Instead, habakkuk questions gods goodness because he sees so much injustice, evil and tragedy in the world. Almost all information about habakkuk is drawn from the book of the bible. He is who he says he is and does keep his promises. Habakkuk, like jeremiah, probably lived to see the initial fulfillment of his prophecy when jerusalem was attacked by the babylonians in 597. Habakkuk chabhaqquq means embrace, or ardent embrace. The book of habakkuk is a book of the tanakh the old testament and stands eighth in a section known as the 12 minor prophets in the masoretic and greek texts. We know little of habakkuk beyond the two mentions of his name in this book of prophecy. By the end of the prophecy, this name becomes appropriate as the prophet clings to god regardless of his confusion about gods plans for his people. In hebrew the book is titled qyqbj after the name of the prophet. The book of habakkuk offers us a picture of a prideful people being humbled, while the righteous live by faith in god 2. Perhaps the significance is that habakkuk embraced god and his people. The book of habakkuk is the eighth book of the 12 minor prophets of the bible.
The book of habakkuk was produced in a time when the assyrians dominated the world, and they would have recognized this work as an act of high treason the apostle paul would have the same problem during the roman occupation. Book of habakkuk overview insight for living ministries. Theodotion hambakouk, presupposes the hebrew chabbaquq. Contrary to modern convention, folks in antiquity were by no means compelled to stick to their birth name and could change their name to accord to their heroic deeds or slant of thought, and that makes habakkuk.
The book of habakkuk, the eighth of 12 old testament books that bear the. He does so with his prophecy by hugging or embracing his people. Theological message among the prophetic writings, habakkuk is somewhat unique in that it includes no oracle addressed to israel. A copy of these chapters is included in the habakkuk commentary, found among the dead sea scrolls. It probably comes from the verb qbj meaning to fold ones hands or to embrace. It reminds us that while god may seem silent and uninvolved in our world, he always has a plan to deal with evil and always works out justice. Martin luthers explanation of this meaning is worth mentioning. It probably comes from the verb qbj meaning to fold ones. This prophetic book takes its name from its author and possibly means one who embraces 1. In the masoretic listing, it follows nahum and precedes zephaniah, who are considered to be his contemporaries.
The book of habakkuk affirms that god is a sovereign, omnipotent god who has all things under control. The book bearing his name throws little light upon his life, and the rest of the old testament is silent concerning him. Habakkuk, who was active around 612 bc, was a prophet whose oracles and prayer are recorded in the book of habakkuk, the eighth of the collected twelve minor prophets in the hebrew bible. The book of habakkuk is a compilation of the prophets laments, not an accusation against israel and its sin or a message to the people on gods behalf like some of the other prophetic books.