Habakkuk 1:4

King James Version:

(The Lord speaking is red text)

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

Complete Jewish Bible:

Therefore Torah is not followed; justice never gets rendered, because the wicked fence in the righteous. This is why justice comes out perverted.

Berean Standard Bible:

Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.

American Standard Version:

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 with Strong’s Numbers:

Therefore the law^{H8451} is slacked^{H6313}, and judgment^{H4941} doth never^{H5331} go forth^{H3318}: for the wicked^{H7563} doth compass^{H3803} about the righteous^{H6662}; therefore wrong^{H6127} judgment^{H4941} proceedeth^{H3318}.

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Commentary for Habakkuk 1:4

Habakkuk 1:4 is a verse from the Old Testament prophetic book of Habakkuk, who is considered one of the Minor Prophets. The book is set in a tumultuous period in Judah's history, likely during the late 7th century BCE, just before the Babylonian exile. The nation of Judah was experiencing moral decay, with social injustice, idolatry, and a breakdown in law and order.

In this verse, Habakkuk laments the state of justice in Judah. He observes that the law has become paralyzed and ineffective ("the law is slacked"), and justice is not being upheld ("judgment doth never go forth"). The prophet describes a situation where the wicked are surrounding and oppressing the righteous, and as a result, unjust outcomes prevail ("wrong judgment proceedeth"). This verse reflects the broader theme of theodicy, which is the question of how a just and omnipotent God can allow evil to persist. Habakkuk is grappling with the apparent triumph of wickedness over righteousness and the failure of the legal system to address these wrongs.

The historical context suggests that the "law" Habakkuk refers to is the Torah, the divine law given to Moses, which was meant to govern the moral and religious life of the Israelites. The failure to uphold this law would have been seen as a direct affront to God's covenant with His people. Habakkuk's complaint is a reflection of the deep moral and spiritual crisis facing Judah, which ultimately set the stage for the nation's downfall and the subsequent Babylonian captivity. The prophet's critique serves as a call to repentance and a plea for divine intervention to restore justice and righteousness in a society that had lost its way.

*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model

Strong's Numbers and Definitions:

Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)

1. Strong's Number: H8451
   There are 213 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: תּוֹרָה
   Transliteration: tôwrâh
   Pronunciation: to-raw'
   Description: or תֹּרָה; from יָרָה; a precept or statute, especially the Decalogue or Pentateuch; law.
   
2. Strong's Number: H6313
   There are 4 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: פּוּג
   Transliteration: pûwg
   Pronunciation: poog
   Description: a primitive root; to be sluggish; cease, be feeble, faint, be slacked.
   
3. Strong's Number: H4941
   There are 406 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: מִשְׁפָּט
   Transliteration: mishpâṭ
   Pronunciation: mish-pawt'
   Description: from שָׁפַט; properly, a verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree (human or (participant's) divine law, individual or collective), including the act, the place, the suit, the crime, and the penalty; abstractly, justice, including a participant's right or privilege (statutory or customary), or even a style; [phrase] adversary, ceremony, charge, [idiom] crime, custom, desert, determination, discretion, disposing, due, fashion, form, to be judged, judgment, just(-ice, -ly), (manner of) law(-ful), manner, measure, (due) order, ordinance, right, sentence, usest, [idiom] worthy, [phrase] wrong.
   
4. Strong's Number: H5331
   There are 42 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: נֶצַח
   Transliteration: netsach
   Pronunciation: neh'-tsakh
   Description: or נֵצַח; from נָצַח; properly, a goal, i.e. the bright object at adistance travelled towards; hence (figuratively), splendor, or (subjectively) truthfulness, or (objectively) confidence; but usually (adverbially), continually (i.e. to the most distant point of view); alway(-s), constantly, end, ([phrase] n-) ever(more), perpetual, strength, victory.
   
5. Strong's Number: H3318
   There are 992 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: יָצָא
   Transliteration: yâtsâʼ
   Pronunciation: yaw-tsaw'
   Description: a primitive root; to go (causatively, bring) out, in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively, direct and proxim.; [idiom] after, appear, [idiom] assuredly, bear out, [idiom] begotten, break out, bring forth (out, up), carry out, come (abroad, out, thereat, without), [phrase] be condemned, depart(-ing, -ure), draw forth, in the end, escape, exact, fail, fall (out), fetch forth (out), get away (forth, hence, out), (able to, cause to, let) go abroad (forth, on, out), going out, grow, have forth (out), issue out, lay (lie) out, lead out, pluck out, proceed, pull out, put away, be risen, [idiom] scarce, send with commandment, shoot forth, spread, spring out, stand out, [idiom] still, [idiom] surely, take forth (out), at any time, [idiom] to (and fro), utter.
   
6. Strong's Number: H7563
   There are 249 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: רָשָׁע
   Transliteration: râshâʻ
   Pronunciation: raw-shaw'
   Description: from רָשַׁע; morally wrong; concretely, an (actively) bad person; [phrase] condemned, guilty, ungodly, wicked (man), that did wrong.
   
7. Strong's Number: H3803
   There are 6 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: כָּתַר
   Transliteration: kâthar
   Pronunciation: kaw-thar'
   Description: a primitive root; to enclose; hence (in a friendly sense) to crown, (in a hostile one) to besiege; also to wait (as restraining oneself); beset round, compass about, be crowned inclose round, suffer.
   
8. Strong's Number: H6662
   There are 197 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: צַדִּיק
   Transliteration: tsaddîyq
   Pronunciation: tsad-deek'
   Description: from צָדַק; just; just, lawful, righteous (man).
   
9. Strong's Number: H6127
   There are 1 instances of this translation in the Bible
   Lemma: עָקַל
   Transliteration: ʻâqal
   Pronunciation: aw-kal'
   Description: a primitive root; to wrest; wrong.