Habakkuk 2:18 (KJV)

Passage

What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols?

Nearby Context

Habakkuk 2:16 Thou art filled with shame for glory: drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered: the cup of the LORD’s right hand shall be turned unto thee, and shameful spewing shall be on thy glory.

Habakkuk 2:17 For the violence of Lebanon shall cover thee, and the spoil of beasts, which made them afraid, because of men’s blood, and for the violence of the land, of the city, and of all that dwell therein.

Habakkuk 2:18 What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and a teacher of lies, that the maker of his work trusteth therein, to make dumb idols?

Habakkuk 2:19 Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.

Habakkuk 2:20 But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "profiteth", "graven", "image", "maker", "thereof", "hath", and "molten". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "profiteth" and "graven", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "For the violence of Lebanon shall cover..." into verse 19's "Woe unto him that saith to the...", so "profiteth" and "graven" 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 "profiteth" and "graven" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.