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Grammar Analysis: Habakkuk 2:15-17

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Hebrew (v. 15): הֹ֚וי מַשְׁקֵ֣ה רֵעֵ֔הוּ מְסַפֵּ֥חַ חֲמָתְךָ֖ וְאַ֣ף שַׁכֵּ֑ר לְמַ֥עַן הַבִּ֖יט עַל־מְעֹורֵיהֶֽם׃

Hebrew (v. 16): שָׂבַ֤עְתָּ קָלֹון֙ מִכָּבֹ֔וד שְׁתֵ֥ה גַם־אַ֖תָּה וְהֵֽעָרֵ֑ל תִּסֹּ֣וב עָלֶ֗יךָ כֹּ֚וס יְמִ֣ין יְהוָ֔ה וְקִיקָלֹ֖ון עַל־כְּבֹודֶֽךָ׃

Hebrew (v. 17): כִּ֣י חֲמַ֤ס לְבָנֹון֙ יְכַסֶּ֔ךָּ וְשֹׁ֥ד בְּהֵמֹ֖ות יְחִיתַ֑ן מִדְּמֵ֤י אָדָם֙ וַחֲמַס־אֶ֔רֶץ קִרְיָ֖ה וְכָל־יֹ֥שְׁבֵי בָֽהּ׃ ס

KJV (v. 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!

KJV (v. 16): Thou art filled with shame for glory: drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered: the cup of the LORD'S right hand shall be turned unto thee, and shameful spewing [shall be] on thy glory.

KJV (v. 17): For the violence of Lebanon shall cover thee, and the spoil of beasts, [which] made them afraid, because of men's blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein.

Word-by-Word Parsing

Habakkuk 2:15

# Hebrew Lemma Parsing Gloss
1 הֹוי הוי Interj alas / woe
2 מַשְׁקֵה שׁקה Verb.Hiphil.Ptcp.ms.Cst give drink
3 רֵעֵהוּ רע Noun.ms.Abs.+3ms his fellow
4 מְסַפֵּחַ ספח Verb.Piel.Ptcp.ms.Abs attach / pour out
5 חֲמָתְךָ חמה Noun.fs.Abs.+2ms your heat/wrath (also "your bottle/wineskin")
6 וְ ו Conj and
7 אַף אף Adv even
8 שַׁכֵּר שׁכר Verb.Piel.InfAbs making drunk
9 לְמַעַן למען Prep in order that
10 הַבִּיט נבט Verb.Hiphil.InfCon to look at
11 עַל על Prep upon
12 מְעֹורֵיהֶם מעור Noun.mp.Abs.+3mp their nakedness

Habakkuk 2:16

# Hebrew Lemma Parsing Gloss
1 שָׂבַעְתָּ שׂבע Verb.Qal.Perf.2ms you are sated
2 קָלֹון קלון Noun.ms.Abs dishonor / shame
3 מִ מן Prep from / rather than
4 כָּבֹוד כבוד Noun.s.Abs glory / weight
5 שְׁתֵה שׁתה Verb.Qal.Impv.2ms drink!
6 גַם גם Adv even / also
7 אַתָּה אתה PersPron.2ms you
8 וְ ו Conj and
9 הֵעָרֵל ערל Verb.Niphal.Impv.2ms be uncircumcised / stagger (MT); or "expose yourself"
10 תִּסֹּוב סבב Verb.Qal.Impf.3fs it shall turn
11 עָלֶיךָ על Prep.+2ms upon you
12 כֹּוס כוס Noun.fs.Cst cup of
13 יְמִין ימין Noun.fs.Cst right hand of
14 יְהוָה יהוה PropN YHWH
15 וְ ו Conj and
16 קִיקָלֹון קיקלון Noun.ms.Abs disgrace / shameful vomit
17 עַל על Prep upon
18 כְּבֹודֶךָ כבוד Noun.s.Abs.+2ms your glory

