Habakkuk 1:16

Therefore they sacrifice unto their net, and burn incense unto their drag,.... Either to their idols, to fortune and the stars, as Aben Ezra; imagining they gave them success, and prospered them in

Therefore they sacrifice unto their net, and burn incense unto their drag; because by them their portion is fat, and their meat plenteous.

Therefore, because they prosper and thrive, in which they should see and acknowledge thy wise and mighty providence, they sacrifice, idolize and pay Divine honours, ascribe the praise of their victories and acquired glory, unto their net; to their own contrivances, diligence, and power, as if the fisherman should make his net his god, and offer sacrifice for a good draught of fishes taken to the net that took them. And burn incense, another part of Divine honour, and mostly used in giving thanks and praises, to their drag; to their policy and power, their own counsel conduct, and arms, expressed in the metaphor of a fisherman’ s drag. Because by them their portion, State, condition, or interest, is fat; great and flourishing. Their meat; the revenues of the kingdom in general, and the revenues of particular subjects, especially of the commanders and military officers, those who help to spread, draw, and empty the net. Plenteous; abundant, that it might seem a sufficient provision, as well as a pleasant mess, sufficient for quantity as sweet in quality. It is likely these self-admirers did not only eat the fat of the land they wasted, but laid up in store for themselves.

Habakkuk 1:16 Therefore they sacrifice unto their net, and burn incense unto their drag; because by them their portion [is] fat, and their meat plenteous.Ver. 16. Therefore they sacrifice to their net] Thus wicked men grow worse and worse; their sin is infinite; what marvel, then, if their punishment be also infinite in hell? To all other their iniquities these Chaldeans add this of abominable idolatry, they sacrifice to themselves, as Sejanus did, Seianus sibi sacrificabat (Dio), to their net, drag, &c., that is, to their weapons, as Ajax called his sword his god; and thanked it for all his brave achievements. And as Mezentius (another atheist) is brought in, saying; “ Dextra mlhi Deus, et telum quod missile libro. ” So Sesostris, King of Egypt (in Samson’ s days), would needs be called κοσμοκρατωρ, lord of the whole world; and when he had conquered any country he caused these words to be engraven there upon marble pillars, This country I gained by mine own strength (τοιςωμοισινεμοισινεκτησαμην. Herod. l. 2). So Antiochus (that little antichrist) is said to worship his god Mauzzim, that is, his forces and armies, Daniel 11:38. It was Nebuchadnezzar that was here pointed at; and how he deified himself and his own doings, see Isaiah 10:13 Daniel 4:26. And burn incense to their drags] While they ascribe to the instrument that which is due to God alone, the chief agent. Hold out, net, said they; well done, drag, &c. Hoc ego primus vidi, said Zabarell, Hoc ego feci, saith another. But what saith Luther? By men’ s boasting in this sort, Haec ego feci, haec ego feci, they become nothing better than mere faeces, dregs and lees. Because by them their portion is fat] "By them," that is, by their net and drag, they think that their condition is well mended, and their meat is fat, opimus et optimus, abundant and good. God (the giver of all this) is not in all their thoughts; but as the moon, the fuller it is of light the further it gets from the sun, the fountain of her light, so deal men with God.

(16) The prophet has already stated that the Chaldæan deifies his own military prowess. Of this statement the present verse is an expansion. Weapons of war may have been literally worshipped by the Babylonians. Similarly, the Sarmatians offered yearly sacrifices to a sword, as the emblem of their god of war (Clem. Alex. Protrept. 64). The Romans also sacrificed to their eagles. But probably the language is metaphorical, and we need not seek a closer illustration than that of Dr. Pusey,—“So the Times said at the beginning of the late war, ‘The French almost worshipped the mitrailleuse as a goddess.’ ‘They idolised, it would say, their invention, as if it could do what God alone could.’”

Verse 16. They sacrifice unto their net] He had no God; he cared for none; and worshipped only his armour and himself. King Mezentius, one of the worst characters in the AEneid of Virgil, is represented as invoking his own right hand and his spear in battle. AEn. x. 773. Dextra mihi Deus, et telum quod missile libro, Nunc adsint. "My strong right hand and sword, assert my stroke. Those only gods Mezentius will invoke." DRYDEN. And Capaneus, in Statius, gives us a more decisive proof of this self-idolatry. Thebaid, lib. x. Ades, O mihi dextera tantum Tu praeses belli, et inevitabile Numen, Te voco, te solum Superum contemptor adoro. "Only thou, my right hand, be my aid; I contemn the gods, and adore thee as the chief in battle, and the irresistible deity." The poet tells us that, for his impiety, Jupiter slew him with thunder. This was an ancient idolatry in this country, and has existed till within about a century. There are relics of it in different parts of Europe; for when military men bind themselves to accomplish any particular purpose, it is usual to lay their hand upon their sword: but formerly they kissed it, when swearing by it. With most heroes, the sword is both their Bible and their God. To the present day it is a custom among the Hindoos annually to worship the implements of their trades. See WARD.

16. they sacrifice unto their net] he sacrificeth. The figure of “net” and “drag” was suggested by the idea that men were reduced to the level of fishes and creeping things. The net represents the means and instruments employed by the conqueror, or that by which he subdues men. This might be more generally his prowess (Habakkuk 1:11), or more particularly his weapons. Herod. iv. 62 records that the Scythians offered a yearly sacrifice of sheep and horses to the scimitar as the symbol of Mars. It may be doubted if the prophet had any knowledge of this or if his idea is so precise. The next clause “for by them his portion is fat” might suggest that his weapons were meant; but if so his “sacrificing” to them is probably not to be taken literally. He deifies his weapons, or, if Habakkuk 1:11 be followed, the might that wields them.

Therefore they sacrifice unto their net, and burn incense unto their drag - literally he sacrifices unto his, etc. Whatever a man trusts in is his god.

16. When he sees this wonderful success he makes the implements that have assisted him his gods and pays homage to them; he loses sight entirely of Him under whose direction he acts.