Habakkuk is the Book of the Hugger. The name Habakkuk means “embrace.” Habakkuk was the last prophet of Judah before Jeremiah is called to observe Jerusalem’s fall. Habakkuk was a tremendous man of prayer, who cast his anxiety upon the LORD in a plain and simple way.
The Hebrew, Greek, and English titles for the book are all taken from the proper name of the prophet who delivered the message of this book.
Habakkuk is unknown outside of this book. His name is quite unusual, coming from the verb chabaq: to embrace. An old Jewish tradition makes him the son of the Shunammite woman because of Elisha’s use of chabaq (2nd Kgs. 4:16).