Habakkuk 1:8

Hebrew Bible

6 Look, I am about to empower the Babylonians, that ruthless and greedy nation. They sweep across the surface of the earth, seizing dwelling places that do not belong to them. 7 They are frightening and terrifying; they decide for themselves what is right. 8 Their horses are faster than leopards and more alert than wolves in the desert. Their horses gallop, their horses come a great distance; like eagles25 they swoop down quickly to devour their prey. 9 All of them intend to do violence; every face is determined. They take prisoners as easily as one scoops up sand. 10 They mock kings and laugh at rulers. They laugh at every fortified city; they build siege ramps and capture them.

Zephaniah 3:3

Hebrew Bible

1 Beware to the filthy, stained city; the city filled with oppressors! 2 She is disobedient; she has refused correction. She does not trust the Lord; she has not sought the advice of her God. 3 Her princes are as fierce as roaring lions; her rulers are as hungry as wolves in the desert, who completely devour their prey by morning. 4 Her prophets are proud; they are deceitful men. Her priests have defiled what is holy; they have broken God’s laws. 5 The just Lord resides within her; he commits no unjust acts. Every morning he reveals his justice. At dawn he appears without fail. Yet the unjust know no shame.

 Notes and References

"... Every locale, and therefore every people’s literature, has its terrifying predators. Chief among them in the Bible is the wolf, which emerges from a dozen references as an animal of particular ferocity. These terrifying creatures are “ravenous” (Genesis 49:27) and “savage” (Acts 20:29). They devour (Genesis 49:27), tear (Ezekiel 22:27) and “destroy” (Jeremiah 5:6) their prey, especially helpless sheep (Matthew 10:16; Luke 10:3; John 10:12; Acts 20:29). In real life these nocturnal predators lie low during the day and begin to prowl at evening (Habakkuk 1:8; Zephaniah 3:3), and they have a reputation for gorging themselves (Zephaniah 3:3). These literal details present a heightened picture of terror and ferocity, which provides the context for the revulsion that biblical writers and Jesus have toward evil people and institutions that they compare to wolves ..."

Ryken, Leland Dictionary of Biblical Imagery (p. 3219) InterVarsity Press, 1998

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