Habakkuk 1

Habakkuk · Chapter 1

Habakkuk 1:3

1The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see.2O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!3Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention.4Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.5Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you.6For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are not theirs.7They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves.8Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat.9They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup up as the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand.10And they shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a scorn unto them: they shall deride every strong hold; for they shall heap dust, and take it.11Then shall his mind change, and he shall pass over, and offend, imputing this his power unto his god.12Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O LORD, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction.13Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?14And makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them?15They take up all of them with the angle, they catch them in their net, and gather them in their drag: therefore they rejoice and are glad.16Therefore they sacrifice unto their net, and burn incense unto their drag; because by them their portion is fat, and their meat plenteous.17Shall they therefore empty their net, and not spare continually to slay the nations?

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
3Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention.Why do You make me see iniquity? Why do You tolerate wrongdoing? Destruction and violence are before me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict abounds.Why dost thou show me iniquity, and look upon perverseness? for destruction and violence are before me; and there is strife, and contention riseth up.

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Hebrew words

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
to why?לָ֣מָּהLA-mahH4100
what

מָא (ma) 1) what, whatever 1a) what? 1b) whatever, what, whatsoever 1c) how?, why?, wherefore? (with prefixes)

do you make see meתַרְאֵ֤נִיtar-'E-niH7200G
to see: see

רָאָה (ra.ah) : see/show 1) to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to see 1a2) to see, perceive 1a3) to see, have vision 1a4) to look at, see, regard, look after, see after, learn about, observe, watch, look upon, look out, find out 1a5) to see, observe, consider, look at, give attention to, discern, distinguish 1a6) to look at, gaze at 1a7) to provide, choose 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to appear, present oneself 1b2) to be seen 1b3) to be visible 1c) (Pual) to be seen 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to cause to see, show 1d2) to cause to look intently at, behold, cause to gaze at 1e) (Hophal) …

wickednessאָ֙וֶן֙'a-venH0205G
evil: wickedness

אָ֫וֶן (a.ven) 1) trouble, wickedness, sorrow 1a) trouble, sorrow 1b) idolatry 1c) trouble of iniquity, wickedness Also means: a.ven (אָ֫וֶן ": trouble" H0205H)

and mischiefוְעָמָ֣לve-'a-MALH5999
trouble

עָמָל (a.mal) 1) toil, trouble, labour 1a) trouble 1b) trouble, mischief 1c) toil, labour

do you look at?תַּבִּ֔יטta-BITH5027
to look

נָבַט (na.vat) 1) to look, regard 1a) (Piel) to look 1b) (Hiphil) 1b1) tolook 1b2) to regard, show regard to, pay attention to, consider 1b3) to look upon, regard, show regard to

and devastationוְשֹׁ֥דve-SHODH7701
violence

שֹׁד (shod) 1) havoc, violence, destruction, devastation, ruin 1a) violence, havoc (as social sin) 1b) devastation, ruin

and violenceוְחָמָ֖סve-cha-MASH2555
violence

חָמָס (cha.mas) violence, wrong, cruelty, injustice

[are] to before meלְנֶגְדִּ֑יle-neg-DIH5048
before

נֶ֫גֶד (ne.ged) subst 1) what is conspicuous, what is in front of adv 2) in front of, straight forward, before, in sight of 3) in front of oneself, straightforward 4) before your face, in your view or purpose with prep 5) what is in front of, corresponding to 6) in front of, before 7) in the sight or presence of 8) parallel to 9) over, for 10) in front, opposite 11) at a distance prep 12) from the front of, away from 13) from before the eyes of, opposite to, at a distance from 14) from before, in front of 15) as far as the front of Aramaic equivalent: ne.ged (נֶ֫גֶד "before" H5049)

and it has beenוַיְהִ֧יvay-HIH1961
to be

הָיָה (ha.yah) 1) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out 1a) (Qal) 1a1) --- 1a1a) to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come to pass 1a1b) to come about, come to pass 1a2) to come into being, become 1a2a) to arise, appear, come 1a2b) to become 1a2b1) to become 1a2b2) to become like 1a2b3) to be instituted, be established 1a3) to be 1a3a) to exist, be in existence 1a3b) to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time) 1a3c) to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word of locality) 1a3d) to accompany, be with 1b) (Niphal) …

strifeרִ֦יבrivH7379
strife

רִיב (riv) 1) strife, controversy, dispute 1a) strife, quarrel 1b) dispute, controversy, case at law

and contentionוּמָד֖וֹןu-ma-DONH4066
strife

מָדוֹן (ma.don) 1) strife, contention 1a) strife, contention 1b) object of contention

it arisesיִשָּֽׂא׃yi-SA'H5375G
to exalt

מִתְנַשֵּׂא (mit.nas.se) (Hithpael) one who exalts himself A grammatical form of na.sa (נָשָׂא ": raise" H5375)

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.