Habakkuk 2:3
“For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The vision awaits its appointed time; though it seems to delay, it will surely come and not fail — so wait for it.
What Does Habakkuk 2:3 Mean?
God explains the timing of His promise. The vision is set for an appointed moment; it presses toward its fulfillment and will not prove false. Even if it seems to linger, the faithful are to wait, for it will certainly come at the time God has fixed — not a moment late.
This is one of Scripture's great words to those who wait on God. Delay is not denial. What looks like tarrying is simply the unhurried keeping of an appointment God alone has set. The New Testament takes up this verse to steady believers awaiting Christ's return, urging patient endurance. The promise stands: God's word does not lie and does not fail. Our part is to keep waiting in faith, certain that the One who appointed the time will not miss it.
In the Original Language
mo'ed (מוֹעֵד), 'appointed time' — a fixed meeting time set by God, the moment He has appointed for His promise to arrive.