Habakkuk 2:8

Because thou hast spoiled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoil thee; because of men's blood, and [for] the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein.

Ver. 8. Because thou hast spoiled many nations] God loves to retaliate (as hath before been often observed), to spoil the spoilers by a remnant of the people, by such as were of no note, and much unlikely to do such exploits. Thus he spoiled these Babylonians by Cyrus and his Medes; the Persians, by Alexander and his Macedonians (whom they so slighted, that Darius, in his proud embassy to him, called him his servant, but himself the king of kings, and cousin of the gods). So the Roman empire was miserably rent and torn by the Goths, Vandals, Huns, Lombards, people not before heard of, and the Greek empire by Turks, Tartars, Saracens, Scythians, &c., that it might the better appear, haec non sine numine fieri, these events happen not without divine intervention, that it was the Lord's own doing, who often suffers his enemies, like Adonijah's guests, to feast and frolic in a jocular security and promise of continued prosperity. But at last, when they are at the height of their joys and hopes, he confounds all their devices, and lays them open to the scorn of the world, and the spoil of the remnant of the people whom they vilified.

Because of men's blood] Heb. Bloods, every drop whereof had a tongue to cry to God for vengeance, saying, Give them blood to drink, for they are worthy, Oh let not bloody and deceitful men live out half their days, Revelation 16:6 Psalms 55:23. That soldier can never answer it to God that hath not a good cause, and striketh not rather as a justicer than as a soldier.

And for the violence of the land] Heb. Of the earth, though principally of that land of desires, the promised land, and the inhabitants thereof, whom he that touched, touched the apple of God s eye, that little man in the eye (Ishon) that may not be meddled with, Zechariah 2:8 .

Of the city] Jerusalem, called the city by an excellence, and by a better right than ever Rome was. See Lamentations 1:1, and Jeremiah's elegy there over it, when captivated by these Chaldees.