Hab 2:9 | NET2full | STEP | “The one who builds his house by unjust gain is as good as dead . He does this so he can build his nest way up high and escape the clutches of disaster .

‏ Habakkuk 2:9

9 “The one who builds his house by unjust gain is as good as dead. ^{▼▼tn Heb “Woe [to] the one who profits unjustly by evil unjust gain for his house.” On the term הוֹי (hoy) see the note on the word “dead” in v. 6.}
He does this so he can build his nest way up high
and escape the clutches of disaster. ^{▼▼tn Heb “to place his nest in the heights in order to escape from the hand of disaster.”} ^{▼▼sn Here the Babylonians are compared to a bird, perhaps an eagle, that builds its nest in an inaccessible high place where predators cannot reach it.}