Old Testament · Prophecy

Habakkuk 2

The Righteous Shall Live by Faith

Write the vision. Make it plain. The righteous shall live by faith. Five woes against the arrogant — but the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence.

King James Version BSB 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.

Understand This

Habakkuk 2, explained

What Habakkuk 2 is saying

Habakkuk stations himself on the watchtower to await God's reply. The LORD instructs him to write the vision plainly so that a herald may run with it: the proud Babylonian will not endure, but the righteous shall live by faith (emunah). Five woe oracles then indict Babylon for plunder, exploitation, violence, idolatry, and drunken cruelty.

The background behind it

The watchtower motif connects Habakkuk to the prophetic sentinel tradition (cf. Isaiah 21, Ezekiel 3, 33). The pivotal declaration 'the righteous shall live by his faithfulness' (2:4b) became foundational for Paul's theology in Romans 1:17 and Galatians 3:11, and later for the Protestant Reformation.

Themes running underneath

The chapter articulates a theology of patient faithfulness (emunah) in the face of apparent divine inaction. The five woe oracles employ measure-for-measure justice. The closing declaration—'the LORD is in His holy temple; let all the earth be silent'—reframes the entire dialogue under divine sovereignty.

Why it still matters

Habakkuk 2:4 has shaped centuries of theological reflection on justification by faith. The call to wait for the vision 'though it tarries' speaks directly to seasons of spiritual disorientation when God's purposes remain opaque.

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Scripture text: King James Version — public domain.