Habakkuk 2:17

# Hebrew Lemma Parsing Gloss
1 כִּי כי Conj for / because
2 חֲמַס חמס Noun.ms.Cst violence of
3 לְבָנֹון לבנון PropN Lebanon
4 יְכַסֶּךָּ כסה Verb.Piel.Impf.3ms.+2ms it will cover you
5 וְ ו Conj and
6 שֹׁד שׁד Noun.ms.Cst devastation of
7 בְּהֵמֹות בהמה Noun.fp.Abs beasts
8 יְחִיתַן חתת Verb.Hiphil.Impf.3ms.+3fp it will terrify them
9 מִ מן Prep because of
10 דְּמֵי דם Noun.mp.Cst bloods of
11 אָדָם אדם Noun.ms.Abs humans
12 וַ ו Conj and
13 חֲמַס חמס Noun.ms.Cst violence of
14 אֶרֶץ ארץ Noun.s.Abs earth / land
15 קִרְיָה קריה Noun.fs.Abs town / city
16 וְ ו Conj and
17 כָל כל Noun.ms.Cst all of
18 יֹשְׁבֵי ישׁב Verb.Qal.Ptcp.mp.Cst dwellers of
19 בָהּ ב Prep.+3fs in it

Key Grammatical Features

1. הֹוי — Woe-oracle interjection opening the oracle

  • Form: Interjection (הוֹי), regularly used to introduce prophetic woe-oracles; followed by participial phrases identifying the one addressed.
  • Significance: This is the fourth of five הוֹי-oracles in Hab 2:6-20 (vv. 6, 9, 12, 15, 19). The interjection plus substantival participles (מַשְׁקֵה, מְסַפֵּחַ) functions to indict the addressee by labeling his characteristic behavior — "Woe to [the one] giving-drink … [the one] pouring-out." Participles here are not merely descriptive but charge-stating: they fix the accused by his habitual act.
  • Grammar reference: see concepts/mashal-speech-act.md for related prophetic speech-act analysis.

2. מַשְׁקֵה and מְסַפֵּחַ — Substantival participles in the indictment

  • Form: מַשְׁקֵה is a Hiphil masculine singular participle in the construct state from שׁקה ("cause to drink"); מְסַפֵּחַ is a Piel masculine singular participle, absolute, from ספח ("attach/pour out").
  • Significance: After הוֹי, Hebrew prophetic speech regularly attaches a string of participles that function as substantives — naming the one addressed by his action. The Hiphil of שׁקה is a causative ("make drink" > "give drink"), and the construct state on the participle binds it directly to its object רֵעֵהוּ ("his neighbor") without an intervening article — literally "the one-causing-to-drink-of his neighbor." The Piel of ספח intensifies the act of pouring/attaching the vessel.
  • Grammar reference: hebrew/stem-hiphil.md, hebrew/construct-state.md, hebrew/construct-chain-suffix.md

3. שַׁכֵּר — Piel infinitive absolute in imperatival/continuative force

  • Form: Piel infinitive absolute of שׁכר ("be drunk" / Piel "make drunk"), in sequence with preceding participles through וְאַף ("and even").
  • Significance: The infinitive absolute here carries over the force of the preceding participles — "and (he is) even making-drunk." This is a classic use of the infinitive absolute as a continuation of a finite or participial verb in the same clause-sequence, allowing the indictment to intensify without repeating the participial morphology. The Piel of שׁכר shifts the Qal stative "be drunk" into a causative-factitive "make drunk" — the subject is actively inducing drunkenness in the neighbor.
  • Grammar reference: hebrew/infinitive-absolute-intensification.md
  • Word study: word-studies/H7937-shakar.md

4. לְמַעַן הַבִּיט — Purpose clause with Hiphil infinitive construct

  • Form: לְמַעַן ("in order that") + Hiphil infinitive construct of נבט ("look at, gaze upon"). The Hiphil of נבט is the standard stem for intentional looking/regarding.
  • Significance: לְמַעַן + infinitive construct marks the purpose of the entire preceding indictment: the neighbor is made drunk so that the addressee can gaze on his nakedness. This nails the moral character of the crime — it is not an incidental result but the deliberate goal. The infinitive construct form is typical after לְמַעַן for expressing purpose, where a finite verb would be awkward.
  • Grammar reference: hebrew/stem-hiphil.md, hebrew/infinitive-construct-natan-predicative.md (analogous infinitive-construct syntax)

5. שְׁתֵה … וְהֵעָרֵל — Qal and Niphal imperatives in sarcastic reversal (v. 16)

