Habakkuk 3:18
“Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Even amid total loss, Habakkuk resolves to rejoice in the LORD and find his joy in God his Savior.
What Does Habakkuk 3:18 Mean?
Here is the triumphant turn the whole book has been moving toward. "Yet" — against every loss just named — "I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation." Habakkuk's gladness is anchored not in crops or flocks or safety, but in God Himself. When everything else fails, God remains, and God is enough.
This is faith come to full flower. The prophet who began with bitter complaint now sings for joy in the very face of ruin, because he has learned that the Lord is his true treasure and salvation. Joy like this cannot be taken away, for it does not rest on what circumstances give or remove. This verse has strengthened God's people in their darkest hours ever since: real joy is found not in our blessings but in the God who saves, who cannot be lost no matter what else is.
In the Original Language
gil (גִיל), 'joy' — to spin or leap for gladness, an exultant joy here directed wholly toward the God of salvation.