Question
What is known about the prophet Habakkuk?
Answer
The Jewish sources on Chavakuk ("Habakkuk") are sparse. The Seder Olam (Ch. 20) says that he prophesied in the days of King Menasheh; see also Yalkut Shimoni on 2 Kings 21. The Zohar (1:7b) says that he was the son of the Shunamite woman whose birth was predicted by the prophet Elisha, telling her that after a year she would be embracing ("chovekes") a son (2 Kings 4:16). The Talmud points out that Chavakuk distilled the 613 commandments of the Torah into just one: "The righteous shall live by his faith" (Chavakuk 2:4; see Makkos 23b). Chavakuk’s prophecy is short (only 56 verses), but it contains many beautiful passages;