  • Form: שְׁתֵה is a Qal masculine singular imperative of שׁתה ("drink!"). וְהֵעָרֵל is a Niphal masculine singular imperative — either from ערל ("be uncircumcised" > figuratively "expose yourself") or, with one consonantal reordering read by LXX/Vg as וְהֵרָעֵל ("and stagger"). The MT parsing as Niphal imperative of ערל is what the parser recognizes.
  • Significance: Two imperatives addressed to the oppressor form a sarcastic invitation — the one who forced his neighbor to drink is now commanded to drink himself. The Niphal of ערל is significant: Niphal carries reflexive/passive force, so the command reads "make-yourself-exposed / let-yourself-be-treated-as-uncircumcised." The pairing enacts the talionic principle — the same shame inflicted is now commanded upon the perpetrator. These are prophetic imperatives: the command functions as a declaration of coming judgment rather than a literal instruction.
  • Grammar reference: hebrew/imperative-mood.md, hebrew/stem-niphal.md
  • Word study: word-studies/H8354-shathah.md

6. כֹּוס יְמִין יְהוָה — Triple construct chain (v. 16)

  • Form: Three-member construct chain: כֹּוס (fs construct "cup of") → יְמִין (fs construct "right-hand of") → יְהוָה (absolute "YHWH"). Parser confirms: "cup — CONSTRUCT / right-hand — CONSTRUCT / YHWH — ABSOLUTE."
  • Significance: The subject of תִּסֹּוב ("shall come around") is this extended construct chain. In a chain of three, only the final member takes the absolute state; the whole chain functions as a single noun-phrase: "the-cup-of-the-right-hand-of-YHWH." The right hand is the agent of action; the cup is what that hand administers. This is the standard prophetic "cup of wrath" motif (cf. Jer 25:15-29; Isa 51:17, 22; Ps 75:8), now grammatically anchored to YHWH as the source of the reversal.
  • Grammar reference: hebrew/construct-state.md, hebrew/construct-chain-suffix.md
  • Word study: word-studies/H3563-kowc.md

7. תִּסֹּוב … יְכַסֶּךָּ … יְחִיתַן — Imperfects of coming judgment (vv. 16-17)

  • Form: Three Qal/Piel/Hiphil imperfects:
  • תִּסֹּוב (Qal impf 3fs, סבב "turn, come around")
  • יְכַסֶּךָּ (Piel impf 3ms + 2ms suffix, כסה "cover" — intensified/factitive: "completely cover")
  • יְחִיתַן (Hiphil impf 3ms + 3fp suffix, חתת "terrify" — causative: "make them terrified")
  • Significance: All three imperfects denote future, certain divine action. The Piel of כסה (יְכַסֶּךָּ) carries factitive force — not just "cover" but "overwhelm, completely cover," with the 2ms pronominal suffix making the addressee the direct object. The Hiphil of חתת is a causative "cause-to-be-terrified," with 3fp suffix pointing back to בְּהֵמֹות ("beasts"). These imperfects drive the lex talionis reversal of v. 16 into concrete historical devastation.
  • Grammar reference: hebrew/qal-imperfect.md, hebrew/hiphil-imperfect.md, hebrew/stem-hiphil.md

8. חֲמַס לְבָנֹון / שֹׁד בְּהֵמֹות / דְּמֵי אָדָם / חֲמַס אֶרֶץ — Stacked construct chains of indictment (v. 17)

  • Form: Four construct-absolute pairs in rapid sequence, identified by the parser:
  • חֲמַס לְבָנֹון — "violence of Lebanon"
  • שֹׁד בְּהֵמֹות — "devastation of beasts"
  • דְּמֵי אָדָם — "bloods of humanity"
  • חֲמַס אֶרֶץ — "violence of land/earth"
  • Significance: The syntactic ambiguity of the construct is theologically pointed. חֲמַס לְבָנֹון can be either a subjective genitive ("violence which Lebanon committed") or objective genitive ("violence done against Lebanon"). The context of v. 17 — cover, terrify, blood-guilt — strongly favors the objective reading: the violence done to Lebanon and its beasts returns upon the oppressor to cover him. This is the syntactic hinge of the entire judgment: the genitive relation itself carries the talionic logic.
  • Grammar reference: hebrew/construct-state.md, hebrew/syntax-compound-object-waw.md

Clause Structure

v. 15 — Participial indictment chain (all Q-domain, i.e. direct speech)

