Habakkuk 1:3 (LSB)

Passage

Why do You make me see wickedness And cause me to look on trouble? Indeed, devastation and violence are before me; And there is strife, and contention is lifted up.

Nearby Context

Habakkuk 1:1 The oracle which Habakkuk the prophet beheld.

Habakkuk 1:2 How long, O Yahweh, will I call for help, And You will not hear? I cry out to You, “Violence!” Yet You do not save.

Habakkuk 1:3 Why do You make me see wickedness And cause me to look on trouble? Indeed, devastation and violence are before me; And there is strife, and contention is lifted up.

Habakkuk 1:4 Therefore the law is ignored, And justice never comes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; Therefore justice comes forth perverted.

Habakkuk 1:5 “See among the nations! And look! Be also astonished! Be astounded! Because I am doing something in your days— You would not believe if it was recounted to you.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "make", "wickedness", "cause", "look", "trouble", "indeed", "devastation", and "violence". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "make" and "wickedness", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "How long O Yahweh will I call..." into verse 4's "Therefore the law is ignored And justice...", so "make" and "wickedness" 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 "make" and "wickedness" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.