Habakkuk 2:20 (ASV)

Passage

But Jehovah is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.

Nearby Context

Habakkuk 2:18 What profiteth the graven image, that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, even the teacher of lies, that he that fashioneth its form trusteth therein, to make dumb idols?

Habakkuk 2:19 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.

Habakkuk 2:20 But Jehovah is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "jehovah", "holy", "temple", "earth", "keep", "silence", and "before". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "jehovah" and "holy", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The prior verse says "Woe unto him that saith to the...", giving immediate footing for "jehovah" and "holy". In Habakkuk context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "jehovah" and "holy" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.