Habakkuk 1:11 (DBY)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

Habakkuk 1:13 [Thou art] of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on mischief: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, [and] keepest silence when the wicked swalloweth up a [man] more righteous than he?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "mind", "change", "pass", "become", "guilty", and "power". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "mind" and "change", 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 thou not from everlasting Jehovah my...", so "mind" and "change" 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 "mind" and "change" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.