Habakkuk 2:20
What is written? (ESV)
But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.
What does it say?
God is in His holy temple; all the earth should keep silence before Him.
What is its immediate context?
The book records a conversation between Habakkuk and God. The prophet first questions why God is tolerating the sin of Judah (1:2-4). After God responds (1:5-11) that He’s raising up the Chaldeans (e.g. Babylonians), Habakkuk questions how/why a more sinful nation would judge a less sinful nation (1:12-2:1). The Babylonians began their dominance around 605BC and began carrying Judah away in captivity around 586BC. God exacted judgment on Babylon around 539BC.
How Habakkuk 2:20 is applied across Bible answers
Is God active among nations today?
The idea that "all the earth" must "keep silence" before God means that He is in control and "all the earth" is subject to Him.
In the context of Habakkuk, "all the earth" here would mean nations or kingdoms in particular.
