Habakkuk study section
Habakkuk word studies
A handful of Hebrew words carry the theology of Habakkuk. Tap the speaker next to any word to hear it pronounced.
Key words
אֱמוּנָה (emunah) — “Faith, Faithfulness”
Usage: Habakkuk 2:4
Meaning: Firmness, steadfastness, faithfulness, trust. “The righteous shall live by his emunah.”
Theological Significance: This word, quoted three times in the New Testament, grounds the gospel truth that the righteous live by faith — a trusting reliance on God fulfilled in faith in Christ, by whom we are justified (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11).
צַדִּיק (tsaddiq) — “Righteous”
Usage: Habakkuk 1:4, 13; 2:4
Meaning: Righteous, just, in the right; one who is right with God and man.
Theological Significance: The tsaddiq who lives by faith points to Christ, the Righteous One, and to all who are declared righteous in Him through faith. The contrast with the proud runs through the whole book (Habakkuk 2:4; 1 John 2:1).
חָזוֹן (chazon) — “Vision”
Usage: Habakkuk 2:2-3
Meaning: A vision, revelation, prophetic word from God. “Write the vision... it will surely come.”
Theological Significance: God’s vision awaits its appointed time and will not fail, teaching His people to wait in faith. It anticipates the sure fulfillment of all God’s promises in Christ, who comes at the appointed time (Habakkuk 2:3; Hebrews 10:37).
כָּבוֹד (kavod) — “Glory”
Usage: Habakkuk 2:14
Meaning: Glory, weight, honor, the manifest splendor of God. “The knowledge of the glory of the LORD.”
Theological Significance: God promises His glory will fill the earth as the waters cover the sea. This is fulfilled as the gospel of Christ, “the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ,” spreads to the nations and fills the new creation (Habakkuk 2:14; 2 Corinthians 4:6).
גִּיל (gil) — “To Rejoice, Take Joy”
Usage: Habakkuk 3:18
Meaning: To rejoice, be glad, exult. “I will take joy in the God of my salvation.”
Theological Significance: Habakkuk’s joy in God despite total loss models the faith that rejoices in Christ regardless of circumstances, finding its treasure not in things but in “the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:18; Philippians 4:4).
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