The Meaning of Habakkuk 1:13 Explained

Habakkuk 1:13

KJV: Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?

YLT: Purer of eyes than to behold evil, To look on perverseness Thou art not able, Why dost Thou behold the treacherous? Thou keepest silent when the wicked Doth swallow the more righteous than he,

Darby: Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on mischief: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and keepest silence when the wicked swalloweth up a man more righteous than he?

ASV: Thou that art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and that canst not look on perverseness, wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy peace when the wicked swalloweth up the man that is more righteous than he;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

[Thou art] of purer  eyes  than to behold  evil,  and canst  not look  on iniquity:  wherefore lookest  thou upon them that deal treacherously,  [and] holdest thy tongue  when the wicked  devoureth  [the man that is] more righteous  than he? 

What does Habakkuk 1:13 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Because Yahweh was the Holy One, Habakkuk knew that He was too pure to look approvingly at evil nor could He favor wickedness. This was a basic tenet of Israel"s faith (cf. Psalm 5:4; Psalm 34:16; Psalm 34:21). But this raised another, more serious, problem in the prophet"s mind. Why did the Lord then look approvingly on the treachery of the Babylonians? Why did He not reprove them and restrain them when the Babylonians slew people who were more righteous than they?
The prophet"s first question ( Habakkuk 1:2-4) arose out of an apparent inconsistency between God"s actions and His character. He was a just God, but He was allowing sin in His people to go unpunished. His second question arose out of the same apparent inconsistency. Yahweh was a just God, but He was allowing terrible sinners to succeed and even permitted them to punish less serious sinners. These questions evidenced perplexed faith rather than weak faith. Clearly Habakkuk had strong faith in God, but how God was exercising His sovereignty baffled him.
"It is one thing to face the problems that confront everyone who believes in a good and omnipotent God and ask why things are Song of Solomon , or how they can be so. It is something quite different to question the Divine goodness or justice, or the very existence of God, simply because one cannot answer these questions." [1]

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 1:13 mean?

[You are] of purer eyes than to behold evil and look on wickedness not cannot why do You look on those who deal treacherously [And] hold Your tongue when devours the wicked a [person] more righteous than he
טְה֤וֹר עֵינַ֙יִם֙ מֵרְא֣וֹת רָ֔ע וְהַבִּ֥יט אֶל־ עָמָ֖ל לֹ֣א תוּכָ֑ל לָ֤מָּה תַבִּיט֙ בּֽוֹגְדִ֔ים תַּחֲרִ֕ישׁ בְּבַלַּ֥ע רָשָׁ֖ע צַדִּ֥יק מִמֶּֽנּוּ

טְה֤וֹר  [You  are]  of  purer 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular construct
Root: טָהֹור  
Sense: pureness, cleanness, clean, pure.
עֵינַ֙יִם֙  eyes 
Parse: Noun, cd
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
מֵרְא֣וֹת  than  to  behold 
Parse: Preposition-m, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
רָ֔ע  evil 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
וְהַבִּ֥יט  and  look 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: נָבַט  
Sense: to look, regard.
עָמָ֖ל  wickedness 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: עָמָל  
Sense: .
תוּכָ֑ל  cannot 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: יָכֹל  
Sense: to prevail, overcome, endure, have power, be able.
לָ֤מָּה  why 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: לָמָּה 
Sense: what, how, of what kind.
תַבִּיט֙  do  You  look 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: נָבַט  
Sense: to look, regard.
בּֽוֹגְדִ֔ים  on  those  who  deal  treacherously 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: בָּגַד  
Sense: to act treacherously, deceitfully, deal treacherously.
תַּחֲרִ֕ישׁ  [And]  hold  Your  tongue 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: חָרַשׁ 
Sense: to cut in, plough, engrave, devise.
בְּבַלַּ֥ע  when  devours 
Parse: Preposition-b, Verb, Piel, Infinitive construct
Root: בָּלַע 
Sense: to swallow down, swallow up, engulf, eat up.
רָשָׁ֖ע  the  wicked 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רָשָׁע  
Sense: wicked, criminal.
צַדִּ֥יק  a  [person]  more  righteous 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: צַדִּיק  
Sense: just, lawful, righteous.
מִמֶּֽנּוּ  than  he 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: מִן 
Sense: from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than.