Habakkuk
Introduction
This prophecy dates from the years 605-597 B.C., or between the great
Babylonian victory at Carchemish and Nebuchadnezzar's invasion of Judah which
culminated in the capture of Jerusalem. The situation of Judah was desperate at
this time, with political intrigue and idolatry widespread in the small
kingdom. The first two chapters consist of a dialogue between the prophet and
the Lord. For what may be the first time in Israelite literature, a man
questions the ways of God, as Habakkuk calls him to account for his government
of the world. To this question God replies that he has prepared a chastising
rod, Babylon, which will be the avenging instrument in his hand. There is added
the divine assurance that the just Israelite will not perish in the calamities
about to be visited on the nation.
The third chapter is a magnificent religious lyric, filled with reminiscences of Israel's past and rich in literary borrowings from the poetry of ancient Canaan, though still expressing authentic Israelite faith. God appears in all his majestic splendor and executes vengeance on Judah's enemies. The prophecy ends with a joyous profession of confidence in the Lord, the Savior.
Table of Contents 
Nahum: Chapter 3 Next Chapter
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