Habakkuk 2:11

New Living Translation

The very stones in the walls cry out against you, and the beams in the ceilings echo the complaint.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
For the stones will cry out from the wall,and the rafters will answer themfrom the woodwork.

Hebrew Names Version
For the stone will cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the woodwork will answer it.

King James Version (1611)
For the stone shall crie out of the wall, and the beame out of the timber shall answere it.

King James Version
For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.

English Standard Version
For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the woodwork respond.

New American Standard Bible
"For the stone will cry out from the wall, And the rafter will answer it from the framework.

New Century Version
The stones of the walls will cry out against you, and the boards that support the roof will agree that you are wrong.

Amplified Bible
"For the stone will cry out from the wall [to accuse you—built in sin!] And the rafter will answer it out of the woodwork.

Geneva Bible (1587)
For the stone shall crie out of the wall, and the beame out of the timber shal answere it.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Surely the stone will cry out from the wall, And the rafter will answer it from the framework.

Legacy Standard Bible
Surely the stone will cry out from the wall,And the rafter will answer it from the framework.

Berean Standard Bible
For the stones will cry out from the wall, and the rafters will echo it from the woodwork.

Contemporary English Version
The very stones and wood in your home will testify against you.

Complete Jewish Bible
For the very stones will cry out from the wall, and a beam in the framework will answer them.

Darby Translation
For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.

Easy-to-Read Version
The stones of the walls will cry out against you. Even the wooden rafters in your own house will prove that you are wrong.

George Lamsa Translation
For the stone shall cry out from the wall, and the nail in the wood shall answer it.

Good News Translation
Even the stones of the walls cry out against you, and the rafters echo the cry.

Lexham English Bible
For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the plaster from the wood will answer it.

Literal Translation
For the stone shall cry out from the wall, and the beam shall answer it from the wood.

American Standard Version
For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.

Bible in Basic English
For the stone will give a cry out of the wall, and it will be answered by the board out of the woodwork.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
For the stone shall crye out of the wal, and the beame out of the timber shall aunswere it.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beetle out of the timber shall speak.

English Revised Version
For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.

World English Bible
For the stone will cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the woodwork will answer it.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For a stoon of the wal schal crie, and a tree that is bitwixe ioynturis of bildyngis schal answere.

Update Bible Version
For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.

Webster's Bible Translation
For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.

New English Translation
For the stones in the walls will cry out, and the wooden rafters will answer back.

New King James Version
For the stone will cry out from the wall, And the beam from the timbers will answer it.

New Life Bible
The stone will cry out from the wall, and the roof will answer it from the wood.

New Revised Standard
The very stones will cry out from the wall, and the plaster will respond from the woodwork.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Surely, the stone out of the wall, will make outcry, - and, the tie out of the timber, will answer it.

Douay-Rheims Bible
For the stone shall cry out of the wall: and the timber that is between the joints of the building, shall answer.

Revised Standard Version
For the stone will cry out from the wall, and the beam from the woodwork respond.

Young's Literal Translation
For a stone from the wall doth cry out, And a holdfast from the wood answereth it.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
so that the very stones of the wall shal crie out of it, and the tymbre that lieth betwixte the ioyntes of the buyldinge shall answere.

Contextual Overview

⁵ Wealth is treacherous, and the arrogant are never at rest. They open their mouths as wide as the grave, and like death, they are never satisfied. In their greed they have gathered up many nations and swallowed many peoples. ⁶ "But soon their captives will taunt them. They will mock them, saying, ‘What sorrow awaits you thieves! Now you will get what you deserve! You've become rich by extortion, but how much longer can this go on?' ⁷ Suddenly, your debtors will take action. They will turn on you and take all you have, while you stand trembling and helpless. ⁸ Because you have plundered many nations, now all the survivors will plunder you. You committed murder throughout the countryside and filled the towns with violence. ⁹ "What sorrow awaits you who build big houses with money gained dishonestly! You believe your wealth will buy security, putting your family's nest beyond the reach of danger. ¹⁰ But by the murders you committed, you have shamed your name and forfeited your lives. ¹¹ The very stones in the walls cry out against you, and the beams in the ceilings echo the complaint. ¹² "What sorrow awaits you who build cities with money gained through murder and corruption! ¹³ Has not the Lord of Heaven's Armies promised that the wealth of nations will turn to ashes? They work so hard, but all in vain! ¹⁴ For as the waters fill the sea, the earth will be filled with an awareness of the glory of the Lord .

