en_tn/hab/01/09.md

their multitudes go like the desert wind

Yahweh speaks of how quickly the Chaldeans move as if they were a strong wind that blows in the desert. (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor)

they gather captives like sand

Possible meanings are 1) the Chaldeans take people captive as easily as one would scoop up sand with his hand. AT: "they gather captives as one gathers sand" or 2) the Chaldeans take a great number of people captive, as if those people were as many as the grains of sand in the desert. AT: "they capture as many people as there are grains of sand" (See: rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-simile)