Habakkuk asked the Lord why He had made people like fish and other sea creatures that apparently have no ruler over them. [source][source][source]
"This statement probably represents the prophet"s most pointed accusation against the Almighty. In recognizing the sovereignty of God among the nations, he must conclude that God himself is ultimately behind this massive maltreatment of humanity." [1][source]
Big fish eat little fish, and bigger fish eat the big fish. The same thing was happening in Habakkuk"s world. Babylon was gobbling up the smaller nations, and Yahweh was not intervening to establish justice. [source][source][source]
Context Summary
Habakkuk 1:1-17 - The Apparent Prosperity Of The Wicked
Habakkuk probably lived toward the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, when the Chaldeans were preparing to invade the land. Jerusalem was filled with wickedness. Crimes of violence and lawlessness had become so numerous that the prophet was appalled at the sight. He could only point to the fate of other nations, which must also befall Judah unless the people repented. Paul quotes Habakkuk 1:5 in Acts 13:41. The Chaldeans are compared to the leopard, the evening wolf, and the east wind. The prophet turns to Jehovah in an agony of expostulation and entreaty. Was He not from everlasting? Was He not Israel's Rock? The prophet's solace is the reflection, "We shall not die." An ancient reading is, "Thou canst not die." We are reminded of Revelation 1:18. O thou undying, unchanging, life-giving Savior, we cling to thee amid the storms that sweep the world, as limpets to the rock. [source]
Chapter Summary: Habakkuk 1
1Unto Habakkuk, complaining of the iniquity of the land, 5is shown the fearful vengeance by the Chaldeans 12He complains that vengeance should be executed by them who are far worse
What do the individual words in Habakkuk 1:14 mean?
And [Why] do You makemenlike fishof the seaLike creeping things[that have] norulerover them