Habakkuk 1:10 (ASV)

Passage

Yea, he scoffeth at kings, and princes are a derision unto him; he derideth every stronghold; for he heapeth up dust, and taketh it.

Nearby Context

Habakkuk 1:8 Their horses also are swifter than leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves; and their horsemen press proudly on: yea, their horsemen come from far; they fly as an eagle that hasteth to devour.

Habakkuk 1:9 They come all of them for violence; the set of their faces is forwards; and they gather captives as the sand.

Habakkuk 1:10 Yea, he scoffeth at kings, and princes are a derision unto him; he derideth every stronghold; for he heapeth up dust, and taketh it.

Habakkuk 1:11 Then shall he sweep by [as] a wind, and shall pass over, and be guilty, [even] he whose might is his god.

Habakkuk 1:12 Art not thou from everlasting, O Jehovah my God, my Holy One? we shall not die. O Jehovah, thou hast ordained him for judgment; and thou, O Rock, hast established him for correction.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "scoffeth", "kings", "princes", "derision", "derideth", "stronghold", "heapeth", and "dust". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "scoffeth" and "kings", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "They come all of them for violence..." into verse 11's "Then shall he sweep by as a...", so "scoffeth" and "kings" belong inside that flow. In Habakkuk context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "scoffeth" and "kings" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.