Habakkuk: Profiting From the Poor

“Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house,
to set his nest on high,
to be safe from the reach of harm!
You have devised shame for your house
by cutting off many peoples;
you have forfeited your life.
For the stone will cry out from the wall,
and the beam from the woodwork respond.

Habakkuk 2:9-11

We now turn to the second woe of Habakkuk, which we will cover over the coming weeks. This one begins by condemning those who take advantage of others.

Profiting from Profits

The translation of the first line of verse nine obscure the Hebrew a little. This is another case where the verb and noun stem from the same root. He “gains a gain” or “profits a profit” (Hebrew botzea betza). Jeremiah exclaimed that “everyone is greedy for unjust gain” (Jeremiah 6:13; literally “all/each of him profits a profit”). The same verb-noun pair also occurs in Proverbs 1:19, 15:27, Jeremiah 8:10, and Ezekiel 22:27. We see from these examples that the profits they seek are not from simply running a legitimate business. Rather, they are exploiting others for their own benefit.

There are cases where “unjust” is not added, but knowing that connotation enhances the passage. For instance, when pondering what to do with their brother Joseph, Judah said, “What profit (betza) is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?” (Genesis 37:26). Judah was looking at how Joseph could profit them (by selling him into slavery). Fast forward many centuries to the return from exile, to the prophet Malachi as he chastised the people in various areas of life. The Lord heard them exclaim, “It is vain to serve God. What is the profit (betza) of our keeping his charge” (Malachi 3:14). Their obedience was tied to what was in it for them, not in their love for God.

Putting an End to It

Batza also carries the idea of cutting off. Job, weary of his horrid condition, wishes God “would let loose his hand and cut me off (batza)” (Job 6:9; see also Job 27:8).

Elsewhere it is translated as completing or finishing something. “When the Lord has finished (batza) all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, he will punish the speech of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the boastful look in his eyes” (Isaiah 10:12). After the exile, as the people began to rebuild the Lord’s house, the Lord promised, “The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete (batza) it” (Zechariah 4:9).

I can see the connection between “cut off” and “finish”. To finish a task is to cut off working on it. The book of Lamentations mourns over the destruction of Jerusalem, which God had promised he would bring about if the people did not repent. “The LORD has done what he purposed; / he has carried out (batza) his word, / which he commanded long ago” (Lamentations 2:17). The word he had spoken came to its conclusion.

How are unjust profits linked with cutting off or terminating something? I suppose the profits are a result of them being cut off from others. When one person profits off another, they cut them off from their possessions.

To Ponder…

Are you more concerned with your own well-being or the well-being of others? Do you ever think about even innocent actions can adversely affect others?

Think about the products you buy (from a pair of pants to a banana to a smartphone). Who makes that? How does it get to your home? How do we profit from the hard work of others?

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