Habakkuk 2:13
“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?”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →It is by the LORD's decree that nations exhaust themselves building what is destined for the fire — all their toil comes to nothing.
What Does Habakkuk 2:13 Mean?
A profound observation closes in on Babylon's labors. By the decree of the LORD of hosts, the peoples toil only to feed the flames; they weary themselves for utter emptiness. Everything built by injustice is fuel awaiting the fire, and all that effort amounts to vanity.
The title "LORD of hosts" reminds us who truly commands the outcome of history's great projects. What Babylon thinks is lasting achievement, God has appointed for the fire. Here is sobering perspective: labor that ignores God and tramples others is not merely wrong but futile, spending strength on what cannot last. The verse invites us to weigh where we pour our energy. Only what is built in line with God's purposes will survive the fire; the rest, however grand, is weariness for nothing.