O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!

HABAKKUK 1:2KJV
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Habakkuk 1:2 (KJV)

What does Habakkuk 1:2 mean?

Habakkuk 1:2 describes the prophet Habakkuk crying out to the LORD, asking how long he must call for help without receiving an answer, especially as he witnesses violence and injustice around him. The verse shows Habakkuk’s frustration and confusion as he feels that God is not responding to his desperate pleas for deliverance.

Habakkuk is speaking directly to God, expressing deep distress over the violence and wrongdoing he sees in his community. The verse captures a moment of honest questioning, as Habakkuk wonders why God seems silent or inactive in the face of suffering. This sets the tone for the rest of the book, where Habakkuk seeks to understand God’s ways in a troubled world.

The Hebrew behind Habakkuk 1:2

  • LORD (יְהוָה, Yahweh): This is the personal name of God in the Hebrew Bible, emphasizing a direct and covenant relationship between Habakkuk and God. Habakkuk is not speaking to a distant deity but to the God who has revealed himself to Israel.
  • cry (שָׁוַע, shava‘): This word often means to call out for help in distress. It highlights the urgency and desperation in Habakkuk’s prayer, not just a casual request but a heartfelt plea.
  • out (זָעַק, za‘aq): This word for “cry out” can carry the sense of a loud, even anguished, outcry—especially in the context of injustice or violence. It shows that Habakkuk’s appeal is intense and emotional.
  • violence (חָמָס, ḥamas): This word refers to acts of wrongdoing, injustice, or physical harm. Habakkuk is not just upset about minor problems but about serious moral and social breakdown.
  • save (יָשַׁע, yasha‘): This verb means to deliver or rescue. Habakkuk is specifically asking why God does not intervene to stop the violence and bring salvation.

Why Habakkuk 1:2 matters

  • Habakkuk 1:2 shows that questioning God and expressing honest feelings of frustration are part of the biblical tradition, not signs of weak faith.
  • The verse highlights the problem of unanswered prayer, a theme that many people can relate to, and sets up the larger conversation between Habakkuk and God about justice and suffering.
  • By naming “violence” and “salvation,” the verse connects personal lament to broader issues of justice, making it clear that Habakkuk’s concern is not just for himself but for his whole community.

Where else these words appear

“cry” Hebrew H7768 · used in 21 verses

  • Job 19:7 Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard: I cry aloud, but there is no judgment.
  • Job 36:13 But the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath: they cry not when he bindeth them.
  • Psalms 31:22 For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee.

“violence” Hebrew H2555 · used in 59 verses

  • Genesis 6:11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
  • Psalms 58:2 Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.
  • Jeremiah 51:35 The violence done to me and to my flesh be upon Babylon, shall the inhabitant of Zion say; and my blood upon the inhabitants of Chaldea, shall Jerusalem say.

“out” Hebrew H2199 · used in 73 verses

  • Exodus 2:23 And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.
  • 1 Samuel 28:12 And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.
  • Isaiah 26:17 Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD.