10.0 Introduction

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10.0 Introduction Studies in Habakkuk

• Studies in the Scroll of the Twelve

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1. General Introduction

• "Our prophet's book is quite unique among all the
  prophetic literature both in form and in content.
  It is noticeable that we do not find in it
  prophecies couched in the "messenger's speech"
  formulas . . . . Instead they appear in the shape
  of a personal psalm of complaint, a prophetic
  oracle, or a hymn showing an amalgam of visual
  and audible elements in a dialogue that the
  prophet carries on with God." Szeles, Wrath and
  Mercy a commentary on Habakkuk and Zephaniah
  ITC, 7
• "Habakkuk is not a typical prophetic book. Like
  other prophetic books, it consists of oracles
  that were given on different occasions during the
  ministry of the prophet, but unlike the typical
  prophetic book,

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1. General Introduction

• these oracles have been arranged in the book of
  Habakkuk to develop a coherent, sequentially
  developed argument that extends through the whole
  book and to which each individual oracle
  contributes its part." Roberts, Nahum, Habakkuk,
  and Zephaniah OTL, 81

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2. The Text

• "The text of Habakkuk presents scholars with a
  number of problematic readings, not only because
  of the difficulties presented in the MT, but also
  because of the many variant readings found in
  ancient manuscripts and versions. Consequently,
  many scholars consider the MT of Habakkuk to be
  quite corrupt (e.g., Delcor 1961 399). Earlier
  scholars generally assumed that these manuscripts
  and versions represented variant Hebrew originals
  and corrected the MT accordingly (Lachmann 1932
  Good 1958). Recent advances in text-critical
  methodology which emphasize the interpretative
  character and intent of many text witnesses call
  this judgment into question (Sanders 1979). At
  present the issue is divided some studies show
  great confidence in the MT (e.g., Haak 1986),
  whereas others rely heavily on textual on textual
  emendation (e.g., Hiebert, 1986)." Sweeney,
  "Habakkuk, Book of," ABD, III, 2

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3. Relationship of Habakkuk with Nahum

• "Habakkuk and Nahum were contemporaries, Habakkuk
  slightly later than Nahum. There are similarities
  between their books and messages as well as
  contrasts. Each of their books consist of three
  chapters. Nahum begins with a psalm Habakkuk
  ends with one. Each spoke to a crisis situation
  and was convinced that Yahweh was Lord of the
  universe and history. Nahum wrote to assure his
  people that Nineveh was going to fall. Her enemy
  and oppressor would be overthrown. Nahum's
  message was basically an oracle against a foreign
  nations. Although Habakkuk addressed five woes to
  Babylon, his primary message was one of
  commitment to Yahweh even when a cruel, godless
  tyrant was poised on the boarder ready to overrun
  one's land." Smith, ibid., 97

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3. Relationship of Habakkuk with Nahum

• "There is a very pointed relationship between
  Nahum and the Habakkuk collection which follows
  it. All the confident assertions in Nahum
  concerning the destruction of the wicked and the
  triumph of good over evil are called into
  question by Habakkuk "O Lord, how long shall I
  cry for help, and thou wilt not hear?... Why dost
  thou look on faithless men and art silent when
  the wicked swallows up the man more righteous
  than he?" (Hab 1.2-4 and 12-13). It is the
  thematic relationships as much as any historical
  considerations that have determined the
  positioning of Habakkuk in between Nahum and
  Zephaniah." Collins, T., The Mantle of Elijah
  The Redaction Criticism of the Prophetic Books,
  74

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4. Date

• "A wide range of dates have been proposed, from
  Sennacherib's invasion of Judah in the late 8th
  century (Betteridge, 1903) to Alexander the
  Great's conquest of the Near East in the 4th
  century (Duhm, 1906 Torrey, 1935). On the basis
  of Hab 1.6, which mentions the establishment of
  the Chaldeans, most contemporary scholars
  maintain that Habakkuk lived during the rise of
  the Neo-Babylonian Empire in the latter part of
  the 7th century, from the latter years of Josiah
  (640-609) to the reign of Jehoiakim (609-598) or
  perhaps Jehoiachin (598)." Sweeney, "Habakkuk,
  the Book," ABD, III, 2

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4. Date

• ". . . some of the oracles date from before 605
  BCE and others after 597 BCE In other words the
  prophet or a very creative editor has taken
  oracles originally given by Habakkuk over a
  period of years and has put them together in a
  connected meditation over the problem of divine
  justice. The book is composed sometime after 597
  BCE, and it addresses the problem from that
  historical perspective, but it incorporates
  oracles from an earlier period to illustrate
  solutions to the problem that cannot be the final
  answer." Roberts, ibid., 83

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5. Historical Setting

• "It was at a critical period in Israel's history
  that Habakkuk's prophecy sounded forth. It was
  the year 612 BCE, when the sun of Assyria's glory
  finally set for after just a short time there
  began the Neo-Babylonian empire's successful but
  short-lived orbit. This was in the last decade of
  the 7th century BCE and in the first years of the
  6th century. It brought destruction and complete
  annihilation upon Israel. The year 609 forms one
  boundary that we can be sure of in relationship
  to the period of the prophet's service. That was
  the year when King Josiah lost the battle at
  Megiddo and so was the year of his death. The
  other is the year 597, when the first deportation
  of Jerusalem's citizens to Babylon took place.
  This

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5. Historical Setting

• threw a shadow over the period that ended in 587
  with the final fall of the city. Josiah's reform
  of the cult in 622 had fallen into oblivion. The
  pure worship of Yahweh had been outwardly
  combined once again with pagan elements. Public
  morality had also crumbled the prophet sees this
  happening (Hab 1.2-4), and his contemporary,
  Jeremiah, declares this to be so too (Jer
  5.26-29 7.1-15). After Josiah's death, Pharaoh
  Neco II of Egypt initiated repressive activity,
  as is evident when, at Riblah, he "put in bonds"
  King Jehoahaz, the lawful successor to the throne
  (2 Kgs 23.31-33), and placed Eliakim on the
  throne instead. The latter turned out for a while
  to be a subservient vassal. The tribute he laid
  upon the nation proved to be a heavy burden on
  the economic life of the country,

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5. Historical Setting

• reduced as it now was in sized. In any case
  Eliakim was a useless ruler. He was extravagant
  with money, politically irresponsible, and
  repressive (Jer 22.13-19 26.20-23 36), so as
  merely to deepen the moral and religious crisis.
  Nebuchadnezzar's victory at Carchemish in 605,
  put the seal finally upon Assyria's fate while
  destroying the power of Egypt's armies, whom the
  fleeing Assyrians had sought to aid at Haran.
  This disruption of the balance of power between
  the world powers affected Judah too (Jer 36.9)
  and because of the Babylonian victory Jehoiakim
  had to become a vassal of the Babylonians. In the
  following years Babylon and Egypt spent their
  time quarreling. Once when Nebuchadnezzar won an
  indecisive battle with Neco II Eliakim saw that
  the

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5. Historical Setting

• moment had arrived to throw off the feudal yoke
  and to give up paying tribute. But meanwhile the
  Babylonians gained new strength and retaliated.
  In 597 their army stormed and took Jerusalem.
  They deported Jehoiakin, along with his court,
  the government officials, and the treasures of
  the capital, to Babylon (2 Kgs 24.8-16)."
  Szeles, Wrath and Mercy a commentary on
  Habakkuk and Zephaniah ITC, 3-4

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6. Habakkuk, the Prophet

• 1. Name
• 1.1 "Habakkuk appears to derive from Akkadian
  habbaququ, the name of a garden plant. The Greek
  form Ambakoum is the result of simple
  dissimulation it does not suggest a different
  derivation of the name. Thus the name Habakkuk
  belongs to a common Israelite name type in which
  plant names are used. Other examples of this name
  type include Tamar, Elon, Keziah, and Hadassah.
  The presence of such an Akkadian loanword in
  seventh-century Judah is not surprising, given
  Assyria's domination of Palestine since the late
  eighth century." Roberts, ibid., 86

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6. Habakkuk, the Prophet

• 2. A Cult Prophet?
• 2.1 "The question of the prophet's vocation is...
  dependent on the assessment of the book's
  literary genre. Many scholars follow Mowinckel
  (1921-24 3.27-29), who argued that Habakkuk was
  a temple cult prophet on the basis of liturgical
  forms found in the book (cf. Sellin KAT 1930
  Eaton TBC 1961 Watts CBC 1975 Széles ITC
  1987). This view is supported by Jeremias
  (1970 103-7), who notes the parallels between
  Habakkuk's watch station (2.1) and those of the
  postexilic Levites and priests in the Temple (Neh
  13.20 2 Chr 7.6 8.14 35.2 cf. Isa 21.8) as
  well as the temple context of the terms nab),
  "prophet," massa),

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6. Habakkuk, the Prophet

• "pronouncement" (RSV "oracle"), and haza, "to
  see" (i.e., have a vision). A dissenting view
  sees Habakkuk as a visionary prophet without
  cultic connections (Rudolph KAT 1975 Jöcken
  1977). Others stress his wisdom background (Gowan
  1968, 1976 Uffenheimer 1987) or his concern as
  an individual with the troubling events of his
  day (Keller CAT 1971 1973). Finally a number
  of scholars note his connections with the Isaiah
  tradition (Brownlee 1971 Janzen 1982 Peckham
  1986)." Sweeney, ibid., 2

