Habakkuk 2:20 (GNV)

Passage

But the Lord is in his holy Temple: let all the earth keepe silence before him.

Nearby Context

Habakkuk 2:18 What profiteth the image? for the maker thereof hath made it an image, and a teacher of lies, though he that made it, trust therein, when he maketh dumme idoles.

Habakkuk 2:19 Wo vnto him that sayth to the wood, Awake, and to the dumme stone, Rise vp, it shall teach thee: beholde, it is layde ouer with golde and siluer, and there is no breath in it.

Habakkuk 2:20 But the Lord is in his holy Temple: let all the earth keepe silence before him.

Study Lenses

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

The prior verse says "Wo vnto him that sayth to the...", giving immediate footing for "lord" 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 "lord" and "holy" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.