Habakkuk 2:16
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.
Original Language Analysis
שָׂבַ֤עְתָּ
Thou art filled
H7646
שָׂבַ֤עְתָּ
Thou art filled
Strong's:
H7646
Word #:
1 of 15
to sate, i.e., fill to satisfaction (literally or figuratively)
כְּבוֹדֶֽךָ׃
for glory
H3519
כְּבוֹדֶֽךָ׃
for glory
Strong's:
H3519
Word #:
3 of 15
properly, weight, but only figuratively in a good sense, splendor or copiousness
גַם
H1571
גַם
Strong's:
H1571
Word #:
5 of 15
properly, assemblage; used only adverbially also, even, yea, though; often repeated as correl. both...and
וְהֵֽעָרֵ֑ל
thou also and let thy foreskin be uncovered
H6188
וְהֵֽעָרֵ֑ל
thou also and let thy foreskin be uncovered
Strong's:
H6188
Word #:
7 of 15
to expose or remove the prepuce, whether literal (to go naked) or figurative (to refrain from using)
תִּסּ֣וֹב
shall be turned
H5437
תִּסּ֣וֹב
shall be turned
Strong's:
H5437
Word #:
8 of 15
to revolve, surround, or border; used in various applications, literally and figuratively
עָלֶ֗יךָ
H5921
עָלֶ֗יךָ
Strong's:
H5921
Word #:
9 of 15
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
כּ֚וֹס
the cup
H3563
כּ֚וֹס
the cup
Strong's:
H3563
Word #:
10 of 15
a cup (as a container), often figuratively, some unclean bird, probably an owl (perhaps from the cup-like cavity of its eye)
יְמִ֣ין
right hand
H3225
יְמִ֣ין
right hand
Strong's:
H3225
Word #:
11 of 15
the right hand or side (leg, eye) of a person or other object (as the stronger and more dexterous); locally, the south
יְהוָ֔ה
of the LORD'S
H3068
יְהוָ֔ה
of the LORD'S
Strong's:
H3068
Word #:
12 of 15
(the) self-existent or eternal; jeho-vah, jewish national name of god
Cross References
Isaiah 47:3Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.Revelation 18:6Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.Isaiah 49:26And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.Isaiah 20:4So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.Psalms 75:8For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and he poureth out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them.Proverbs 3:35The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.Jeremiah 51:57And I will make drunk her princes, and her wise men, her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty men: and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the King, whose name is the LORD of hosts.Jeremiah 25:15For thus saith the LORD God of Israel unto me; Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations, to whom I send thee, to drink it.Hosea 7:5In the day of our king the princes have made him sick with bottles of wine; he stretched out his hand with scorners.Hosea 4:7As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame.
Historical Context
Babylon fell to Persia in 539 BC in circumstances involving literal drunkenness—Belshazzar's feast (Daniel 5) occurred the night Cyrus's forces entered the city. The empire that humiliated nations was itself humiliated, conquered without significant battle, its king killed, its glory ended. The 'cup' metaphor was fulfilled: God's judgment came exactly as prophesied.
The uncircumcision imagery would particularly resonate with Jews, for whom circumcision marked covenant identity. Babylon claimed divine mandate to rule but was exposed as outside God's covenant—pagans whose success was temporary permission, not permanent endorsement. When judgment came, their true status was revealed.
Questions for Reflection
- How does the principle of divine reversal—the proud humiliated, the powerful brought low—operate throughout Scripture and history?
- What does it mean that Christ 'drank the cup' of God's wrath at the cross, experiencing the judgment we deserved?
- How should believers today avoid the arrogance that characterized Babylon—attributing success to personal merit rather than God's grace?
Analysis & Commentary
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. Divine reversal: Babylon forced others to drink and be shamed; now God forces Babylon to drink His cup of wrath. "Filled with shame for glory" (שָׂבַעְתָּ קָלוֹן מִכָּבוֹד/sava'ta qalon mikavod)—what Babylon considered glorious conquest becomes shameful exposure.
"Drink thou also" (שְׁתֵה גַם־אַתָּה/sheteh gam-attah) commands Babylon to experience what it inflicted. "Let thy foreskin be uncovered" (וְהֵעָרֵל/vehe'arel) uses circumcision imagery—being exposed as uncircumcised, uncovenant, outside God's people. The ultimate shame for one claiming divine favor.
"The cup of the LORD'S right hand" (כּוֹס יְמִין־יְהוָה/kos yemin-YHWH) is divine judgment—God's wrath poured out. This cup imagery recurs throughout Scripture (Psalm 75:8, Isaiah 51:17, Jeremiah 25:15-29), culminating in Christ drinking the cup of God's wrath at Gethsemane and Golgotha (Matthew 26:39). "Shameful spewing" (וְקִיקָלוֹן/veqiqalon)—violent vomiting from overdrinking—depicts utter disgrace replacing former glory.