Interpretive Commentary on the Book of Habakkuk Research Paper

Several commentaries posit that little is known about Habakkuk because his name is not mentioned anywhere else in the Old Testament apart from two headings (Habakkuk 1:1 & 3:1) where is only introduced as Habakkuk the prophet. However, the style and vocabulary used in this book suggest a liturgical nature.¹ They may closely attribute that prophet Habakkuk has a close affiliation with the temple occasionally considered a cult prophet. About 1 Chronicle 25: 1, there is an allusion that the temple workers had prophetic utterances through harps, cymbals, and lyres. Habakkuk also shows expertise in major Israeli traditions, particularly about God’s deliverance of his people in the past.²

However, concerning Habakkuk 1:6, a critical utterance is made regarding the Babylonians as the “ruthless and impetuous people.”³ Based on similar settings, it can be argued that the words of Habakkuk were uttered towards the end of the seventh century BC when the Babylonians reigned. Habakkuk is concerned about the treacherous Babylonians and asks God why he would be silent while his people suffer in the unrighteous hands.⁴ As such, based on the historical reconstruction, it is clear that the setting of the book of Habakkuk was during the period when the Babylonians reigned but before the Judeans were exiled in Babylonia.

The oracle which he saw, Habakkuk, the prophet

Habakkuk 1:1

Unlike other typical introductions in other books, Habakkuk 1:1 gives no information concerning the author’s audience, residence, heritage, or even the date or specific content of the message apart from name and designation. Whereas others uphold his title as a rare formal designation in the Old Testament as a cult prophet, many discern this sentiment regardless of the significant evidence than the dictates of 1:1.⁵ However, the fact that Habakkuk witnessed his message emphasis a lot about the revelation character over the mode the information was communicated.

The book starts on a topic that uses the word ‘maśśā,’ which means burden. Despite its general application in the Old Testament, the term is consistently used in the oracles against the nations described in the book of Isaiah 13-23. Perhaps the reader is persuaded to acknowledge that of importance in Habakkuk regards judgment against a foreign government.⁶ One also recognizes that in the first title, the reader omits any form of dating formula.

Habakkuk 1:2-4

The prayer that comes in this context is more of a prophet Habakkuk’s complaint on behalf of his people.⁷ For instance, the opening question, “how long, Yahweh?” is found in the book of Psalms 13:2 [EVV 13:11; 74:10; 79:5], also mentioning the list of evils including injustice, strife, iniquity, and violence. One may argue that the general context of Habakkuk’s message is 1:24 is much concerned about his grief because it opens with a flow of questions that the prophet presents to God.⁸ Besides, a considered lexical approach of the specific verbs used in such inquiries seems to be more instructive in revealing one’s understanding of grief. For instance, “to-cry-out-for-help” is mentioned only in the Old Testament and is considered a cry to God.

Here, one notices that Habakkuk laments that there is no one to rescue the righteous from the wicked pervert justice. The point of contention remains on the particular unrighteous that Habakkuk pleads with God to punish.⁹ While several candidates are slotted, the narrative in text 1:4a accuses the internal Judean’s social breakdown and corruption. Ordinarily, it would have been inappropriate for a Judean prophet to rebuke the Torah’s ineffectiveness and how justice had no place if the foreigners overran the country. As such, there are higher chances that the diction reflected on the internal corruption that had wrecked the Judean society witnessed through dispossession and oppression of the powerless to redress the wrongs.¹⁰ That is evident in the force of the Hamas (violence) that is mentioned in 1:2.

Habakkuk 1:5-11

Here, God’s reply comes in the form of a prophetic oracle. Habakkuk asks his people to observe the extraordinary events unfolding among the nations around them. He tells them that they will become societies that raise the kaśdîm, an impetuous group that raids nations appropriating ill-gotten wealth.¹¹ Typically, in 1:7-11, Habakkuk expounds on God’s strange work. Accordingly, the classic problem lies in some aspects of identification. For instance, in 1:2-4, Habakkuk laments about wrongdoing, while in 1:5-11, there is an assurance from Yahweh wrongdoings will be punished based on the Chaldean attacks. However, across the biblical history, as revealed in Amos 6:14, Ezekiel 5: 16, Isaiah 10:5-15, and Joel 2:25 that had often used the mighty nations to complete his work judging his people.¹² One argument would be that Habakkuk was questioning the Hebrew prophetical doctrine regarding God using the Chaldeans to complete his people’s punishments.

The word qādîmāh of 1:9, whose literal meaning implies “towards the east or eastwards,” appeared incorrect to illustrate the Babylonian westward advancement against the Syria-Palestine. However, a critical observation of this word acknowledges that it could have been used to imply ‘forward’ or sometimes eastward.¹³ It enables the reader to recognize the one historical datum in the prophecy to appreciate the writing in 1:6 and 9 suggested the forward advancement of the Babylonian army from the east.

Habakkuk 1:12-17

Whereas the first part dealt with the internal corruption that wrecks the Judeans, the second part is concerned about the Chaldean’s wickedness. The stem of the second complaint is established in 1:13 when the prophet says that: “You, whose eyes are too pure to look at evil, and are not able to regard iniquity; Why do you look on those who deal treacherously, and are silent when the wicked devours the one more righteous than himself?”¹⁴ It is possible that the Judeans mentioned in 1:2-4 are wicked and, therefore, should be punished. However, the people who are appointed to execute the plan are equally corrupt (15-17). That is why Habakkuk laments that God, who is intolerant with wickedness, has allowed some evil group to punish them with brutality and zero tolerance (17).¹⁵ It seems that during that period, Judah had brutally suffered at the hands of the ruthless Babylonians, Egyptians, and Assyrians, who treated them as pawns. Thus, it makes sense that Judah would complain and cry in pain that through the many years of suffering, Yahweh had still let the plunders in the Judean nation by the Babylonians continue.

Habakkuk 2:1-5

Here, there is a revelation from God that comes in the form of a prophetic oracle. Habakkuk takes his position on the watchtower on behalf of his community to respond to God’s answers. The mentioning of running could be purposed to be physical or continuing through God’s directed and willed ways.¹⁶ The lines in 2:4 could be translated to mean that those whose souls are not upright in God’s ways shall fail but that the righteous shall live by his faithfulness. Put differently, the reckless does not have an assured future, while the righteous are guaranteed a better lot because of their loyalty to God. As such, 2:4 presents doom and salvation.¹⁷ Those whose souls are not right and have a wanting personality are not pleasing to Yahweh and are destined to faint or fail.

Accordingly, in the second part of the verse, Habakkuk discusses righteousness, the group free from charges and is on satisfactory terms with Yahweh. The group leaves faithfulness, conscientiousness, and steadfastness to God and will be allowed to live for many years. Yet, as Habakkuk warns in 2:3, the sufferings of the wicked will not have immediate solutions.¹⁸ It only paves the path to faithful and steadfast behavior. The punishments discussed in verses 4 and 5, particularly the people whose souls are not righteous, will not abide because, like death, they are never satisfied.¹⁹ There is a connection in verses 4 and 5 that implies that lack of righteousness among the people whose souls are not upright is triggered by avarice and greed.

Habakkuk 2:6-19

Across these verses, the prophet mentions an oppressor’s fate is marred with a series of woes. Like in many cases in the Old Testament, the addressed person is not mentioned. Sections of analysts suggest that the prophetical cry “woe” does not seem to announce the impending punishment; instead, it shows that the projected disaster is already expressed through the “woe-oracle.”²⁰ As per the unnamed oppressor, there are contending debates that they could be unjust Judeans; some argue they could be the Chaldeans, while others also say they are Assyrians. Accordingly, the Chaldeans appear to be the likely group, a people whose fate has been decided in 2:4 “Behold, he whose soul is not upright in him shall fail”²¹ and have become the receivers of such woes.

