Habakkuk 2:11 (GNV)

Passage

For the stone shall crie out of the wall, and the beame out of the timber shall answere it.

Nearby Context

Habakkuk 2:9 Ho, he that coueteth an euil couetousnesse to his house, that he may set his nest on hie, to escape from the power of euil.

Habakkuk 2:10 Thou hast consulted shame to thine owne house, by destroying many people, and hast sinned against thine owne soule.

Habakkuk 2:11 For the stone shall crie out of the wall, and the beame out of the timber shall answere it.

Habakkuk 2:12 Wo vnto him that buildeth a towne with blood, and erecteth a citie by iniquitie.

Habakkuk 2:13 Beholde, is it not of the Lord of hostes that the people shall labour in ye very fire? the people shall euen weary themselues for very vanitie.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "stone", "shall", "crie", "wall", "beame", "timber", and "answere". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "stone" and "shall", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "Thou hast consulted shame to thine owne..." into verse 12's "Wo vnto him that buildeth a towne...", so "stone" and "shall" 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 "stone" and "shall" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.