Hab 2:4, its meaning and use in Rom 1:17

A brief outline of what will be covered in this entry :

• Why is Hab 2:4 important
• What is the meaning of Hab 2:4 in all its occurences (original context, NT citations in Gal and Heb)
• How does the meaning of Hab 2:4 support and/or explain Imputed Righteousness by Faith?

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.”

Habakuk 2:4 is important because it is the support and explanation of the statement “the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith.” (Rom 1:17a) It is the primary evidence Paul uses to legitmate the claim that righteousness is interlinked with faith. Furthermore, to the exegete, it is the evidence we use to solidify the conclusion that the meaning of “the righteousness of God” in v.17a is Imputed Righteousness (A gift of God) and not Attributive Righteousness (A description of God).

Hab 2:4 is found 4 times in the Scriptures. Once in its original context, once in Romans 1:17, once in Galatians 3:1-12, and once in Hebrews 10:38. In the original context, God is telling Habakkuk to write down the prophecy that the Chaldeans will rise to strike Israel so that the Righteous man may see the writing, believe it and run. In Galatians 3:1-12, the quote is used to describe Justification by faith versus the Leviticus quote which describes Justification by Law. In Hebrews, the writer uses the quote to describe those who believe unto salvation in comparison to those who shrink back into destruction. So then the meaning of Hab 2:4 rephrased and in view of all its occurences is “The Righteous man, on the basis of his faith, shall gain his life”

Okay, so how does that meaning support Rom 1:17a? In other words, how is Imputed Righteousness explained by understanding that “the Righteous man on the basis of his faith shall live?”

These are the reasons why Hab 2:4 is a description of a Righteousness credited by faith.

1. Overlapping conditions
   1. The statement “But the righteous man shall live by faith” can be broken down into to conditions.
      1. The man with righteousness shall live
      2. The man with faith shall live
      3. two conditions share one result therefore the two are linked.
2. Grammatical parts
   1. The Main clause is “The Righteous Man shall live”
   2. The prepositional phrase is “By faith.”
   3. So then the primary condition for life is “Righteousness”
   4. the means by which that condition is met is “Faith.”
3. Contrast
   1. Rom 1:17 – The man who is righteous is given life
      1. The righteous man is righteous because of his faith
   2. Rom 1:18 – The man who is unrighteous is given wrath
      1. The unrighteous is unrighteous because of his unbelief 1:18-30

Conclusion

Essentially then, Hab 2:4 links faith to Righteousness in such a way that faith is the means by which Righteousness is attained. That in short is a description of Imputed Righteousness. So there you have it folks. A very brief explanation of the meaning of Hab 2:4 and its use in Rom 1:17.