Habakkuk 2:20 and Chapter 3

This verse summarizes the woes discussed in 2:6-19 and projects what would be in Chapter 3. In case chapter 3 is not new to the book, then possibly 2:20 is an execution of a redactor. In the Old Testament, Yahweh’s holy temple could mean the Jerusalem temple or God’s heavenly dwelling.²² The fact that “te pillah” (prayer) starts with a new heading and has directions, dictions and forms linked with the psalmic literature induces several questions regarding its original association with Chapters one and two. Habakkuk commentary established in the Qumran ancient library has only chapters one and two. As such, such omissions adds weight to the assertion that the psalm found in chapter three was not originally the work of Habakkuk or his prophecy.²³

In 3:3-15, readers witness a theophany account where the Lord resurges as a divine worrier to save his suffering people (8-15). In the first theophany (3-7), the prophets acknowledge Yahweh’s omnipotence that as the nations tremble, so are the hills and mountains shake. The might, as revealed in verse 7, would be experienced by the Midianites and Cushanites.²⁴ After the conclusion of the anticipations in 2:20, resolutions in chapter 3 give an expression of confidence. The amalgamation of various forms such as lamentation prayers, theophany psalm, and the prophetic oracles merge the book inappropriate and purposeful ways.²⁵ It is not a haphazard use of literary devices or forms; instead, each of the devices is applied in a rational way to have a definite and particular effect.

Stylistic Devices

The compositions found in this book were probably never read to any audience, and that its literary form is the only order that it existed (Csaba, 2019). Unlike other prophetic anthologies, including Jeremiah and Isaiah, the book of Habakkuk was drafted on rhetorical and logical progression from the start to the end. For example, Habakkuk applies the linguistic aspects of poetry to its limits.²⁶ It has several exotic expressions that have no alignment to other texts or, in some instances, are rarely used in other readers. Still, even in such situations, there is a high level of diverging nuances. The various semantic ambivalence applied in different passages confers such prophetic composition rich in stylistic harmony, which testifies to its unity.

Metaphor and Imagery

The imagery as used in the book of Habakkuk taps a rich vein of theological metaphors such as idolatry and faithfulness and God and enemies. Habakkuk typifies God as a warrior of his children (Habakkuk 3) in a similar pattern as he is in the book of Exodus 15.²⁷ Furthermore, God’s exemplary image as the judge who listens to the cries of Habakkuk is entrenched in Israeli’s lament tradition where God is portrayed as the supreme judge to hear and save. It is a holy verdict established in Zion where the righteous are saved while the wicked are punished. Similarly, Israel’s rivals are discussed in the Habakkuk’s imagery.²⁸ Habakkuk considers them through metaphorical predation, including “evening wolves” and the ravenous birds in a hurry to eat.

Repetition

Habakkuk is bonded lexically through the repetition of clauses, terms, and roots. Often, repetition tends to enhance the interpretative depth. The excessive use of repetition in this book supersedes the expectations of discrete traditional materials, including prophetic and cultic tradition, wisdom tradition, hymnal tradition, and the Canaanite mythological tradition.²⁹ Some critiques argue that it is the repetition of elements that binds the book of Habakkuk hence giving it a deep and enriched meaning of the text.

Overall, the book of Habakkuk reflects on the cry of the people of Judea who have neglected the ways of the Lord and turned to pleasures of the world, social life destruction, and continued to be corrupt. It turns out that God uses Judeans’ most potent enemies like the Babylonians and Chaldeans to punish his people. It also turns out that God does not abandon his people and rescues them in the final chapter of the book.

Bibliography

Banister, Jamie A. “Mighty to Save: A Literary and Historical Study of Habakkuk 3 and Its Traditions by Christopher R. Lortie.” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 80, no. 2 (2018): 318-320.

Hartog, Pieter B. ““The Final Priests of Jerusalem” and “The Mouth of the Priest”: Eschatology and Literary History in Pesher Habakkuk.” Dead Sea Discoveries 24, no. 1 (2017): 59-80. Web.

Heard, Chris. “Hearing the children’s cries: Commentary, deconstruction, ethics, and the book of Habakkuk.” Semeia 77 (1997): 75.

Legaspi, Michael C. “Opposition to Idolatry in the Book of Habakkuk.” Vetus Testamentum 67, no. 3 (2017): 458-469. Web.

Moller, Julie. “The Vision in Habakkuk: Identifying Its Content in the Light of the Framework Set Forth in Hab. 1.” PhD diss., University of Gloucestershire, 2004.

Morgan, Kenneth J. “Introduction to Habakkuk.” (2016).

Park, Kyung-Sik. “The Hebrew Proto-Masoretic Text of Habakkuk 3: 1-4 and Its Interpretive Presentations in Other Biblical Texts.” 39 (2016): 328-345.

Roberts, J. J. M., Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (1991). A Commentary. Presbyterian Publishing Corporation, 1991.

