Habakkuk 2:12 (LSB)

Passage

“Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed And founds a town with injustice!

Nearby Context

Habakkuk 2:10 You have counseled a shameful thing for your house By cutting off many peoples; So you are sinning against your own soul.

Habakkuk 2:11 Surely the stone will cry out from the wall, And the rafter will answer it from the framework.

Habakkuk 2:12 “Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed And founds a town with injustice!

Habakkuk 2:13 Is it not, behold, from Yahweh of hosts That peoples toil for fire, And nations grow weary for nothing?

Habakkuk 2:14 For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of Yahweh, As the waters cover the sea.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "builds", "city", "bloodshed", "founds", "town", and "injustice". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "builds" and "city", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "Surely the stone will cry out from..." into verse 13's "Is it not behold from Yahweh of...", so "builds" and "city" 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 "builds" and "city" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.