THE book of Habakkuk, in spite of its limited extent, presents a combination of rather remarkable literary features. It comprises both a prophecy and a psalm, each of which displays striking qualities. The first is conspicuous for the variety of its contents. In part, it is a dialogue between the prophet and Jehovah, the prophet's address to God being an utterance of intense emotion, whilst the Lord's reply ... is marked by oracular brevity. . . .
The psalm with which the book concludes is a lyric distinguished by deep religious feeling and exceptional poetic art. . . . The poem shows lofty imagination; and its construction manifests dramatic skill of no mean order. . . .
But the literary interest of the book is surpassed by the religious. The prophet, like others of his class, is confronted with the problem of calamitous experiences undergone by a number of peoples at the hands of a ruthless oppressor. The sufferers include his own countrymen, a race believed to have a more intimate acquaintance with, and to enjoy in a higher degree the favour of, the true God than had been granted to the rest of the world, and for whom, consequently, there might reasonably be expected protection and security from heathen aggression. Instead of this, both Israel and its neighbours have been long subjected to maltreatment by an enemy whose ambition for conquest and dominion is boundless, and who, by the celerity of his movements and the power of his arms, has obtained mastery over all weaker nations within his reach. . . . The broad humanity of Habakkuk's outlook is not exclusively confined to him among the prophetic writers; but it is so prominent a feature in his book as to merit particular notice. . . .
