Habakkuk 2:19
“Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Woe to the one who tells lifeless wood and stone to wake and teach — overlaid with gold and silver, yet utterly without breath.
What Does Habakkuk 2:19 Mean?
The final woe reaches its climax in mockery of idolatry's folly. Woe to the one who commands a piece of wood, "Awake!" or a silent stone, "Arise and teach!" The idol may be gleaming with gold and silver, beautifully adorned — but there is no breath in it at all. It is dead, and cannot answer.
The contrast could not be sharper. The next verse will declare that the living LORD is in His holy temple; here, the lifeless idol sits mute and breathless despite its costly covering. To call on such a thing for help is the height of futility. The verse exposes the great exchange at the heart of all false worship: trading the breathing, speaking God for a beautiful, silent nothing. True worship turns from the breathless idol to the One who is the very source of breath and life.
In the Original Language
ruach (רוּחַ), 'breath' — breath, wind, or spirit; the living vitality wholly absent from the idol, but God's own gift of life.