A Report on Habakkuk Part I: Background Habakkuk is unique among the books of prophecy in the Cannon. It is a small book...just three chapters...but contains Hebrew poetry that is considered of a very high caliber. Even though its been said that it must be read in the original Hebrew to understand it, it is nonetheless a beautiful piece of poetry. The descriptions are powerful and graphic. It is a small book, but it is dynamic and full of force. The book has two main purposes; to warn Judah (or possibly another people) of it's conquest by the Chaldean's (Babylonians) and to give Judah's (or another people) hope of Chaldea's ultimate destruction. Habakkuk's prophecy seems to be that just as God allowed the Assyrians to conquer Israel, so he going to allow the Chaldeans to conquer Judah. The book of Habakkuk records a prophecy that Habakkuk received from God. The prophecy does not seem to have been in the form of words, but rather, it seems to have been something that Habakkuk saw in a vision.
Habakkuk 3:2
Habakkuk_grave_1
Habakkuk_grave_2There is very little known about the prophet Habakkuk. The book that bears his name gives very little information about him. The name "Habakkuk" means literally "A wrestler" or "Embracer". Some of the ancient rabbis, connecting the name with 2 Kings 4:16, "Thou shalt embrace a son," imagined that the prophet was the son of the Shunammite woman. Isaiah may have prophesied of Habakkuk's coming. Isaiah 21:6 "For thus hath the Lord said unto me, Go set a watchman, let him declare what he seeth", seems to connect with Habakkuk 2:1,"I will stand upon my watch and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved." making Habakkuk...