It was the time of the Babylonian captivity for the nation of Israel. The Babylonian Captivity occurred when the remnant of the Hebrew nation faced exile from Israel. Being forced to leave Judah, they lived in Babylon between 597 BCE and 538 BCE. This captivity lasted until they were freed by the Persian leader Cyrus the Great in 538, a year after he captured Babylon.

At the beginning of the captivity, Habakkuk ends his theodicy by declaring faith and trust amidst apparent bad circumstances “though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails, and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the lord, I will be joyful in God my saviour. The sovereign lord is my strength: he makes my feet like the feet of a deer; He enables me to go on the heights.” (Hab. 3:17-19) NB the final instruction v18 – sing it! Singing is prayer. This passage shows Habakkuk’s complete faith in dark times.