Habakkuk 1:10 (DBY)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

Habakkuk 1:8 And their horses are swifter than the leopards, and are more agile than the evening wolves; and their horsemen prance proudly, and their horsemen come from afar: they fly as an eagle that hasteth to devour.

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

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

Habakkuk 1:11 Then will his mind change, and he will pass on, and become guilty: this his power is become his God.

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "scoffeth", "kings", "princes", "scorn", "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 will his mind change and he...", 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.