Habakkuk 2:14 (KJV)

Passage

For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

Nearby Context

Habakkuk 2:12 Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity!

Habakkuk 2:13 Behold, is it not of the LORD of hosts that the people shall labour in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity?

Habakkuk 2:14 For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.

Habakkuk 2:15 Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness!

Habakkuk 2:16 Thou art filled with shame for glory: drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered: the cup of the LORD’s right hand shall be turned unto thee, and shameful spewing shall be on thy glory.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "earth", "shall", "filled", "knowledge", "glory", "lord", "waters", and "cover". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "earth" and "shall", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "Behold is it not of the LORD..." into verse 15's "Woe unto him that giveth his neighbour...", so "earth" and "shall" belong inside that flow. In Habakkuk context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

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