But the Lord is in his holy Temple. Let all the earth be silent before him.”
Parallel translations
- WEB But Yahweh is in his holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before him!”
- KJV But the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him.
- BSB But the LORD is in His holy temple; let all the earth be silent before Him.
- NKJV “Butthe Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him.”
- NASB “But the Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth be silent before Him.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
In contrast to dead idols, the Lord is in His holy temple, and all the earth must be silent before Him. It calls for reverent silence and submission before the living, sovereign God.
Overview
Against the mute, lifeless idols, the true God reigns in His holy temple, demanding the worshipful silence of all creation. This call to hush before God answers the clamor of Habakkuk's complaints with the assurance that God is enthroned and in control. Such reverent stillness is the proper response to His majesty, and it prepares the way for the prayer of awe and trust that fills chapter 3.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Zech 2:13Be silent, all flesh, before Yahweh; for he has roused himself from his holy habitation!”
- Zeph 1:7Be silent at the presence of the Lord Yahweh, for the day of Yahweh is at hand. For Yahweh has prepared a sacrifice. He has consecrated his guests.
- Ps 46:10“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.”
- Ps 11:4Yahweh is in his holy temple. Yahweh is on his throne in heaven. His eyes observe. His eyes examine the children of men.
- Isa 6:1In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple.
- Jonah 2:7“When my soul fainted within me, I remembered Yahweh. My prayer came in to you, into your holy temple.
- Mic 1:2Hear, you peoples, all of you. Listen, O earth, and all that is therein: and let the Lord Yahweh be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple.
- Ps 76:8–9You pronounced judgment from heaven. The earth feared, and was silent,
- Ps 132:13–14For Yahweh has chosen Zion. He has desired it for his habitation.
- Eph 2:21–22in whom the whole building, fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord;
- Ps 115:3But our God is in the heavens. He does whatever he pleases.
- Isa 66:1Yahweh says, “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build to me? Where will I rest?
- Isa 66:6A voice of tumult from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of Yahweh that repays his enemies what they deserve.
- Jonah 2:4I said, ‘I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple.’
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
'The righteous shall live by his faith' (2:4) becomes a cornerstone of the gospel in Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews — the faith that lays hold of Christ.
How Habakkuk 2:20 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.