Verse Lens · Context pointer
Habakkuk 1:8 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 8. 8Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Role in This Section
This verse accelerates the Chaldean portrait through swift horses, fierce riders, and eagle-like descent.
Read It With
- Habakkuk 1:5-11
Read Habakkuk 1:8 with 1:5-11. This verse accelerates the Chaldean portrait through swift horses, fierce riders, and eagle-like descent. The full unit establishes this movement: The LORD announces the rise of the Chaldeans, whose terrifying speed and conquest answer the first complaint only by creating a deeper theological crisis: their authority comes from themselves and their power becomes an object of worship.
Read Habakkuk 1:5–11 together
Why these verses belong together: The astonishing work, named Chaldeans, military portrait, and guilt verdict belong to one divine answer.
Verse 5. 5 Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvellously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you.
Verse 6. 6 For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwellingplaces that are not theirs.
Verse 7. 7 They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves.
Verse 8. 8 Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat.
Verse 9. 9 They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup up as the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand.
Verse 10. 10 And they shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a scorn unto them: they shall deride every strong hold; for they shall heap dust, and take it.
Verse 11. 11 Then shall his mind change, and he shall pass over, and offend, imputing this his power unto his god.
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Habakkuk 1:5-11 — The First Answer: The Chaldeans Are Raised UpSources used for this context pointer
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed Scripture, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and canonical verse coverage.
Exact location: Habakkuk 1:5-11, repository-pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Habakkuk
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording, morphology, repeated terms, clause relationships, and base forms behind translation discussion.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Hab.xml, 1:5-11
Open source ↗