Habakkuk 2:13 (WEB)

Passage

Behold, isn’t it of Yahweh of Armies that the peoples labor for the fire, and the nations weary themselves for vanity?

Nearby Context

Habakkuk 2:11 For the stone will cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the woodwork will answer it.

Habakkuk 2:12 Woe to him who builds a town with blood, and establishes a city by iniquity!

Habakkuk 2:13 Behold, isn’t it of Yahweh of Armies that the peoples labor for the fire, and the nations weary themselves for vanity?

Habakkuk 2:14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of Yahweh’s glory, as the waters cover the sea.

Habakkuk 2:15 “Woe to him who gives his neighbor drink, pouring your inflaming wine until they are drunk, so that you may gaze at their naked bodies!

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "behold", "yahweh", "armies", "peoples", "labor", "fire", "nations", and "weary". 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 town..." 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.