Habakkuk 2:7 (GNV)

Passage

Shall they not rise vp suddenly, that shall bite thee? and awake, that shall stirre thee? and thou shalt be their praye?

Nearby Context

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.

Habakkuk 2:6 Shall not all these take vp a parable against him, and a tanting prouerbe against him, and say, Ho, he that increaseth that which is not his? howe long? and hee that ladeth himselfe with thicke clay?

Habakkuk 2:7 Shall they not rise vp suddenly, that shall bite thee? and awake, that shall stirre thee? and thou shalt be their praye?

Habakkuk 2:8 Because thou hast spoyled many nations, all the remnant of the people shall spoyle thee, because of mens blood, and for the wrong done in the land, in the citie, and vnto all that dwell therein.

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.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "rise", "suddenly", "bite", "thee", and "awake". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "rise", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "Shall not all these take vp a..." into verse 8's "Because thou hast spoyled many nations all...", so "shall" and "rise" 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 "shall" and "rise" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.