Robertson, O. Palmer. The Books of Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1990. ProQuest Ebook Central, Web.

Snyman, S.D., and Tremper, III Longman. Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah. An Introduction and Commentary, InterVarsity Press, 2020. ProQuest Ebook Central, Web.

Thomas, Heath A.. Habakkuk, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central, Web.

Thompson, Michael EW. “Prayer, oracle and theophany: The book of Habakkuk.” Tyndale Bulletin 44, no. 1 (1993): 33-53.

Footnotes

• 1 Robertson, O. Palmer. The Books of Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1990.
• 2 Snyman, S.D., and Tremper, III Longman. Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah: An Introduction and Commentary, Intervarsity Press, 2020.
• 3 Park, Kyung-Sik. “The Hebrew Proto-Masoretic Text of Habakkuk 3: 1-4 and Its Interpretive Presentations in Other Biblical Texts.” 39 (2016).
• 4 Robertson, O. Palmer. The Books of Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1990.
• 5 Robertson, O. Palmer. The Books of Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1990.
• 6 Moller, Julie. “The vision in Habakkuk: identifying its content in the light of the framework set forth in Hab. 1.” PhD diss., University of Gloucestershire, 2004.
• 7Legaspi, Michael C. “Opposition to Idolatry in the Book of Habakkuk.” Vetus Testamentum 67, no. 3 (2017)
• 8Park, Kyung-Sik. “The Hebrew Proto-Masoretic Text of Habakkuk 3: 1-4 and Its Interpretive Presentations in Other Biblical Texts.” 39 (2016).
• 9 Moller, Julie. “The vision in Habakkuk: identifying its content in the light of the framework set forth in Hab. 1.” PhD diss., University of Gloucestershire, 2004.
• 10 Banister, Jamie A. “Mighty to Save: A Literary and Historical Study of Habakkuk 3 and Its Traditions by Christopher R. Lortie.” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly 80, no. 2 (2018): 318-320.
• 11 Robertson, O. Palmer. The Books of Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1990.
• 12 Morgan, Kenneth J. “Introduction to Habakkuk.” (2016).
• 13 Heard, Chris. “Hearing the children’s cries: Commentary, deconstruction, ethics, and the book of Habakkuk.” Semeia 77 (1997): 75.
• 14 Thompson, Michael EW. “Prayer, oracle and theophany: The book of Habakkuk.” Tyndale Bulletin 44, no. 1 (1993): 33-53.
• 15 Morgan, Kenneth J. “Introduction to Habakkuk.” (2016).
• 16 Thomas, Heath A., Habakkuk, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central
• 17 Robertson, O. Palmer. The Books of Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1990.
• 18 Thompson, Michael EW. “Prayer, oracle and theophany: The book of Habakkuk.” Tyndale Bulletin 44, no. 1 (1993): 33-53.
• 19 Legaspi, Michael C. “Opposition to Idolatry in the Book of Habakkuk.” Vetus Testamentum 67, no. 3 (2017)
• 20 Heard, Chris. “Hearing the children’s cries: Commentary, deconstruction, ethics, and the book of Habakkuk.” Semeia 77 (1997): 75.
• 21 Legaspi, Michael C. “Opposition to Idolatry in the Book of Habakkuk.” Vetus Testamentum 67, no. 3 (2017)
• 22 Roberts, J. J. M., Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah (1991) : A Commentary, Presbyterian Publishing Corporation, 1991.
• 23 Ibid
• 24 Hartog, Pieter B. ““The Final Priests of Jerusalem” and “The Mouth of the Priest”: Eschatology and Literary History in Pesher Habakkuk.” Dead Sea Discoveries 24, no. 1 (2017): 59-80.
• 25 Robertson, O. Palmer. The Books of Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1990.
• 26 Thompson, Michael EW. “Prayer, oracle and theophany: The book of Habakkuk.” Tyndale Bulletin 44, no. 1 (1993): 33-53.
• 27 Robertson, O. Palmer. The Books of Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1990.
• 28 Hartog, Pieter B. ““The Final Priests of Jerusalem” and “The Mouth of the Priest”: Eschatology and Literary History in Pesher Habakkuk.” Dead Sea Discoveries 24, no. 1 (2017): 59-80.
• 29 Ibid