Habakkuk Habakkuk (Hebrew: חֲבַקּוּק – Ḥavaqquq; Greek: Ἀμβακοὺμ) is one of the twelve “minor” prophets of the Old Testament and the author of the book of…
Habakkuk
Habakkuk (Hebrew: חֲבַקּוּק – Ḥavaqquq; Greek: Ἀμβακοὺμ) is one of the twelve “minor” prophets of the Old Testament and the author of the book of the same name. His name in Hebrew – Ḥavaqquq, means “embrace” or “beloved”, and in the Septuagint it is found in the transcription Ambakoúm. The Scriptures do not report the time and place of his birth, but according to tradition he lived in Judea, probably in Jerusalem, around 714–700 BC, as a contemporary of the prophet Isaiah. It is sometimes assumed that Habakkuk was a Levite and a singer in the temple, due to the liturgical nature of the third chapter of his book.
The book of the prophet Habakkuk is short – it consists of three chapters, and occupies the eighth place in the series of minor prophets. In it, the prophet begins with a mournful cry because of the widespread lawlessness and violence in society. The Lord replies that He will punish Judah through the invasion of the Chaldeans (Babylonians), who will become an instrument of God’s wrath. The prophet, horrified by this news, receives a second consolation – that the proud will be crushed, and the righteous “will live by their faith” (Habakkuk 2:4). This sentence later becomes key to Christian soteriology and is quoted in the New Testament (Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38). The third chapter follows – a prayer song composed for singing, in which the prophet sings of God’s power and confesses his faith, even in the face of suffering and deprivation. This poetic text is related in style and depth to the Psalter and is included in the liturgical practice of the Church – it serves as the basis for the fourth song of the canons.
The entire book is distinguished by its sublime poetic language, precision, and stylistic purity. Many researchers define its language as the “language of the nightingale” in biblical literature. The third chapter in particular is an example of Jewish sacred poetry, in which a sublime religious mood and complete trust in God’s providence are evident.
In the Orthodox Church, the prophet Habakkuk is venerated on December 2, and according to Eusebius of Caesarea, his tomb was located in Keila (Kila), near Eleutheropol. The expression “the righteous by his faith will live” is not only the theological center of the book, but also a bridge between the Old and New Testaments, between the Jewish expectation of judgment and the Christian hope for salvation.
Haggai
Haggai (Hebrew: חַגַּי – Ḥaggay; Greek: Ἁγγαῖος). Meaning: “feast (of the Lord)”.
Haggai is one of the twelve minor prophets, whose book occupies the tenth place in the order of the prophetic books. The only certain information about his personality comes from the text of his prophecy itself: he was a contemporary of the prophet Zechariah and acted during the time of the Persian king Darius I, during the reign of Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, and of the high priest Joshua, son of Jehozadak (Haggai 1:1; 2:2).
His prophetic activity is dated to 520 BC – the second year of the reign of Darius. The main content of his message is an urgent exhortation to the Jews to resume the construction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem – a work begun under King Cyrus, but abandoned for about 15 years due to hostility from the Samaritans and other opponents of the returnees from captivity.
The book of the prophet Haggai is one of the shortest prophetic books – it consists of only two chapters. It is structured into four separate prophetic speeches, each of which is precisely dated. The first (Hag. 1:1–11), from the first day of the sixth month, exhorts the people to rebuild the temple. The second (Hag. 2:1–9), from the twenty-first day of the seventh month, encourages the builders and contains the glorious prophecy of “The Desire of All Nations” to come and fill the house with glory. The third (Hag. 2:10–19), from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month, declares God’s blessing upon the land and the people. The fourth (Hag. 2:20–23) is a special word to Zerubbabel, promising him a destiny and honor worthy of a representative of the house of David.
