Habakkuk 2:12 (GNV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

Habakkuk 2:14 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters couer the sea.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "vnto", "buildeth", "towne", "blood", "erecteth", "citie", and "iniquitie". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "vnto" and "buildeth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "For the stone shall crie out of..." into verse 13's "Beholde is it not of the Lord...", so "vnto" and "buildeth" 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 "vnto" and "buildeth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.