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6. Habakkuk, the Prophet

• 3. Hypothesis Based on the Text
• 3.1 "Habakkuk's individuality as a prophet
  reveals two features - he is a praying person and
  he is a seeing person." Szeles, ibid., 6
• 3.2 "Habakkuk the prophet is an educated man. His
  prayers (chap. 3) especially show how well
  acquainted he is with the historical traditions
  of his people (Ex 15.1-21 Deut 33.2 Josh 3.16
  10.12-13 Judg 5), but he also knows the creation
  myths of the Babylonians and the Canaanites, as
  well as their gods - Baal, Yam, Anat, Marduk,
  Tiamat, all of whom are implied in chap. 3."
  Szeles, ibid., 6
• 3.3 "Especially prominent is the prophet's
  understanding of moral issues as well as his deep
  humanity." Szeles, ibid., 6

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7. The Message of Habakkuk

• 1. Theodicy
• 1.1 "An even more serious problem for Habakkuk
  was the seeming inactivity of God in the face of
  unrelenting evil. The problem of theodicy was
  great for the conscientious, thoughtful
  worshipers of Yahweh. Why would a righteous,
  sovereign God continually allow sin to go
  unpunished? The answer came from God and is
  capsulated in 24-5. The sinner is arrogant he
  thinks too highly of himself. He will not
  survive. But the righteous shall live abundantly
  in his faithfulness. The ultimate fate of the
  righteous and the wicked may be slow in
  appearing, but the outcome is certain because of
  the nature of God. The righteous is to keep on

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7. The Message of Habakkuk

• trusting God and keeping his commandments even
  if there is no visible sign of God's presence or
  favor." Smith, ibid., 95-96
• 1.2 "The prophet is deeply concerned about the
  injustice he sees in Judean life, and he is
  dissatisfied with prophetic theologies of history
  that resolve that injustice through the use of
  foreign agents as God's chastening rod. To
  Habakkuk, such a solution simply appears to
  compound the problem. Such a response could at
  best be only a partial answer. There must be
  something beyond punishment for the people of
  God. Habakkuk finds his answer in the powerful
  testimony of the ancient communal hymns of his

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7. The Message of Habakkuk

• people. One such hymn provides the catalyst for
  the prophet's own powerful vision of the coming
  intervention of Yahweh on behalf of his people.
  Habakkuk's vision of God as the mighty conqueror
  of chaos endows him with hope for the future and
  instills within him the triumphant courage to
  endure a dismal present in the joyous confidence
  that this vision of God will prove reliable."
  Roberts, ibid., 85

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7. The Message of Habakkuk

• 2. Dialogical Relationship with God
• 2.1 "Essentially each prophecy is a dialogue in
  which the prophet as spokesman mediates between
  the covenanting God and his people. God's
  presence becomes evident to the people of the
  prophet's period through this prophetic service
  as he preaches both God's judgment and his mercy.
  In this way Yahweh's royal prerogative intervenes
  and his will is effected. This remarkable and
  peculiar character is apparent in Habakkuk's
  prophecies, but it is also the penetrating stamp
  of the whole OT proclamation. C. Westermann would
  suggest that this dialogue

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7. The Message of Habakkuk

• between God and his people is actually the
  structural feature peculiar to the whole OT."
  Szeles, ibid., 10

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8. Structure

• "Most scholars maintain that the book of Habakkuk
  contains three major literary units a dialogue
  between the prophet and God in 1.1-2.4/5 a
  section containing a series of woe oracles in
  2.5/6-20 and a psalm in chap. 3." Sweeney,
  ibid., 3
• "The division of the book is clear a lament by
  the prophet is twice (1.2-4, 12-17) followed by a
  divine answer (1.5-11 2.1-5) the second answer
  is followed by a series of woes (2.6-20)
  concluded by a psalm (chap. 3), which is provided
  with an introduction of its own (v.1) and a
  closing note about the musical way in which it is
  to be performed (v. 19b)." Rendtorff, The Old
  Testament An Introduction, 232

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9. Outline

• I. The problem of divine justice
• A. Superscription (1.1)
• B. Habakkuk's initial lament (1.2-4)
• C. God's response (1.5-11)
• D. Habakkuk's second lament (1.12-2.1)
• 1. God's answer unsatisfactory (1.12-17)
• 2. Habakkuk awaits new answer (2.1)

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9. Outline

• II. God's announcement of a resolving vision
• A. Instructions about the vision (2.2-4)
• 1. Record it (2.2)
• 2. Wait for it (2.3)
• 3. Trusting in it means life (2.4)
• B. Wealth is far more deceitful than the vision
  (2.5-20)
• 1. The greedy oppressor will not succeed (2.5)
• 2. The nations will make fun of him (2.6-19)
• 3. Yahweh is still in control (2.20)

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9. Outline

• III. The resolution
• A. Liturgical superscription (3.1)
• B. Habakkuk's third prayer (3.2)
• C. The vision of God's coming (3.3-15)
• D. Habakkuk accepts the vision (3.16-19)
• 1. Will wait for Yahweh's intervention (3.16)
• 2. Vow of trust (3.17-18)
• 3. Statement of confidence (3.19a)
• E. Final liturgical subscription (3.19b)