Habakkuk 2:20

The Lord. The Lord is still in His house and seated upon His throne. He is still guiding the destiny of nations (see on Hab. 2:5; Dan. 4:17). His holy temple. Habakkuk challengingly sets forth the difference between the living, majestic God and the vain, lifeless idols. While the prophet may have had primarily in mind the Temple at Jerusalem as the earthly dwelling place of the true God, in a larger sense he may have thought also of God’s “temple” in heaven (see 1 Kings 8:27-30; Ps. 11:4; Micah 1:2, 3). Because of the exalted majesty of God, “all the earth,” as the subjects of the King of the universe, are summoned to wait, silently and humbly, before Him (Ps. 46:10; see on Ps. 76:8). All the earth. That is, all men, including the prophet Habakkuk (see on chs. 1:13; 2:1, 4). Keep silence. That is, not presume to question the wisdom of God in guiding the destiny of nations, as Habakkuk has done (chs. 1:13; 2:1). The language of this verse is sometimes appropriately applied to reverence in the house of God, though this was not the original intent of the words.