Passage
And Jehovah answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tablets, that he may run that readeth it.
Habakkuk 2:2 (ASV)
Nearby Context
Habakkuk 2:1 I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will look forth to see what he will speak with me, and what I shall answer concerning my complaint.
Habakkuk 2:2 And Jehovah answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tablets, that he may run that readeth it.
Habakkuk 2:3 For the vision is yet for the appointed time, and it hasteth toward the end, and shall not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not delay.
Habakkuk 2:4 Behold, his soul is puffed up, it is not upright in him; but the righteous shall live by his faith.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "jehovah", "answered", "said", "write", "vision", "make", "plain", and "upon". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "jehovah" and "answered", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 1's "I will stand upon my watch and..." into verse 3's "For the vision is yet for the...", so "jehovah" and "answered" 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 "jehovah" and "answered" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.