Clause 1: [Intj] הוֹי                               — "Woe!"
Clause 2: [PreC] מַשְׁקֵה + [Objc] רֵעֵהוּ         — "the one giving-drink to his neighbor"
Clause 3: [PreC] מְסַפֵּחַ + [Objc] חֲמָתְךָ       — "pouring out your wrath/bottle"
Clause 4: [Conj] וְ + [Modi] אַף + [Pred] שַׁכֵּר  — "and even making-drunk" (InfAbs)
Clause 5: [Pred] לְמַעַן הַבִּיט + [Cmpl] עַל מְעוֹרֵיהֶם — "in order to look upon their nakedness" (InfC purpose)

The interjection + string of participles + infinitive absolute + לְמַעַן-infinitive construct is a tightly constructed indictment formula — one continuous charge with no finite main verb in the Hebrew until v. 16. The participles and infinitives function nominally to name the accused by his deeds.

v. 16 — Perfect + imperatives + imperfect verdict

Clause 1 (ZQt0): [Pred] שָׂבַעְתָּ + [Cmpl] קָלוֹן + [Adju] מִכָּבוֹד  — "You are sated with shame rather than glory" (Qal perfect — stative completed)
Clause 2 (ZImX): [Pred] שְׁתֵה + [Subj] גַם אַתָּה                       — "Drink, you too!" (Qal imperative)
Clause 3 (WIm0): [Conj] וְ + [Pred] הֵעָרֵל                               — "and expose yourself" (Niphal imperative)
Clause 4 (ZYqX): [Pred] תִּסֹּוב + [Cmpl] עָלֶיךָ + [Subj] כֹּוס יְמִין יְהוָה  — "It shall turn upon you — the cup of YHWH's right hand" (Qal impf)
Clause 5 (Ellp): [Conj] וְ + [Subj] קִיקָלוֹן + [Cmpl] עַל כְּבוֹדֶךָ     — "and shame-vomit upon your glory" (elliptical — supplies תִּסֹּב)

The movement is striking: perfect (the shame you sought has already filled you) → imperatives (taunt: drink and expose yourself) → imperfect (the cup now turns, future certain). Clause 5 is marked "Ellp" (elliptical) — the verb תִּסֹּב from clause 4 is implied, with קִיקָלוֹן as the new subject.

v. 17 — Causal clause (כִּי) with double imperfect

Clause 1 (XYqt): [Conj] כִּי + [Subj] חֲמַס לְבָנוֹן + [PreO] יְכַסֶּךָּ       — "For violence-of-Lebanon shall cover you"
Clause 2 (WXYq): [Conj] וְ + [Subj] שֹׁד בְּהֵמוֹת + [PreO] יְחִיתַן + [Adju] מִדְּמֵי אָדָם וַחֲמַס אֶרֶץ קִרְיָה וְכָל — "and destruction of beasts shall terrify them, because of bloods of men and violence of land/city/all"
Clause 3 (Ptcp): [PreC] יֹשְׁבֵי + [Cmpl] בָהּ                                  — "dwellers in it" (participial qualifier of קִרְיָה)

The כִּי opens a causal/explanatory clause grounding vv. 15-16: the reversal comes because the violence done to Lebanon and its beasts, and the shed human blood, demands recompense. The WX-YQ clause type (Waw-X-Yiqtol) is a foregrounded parallel to the first clause, maintaining focus on the subject (שֹׁד בְּהֵמוֹת) rather than continuing the verbal chain. The 3fs suffix on בָהּ refers back to קִרְיָה (feminine singular).

Exegetical Summary of Grammatical Signals

  1. vv. 15-16a unfold in the shape of a classic הוֹי-oracle: interjection + participles + infinitive absolute + purpose clause — no finite main verb. This piles the indictment without breath.
  2. v. 16 pivots on three verbal moods: perfect (the shame has happened), imperatives (mocking taunt), imperfect (divine reversal coming).
  3. The triple construct כֹּוס יְמִין יְהוָה (cup-of-right-hand-of-YHWH) grammatically anchors the reversal to YHWH as direct agent; it is His right hand that administers the cup He has been drinking from.
  4. The 2ms pronominal suffixes (חֲמָתְךָ, עָלֶיךָ, כְּבוֹדֶךָ, יְכַסֶּךָּ) keep the address pointed and personal throughout.
  5. v. 17 grounds the whole in חֲמַס ("violence") — twice as construct head — tying the Chaldean's violence to Lebanon and to the blood of humanity, with the objective-genitive reading ("violence done against") carrying the moral weight of the imperfects יְכַסֶּךָּ and יְחִיתַן.

Cross-References