Habakkuk 1:17 (KJV)

Passage

Shall they therefore empty their net, and not spare continually to slay the nations?

Nearby Context

Habakkuk 1:15 They take up all of them with the angle, they catch them in their net, and gather them in their drag: therefore they rejoice and are glad.

Habakkuk 1:16 Therefore they sacrifice unto their net, and burn incense unto their drag; because by them their portion is fat, and their meat plenteous.

Habakkuk 1:17 Shall they therefore empty their net, and not spare continually to slay the nations?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "therefore", "empty", "spare", "continually", "slay", and "nations". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "therefore", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The prior verse says "Therefore they sacrifice unto their net and...", giving immediate footing for "shall" and "therefore". 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 "therefore" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.