Bible Strands
Habakkuk 2:11
For the stones will cry out from the wall, and the rafters will echo it from the woodwork.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The prophet Habakkuk pronounces this declaration against the Chaldean ruler who has enriched his house by exploiting conquered nations. It functions as a direct counter to the violent city-building described in the surrounding woes.
The words — The Hebrew אֶ֖בֶן ('E.ven) means a stone, paired with תִּזְעָ֑ק (tiz.'Ak), meaning it will cry out, to show that construction materials will actively testify against concealed violence.
The thread — The motif of inanimate matter bearing witness appears in Joshua 24:27, where a stone records God’s words, and is quoted in Luke 19:40, where Jesus states that stones would cry out if people remained silent.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to accept that violent exploitation leaves an undeniable physical record that cannot be erased. It demands a clear-eyed recognition that hidden injustice will inevitably be exposed.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.
Cross-references
- Luke 19:40 “I tell you,” He answered, “if they remain silent, the very stones will cry out.”
- Joshua 24:27 And Joshua said to all the people, “You see this stone. It will be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words the LORD has spoken to us, and it will be a witness against you if you ever deny your God.”
- Job 31:38 if my land cries out against me and its furrows weep together,
- James 5:3 Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and consume your flesh like fire. You have hoarded treasure in the last days.
- Genesis 4:10 “What have you done?” replied the LORD. “The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.
- Hebrews 12:24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
- Revelation 6:10 And they cried out in a loud voice, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge those who dwell upon the earth and avenge our blood?”