The Meaning of Habakkuk 1:4 Explained

Habakkuk 1:4

KJV: Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth.

YLT: Therefore doth law cease, And judgment doth not go forth for ever, For the wicked is compassing the righteous, Therefore wrong judgment goeth forth.

Darby: Therefore the law is powerless, and justice doth never go forth; for the wicked encompasseth the righteous; therefore judgment goeth forth perverted.

ASV: Therefore the law is slacked, and justice doth never go forth; for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore justice goeth forth perverted.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Therefore the law  is slacked,  and judgment  doth never  go forth:  for the wicked  doth compass  about the righteous;  therefore wrong  judgment  proceedeth. 

What does Habakkuk 1:4 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Since God had not intervened to stem the tide of evil, as He had threatened to do in the Mosaic Law, the Judeans were ignoring His law. They did not practice justice in their courts, the wicked dominated the righteous, and the powerful perverted justice. These conditions were common in Judah.
It is clear from the Lord"s reply that follows that others in the nation beside Habakkuk were praying these prayers and asking these questions. The prophet spoke for the godly remnant in Judah.

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 1:4 mean?

Upon thus is powerless the law and never goes forth Never justice for the wicked surround - the righteous thus proceeds judgment perverse
עַל־ כֵּן֙ תָּפ֣וּג תּוֹרָ֔ה וְלֹֽא־ יֵצֵ֥א לָנֶ֖צַח מִשְׁפָּ֑ט כִּ֤י רָשָׁע֙ מַכְתִּ֣יר אֶת־ הַצַּדִּ֔יק כֵּ֛ן יֵצֵ֥א מִשְׁפָּ֖ט מְעֻקָּֽל

עַל־  Upon 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
כֵּן֙  thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֵּן 
Sense: so, therefore, thus.
תָּפ֣וּג  is  powerless 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: פּוּג  
Sense: to grow numb, be feeble, be benumbed.
תּוֹרָ֔ה  the  law 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: תֹּורָה  
Sense: law, direction, instruction.
וְלֹֽא־  and  never 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יֵצֵ֥א  goes  forth 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
לָנֶ֖צַח  Never 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular
Root: נֵצַח  
Sense: eminence, perpetuity, strength, victory, enduring, everlastingness.
מִשְׁפָּ֑ט  justice 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִשְׁפָּט  
Sense: judgment, justice, ordinance.
רָשָׁע֙  the  wicked 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רָשָׁע  
Sense: wicked, criminal.
מַכְתִּ֣יר  surround 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine singular
Root: כָּתַר 
Sense: to surround.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
הַצַּדִּ֔יק  the  righteous 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: צַדִּיק  
Sense: just, lawful, righteous.
כֵּ֛ן  thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֵּן 
Sense: so, therefore, thus.
יֵצֵ֥א  proceeds 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
מִשְׁפָּ֖ט  judgment 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִשְׁפָּט  
Sense: judgment, justice, ordinance.
מְעֻקָּֽל  perverse 
Parse: Verb, Pual, Participle, masculine singular
Root: עָקַל  
Sense: to bend, twist.