emptying his net
and mercilessly killing nations forever?
After complaining about the injustice in Israel and being bewildered that God would use an even more evil nation to punish them, Habakkuk turns to an analogy. He compares people to fish and the Chaldeans to fishermen.
Tools of the Trade
Habakkuk lists three tools for fishing: a hook (חַכָּה, chakah), net (חֵ֫רֶם, cherem), and dragnet (מִכְמֶ֫רֶת, michmeret). These are some of tools of the trade for ancient fishermen.
Fishing is not mentioned much in the Bible. If you’re like me, you first think of Jesus calling his first disciples, who were fishermen. When Jesus found the early disciples, they were casting a net into the lake (Matthew 4:18). He compares the Kingdom to a net thrown into the sea (Matthew 13:47). Jesus commands Peter to cast a hook into the lake to catch a fish to pay the temple tax (Matthew 17:27).
Where are these fishing tools mentioned in the Hebrew Bible? Let’s catch the places these words pop up.
Hooking a Fish
Isaiah prophesies against Egypt in chapter 19. Predicting the waters of the Nile will dry up, he mentions two of our fishing tools as the fishermen lament over their dire situation:
The fishermen will mourn and lament,
Isaiah 19:8
all who cast a hook (chakah) in the Nile;
and they will languish
who spread nets (michmeret) on the water.
Besides the two uses here in Habakkuk, this is the only other use of michmeret. Chakah appears in a third place. When God appears to Job, he asks him question after question about how the world works and then turns to some powerful creatures. “Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook (chakah)” (Job 41:1). Leviathan was a large, mythical sea monster. Imagine trying to catch a great white shark with a regular fishing pole and a hook and you can get a feel for God’s question.
Nets Spread Out
Cherem, the net, is used the most, although still infrequently. Ezekiel uses it a few times. He prophesies the destruction of the city of Tyre such that people will spread their nets there because it’s not inhabited (Ezekiel 26:5, 14). Pharaoh will be caught in a net (Ezekiel 32:3). Finally, he predicts the Dead Sea will become fresh, filled with a vast array of fish, drawing fishermen, who will spread out their nets (Ezekiel 47:10).
Micah 7:2 laments the godly people perishing with wickedness on the rise where someone “hunts the other with a net”. While I’m sure this is metaphorical, imagine what it looks like to be hunted down by others. I think of the books/movies The Hunger Games, where teenagers are placed in a large arena and forced to fight to the death.
Ecclesiastes 7:26 warns against “the woman whose heart is snares and nets (cherem), and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her”. (The word “snare” here is related to the verb “hunt” in Micah 7:2) Unfortunately, there are far too many stories of men being snared by a woman, wrecking careers or families. Nevertheless, there are other traps we fall into with consequences, like being caught telling a lie.
To Ponder…
The Lord was sending the Chaldeans to ensnare the people of Judah. We saw others caught in other passages. What metaphorical traps can you think of which ensnare people today?
What snares are there in your life? How can you avoid them?
Are there snares you create for others?
