Habakkuk 1:11
“Then shall his mind change, and he shall pass over, and offend, imputing this his power unto his god.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Then this conqueror sweeps on and becomes guilty, because he credits his own god — really his own strength — for his victories.
What Does Habakkuk 1:11 Mean?
Here the conqueror oversteps. Carried along by success, his attitude hardens; he passes through and becomes guilty before God. His sin is named precisely: he credits his power to his god — that is, he worships his own might. The instrument God raised up forgets the hand that raised it.
This is the crucial turn in the chapter. Babylon's offense is not merely cruelty but idolatry of self: making strength into a deity. The moment a person or nation says "my power is my god," judgment becomes certain, for it denies the only One to whom all power belongs. The lesson presses on every heart tempted to credit its own achievements: every strength we have is on loan from God, and to forget Him as its source is the root of the deepest fall.