Havakuk 1-3

Perek 1 begins with a harsh complaint by the prophet against God because of the distortion of law and justice in the world (2-4). In the continuation of the perek Havakuk describes the rise of the Chaldeans (5-11), who are the epitome of evil as described in general in the first section. The complaint of the prophet becomes harsher in the third section, in which he describes the world order under the rule of the evil Chaldeans.

Perek 2: After the complaint and fierce outcry which we find in perek 1, Havakuk waits for an answer from God (1), and receives it in pesukim 2-4. From pasuk 5 and on there is a series of 5 short laments about the downfall of the Chaldeans in general, and especially their evil king, which begin with the word “Woe” (in Hebrew- Hoy).

Perek 3 is a prayer, “A prayer for Havakuk the prophet concerning the errors.” Perakim 1-2 are universal in nature while perek 3 refers in part to Israel. The prayer opens with a description of the revelation of God at Mount Sinai during the giving of the Torah (3), and continues with a description of the revelation of God and the salvation of Israel at the sea (8-15).