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The Prophets · Old Testament

Habakkuk 2

Habakkuk 2: write the vision, the just shall live by faith, and five woes

General context

The prophet stands on his watch and sets himself on the tower to see what the Lord will say and what he will answer when reproved. The Lord answers: write the vision plainly on tables so that a reader may run; the vision is for an appointed time, it will speak and not lie, and though it tarries it will surely come. The lifted-up soul is not upright, but the just will live by his faith. The proud man who transgresses by wine enlarges his desire like hell and death, gathering all nations to himself. All these will take up a taunting parable against him in a sequence of woes: woe to him who increases what is not his and will be bitten and spoiled by the remnant because he spoiled many nations; woe to him who covets an evil covetousness for his house and sets his nest on high, for the stone will cry out of the wall; woe to him who builds a town with blood, for the peoples labour for fire and the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord; woe to him who makes his neighbour drunk to see his nakedness, for the cup of the Lord's right hand will turn to him and the violence of Lebanon will cover him; and a question and woe over graven images, dumb idols laid over with gold and silver with no breath in them. The chapter closes: the Lord is in his holy temple, let all the earth keep silence before him.

Cited passages: Habakkuk 2:1, Habakkuk 2:2, Habakkuk 2:3, Habakkuk 2:4, Habakkuk 2:5, Habakkuk 2:6, Habakkuk 2:7, Habakkuk 2:8, Habakkuk 2:9, Habakkuk 2:10, Habakkuk 2:11, Habakkuk 2:12, Habakkuk 2:13, Habakkuk 2:14, Habakkuk 2:15, Habakkuk 2:16, Habakkuk 2:17, Habakkuk 2:18, Habakkuk 2:19, Habakkuk 2:20

Habakkuk 2 (KJV)

1I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.

2And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.

3For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

4Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

5Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people:

6Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! how long? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay!

7Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties unto them?

8Because 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.

9Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil!

10Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul.

11For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.

12Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity!

13Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts that the people shall labour in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity?

14For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.

15Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!

16Thou art filled with shame for glory: drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered: the cup of the Lord’s right hand shall be turned unto thee, and shameful spewing shall be on thy glory.

17For the violence of Lebanon shall cover thee, and the spoil of beasts, which made them afraid, because of men’s blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein.

18What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols?

19Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.

20But the Lord is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

Verse 2 marks the Lord's reply to the complaints of chapter 1: "And the Lord answered me, and said." The vision's content is not spelled out beyond the statements that follow; the text says it is for an appointed time and will not lie. The one under the woes is unnamed: "he" of verses 4 and 5, a proud man who gathers all nations, then "him" and "thee" through the woes. The chapter does not repeat the word Chaldeans, so the reader must connect the gatherer of nations with 1:6 by the description alone. Verse 4, "the just shall live by his faith," is quoted in later writings: Romans 1:17, "as it is written, The just shall live by faith"; Galatians 3:11, "for, The just shall live by faith"; and Hebrews 10:38, "Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him." Those are later citations and omit the word "his." Verses 8 and 17 repeat the same charge sheet, "because of men’s blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein," without naming the city. Lebanon appears in verse 17 as a place whose violence and beasts return on the offender, not as a setting. No dates or kings are given.

Cited passages: Habakkuk 2:2, Habakkuk 2:3, Habakkuk 2:4, Habakkuk 2:5, Habakkuk 1:6, Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38, Habakkuk 2:8, Habakkuk 2:17

Literary context

The chapter begins with waiting in the first person and ends with the whole earth silent, so it moves from one watcher's expectation to universal hush. The Lord's answer is about the vision's delay before it is about its content: "though it tarry, wait for it." Verse 4 is a two-line contrast, lifted-up soul against the just who lives. The five woes each open with "Woe" and each carries its own reversal: the spoiler is spoiled, the nest-builder is accused by his own stones and beams, the town built with blood produces labour for fire, the one who exposes his neighbour is himself exposed by the Lord's cup, and the idol maker addresses wood and stone that cannot answer. Two lines step outside the woes toward something larger: verse 14's earth filled with knowledge as waters cover the sea, and verse 20's temple silence. The last woe's speechless idol, "there is no breath at all in the midst of it," is set against the Lord who is in his temple. Chapter 3 answers the silence with a prayer.

Cited passages: Habakkuk 2:1, Habakkuk 2:20, Habakkuk 2:3, Habakkuk 2:4, Habakkuk 2:6, Habakkuk 2:8, Habakkuk 2:11, Habakkuk 2:13, Habakkuk 2:16, Habakkuk 2:19, Habakkuk 2:14, Habakkuk 3:1

Key moments

  1. Standing on the watch (Habakkuk 2:1). The prophet sets himself on the tower to see what the Lord will answer.
  2. Write the vision (Habakkuk 2:2). The Lord commands the vision to be written plainly on tables.
  3. Though it tarry, wait (Habakkuk 2:3). The vision is for an appointed time and will surely come.
  4. The just shall live by faith (Habakkuk 2:4). The lifted-up soul is set against the just who lives by his faith.
  5. Woe to the spoiler (Habakkuk 2:8). Because he spoiled many nations, the remnant will spoil him.
  6. Knowledge covers the earth (Habakkuk 2:14). The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord.
  7. Silence before the Lord (Habakkuk 2:20). The Lord is in his holy temple, and all the earth is told to keep silence.

For reflection

The Lord tells the prophet to write the vision so that a reader may run, and then says it will tarry. What does it ask of someone to carry a message plainly written while its fulfilment waits for an appointed time?