The prophet Haggai is also mentioned in the books of Ezra (1 Ezra 5:1–2; 6:14), where he is noted, along with Zechariah, as one of the inspirers of the construction of the Second Temple. According to the tradition of Jewish scribes, Haggai was a member of the Great Assembly (synagogue), a spiritual body that preserved the prophetic and bookish tradition. The language of the book bears the marks of the post-exilic period, with a mixture of classical Hebrew and Aramaic words. The style is more prosaic than poetic, with short sentences, often repeating key phrases – especially “Turn your heart to your ways” (Hag. 1:5, 7; 2:15, 18). The book of Haggai has a clear messianic dimension. The prophecy sounds especially strong: “I will shake the heavens and the earth… the Desired One of all nations will come… the glory of this latter temple will be greater than the former, and in this place I will give peace” (Hag. 2:6–9). This prophecy is understood in the Christian tradition as a prediction of the coming of the Messiah and the transformation of the temple through His presence. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews refers to this text (Heb. 12:26).
The memory of St. Prophet Haggai is celebrated by the Orthodox Church on December 16.
Hagar
Hagar (Hebrew: הָגָר – Hāgār; Greek: Ἁγάρ – Hagár)
Meaning of the name: “escape”, “exile”, “stranger”, “wanderer”.
Hagar is an Egyptian woman mentioned in the book of Genesis (Genesis 16:1–3) as a servant in the house of Abraham and Sarah. According to some apocryphal traditions, it was given to Sarah as a gift by the Egyptian pharaoh when he dismissed Abraham and his wife after the episode in Egypt (Gen. 12:19–20). Because of Sarah’s infertility, she suggested that Abraham take Hagar as a concubine to have offspring through her. When Hagar conceived, she became proud and disrespectful to Sarah, which led to a conflict. Hagar was forced to flee and headed for Egypt, passing through the wilderness of Shur. On her way, she was found by the Angel of the Lord by a spring in the wilderness, which was later named Beer-lahai-roi—“the spring of the Living One Who Sees Me” (Gen. 16:7–14). There Hagar received a command from God to return to her mistress and a prophecy that she would give birth to a son, Ishmael, who would become the ancestor of a great nation, although he would be freedom-loving and warlike: “his hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him” (Gen. 16:12). Hagar obeyed and returned to Abraham’s house, where she gave birth to Ishmael. The story of Hagar receives an allegorical interpretation in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul, in the Epistle to the Galatians (Gal. 4:21–31), uses Hagar and Sarah as images of the two covenants: Hagar symbolizes the Old Covenant and the slavery of the Law, which originated from Mount Sinai; and Sarah symbolizes the freedom in the grace of the New Covenant. “These are the two covenants, the one from Mount Sinai, which gives birth to slavery, which is Hagar,” says the apostle, thus emphasizing that only the Gospel makes a person an heir to the kingdom of God, and not belonging to the Law. Just as Hagar and her son were expelled from Abraham’s house, so those who remain under the Law, without accepting Christ, cannot share in the inheritance of the New Covenant.
Hagar remains in the biblical tradition as a complex image of mother, slave, and foreigner, who, despite her lowly position, receives God’s revelation and blessing. She is also the first person in the Bible who is recorded to have a direct conversation with an angel of God. Arab tradition connects her with the lineage of the Ishmaelites, and some Eastern peoples even name Mount Sinai after her.
Hallelujah
Hallelujah (Hebrew: הַלְלוּיָהּ – hallelu-Yah, Greek: Ἁλληλούϊα) is an exclamation of praise to God, found very often in the Old Testament. It is composed of two parts: הַלְלוּ (halelu) – “praise” and יָהּ (Yah), which is a shortened form of God’s name Yahweh. It means: “Praise the Lord!” or “Glory to Yahweh!”.
In the Greek form Ἁλληλούϊα occurs in Revelation 19:1–6, where the heavenly hosts praise God: “After this I heard a loud voice as of a great multitude in heaven, saying, ‘Hallelujah! Salvation, and glory, and honor, and power, to the Lord our God.’” (Rev. 19:1) This is the only instance in which the word occurs in the New Testament.
The exclamation is used frequently in Orthodox worship, especially after the prokeimenons of Vespers and Matins; in the Divine Liturgy, in funeral services, in many canons, akathists, and liturgical chants.
