Habakkuk 2:14Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The Chaldeans were once a formidable, renowned, and intimidating force, largely because God was patient, permitting them to conquer Judea and destroy numerous cities. However, once God decided to impose the deserved calamities upon them, they were shattered, brought to ruin, and rendered desolate. As Jeremiah prophesies, “How shall all the earth be broken and destroyed? How shall Babylon be turned into a wilderness among the Gentiles? They shall come upon thee, and thou shalt be taken captive, and shalt not know that thou art Babylon: thou shalt be found, and thou shalt be eaten: for thou hast angered the Lord. The Lord openeth his treasures and taketh away the vessels of his wrath, as it is the work of the Lord Almighty in the land of the Chaldeans: for his times are come” (Jeremiah 50:23-26). It is important to observe that following Jerusalem’s destruction, Christ turned His attention to the Gentiles, prompting the entire universe to come to know God the Father, the very Source that inundates the earth; for Christ overflowed like a river, as He previously promised, saying through the prophet, “Behold, I lay upon me like a river of peace, and like a flooding stream the glory of tongues” (Isaiah 66:12). Yet when Israel fashioned a golden calf in the wilderness, offending God, He promised the coming of abundant grace through the Savior, declaring, “But I live, and my name shall live forever, and the glory of the Lord shall fill the whole earth” (Num. 14:21). All things are present in Christ, who embodies the glory of the Father. Thus, He proclaims, “I will glorify you on earth, I will do the work which you gave me to do” (John 17:4).

When Babylon falls, the might of God’s power will be evident to all, much like the vastness of waters that cover the seas; the glory of God will permeate all creation, similar to how the waters embrace the depths of the ocean.

This represents the literal understanding. Contrarily, it becomes apparent that the devil, Antichrist, and the twisted teachings of heretics are constructing a city upon blood, meaning their church is built on the ruin of those they mislead, establishing a stronghold grounded in sin, raising their voices in unrighteousness against God. When this reality unravels, it will become evident that they are indeed constructing a city rooted in blood and sin. The words that follow are, “Is not all this from the Lord Almighty?” indicating that this condition is not ordained by the Lord of Hosts, a title the LXX translates as “Almighty.” Countless nations will find themselves impoverished; although innumerable tribes may be led astray, they will ultimately be reduced to exhaustion—or better understood as becoming faint-hearted—or rendered incapable of being compared with the multitude that forms the Church. As they languish in fire—which suggests they may be consumed by the flame of their leader, the devil, or burned by the fiery judgment of the Lord, who declared, “I came to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled” (Luke 2:49)—they will turn from their former ways, seeking repentance and denouncing the path they have embarked upon, as indicated by the term small-mindedness.

Then shall the entire cosmos be filled with the glory of the Lord, as in the era of the Apostolic preaching, when their message will extend throughout the earth (Psalm 18:5), covering all bitterness and affliction of this age, with which the earth was ensnared when the devil unleashed his tempest from above. Thus, the Psalm states, “Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered” (Psalm 31:1). Furthermore, although it may seem out of context and disconnected from the current scriptural passage, one could also link the city rife with the blood of the prophets to Jerusalem, which Scripture recounts (Matthew 23:35) as having the blood of saints shed from gate to gate, along with the lamentation of the Lord’s sufferings, “His blood is upon us and upon our children” (Matthew 27:25). Additionally, God speaks to it through the prophet Isaiah, saying, “When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood” (Isaiah 1:15). By the words of this same prophet, that city rests on iniquity, appearing as though justice has fallen into slumber, its edifice not constructed by the Lord of Hosts.

Thus, many nations grew weary in the fire, and numerous tribes were rendered powerless during the siege of the city orchestrated by Titus and Vespasian. Those who had gathered for the Passover found themselves imprisoned within its bounds, starved and impoverished, while the siege led by Hadrian resulted in total devastation. Following the collapse of that city of blood and its fortress of wickedness, the destruction wrought upon the nations by fire, and the dispersal of the tribes who had come to its aid—who laid down their weary hands—the entire universe was filled with the glory of Christ, as His teachings and messages spread across the globe like a deluge.