Habakkuk 2:9 (YLT)

Passage

Woe <FI>to<Fi> him who is gaining evil gain for his house, To set on high his nest, To be delivered from the hand of evil,

Nearby Context

Habakkuk 2:7 Do not thy usurers instantly rise up, And those shaking thee awake up, And thou hast been for a spoil to them?

Habakkuk 2:8 Because thou hast spoiled many nations, Spoil thee do all the remnant of the peoples, Because of man's blood, and of violence <FI>to<Fi> the land, <FI>To<Fi> the city, and <FI>to<Fi> all dwelling in it.

Habakkuk 2:9 Woe <FI>to<Fi> him who is gaining evil gain for his house, To set on high his nest, To be delivered from the hand of evil,

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.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "gaining", "evil", "house", "high", "nest", "delivered", and "hand". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "gaining" and "evil", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "Because thou hast spoiled many nations Spoil..." into verse 10's "Thou hast counselled a shameful thing to...", so "gaining" and "evil" 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 "gaining" and "evil" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.