Habakuk 2:19

Schlachter Bibel

Wehe dem, der zum Holz spricht: «Wache auf!» und zum stummen Stein: «Stehe auf!» Kann er lehren? Siehe, er ist in Gold und Silber gefaßt, und es ist gar kein Geist in ihm!

Parallel Translations

Lutherbible (1912)
Weh dem, der zum Holz spricht: Wache auf! und zum stummen Steine: Stehe auf! Wie sollte es lehren? Siehe, es ist mit Gold und Silber überzogen und ist kein Odem in ihm.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

that: 1 Kings 18:26-29, Psalms 97:7, Isaiah 44:17, Jeremiah 51:47, Daniel 3:7, Daniel 3:18, Daniel 3:29, Daniel 5:23, Jonah 1:5

it is: Isaiah 40:19, Isaiah 46:6, Jeremiah 10:4, Jeremiah 10:9, Daniel 3:1, Acts 17:29, Revelation 17:4

and there: Psalms 135:17

Reciprocal: Judges 17:3 - a graven image Judges 18:24 - what have Psalms 3:7 - Arise Psalms 115:8 - General Psalms 135:15 - idols Isaiah 10:1 - Woe Isaiah 36:18 - Hath Isaiah 44:14 - heweth Isaiah 51:9 - Awake Isaiah 57:6 - the smooth Jeremiah 2:27 - to a stock Jeremiah 3:9 - committed Jeremiah 10:3 - one Jeremiah 10:5 - speak Jeremiah 10:14 - and Jeremiah 13:25 - trusted Jeremiah 16:19 - Surely Jeremiah 50:38 - the land Jeremiah 51:17 - brutish by his knowledge Ezekiel 24:12 - wearied Daniel 5:4 - of gold Hosea 4:12 - ask Hosea 13:2 - have made 1 Corinthians 8:4 - we know 1 Corinthians 12:2 - dumb Revelation 13:15 - life

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Woe to him that saith to the wood, Awake,.... That saith to a wooden image, let him go by what name he will; saint such an one, or such an one; awake, arise, exert thyself on our behalf; deliver us from present danger; save us from our enemies; or pray and intercede for us, that we may be delivered and saved, as the Papists do; addressing a block of wood as they would God himself, or as his people do, Psalms 44:23. This must be very displeasing and detestable to God, and therefore a woe is threatened to such idol worshippers: who also say

to the dumb stone, Arise; to the idol of stone, as the Targum; the stone statue, an image made of stone, such as the Papists have even of wood, and of stone, as well as of gold, and silver, and brass, Revelation 9:20 and so stupid as to say to such stocks and stones, arise, stand up, and help us:

it shall teach; the stone itself would teach them better, would they but consider what it is, look upon it, and handle it, when they would find it to be a mere stone, and no deity: or, "shall it teach?" so Jarchi, Kimchi, and Ben Melech; no, it cannot teach any true doctrine, or direct to right worship; it cannot teach men their duty, or where they may have help; it is a dumb idol; it cannot teach men the nature of God, and the knowledge of him; or instruct in his mind and will; or inform of things secret or future:

it [is] laid over with gold and silver; it is made of stone, and covered with gold and silver; how should it teach?

and [there is] no breath at all in the midst of it; or, "no spirit" o; so far from having the spirit of divinity in it, or the Spirit of God, that it has not the spirit of a man in it, nor even the spirit of a brute creature; it has not so much as animal breath, and so no life, motion, or activity in it; and therefore must be quite unprofitable to the worshipper of it; incapable of teaching those who apply to it; and they must be stupid that do it, and most righteously bring themselves under the displeasure and wrath of God, and expose themselves to the woe here denounced against such persons.

o רוח "spiritus", Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius, Burkius.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But then the greater is the “Woe” to him who deceiveth by them. The prophet passes away from the idols as “nothings” and pronounces “woe” on those who deceive by them. He . first expostulates with them on their folly, and would awaken them. “What hath it profited?” (As in Psalms 115:5; 1 Corinthians 12:2) Then on the obstinate he denounces “woe.” “Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise.” Self-made blindness alone could, in the light of truth, so speak; but yet more lies in the emphatic word, “It.” The personal pronoun stands emphatically in Hebrew; He shall teach, lo, He (this same of whom he speaks) this is It which shall teach: It, and not the living God. And yet this same It (the word is again emphatic) he points, as with the finger, to it, “behold, It is laid over with, held fast by , gold and silver,” so that no voice could escape, if it had any. “And there is no breath at all in the midst of it” (Compare Jeremiah 10:14 repeated Jeremiah 51:17), literally “All breath, all which is breath, there is none within it;” he first suggests the thought, breath of every sort, and then energetically denies it all ; no life of any sort, of man, or bird, or beast, or creeping thing Isaiah 41:23; Jeremiah 10:5; none, good or bad; from God or from Satan; none whereby it can do good or do evil; for which it should be loved or feared. Evil spirits may have made use of idols: they could not give them life, nor dwell in them.

The words addressed to it are the language of the soul in the seeming absence or silence of God (Psalms 7:7; Psalms 35:23; Psalms 44:24; Psalms 59:6; Isaiah 51:9; Delitszch), but mockery as spoken to the senseless stone, as Ehijah had mocked the Baal-priests, “peradventure he sleepeth and must be awaked” 1 Kings 18:26-27.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Habakkuk 2:19. Wo unto him — How foolish and contemptible to worship a thing formed by the hand of man out of wood, stone, gold, or silver! The meanest brute is superior to them all; it breathes and lives, but they have no breath in them. However, they are said above to be teachers of lies; that is, they appeared to give out oracles: but these were lies; and were not given by the statue, but by the priest.