Habakkuk 3:17-18 Explained

"Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation." — Habakkuk 3:17-18 (KJV)

A list of every source of income failing at once, followed by a decision that does not depend on any of them.

Read it in context: The Book of Habakkuk. Also gathered under verses about joy, verses about change.

Habakkuk 3:17-18 in context

What does Habakkuk 3:17-18 mean?

The catalogue is agricultural and total — fig, vine, olive, field, flock, herd. For that economy it is not hardship but ruin, and the prophet lists it in full before saying anything else. 'Yet' is the whole verse. The joy is placed in God rather than in an expected reversal, which is what makes it possible to state while the fields are still empty.

What is the context of Habakkuk 3:17-18?

Habakkuk opened by asking God how long he would tolerate violence, and got an answer he liked less than the silence: Babylon is coming. The book ends with this song. Nothing in the situation has improved between the question and the answer.

How do I pray Habakkuk 3:17-18?

Write your own version of the first half — name what has actually failed, in as much detail as Habakkuk gives. Do not shorten that part; the 'yet' is only worth anything at the end of a full list. Then say the second half as a decision, in the future tense he uses.

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