Habakkuk 2:13

Habakkuk 2:13 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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?
• New International Version (NIV)Has not the Lord Almighty determined that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire, that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing?
• English Standard Version (ESV)Behold, is it not from the Lord of hosts that peoples labor merely for fire, and nations weary themselves for nothing?
• New King James Version (NKJV)Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts That the peoples labor to feed the fire, And nations weary themselves in vain?

Context of Habakkuk 2:13

11The stones in the walls of your houses will cry out against you. The beams in your roof will also shout aloud. 12It will be very bad for anyone who kills people so that he can build a city for himself. It will be bad for anyone who does wicked things to make his town great. Listen! The Lord Almighty has commanded this: All the work that people do to get things for themselves is useless. The things that the nations work so hard to get will become smoke! 14But people everywhere will one day recognize the Lord's great glory. Those people will fill the whole earth, as the waters fill the sea. 15It will be very bad for you! You cause your neighbours to become drunk. You are so angry that you make them drink too much wine. You are happy when they are so drunk that you can see their bare bodies.

Habakkuk 2:13 word by word

הֲל֣וֹא הִנֵּ֔ה מֵאֵ֖ת יְהוָ֣ה צְבָא֑וֹת וְיִֽיגְע֤וּ עַמִּים֙ בְּדֵי־אֵ֔שׁ וּלְאֻמִּ֖ים בְּדֵי־רִ֥יק יִעָֽפוּ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• not of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• of hostsצָבָאtsâbâ' tsebâ'âh · HostsH6635
• that the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• shall labourיָגֵעַyâga‛ · be weary/toilH3021
• in the veryדַּיday · sufficiencyH1767
• fireאֵשׁ'êsh · fireH784
• and the peopleלְאֹםle'ôm le'ôm · peopleH3816
• shall wearyיָעֵףyâ‛aph · to faintH3286
• vanityרִיקrîyq · vainH7385

Cross-references for Habakkuk 2:13

• Genesis 11:6The Lord said, ‘Because they all speak the same language, they are able to do this. If they can do this together, they may decide to do whatever they want.
• 2 Samuel 15:31Someone told David that his advisor, Ahithophel, had now joined with Absalom and his men. So David prayed, ‘Lord, please cause Ahithophel to give them foolish advice.’
• Job 5:13When wise people try to do clever things, he causes those things to give them trouble. He quickly stops their clever ideas.
• Psalms 39:6As we live, we are just like shadows. We work to get things for ourselves. We may get a lot of money, but we do not know who will have it after we die.’
• Psalms 127:1The Lord must build your house. If not, the work of the builders is useless. The Lord must keep the city safe. If not, the city guards are useless.
• Proverbs 21:30There is no wisdom, no knowledge and no advice that can win against the Lord.
• Isaiah 41:5The people on the islands see what I am doing, and they are afraid. People all over the world shake with fear. They join together and they come near.
• Isaiah 50:11But no! You have lit your own fires. You have burned branches to give yourselves light. So now you must walk in the light of the fires that you have lit. And this is what I will do for you: I will punish you with great pain!
• Isaiah 55:2Do not spend money on anything that is not real food. You work hard for your money, so do not spend it on things which do not help you. Listen carefully to me. Eat something that will make you strong! Enjoy the best food!
• Jeremiah 51:58The Lord Almighty says this: ‘The enemy will completely knock down the strong walls of Babylon. They will burn its high gates with fire. The nations work very hard, but their work is useless. They make themselves tired, but fire destroys all their work.’
• Malachi 1:4Esau's descendants in Edom may say, ‘They have destroyed our towns, but we will build our houses again.’ But the Lord Almighty says, ‘They may build again, but I will knock everything down. People will call Edom, “The Evil Land”. They will call them, “The Nation that the Lord is angry with for ever”.

Commentaries on Habakkuk 2:13

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 13The people shall labor in the very fire - All these superb buildings shall be burnt down. See the parallel passage, Jeremiah 51:58; (note), and the note there. Shall weary themselves for very vanity? - For the gratification of the wishes of ambition, and in buildings which shall be brought to naught.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 13Behold, is it not of the Lord of hosts that (the) people (nations) shall labor - o In (for) the very fire - literally, to suffice the fire? By God‘s appointment, the end of all their labor is for the fire, what may suffice it to consume. This is the whole result of their labor; and so it is as if they had toiled for this; they built ceiled palaces and gorgeous buildings, only for the fire to consume them. And the peoples shall weary themselves for very…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-14Verses 5-14 The prophet reads the doom of all proud and oppressive powers that bear hard upon God's people. The lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life, are the entangling snares of men; and we find him that led Israel captive, himself led captive by each of these. No more of what we have is to be reckoned ours, than what we come honestly by. Riches are but clay, thick clay; what are gold and silver but white and yellow earth? Those…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12-14In the third taunt song, the Babylonians face condemnation for their murder and corruption, which they used to gain wealth and build their cities. God will turn their apparent gain into a total loss. Earth will be filled: Unlike violence and stolen wealth, the awareness of the Lord's glory will spread as widely as water in the ocean (Isaiah 11:9).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1313. is it not of the Lord of hosts--Jehovah, who has at His command all the hosts of heaven and earth, is the righteous author of Babylon's destruction. "Shall not God have His turn, when cruel rapacious men have triumphed so long, though He seem now to be still?" [Calvin]. people ... labour in the ... fire ... weary themselves for ... vanity--The Chaldeans labor at what is to be food for the fire, namely, their city and fortresses which shall be burnt…Read the comment

Topics related to Habakkuk 2:13

• Rulers

In the dictionaries

• Lord of Hosts
• Blood
• Consult
• Put
• Teach
• Weary
• Wood
• Faint
• Habakkuk

Commentaries on Habakkuk 2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings