Biblion Bible Commentary
Read the introduction to Habakkuk · About this commentary
The Stone Cries Out of the Wall
Habakkuk 2:9-11
9 Woe to him who gets an evil gain for his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the hand of evil! · WEB
The second woe is against building a secure house with stolen materials, and the house itself gives evidence.
Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house, that he may set his nest on high and be delivered from the hand of evil. The motive is safety rather than luxury, which makes it the more recognizable sin: the fortune is gathered so the family will be untouchable.
Verse 10 says what was actually built. You have devised shame to your house by cutting off many peoples, and have sinned against your soul. The security project produced disgrace, and the last clause turns the damage inward — the man wronged himself before he wronged anyone else.
Then the image that gives the woe its force. The stone will cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the woodwork will answer it. The building is a witness against its builder, and the two materials answer each other like voices in a chorus. Scripture uses the same idea when blood cries from the ground Genesis 4:10, and the Lord uses it of stones that would shout if the crowd were silenced Luke 19:40. What was paid for in blood does not stay quiet.
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