Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Habakkuk
Habakkuk is honest faith wrestling with hard questions. The prophet brings his deepest doubts about God's justice straight to God, and is led from confusion and complaint to one of Scripture's great declarations of trust: the just shall live by faith, and rejoicing in God even when everything fails. This commentary walks through it verse by verse.
About This Commentary
The Book of Habakkuk is a dialogue between the prophet and God, set in Judah near the end of the seventh century BC as Babylon was rising to power. Troubled by the violence and injustice around him, and then by God's answer that He would use the ruthless Chaldeans as His instrument, Habakkuk brings his hardest questions to God. God's reply leads the prophet from perplexity to trust, and the book ends with a magnificent hymn of faith and joy in God, even when the fields are barren.
This commentary covers Habakkuk verse by verse, with the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, verified background, and an Apostolic reading. Its central answer, 'the just shall live by his faith' (2:4), is quoted three times in the New Testament and became a cornerstone of the gospel of justification by faith. References are given at the foot of each chapter.
All 3 chapters of Habakkuk are complete, from the prophet's honest questions, through God's answer that the just shall live by faith and the woes on the proud, to the triumphant closing song of joy in the God of salvation.
Author
Habakkuk the prophet, in Judah as Babylon was rising.
Setting
Judah, late seventh century BC, before the Babylonian conquest.
Key Themes
Honest questions, God's justice, and living by faith.
Famous Verse
'The just shall live by his faith' (2:4).
Translation
King James Version (KJV) throughout.
The Chapters
Habakkuk Commentary
The chapters below are available now. The rest are being written and will open here as they are finished and verified.
Habakkuk 1:1-17
O LORD, How Long?
The prophet brings his honest complaint over injustice to God, who answers that He is raising up the Chaldeans, leaving Habakkuk to wrestle with how a holy God can use the wicked.
Read Chapter 1 →Habakkuk 2:1-20
The Just Shall Live by His Faith
God's answer from the watchtower: 'Write the vision, and make it plain'; the gospel cornerstone, 'the just shall live by his faith'; five woes on the proud plunderer; the promise that 'the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea'; and the hush, 'the LORD is in his holy temple.'
Read Chapter 2 →Habakkuk 3:1-19
Yet I Will Rejoice in the LORD
The prophet's prayer, 'O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years; in wrath remember mercy,' the majestic vision of God marching for the salvation of His people, and the triumphant close, 'Although the fig tree shall not blossom... yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.'
Read Chapter 3 →