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HABAKKUK (Person)
Author of the eighth book of the Minor Prophets. The meaning of Habakkuk’s name is uncertain. It was probably derived from a Hebrew word meaning “to embrace.”
Nothing is known about Habakkuk apart from what can be inferred from his book. Several legends purporting to give accounts of his life are generally regarded as untrustworthy. The apocryphal book Bel and the Dragon describes a miraculous transporting of Habakkuk to Daniel while Daniel was in the den of lions. A Jewish legend makes Habakkuk the son of the Shunammite woman mentioned in 2 Kings 4:8-37. That legend apparently is based on the tradition that she would “embrace” a son. Chronological difficulties make both accounts unlikely.
Habakkuk lived in the period during the rise of the Chaldeans (Hb 1:6), that is, during the reigns of the Judean kings Josiah and Jehoiakim. The dates 612–589 BC delineate the probable period of his prophetic activity.
The book of Habakkuk reveals a man of great sensitivity. His deep concern about injustice and his prayer (Hb 3) show that Habakkuk was characterized by profound religious conviction and social awareness.
See also Habakkuk, Book of; Prophet, Prophetess.