Moreover, by his addition—“And the earth was filled with violence”—he indicates that this is the unvarying sequence of events: after the Word has been lost, and faith has ceased to exist, and tradition and ἐθελοθρχει̂ια, as Paul calls them (Col. 2:23), flourish in place of the true forms of worship, acts of violence and a shameful life follow.
The word חָמָס properly denotes violence, force, and harm, with disregard of all law and equity, when anyone may do what he pleases, and whatever things are done are done not by law but by force. If this was their kind of life, someone may say, how could they maintain an outward reputation for saintliness and righteousness? As though indeed one did not have similar examples before one’s eyes today! What has the world ever seen that is crueler than the Turks? Nevertheless, they adorn all their brutality with the name of God and godliness. (Luther’s Works, v.2 p.158)