A CONSIDERATION OF HABAKKUK AS PART OF THE BOOK OF THE

TWELVE

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J. Alexander Rutherford

2017
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In interpreting the book of Habakkuk, one cannot neglect the consideration of its place

within the Book of the Twelve. The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief overview of the

canonical relationship between Habakkuk and the rest of the Twelve. It has long been recognized

that the 12 Minor Prophets are closely linked, at the very least thematically united.1 Recently,

House and others have convincingly shown on both internal and external grounds that Habakkuk

forms a literary unit with the other eleven Minor Prophets, forming what may be called The

Book of the Twelve.2 Critics, such as Zvi and Peterson, have failed to produce convincing

evidence against this hypothesis—Zvi failing to take into account House’s distinction between

sub and main themes in the Twelve and Peterson failing to show why the concept of anthology

fits better than that of book, especially in light of House’s arguments for The Twelve’s comic

story line.3

1
E.g., the existence of commentaries on the twelve since the early church. One example is, Theodore,
Commentary on the Twelve Prophets, ed. Robert C. Hill, The fathers of the church v. 108 (Washington, D.C:
Catholic University of America Press, 2004).
2
Some evidence adduced, along with thematic unity, include the consistent unity of the twelve in ancient
manuscripts and the literary ties between the books—such as the close relationship between Amos 9 and Obadiah
and the parallels between Joel 4:1, 18 and Amos 1:2, 9:13. These relationships are most evident in the order of the
Masoretic Text, the priority of which the manuscript evidence supports (see Fuller). James D. Nogalski, “Book of
the Twelve,” in The New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible: A-C, vol. 1 (Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon Press,
2006), esp. 489; Marvin A. Sweeney, “Sequence and Interpretation in the Book of the Twelve,” in Reading and
Hearing the Book of the Twelve, ed. James Nogalski and Marvin A. Sweeney, SBL Symposium Series no. 15
(Atlanta, Ga.: Society of Biblical Literature, 2000); House, The Unity of the Twelve; Fuller, “The Form and
Formation of the Book of the Twelve: The Evidence from the Judean Desert.”

Against the Jamnia hypothesis and the late formation of the Hebrew Canon, which would cast doubt on a
unified reading in the NT, see Dunbar, “The Biblical Canon,” 299–315.
3
It is important to note that in reference to narrative, a comic storyline is not a comedy but a story that
follows a U-shaped arc; “The main character or characters may slide to the bottom of the author's scale of fortunes,
but will inexorably rise once more to the top.” House, The Unity of the Twelve, 114; Ehud Ben Zvi, “Twelve
Prophetic Books or ‘The Twelve’: A Few Preliminary Considerations,” in Forming Prophetic Literature: Essays on
Isaiah and the Twelve in Honor of John D.W. Watts, ed. James W. Watts and Paul R. House, Journal for the Study
of the Old Testament Supplement 235 (Sheffield, England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1996), 125–156; David L.
Peterson, “A Book of the Twelve,” in Reading and Hearing the Book of the Twelve, ed. James Nogalski and Marvin
A. Sweeney, SBL Symposium Series no. 15 (Atlanta, Ga.: Society of Biblical Literature, 2000).

J. Alexander Rutherford – 2017

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If this is so, what context does the Book of the Twelve provide for Habakkuk?4 Taken

alongside those essays arguing for thematic threads uniting the Twelve,5 House’s argument for a

unified storyline is convincing. What we have in the twelve is a 12-part reflection upon the

prophetic themes found in the Major Prophets. Every book is a microcosm of the whole and

contributes through its main theme to the progressing story. Like the covenant lawsuits found in

the Major Prophets, Hosea-Micah presents an indictment against the sins of Israel and the

nations around it. Nahum-Zephaniah then expounds God’s response in judgment against

Israel/Judah and the nations. Finally, Haggai-Malachi picks up the theme of restoration found

throughout the previous nine books, foretelling God’s salvific action towards Israel and the

nations.6

Following Nahum’s presentation of the fate of any unrepentant nation, Habakkuk picks

up the expectation that God will judge his covenant people.7 We see in Habakkuk that God will

not only bring terrible judgment upon Judah but will also bring justice to the unrighteous nation

He uses as His tool, yet the focus is on the covenant people. This greater context sheds light on

our interpretation of Habakkuk in a few ways. The context of Habakkuk in the Book of the

4
This brief paper does not permit a fuller explanation of the canonical context of the Twelve. The
immediate canonical context formed by the Twelve should suffice for its purposes, and given that we have received
Scripture in its canonical form, surely this at the very least is necessary. Gentry and Wellum, Kingdom Through
Covenant, 87. The author hopes soon to write a theological/canonical/exegetical introduction to the book of
Habakkuk that will explore this greater canonical context further.
5
Alongside House, see James D. Nogalski, “The Day(s) of YHWH in the Book of the Twelve,” in
Thematic Threads in the Book of the Twelve, ed. Paul L. Redditt and Aaron Schart (Berlin, Germany: Walter de
Gruyter GmbH & Co., 2003), 192–213; Paul R. House, “The Character of God in the Book of the Twelve,” in
Reading and Hearing the Book of the Twelve, ed. James Nogalski and Marvin A. Sweeney, SBL Symposium Series
no. 15 (Atlanta, Ga.: Society of Biblical Literature, 2000); Rolf Rendtorff, “How to Read the Book of the Twelve as
a Theological Unity,” in Reading and Hearing the Book of the Twelve, ed. James Nogalski and Marvin A. Sweeney,
SBL symposium series no. 15 (Atlanta, Ga.: Society of Biblical Literature, 2000); James D. Nogalski, “Guest
Editorial: Reading the Book of the Twelve Theologically,” Interpretation 61, no. 2 (2007): 115.
6
House, The Unity of the Twelve, 74–109.
7
Ibid., 91.

