Habakkuk 2:3 (GNV)

Passage

For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the last it shall speake, and not lie: though it tarie, waite: for it shall surely come, and shall not stay.

Nearby Context

Habakkuk 2:1 I will stand vpon my watch, and set me vpon the towre, and wil looke and see what he would say vnto mee, and what I shall answere to him that rebuketh me.

Habakkuk 2:2 And the Lord answered me, and sayde, Write the vision, and make it plaine vpon tables, that he may runne that readeth it.

Habakkuk 2:3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the last it shall speake, and not lie: though it tarie, waite: for it shall surely come, and shall not stay.

Habakkuk 2:4 Beholde, he that lifteth vp himselfe, his minde is not vpright in him, but the iust shall liue by his fayth,

Habakkuk 2:5 Yea, in deede the proude man is as hee that transgresseth by wine: therefore shall he not endure, because he hath enlarged his desire as the hell, and is as death, and can not be satisfied, but gathereth vnto him all nations, and heapeth vnto him all people.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "vision", "appointed", "time", "last", "shall", "speake", "though", and "tarie". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "vision" and "appointed", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "And the Lord answered me and sayde..." into verse 4's "Beholde he that lifteth vp himselfe his...", so "vision" and "appointed" 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 "vision" and "appointed" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.