Habakkuk 3:17-18 in Context
Habakkuk 3:17-18 read in its full chapter context. See the verses before and after, plus historical setting and flow of thought.
"Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation."
— Habakkuk 3:17-18 (KJV)
Where This Verse Sits
Habakkuk 3:17-18 appears in Habakkuk chapter 3, verse 17. Habakkuk prophesied around 609-597 BC as Babylon rose to world power and threatened Judah. The agricultural imagery—fig trees, vines, olives, fields, flocks, herds—represented complete economic devastation in an agrarian society. Habakkuk's declaration of joy despite total loss is one of Scripture's most powerful expressions of unconditional faith.
The Verse Itself
"Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation."
— Habakkuk 3:17-18 (KJV)
Flow of the Passage
To grasp Habakkuk 3:17-18 fully, read it inside the surrounding paragraph. The verses before set up the argument, and the verses after show its outworking. Habakkuk 3 as a whole carries forward the theme of joy, and this single verse is one beat in that larger movement.
Habakkuk declares his commitment to rejoice in God regardless of circumstances. Even total economic devastation cannot steal the joy found in God.
Cross-References
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