Habakkuk, Prophecies of

The prophecies of Habakkuk constitute a brief but theologically rich book of three chapters, probably written around 650–605 B.C. The book opens with a sustained dialogue between the prophet and God: Habakkuk laments the unchecked violence and injustice within Judah; God responds that the Chaldeans will be raised up as an instrument of judgment; Habakkuk then protests that using a more wicked nation to punish Judah seems unjust; and God answers with the vision of the proud versus the righteous, culminating in the seminal declaration that the just shall live by his faith (Hab. 2:4).

Chapter 3 is a psalm of theophanic vision in which the prophet rehearses God's mighty acts in creation and the exodus as the ground of trust despite circumstances. The New Testament writers drew heavily on Habakkuk: Paul cites 2:4 twice as scriptural warrant for justification by faith (Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:12), and Hebrews 10:37–38 applies the text to the persevering faith of the early church awaiting Christ's return.