Habakkuk 2:17 (ASV)

Passage

For the violence done to Lebanon shall cover thee, and the destruction of the beasts, which made them afraid; because of men`s blood, and for the violence done to the land, to the city and to all that dwell therein.

Nearby Context

Habakkuk 2:15 Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink, [to thee] that addest thy venom, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!

Habakkuk 2:16 Thou art filled with shame, and not glory: drink thou also, and be as one uncircumcised; the cup of Jehovah`s right hand shall come round unto thee, and foul shame shall be upon thy glory.

Habakkuk 2:17 For the violence done to Lebanon shall cover thee, and the destruction of the beasts, which made them afraid; because of men`s blood, and for the violence done to the land, to the city and to all that dwell therein.

Habakkuk 2:18 What profiteth the graven image, that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, even the teacher of lies, that he that fashioneth its form trusteth therein, to make dumb idols?

Habakkuk 2:19 Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise! Shall this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "violence", "done", "lebanon", "shall", "cover", "thee", "destruction", and "beasts". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "violence" and "done", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "Thou art filled with shame and not..." into verse 18's "What profiteth the graven image that the...", so "violence" and "done" 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 "violence" and "done" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.