King James Version

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.

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Hebrew

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ה֣וֹיhoyalasהוֹיparticle, interjection — “alas”H1945oh!ah, alas, ho, O, woe.אֹמֵ֤רomersayאָמַרverb, qal, participle, absolute — “say”, a verb used as a describing wordH559to say (used with great latitude)answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [id…לָעֵץ֙laetsto treeעֵץpreposition, with the article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “to tree”, the ordinary formH6086a tree (from its firmness); hence, wood (plural sticks)[phrase] carpenter, gallows, helve, [phrase] pine, plank, staff, stalk, stick, stock, timber, tree, wood.הָקִ֔יצָהhaqitsahariseקוּץverb, hiphil, imperative, 2nd person, masculine, singular, paragogic he — “arise”, a commandH6974to awake (literally or figuratively)arise, (be) (a-) wake, watch.ע֖וּרִיuriwakeעוּרverb, qal, imperative, 2nd person, feminine, singular — “wake”, a commandH5782to wake (literally or figuratively)(a-) wake(-n, up), lift up (self), [idiom] master, raise (up), stir up (self).לְאֶ֣בֶןleevento stoneאֶבֶןpreposition, noun, common, feminine, singular, construct — “to stone”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH68a stone[phrase] carbuncle, [phrase] mason, [phrase] plummet, (chalk-, hail-, head-, sling-) stone(-ny), (divers) weight(-s).דּוּמָ֑םdumamdumbדּוּמָםnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “dumb”, the ordinary formH1748still; adverbially, silentlydumb, silent, quietly wait.ה֣וּאhuas for herהוּאpronoun, personal, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “as for her”H1931he (she or it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also (intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same; sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally (instead of copula) as or arehe, as for her, him(-self), it, the same, she (herself), such, that (...it), these, they, this, those, which (is), who.יוֹרֶ֔הyorehshootיָרָהverb, hiphil, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “shoot”, an unfinished actionH3384properly, to flow as water (i.e. to rain); transitively, to lay or throw (especially an arrow, i.e. to shoot); figuratively, to point out (as if by aiming the finger), to teach([phrase]) archer, cast, direct, inform, instruct, lay, shew, shoot, teach(-er,-ing), through.הִנֵּהhinehloהִנֵּהparticle, demonstrative — “lo”H2009lo!behold, lo, see.ה֗וּאhuas for herהוּאpronoun, personal, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “as for her”H1931he (she or it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also (intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same; sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally (instead of copula) as or arehe, as for her, him(-self), it, the same, she (herself), such, that (...it), these, they, this, those, which (is), who.תָּפוּשׂ֙tafuscatchתָּפַשׂverb, qal, passive participle, absolute — “catch”, a verb used as a describing wordH8610to manipulate, i.e. seize; chiefly to capture, wield, specifically, to overlay; figuratively, to use unwarrantablycatch, handle, (lay, take) hold (on, over), stop, [idiom] surely, surprise, take.זָהָ֣בzahavgoldזָהָבnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “gold”, the ordinary formH2091gold, figuratively, something gold-colored (i.e. yellow), as oil, a clear skygold(-en), fair weather.וָכֶ֔סֶףvakhesefand moneyכֶּסֶףconjunction, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “and money”, the ordinary formH3701silver (from its pale color); by implication, moneymoney, price, silver(-ling).וְכָלvekhaland allכֹּלconjunction, noun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “and all”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3605properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-) thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).ר֖וּחַruchaangerרוּחַnoun, common, both genders, singular, absolute — “anger”, the ordinary formH7307wind; by resemblance breath, i.e. a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the sky; by resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being (including its expression and functions)air, anger, blast, breath, [idiom] cool, courage, mind, [idiom] quarter, [idiom] side, spirit(-ual), tempest, [idiom] vain, (whirl-) wind(-y).אֵ֥יןeynelseאַיִןparticle, negative — “else”H369a non-entity; generally used as a negative particleelse, except, fail, (father-) less, be gone, in(-curable), neither, never, no (where), none, nor, (any, thing), not, nothing, to nought, past, un(-searchable), well-nigh, without. Compare H370 (אַיִן).בְּקִרְבּֽוֹbeqirbvoin bowelsקֶרֶבpreposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “in bowels”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH7130properly, the nearest part, i.e. the center, whether literal, figurative or adverbial (especially with preposition)[idiom] among, [idiom] before, bowels, [idiom] unto charge, [phrase] eat (up), [idiom] heart, [idiom] him, [idiom] in, inward ([idiom] -ly, part, -s, thought), midst, [phrase] out of, purtenance, [idiom] therein, [idiom] through, [idiom] w…

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

Woe unto him that saith to the wood: 'Awake', to the dumb stone: 'Arise!' Can this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise! Shall this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.

Young’s Literal Translation

Woe [to] him who is saying to wood, 'Awake,' 'Stir up,' to a dumb stone, It a teacher! lo, it is overlaid — gold and silver, And there is no spirit in its midst.

World English Bible

Woe to him who says to the wood, ‘Awake!’ or to the mute stone, ‘Arise!’ Shall this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all within it.

Darby Translation

Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake! to the dumb stone, Arise! Shall it teach? Behold it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.

Douay-Rheims

Woe to him that saith to wood: Awake: to the dumb stone: Arise: can it teach? Behold, it is laid over with gold, and silver, and there is no spirit in the bowels thereof.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Woe unto him that saith to the wood: 'Awake', to the dumb stone: 'Arise!' Can this teach? Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver, and there is no breath at all in the midst of it.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

Woe to him that says to the wood, Awake, arise; and to the stone, Be thou exalted! whereas it is an image, and this is a casting of gold and silver, and there is no breath in it.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Οὐαὶ ὁ λέγων τῷ ξύλῳ, ἔκνηψον, ἐξεγέρθητι· καὶ τῷ λίθῳ, ὑψώθητι· καὶ αὐτό ἐστι φαντασία· τοῦτο δέ ἐστιν ἔλασμα χρυσίου καὶ ἀργυρίου, καὶ πᾶν πνεῦμα οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτῷ.