Habakkuk 2:13Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Yet, this is not the work of the Lord Almighty; indeed, it may well be seen as a perversion far from divine favor, something to be condemned rather than celebrated. Therefore, it shall not go unpunished; whatever the pure and holy mind of God cannot endorse is inevitably subjected to correction as evil. Is it not utterly abhorrent and deeply immoral to consume countless lives through fire, to plunge nations into despair, to reduce magnificent cities and their denizens to ashes, and to render entire nations and their leaders hopeless through suffering? Similarly, the rulers of the Jews, who brutally persecuted all the prophets, cannot be unjustly accused. They believed they could do great good for Jerusalem by building it upon blood and oppressing all. They insulted some, killed others, and stoned yet more, ultimately adding the Son to their crimes, all while using the law as a convenient justification for their madness; they feigned outrage at Christ's disregard for Moses' commandment. However, their zeal was in contradiction to God’s will, ‘not according to reason’ (Rom. 10:2), as the divine Paul states, a truth easily demonstrated by the prophet’s words, ‘This is not of the Lord Almighty.’ Consequently, they fell into abject poverty as their wealth dissolved, facing despair amidst the ravages of war. This fate befell the Jewish people, who had arrogantly scorned the Son and had previously put the prophets to death before Him.

Moreover, the tribes of the Chaldeans will become weary, as the earth is filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, particularly when the fall of Babylon reveals the greatness of God's power to all, akin to the waters that envelop the seas. The glory of God will pervade the entire cosmos, just as the waters cover the immeasurable depths of the ocean. This encapsulates the literal interpretation.

Conversely, it is also apparent that the adversary, the Antichrist, and the distorted teachings of heretical groups are establishing their own city upon blood—meaning their church rises from the ruin of those they deceive, fortifying a stronghold of iniquity, speaking unjustly against God, and raising their pride high. When revealed, it will be evident that they are indeed constructing a city on blood and anchoring it in wrongdoing. Thus, the Scripture asks, 'Is not all this from the Lord Almighty?' signifying that this arrangement does not originate from the Lord of Hosts, also interpreted as the Almighty. Certainly, many nations shall find themselves impoverished, and although countless tribes may be led astray by their falsehoods, they will face either exhaustion—better expressed by the term meaning to become faint-hearted—or will be reduced to a state of extreme scarcity, incomparable to the vast body of the Church. They will languish in the flames, implying that they have either been consumed by the fiery influence of their leader, the devil, or have suffered due to the divine fire, of which the Lord declared, 'Fire have I come to bring down to the earth, and I want it to be kindled' (Luke 2:49). This fire causes a shift from their previous ways, leading to repentance and the abandonment of their initial path, as denoted by the word for small-mindedness.

Then, the whole creation will be filled with the glory of the Lord at the time when, through the preaching of the Apostles, their message should spread across all the earth (Ps. 18:5), just as the waters cover the sea. The waters of the Lord will wash away the salt and bitterness of this age, which the world was overcome by when the devil unleashed torrential rains. Thus, the psalm observes, 'Blessed are they whose iniquities are put away, and whose sins are covered' (Psalms 31:1). Although it may not follow the usual narrative structure nor directly correlate with the current biblical text, the city stained with the blood of prophets can also be linked to Jerusalem, as Scripture recounts (Matthew 23:35) the blood of saints was shed from gate to gate. Furthermore, it reflects the suffering of the Lord, where it is said, 'His blood is upon us and upon our children' (Matthew 27:25), as well as the pronouncement from God in the book of Isaiah stating, 'When you lift up your hands to Me, I will not hear you, for your hands are filled with blood' (Isaiah 1:15). According to the same prophet's words, this city, built upon iniquity, appears to have justice slumbering. Its construction is not of the Lord of Hosts. Thus, many nations became weary in the flames, and many tribes were rendered powerless during the siege of the city by the armies of Titus and Vespasian, where those who gathered for the Passover found themselves confined like prisoners, suffering from hunger and destitution, ultimately culminating in complete ruin brought on by Hadrian's siege. Following the fall of this city of blood and the fortress of wickedness, alongside the devastation of the nations through fire and the dispersion of assisting tribes, the entire universe was filled with the glory of Christ, spreading like waters covering the earth with His teachings and proclamations.