The book names Habakkuk
The opening line gives the clearest answer: Habakkuk wrote, or at least delivered, the prophetic message that bears his name. It calls the book “the burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see” in the KJV. A burden here is not merely a private feeling. It is a serious message God has placed upon a prophet, one he must faithfully speak.
Unlike books such as Kings or Chronicles, Habakkuk does not introduce a separate narrator who tells us about the prophet. The words move straight into Habakkuk’s complaint before God. That first-person conversation, followed by God’s replies, makes the book feel remarkably immediate.
The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see.
What do we know about him?
Scripture gives no family line, hometown, or detailed biography for Habakkuk. His name appears in the book’s opening and again above the prayer in chapter 3 (Habakkuk 1:1; Habakkuk 3:1). So it is wise not to fill the gaps with certainty.
We can see his character, though. Habakkuk was deeply troubled by violence and wrongdoing among his people. When God said he would raise up the Chaldeans, also called Babylonians, to bring judgement, Habakkuk struggled with how a holy God could use a nation he saw as even more wicked (Habakkuk 1:5-6; Habakkuk 1:12-13). He brought that question to God rather than hiding it.
A prophet who learned to wait
Habakkuk did not receive quick, simple answers. God told him to write the vision clearly and to wait for its appointed fulfilment (Habakkuk 2:2-3). Then comes the book’s central contrast: the proud person is not upright, while the just person lives by faith, meaning steadfast trust in God (Habakkuk 2:4).
That does not mean Habakkuk stopped seeing suffering. It means he came to rest his confidence in the Lord even when the fields were empty and ordinary sources of food had failed (Habakkuk 3:17-18). His book gives permission to ask hard questions, while also calling us to keep trusting God’s character.
Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
Why the authorship matters
Knowing Habakkuk as the prophet behind this book helps us read it as more than a set of religious ideas. It is the record of a real servant of God bringing real anguish to God in a dangerous time. The final chapter is presented as Habakkuk’s prayer, and its musical note suggests it may have been used in worship (Habakkuk 3:1; Habakkuk 3:19).
So the traditional and biblical answer is straightforward: Habakkuk was the author of Habakkuk. His life remains mostly hidden, but his message is clear. God hears the cries of his people, confronts evil in his time, and calls his people to live by faith.