Habakkuk 1:11 (ASV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

Habakkuk 1:13 Thou that art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and that canst not look on perverseness, wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy peace when the wicked swalloweth up the man that is more righteous than he;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "sweep", "wind", "pass", "over", "guilty", and "even". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "sweep", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "Yea he scoffeth at kings and princes..." into verse 12's "Art not thou from everlasting O Jehovah...", so "shall" and "sweep" 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 "shall" and "sweep" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.