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Why Do You Look on Evil and Remain Silent?: A Theodicean Reading of the Book of Habakkuk

  • Korean Journal of Old Testament Studies
  • Abbr : KJOTS
  • 2026, 32(2), pp.19~47
  • DOI : 10.24333/jkots.2026.32.2.19
  • Publisher : Korean Society of Old Testament Studies
  • Research Area : Humanities > Christian Theology
  • Received : February 1, 2026
  • Accepted : May 20, 2026
  • Published : June 30, 2026

Kim Ki-Hyun 1

1한국침례신학대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

This study reexamines the Book of Habakkuk through the lens of theodicy, exploring it not as a philosophical attempt to rationalize evil but as a theological dynamic of protest, waiting, and trust amidst divine silence. Rather than offering a logical resolution to the problem of evil, this paper argues that the book presents a ‘practical theodicy’—a response shaped by the existential struggle of the faith community. Through a literary-theological analysis of the book’s structure and genre, the study demonstrates how the text constructs a profound movement from dialogic lament to doxological resolution. Chapters 1 and 2 frame theodicy as a fierce dialogue, where the prophet’s complaint and God’s response reveal the tension between divine justice and historical violence. Here, Habakkuk 2:4 (“the righteous shall live by his faith”) serves as the theological pivot, transforming the demand for an immediate answer into a call for ethical fidelity. Crucially, the study posits that this journey culminates in Chapter 3, not with a logical explanation, but with a liturgical participation. The shift from complaint to hymn signifies that the ultimate response to theodicy is found in the “Theodicy Deferred”—a solution postponed to the eschatological future but anticipated in the present through worship. By remembering God’s past acts as the Divine Warrior, the community learns to endure the absurdity of the present. In conclusion, Habakkuk redefines theodicy not as an intellectual doctrine but as a faith-shaped mode of enduring. The book invites readers into a liturgical journey where the silence of God is overcome not by arguments, but by the ‘song of the heights’ (3:19), witnessing to God’s sovereignty through lived endurance and praise.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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