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the stone: Genesis 4:10, Joshua 24:27, Job 31:38-40, Luke 19:40, Hebrews 12:24, James 5:3, James 5:4, Revelation 6:10

beam: or, piece, or, fastening

answer it: or, witness against it

Reciprocal: Lamentations 2:18 - O wall

Cross-References

Genesis 10:7
The descendants of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The descendants of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan.

Genesis 10:29
Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were descendants of Joktan.

Genesis 25:18
Ishmael's descendants occupied the region from Havilah to Shur, which is east of Egypt in the direction of Asshur. There they lived in open hostility toward all their relatives.

1 Samuel 15:7
Then Saul slaughtered the Amalekites from Havilah all the way to Shur, east of Egypt.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For the stone shall cry out of the wall,.... Of their own house; some from among themselves, that truly feared God, seeing the evil practices done among them, and abhorring them, such as their covetousness, ambition, murders, excommunications, and anathemas, should cry out against them in their sermons and writings; such as were lively stones, eminent for religion and godliness, as Bernard, Wickliff, Huss, and others:

and the beam out of the timber shall answer it; such as were of eminent note in things civil, as beams and rafters in the house; emperors and governors of provinces, who observed the complaints of godly ministers and people, answered to them, and checked the evil bishops and clergy, and hindered them in the pursuit of their schemes, and so brought them to shame and confusion. Aben Ezra observes, that the word signifies the hard place in the wood; or the harder part of it, the knotty part, or the knot in it; and which is confirmed by the use of the word in the Arabic language, as Hottinger g observes; and so may have respect to such persons as were raised up at the beginning of the Reformation, who were of rough dispositions, and hardy spirits, fit to go through the work they were called to; such as Luther, and others, who answered and were correspondent to the doctrines of those before mentioned, who preceded them: for not a beetle, as the Septuagint version, which breeds, and lives not in wood, and so represents heretics, as Jerom; much better, as some other Greek versions, a "worm"; though rather the word may signify a brick, as it is used by the Talmudists h for one of a span and a half, which answers well enough to a stone in the former clause; nor is it unusual with heathen writers i to represent stones and timbers speaking, when any criminal silence is kept; see Luke 19:40.

g Smegma Orientale, l. 1. c. 7. p. 163. h T. Bava Metzia, fol. 117. 2. & Bathra, fol. 3. 1. i "----Secretum divitis ullum Esse putas? servi ut taceant, jumenta loquentur, Et canis, et postes, et marmora.----" Juvenal. Satyr. 9.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it - All things have a voice, in that they are . God’s works speak that, for which He made them Psalms 19:1 : “The heavens declare the glory of God.” Psalms 65:13 : “the valleys are clad with corn, they laugh, yea, they sing;” their very look speaks gladness. Cyril: “For the creation itself proclaims the glory of the Maker, in that it is admired as well made. Wherefore there are voices in things, although there are not words.” Man’s works speak of that in him, out of which and for which he made them. Works of mercy go up for a memorial before God, and plead there; great works, performed amid wrong and cruelty and for man’s ambition and pride, have a voice too, and cry out to God, calling down His vengeance on the oppressor. Here the stones of the wall, whereby the building is raised, and the beam, the tye-beam, out of the timber-work wherewith it is finished, and which, as it were, crowns the work, join, as in a chorus, answering one another, and in a deep solemn wailing, before God and the whole world, together chant “Woe, Woe.” Did not the blood and groans of men cry out to God, speechless things have a voice to appeal to Him (See Luke 19:40). Against Belshazzar the wall had, to the letter, words to speak.

Each three verses forming one stanza, as it were, of the dirge, the following words are probably not directly connected with the former, as if the woe, which follows, were, so to speak, the chant of these inanimate witnesses against the Chaldaeans; yet they stand connected with it. The dirge began with woe on the wrongful accumulation of wealth from the conquered and oppressed people: it continues with the selfish use of the wealth so won.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Habakkuk 2:11. The stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.] This appears to refer to the ancient mode of building walls; two or three courses of stone, and then one course of timber. See 1 Kings 6:36: thus was the palace of Solomon built. The splendid and costly buildings of Babylon have been universally celebrated. But how were these buildings erected? By the spoils of conquered nations, and the expense of the blood of multitudes; therefore the stones and the timber are represented as calling out for vengeance against this ruthless conqueror.