Habakkuk 2:12 (YLT)

Passage

Woe <FI>to<Fi> him who is building a city by blood, And establishing a city by iniquity.

Nearby Context

Habakkuk 2:10 Thou hast counselled a shameful thing to thy house, To cut off many peoples, and sinful <FI>is<Fi> thy soul.

Habakkuk 2:11 For a stone from the wall doth cry out, And a holdfast from the wood answereth it.

Habakkuk 2:12 Woe <FI>to<Fi> him who is building a city by blood, And establishing a city by iniquity.

Habakkuk 2:13 Lo, is it not from Jehovah of Hosts And peoples are fatigued for fire, And nations for vanity are weary?

Habakkuk 2:14 For full is the earth of the knowledge of the honour of Jehovah, As waters cover <FI>the bottom of<Fi> a sea.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "building", "city", "blood", "establishing", and "iniquity". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "building" and "city", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "For a stone from the wall doth..." into verse 13's "Lo is it not from Jehovah of...", so "building" 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 "building" and "city" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.