Who Was Habakkuk in the Bible — Meaning Explained

Habakkuk is unique among the prophets because his book is structured as a dialogue between the prophet and God rather than a series of oracles. Faced with the rampant injustice and violence in Judah, Habakkuk cried out to God in anguish: 'How long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!' God's response was shocking: He would raise up the Chaldeans (Babylonians), a ruthless, idolatrous nation, to execute judgment on Judah. Habakkuk's second complaint was even more intense — how could a holy God use a people more wicked than Judah to punish His own? God's answer forms the theological heart of the book. He assured Habakkuk that the proud Babylonians would themselves be judged, and He pronounced the famous declaration that echoes throughout the Bible: 'Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.' This verse is quoted three times in the New Testament — in Romans 1:17 (justification by faith), Galatians 3:11 (the Christian life by faith), and Hebrews 10:38 (enduring through faith) — making it one of the most consequential sentences in Scripture. The book concludes with a magnificent prayer-poem recounting God's awesome acts in history, leading to Habakkuk's triumphant declaration of faith: 'Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.' Habakkuk teaches that honest wrestling with God is better than pretended peace, and that faith in God's character transcends circumstances.