Habakkuk 2:13 (LSB)

Passage

Is it not, behold, from Yahweh of hosts That peoples toil for fire, And nations grow weary for nothing?

Nearby Context

Habakkuk 2:11 Surely the stone will cry out from the wall, And the rafter will answer it from the framework.

Habakkuk 2:12 “Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed And founds a town with injustice!

Habakkuk 2:13 Is it not, behold, from Yahweh of hosts That peoples toil for fire, And nations grow weary for nothing?

Habakkuk 2:14 For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of Yahweh, As the waters cover the sea.

Habakkuk 2:15 “Woe to you who make your neighbors drink, Who mix in your venom even to make them drunk So as to look on their nakedness!

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "behold", "yahweh", "hosts", "peoples", "toil", "fire", "nations", and "grow". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "behold" and "yahweh", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "Woe to him who builds a city..." into verse 14's "For the earth will be filled With...", so "behold" and "yahweh" 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 "behold" and "yahweh" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.