📖 Biblical Definition
Late 7th century BC prophet whose three-chapter book is structured as a dialogue with God: complaint about Judah's wickedness, surprising answer (the Chaldeans will judge), second complaint (how can a holy God use such an evil instrument?), second answer ("the just shall live by his faith," Hab 2:4), and a closing prayer-psalm of trust ("yet I will rejoice in the LORD," Hab 3:17-19). The just-shall-live-by-faith verse becomes Paul's gospel banner.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
Late 7th-c BC prophet of dialogue and faith; "the just shall live by faith."
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Late 7th century BC prophet (around 605 BC). His three-chapter book is uniquely structured as a wrestling dialogue with God: Habakkuk complains about Judah's wickedness; YHWH answers that the Chaldeans (Babylonians) will be the instrument of judgment; Habakkuk complains again (how can a holy God use such an evil instrument?); YHWH answers with the famous "the just shall live by his faith" (2:4) and pronounces five woes on Babylon (2:6-20). The book closes with a prayer-psalm of trust under coming devastation (3:17-19) — "yet I will rejoice in the LORD."
📖 Key Scripture
Habakkuk 1:2-3 — "O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save! Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance?"
Habakkuk 2:4 — "The just shall live by his faith."
Habakkuk 3:17-18 — "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines... Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Sometimes mined only for the famous lines; the wrestling-dialogue structure that produces them is the actual gospel-shape.
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"The just shall live by faith" gets quoted apart from its setting. Habakkuk earned the line by wrestling honestly with God's apparent inaction and apparent use of evil instruments. The book teaches that honest wrestling is faith-territory; faith does not require you to pretend you have no questions.
Recover the dialogue: Habakkuk asks twice; YHWH answers twice; Habakkuk closes with worship-under-devastation. The shape is gospel-shape.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Hebrew Chavaqquq.
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['Hebrew', 'H2265', 'Chavaqquq', 'Habakkuk']
Usage
"The just shall live by his faith."
"Yet I will rejoice in the LORD."
"Honest wrestling is faith-territory."