Habakkuk 1:4 (YLT)

Passage

Therefore doth law cease, And judgment doth not go forth for ever, For the wicked is compassing the righteous, Therefore wrong judgment goeth forth.

Nearby Context

Habakkuk 1:2 Till when, O Jehovah, have I cried, And Thou dost not hear? I cry unto Thee--`Violence,' and Thou dost not save.

Habakkuk 1:3 Why dost Thou shew me iniquity, And perversity dost cause to behold? And spoiling and violence <FI>are<Fi> before me, And there is strife, and contention doth lift <FI>itself<Fi> up,

Habakkuk 1:4 Therefore doth law cease, And judgment doth not go forth for ever, For the wicked is compassing the righteous, Therefore wrong judgment goeth forth.

Habakkuk 1:5 Look ye on nations, and behold and marvel greatly. For a work He is working in your days, Ye do not believe though it is declared.

Habakkuk 1:6 For, lo, I am raising up the Chaldeans, The bitter and hasty nation, That is going to the broad places of earth, To occupy tabernacles not its own.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "doth", "cease", "judgment", "forth", "ever", and "wicked". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "doth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "Why dost Thou shew me iniquity And..." into verse 5's "Look ye on nations and behold and...", so "therefore" and "doth" 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 "therefore" and "doth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.