Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Habakkuk 2:9 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 9. 9Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil!
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse opens the second woe against evil gain used to place a household nest beyond disaster.
Evil gain funds a nest above disaster
This verse is one part of that explanation in Habakkuk 2:9-11. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Habakkuk 2:9-11
Read Habakkuk 2:9 with 2:9-11. This verse opens the second woe against evil gain used to place a household nest beyond disaster. The full unit establishes this movement: The oppressor tries to secure his house above disaster through evil gain, but violence against peoples brings shame and turns the very materials of the house into witnesses.
Why This Verse Appears Here
The taunt moves from hoarded goods to the security project they fund and shows that a structure cannot hide the harm embedded in it. Within that movement, this verse opens the second woe against evil gain used to place a household nest beyond disaster.
Follow the Context
- The woe names evil gain for one's house.
- The purpose is to set the nest high and escape the reach of disaster.
- Destroying peoples brings shame and sins against the oppressor's own life.
- Stone and timber answer one another as witnesses from the building.
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“set his nest on high”
In plain language: The nest metaphor portrays attempted invulnerability rather than a building specification.
Opens the second woe against evil gain used to place a household nest beyond disaster. Security purchased through another's ruin is morally unstable.
Why it matters: The wording carries textual, theological, ethical, or predictive risk that requires its full unit and stated limits.
How certain? probableWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
Habakkuk 2:9 does not condemn ordinary provision, saving, home ownership, or safety planning.
What Remains True
Security purchased through another's ruin is morally unstable.
How It Can Shape Life
- Audit how household and institutional security are funded.
Teach It Back
Explain Habakkuk 2:9's contribution to Habakkuk 2:9-11: Opens the second woe against evil gain used to place a household nest beyond disaster. Include what the surrounding verses add, the stated uncertainty, and what this verse does not authorize.
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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 2:9-11 — Second Woe: A High Nest Cannot Silence the HouseSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
House may signify residence, dynasty, palace, or imperial establishment.
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 2:9-11, 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, 2:9-11
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: Habakkuk with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2006
Supports: Verse-level translation, Hebrew, text-critical, literary, historical, and uncertainty notes.
Exact location: NET Bible Habakkuk PDF, printed pp. 1772-1773, translation and notes on 2:9-11
Open source ↗