They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup up as the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand.
They're all coming for violence, their faces are set like a scorching desert wind, and they'll sweep up prisoners like sand on a beach.
When destruction comes, it moves fast and takes everything in its path.
📚 Historical Context
In the book of Habakkuk, the prophet is engaged in a dialogue with God about the widespread injustice and moral decay in Judah during the 7th century BC, a time when the nation faced internal corruption and external threats. God responds by revealing that He will use the Babylonian Empire, a fierce and expanding power, as an instrument of judgment against Judah's unfaithfulness. This verse poetically depicts the Babylonians' violent advance, likening their faces to the east wind for its swift and devastating force, and describing how they would gather captives in overwhelming numbers, like grains of sand.
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