The Meaning of Habakkuk 1:12 Explained

Habakkuk 1:12

KJV: Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O LORD, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction.

YLT: Art not Thou of old, O Jehovah, my God, my Holy One? We do not die, O Jehovah, For judgment Thou hast appointed it, And, O Rock, for reproof Thou hast founded it.

Darby: Art thou not from everlasting, Jehovah my God, my Holy One? We shall not die. Jehovah, thou hast ordained him for judgment; and thou, O Rock, hast appointed him for correction.

ASV: Art not thou from everlasting, O Jehovah my God, my Holy One? we shall not die. O Jehovah, thou hast ordained him for judgment; and thou, O Rock, hast established him for correction.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

[Art] thou not from everlasting,  O LORD  my God,  mine Holy One?  we shall not die.  O LORD,  thou hast ordained  them for judgment;  and, O mighty God,  thou hast established  them for correction. 

What does Habakkuk 1:12 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Power was not Habakkuk"s god; Yahweh was. The Lord"s revelation of what He was doing in the prophet"s day brought confidence to his heart and praise to his lips. With a rhetorical question, Habakkuk affirmed his belief that Yahweh, his God, the Holy One, was from everlasting (or antiquity). The implication is that Yahweh is the only true God and that history was unfolding as it was because the God who created history was in charge of events (i.e, sovereign).
Habakkuk believed the Judeans would not perish completely because God had promised to preserve them forever ( 2 Samuel 7:16). The prophet now understood that Yahweh had appointed the Babylonians to judge the sinful Judeans. The God who had been a rock of security and safety for His people throughout their history had raised up this enemy to correct His people, not to annihilate them.

Context Summary

Habakkuk 1:1-17 - The Apparent Prosperity Of The Wicked
Habakkuk probably lived toward the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, when the Chaldeans were preparing to invade the land. Jerusalem was filled with wickedness. Crimes of violence and lawlessness had become so numerous that the prophet was appalled at the sight. He could only point to the fate of other nations, which must also befall Judah unless the people repented. Paul quotes Habakkuk 1:5 in Acts 13:41. The Chaldeans are compared to the leopard, the evening wolf, and the east wind. The prophet turns to Jehovah in an agony of expostulation and entreaty. Was He not from everlasting? Was He not Israel's Rock? The prophet's solace is the reflection, "We shall not die." An ancient reading is, "Thou canst not die." We are reminded of Revelation 1:18. O thou undying, unchanging, life-giving Savior, we cling to thee amid the storms that sweep the world, as limpets to the rock. [source]

Chapter Summary: Habakkuk 1

1  Unto Habakkuk, complaining of the iniquity of the land,
5  is shown the fearful vengeance by the Chaldeans
12  He complains that vengeance should be executed by them who are far worse

What do the individual words in Habakkuk 1:12 mean?

Are not You from everlasting Yahweh my God my Holy one not we shall die Yahweh for judgment You have appointed them and Rock for correction You have marked them
הֲל֧וֹא אַתָּ֣ה מִקֶּ֗דֶם יְהוָ֧ה אֱלֹהַ֛י ؟ קְדֹשִׁ֖י לֹ֣א נָמ֑וּת יְהוָה֙ לְמִשְׁפָּ֣ט שַׂמְתּ֔וֹ וְצ֖וּר לְהוֹכִ֥יחַ יְסַדְתּֽוֹ

הֲל֧וֹא  Are  not 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
מִקֶּ֗דֶם  from  everlasting 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular
Root: קֶדֶם 
Sense: east, antiquity, front, that which is before, aforetime.
יְהוָ֧ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: Jehovah—used primarily in the combination ‘Lord Jehovah’.
אֱלֹהַ֛י  my  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
؟ קְדֹשִׁ֖י  my  Holy  one 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: קָדֹושׁ  
Sense: sacred, holy, Holy One, saint, set apart.
נָמ֑וּת  we  shall  die 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common plural
Root: מוּת  
Sense: to die, kill, have one executed.
יְהוָה֙  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: Jehovah—used primarily in the combination ‘Lord Jehovah’.
לְמִשְׁפָּ֣ט  for  judgment 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִשְׁפָּט  
Sense: judgment, justice, ordinance.
שַׂמְתּ֔וֹ  You  have  appointed  them 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: שׂוּמָה 
Sense: to put, place, set, appoint, make.
וְצ֖וּר  and  Rock 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: צוּר 
Sense: rock, cliff.
לְהוֹכִ֥יחַ  for  correction 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: יָכַח  
Sense: to prove, decide, judge, rebuke, reprove, correct, be right.
יְסַדְתּֽוֹ  You  have  marked  them 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: יָסַד 
Sense: to found, fix, establish, lay foundation.