Historical Background and Author Introduction to the Book of Habakkuk

The Hebrew name for the Book of Habakkuk is “Habakkuk” (חבקוק/Khavaquq), and it is the eighth book in the Book of the Twelve Prophets. In the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh, Habakkuk is placed after the Book of Nahum, declaring that God will use the Chaldeans to discipline Judah, and then use other nations to judge the Chaldeans. The people who found comfort through the Book of Nahum were now to prepare to receive the impending discipline through the Book of Habakkuk. Habakkuk delivered his prophecy approximately between 609-605 BC, and the Temple was still standing during his ministry. Contemporary prophets serving alongside Habakkuk included Jeremiah and Zephaniah.

Tradition holds that the author of the Book of Habakkuk is the prophet Habakkuk from the Southern Kingdom. The name “Habakkuk” means “embrace” or “clasp.” Habakkuk’s life is largely unknown, but he may have been a Levite who led the choir. The societal decay he described likely occurred in the early reign of King Jehoiakim, before the Babylonian invasion of Judah. In the book, he dares to question God, insisting that God provide him with answers.

In 612 BC, the Neo-Babylonian Kingdom, established by the Chaldeans, and the Median coalition destroyed Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, causing Assyria to move its capital to Haran. In the spring of 609 BC, Pharaoh Necho II of Egypt led his army northward to aid the last Assyrian king, and Josiah intercepted the Egyptian army on the plain of Megiddo; as a result, he died in battle (2 Kings 23:30). Pharaoh Necho then installed Jehoiakim as a puppet king (2 Kings 23:34). Jehoiakim was a dissolute king; legal authority became ineffective, justice was perverted, bribery and corruption were rampant, and the city was filled with violence. Prophet Habakkuk found such a situation unbearable and came before God, complaining that God was standing by idly. He demanded that God reverse the situation and restore law and order. God told him to be silent and look far and wide; God was about to raise up a great nation from the East to unleash His wrath upon Jerusalem, while also promising to protect the righteous. Habakkuk received comfort.

When Habakkuk delivered his prophecy, the people were heedless, fully believing that they would never be invaded by the distant Chaldeans. In 625 BC, Nebuchadnezzar II led the Babylonian-Median coalition to defeat the combined Assyrian and Egyptian forces, leading to the fall of the Assyrian Empire. In the same year, Nebuchadnezzar ascended to the throne and, pressing his advantage, drove the Egyptian pharaoh back to Egypt, swiftly dissolving Egyptian influence. Judah also transitioned from being a vassal of Egypt to a vassal of the Babylonian Empire. Nebuchadnezzar carried off King Jehoiakim of Judah and some Temple vessels (2 Chronicles 36:6-7), and some “royal and noble youths from Israel,” including Daniel, were taken as hostages to Babylon (Daniel 1:1-2, 6). Later, Jehoiakim was allowed to return to Judah and served Babylon for three years (2 Kings 24:1).

The Book of Habakkuk is unique among the prophetic books; it contains no divine pronouncements of judgment specifically directed at Israel. Its content is entirely a dialogue between the prophet and God. In his dialogue with God, Habakkuk’s questions turn into praise, and his pleas turn into shouts of joy. Habakkuk’s writing is not only beautiful but also consistently shows his concern and care for his people. His questioning of God did not stem from arrogance but from zeal, a desire to uphold God’s holiness and justice. In its brief three chapters, the author fully demonstrates God’s greatness, sovereignty, and righteousness, as well as his own reverence and dependence on Him.