This is a prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth:
Parallel translations
- WEB A prayer of Habakkuk, the prophet, set to victorious music.
- KJV A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon Shigionoth.
- NKJV A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, on Shigionoth.
- NASB A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet, according to Shigionoth.
- NLT This prayer was sung by the prophet Habakkuk:
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
This heading introduces chapter 3 as a prayer of Habakkuk set to music, marking a shift from dialogue to worship. It signals that the prophet's wrestling now turns to praise and faith-filled song.
Overview
The superscription frames the final chapter as a psalm-like prayer intended for liturgical use. Having received God's answers, Habakkuk responds not with further protest but with reverent prayer and worship. This movement from questioning to song models the journey of faith, in which honest struggle gives way to trust and praise in the God who answers.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Ps 7:1–17A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the LORD concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite. O LORD my God, I take refuge in You; save me and deliver me from all my pursuers,
- Ps 90:1–17A prayer of Moses the man of God. Lord, You have been our dwelling place through all generations.
- Ps 86:1–17A prayer of David. Incline Your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
'The righteous shall live by his faith' (2:4) becomes a cornerstone of the gospel in Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews — the faith that lays hold of Christ.
How Habakkuk 3:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.