J. Alexander Rutherford – 2017

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Twelve presupposes the gross sins of God’s people expounded in the earlier books: they are

guilty of spiritual adultery (Hosea), injustice and oppression (Amos),8 and neglecting their duty

as God’s chosen instrument of mercy to the gentiles (Jonah, cf. Gen. 12:2-3). The reader of

Habakkuk in its canonical context need not go far to find an explanation of the injustice decried

in its early verses (esp. 1:4); so the greater canonical context supports the identification of those

in v. 1-4 as leaders of Judah. Furthermore, the covenantal themes running throughout the Twelve

give us some insight into what “the righteous one shall live” means (Hab. 2:4, cf. Hosea 6:2,

14:4-7; Amos 5:14-15). The language itself, especially taken with the covenantal themes,

suggests that “live” is not just enjoying deliverance from oppression but the fullness of covenant

life with God and the blessings a right covenant standing brings.

Selected Bibliography
Dunbar, David G. “The Biblical Canon.” In Hermeneutics, Authority, and Canon, edited by D.
A. Carson and John D. Woodbridge. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Academie Books, 1986.

Dyck, Elmer H. “Canon and Interpretation: Recent Canonical Approaches and the Book of
Jonah”. Doctoral Dissertation, McGill University, 1986.

8
Paul R. House, The Unity of the Twelve, ed. David J.A. Clines and Philip R. Davies, Bible and Literature
27 (Sheffield, England: The Almond Press, 1990), 80–81. Specifically relevant here is the use of ‫( שֹׁד‬destruction)
and ‫מס‬
ֹׁ ֹׁ‫( ח‬violence) in Amos 3:10 to refer to the leaders of Israel, cf. Hab. 1:3.

J. Alexander Rutherford – 2017

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Evans, Craig A., and Emanuel Tov, eds. Exploring the Origins of the Bible: Canon Formation in
Historical, Literary, and Theological Perspective. Acadia studies in Bible and theology.
Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Academic, 2008.

Everson, A. Joseph. “The Canonical Location of Habakkuk.” In Thematic Threads in the Book of
the Twelve, edited by Paul L. Redditt and Aaron Schart, 165–174. Berlin, Germany:
Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co., 2003.

Fuller, Russell. “The Form and Formation of the Book of the Twelve: The Evidence from the
Judean Desert.” In Forming Prophetic Literature: Essays on Isaiah and the Twelve in
Honor of John D.W. Watts, edited by James W. Watts and Paul R. House, 86–101.
Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement 235. Sheffield, England:
Sheffield Academic Press, 1996.

Gentry, Peter J., and Stephen J. Wellum. Kingdom Through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological
Understanding of the Covenants. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway, 2012.

House, Paul R. “The Character of God in the Book of the Twelve.” In Reading and Hearing the
Book of the Twelve, edited by James Nogalski and Marvin A. Sweeney. SBL Symposium
Series no. 15. Atlanta, Ga.: Society of Biblical Literature, 2000.

———. The Unity of the Twelve. Edited by David J.A. Clines and Philip R. Davies. Bible and
Literature 27. Sheffield, England: The Almond Press, 1990.

Nogalski, James D. “Book of the Twelve.” In The New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible: A-
C. Vol. 1. Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon Press, 2006.

———. “Guest Editorial: Reading the Book of the Twelve Theologically.” Interpretation 61, no.
2 (2007): 115.

———. “Intertextuality and the Twelve.” In Forming Prophetic Literature: Essays on Isaiah
and the Twelve in Honor of John D.W. Watts, edited by James W. Watts and Paul R.
House, 102–124. Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement 235. Sheffield,
England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1996.

———. “The Day(s) of YHWH in the Book of the Twelve.” In Thematic Threads in the Book of
the Twelve, edited by Paul L. Redditt and Aaron Schart, 192–213. Berlin, Germany:
Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co., 2003.

Peterson, David L. “A Book of the Twelve.” In Reading and Hearing the Book of the Twelve,
edited by James Nogalski and Marvin A. Sweeney. SBL Symposium Series no. 15.
Atlanta, Ga.: Society of Biblical Literature, 2000.

Redditt, Paul L., and Aaron Schart, eds. Thematic Threads in the Book of the Twelve. Berlin,
Germany: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co., 2003.

J. Alexander Rutherford – 2017

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Rendtorff, Rolf. “How to Read the Book of the Twelve as a Theological Unity.” In Reading and
Hearing the Book of the Twelve, edited by James Nogalski and Marvin A. Sweeney. SBL
symposium series no. 15. Atlanta, Ga.: Society of Biblical Literature, 2000.

Sweeney, Marvin A. “Sequence and Interpretation in the Book of the Twelve.” In Reading and
Hearing the Book of the Twelve, edited by James Nogalski and Marvin A. Sweeney. SBL
Symposium Series no. 15. Atlanta, Ga.: Society of Biblical Literature, 2000.

———. “Structure, Genre, and Intent in the Book of Habakkuk.” Vetus testamentum 41, no. 1
(January 1991): 63–83.

Theodore. Commentary on the Twelve Prophets. Edited by Robert C. Hill. The fathers of the
church v. 108. Washington, D.C: Catholic University of America Press, 2004.

Ben Zvi, Ehud. “Twelve Prophetic Books or ‘The Twelve’: A Few Preliminary Considerations.”
In Forming Prophetic Literature: Essays on Isaiah and the Twelve in Honor of John
D.W. Watts, edited by James W. Watts and Paul R. House, 125–156. Journal for the
Study of the Old Testament Supplement 235. Sheffield, England: Sheffield Academic
Press, 1996.

J. Alexander Rutherford – 2017