Habakkuk 2:11 (KJV)

Passage

For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.

Nearby Context

Habakkuk 2:9 Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil!

Habakkuk 2:10 Thou hast consulted shame to thy house by cutting off many people, and hast sinned against thy soul.

Habakkuk 2:11 For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.

Habakkuk 2:12 Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity!

Habakkuk 2:13 Behold, is it not of the LORD of hosts that the people shall labour in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "stone", "shall", "wall", "beam", "timber", and "answer". 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 thy house..." into verse 12's "Woe to him that buildeth a town...", 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.