Habakkuk was a minor (not in importance but in length) prophet who was active in Judah from

612 to 588 B.C. The original message was written to Judah (the Southern Kingdom) on the eve

of the Babylonian invasion(s) and subsequent captivity.

Purpose

T o show that God is still in control of the world, despite the apparent triumph of evil. God makes

it clear, however, that eventually the corrupt destroyer will itself be destroyed. In the end,

Habakkuk learns to rest in God’s appointments and awaits his working in a spirit of worship.

(NIV Study Bible, NKJV Life Application Bible)

Setting

The prediction of the coming Babylonian invasion indicates that Habakkuk lived in Judah toward

the end of Josiah’s reign (2 Kings 22) (640 to 609 B.C.) or at the beginning of Jehoiakim’s (2

Chronicles 36) (609 to 598 B.C.). The prophecy is generally dated a little before or after the

battle of Carchemish (605 B.C.), when Egyptian forces were routed by the Babylonians and

pursued to the Egyptian border. However, the Babylonians did not invade Judah until 597/598

B.C.

Habakkuk, like Jeremiah, probably lived to see the initial fulfillment of his prophecy when

Jerusalem was attacked in 597/598 B.C. The book of Habakkuk was therefore most likely

written between 612 and 588 BC. (NKJV Life Application Bible).