The country of Chaldea was an ancient land in southern Babylonia, on the Persian Gulf near the delta of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. In biblical times, the name was applied to all of Babylonia. The Chaldeans descend from Shem's son, Arphaxad, who is also an ancestor of Abraham and Israel. They are associated with Babylon and the city of Ur, having settled near Babylon and in Shinar. The most powerful Babylonian dynasty, known as Neo-Babylonia, spanning from approximately 625 to 539 BC, was Chaldean, led by its most famous king, Nebuchadnezzar, who reigned from about 604 to 561 BC. Some Chaldeans settled farther north around Lake Van, between the Mediterranean Sea and the Caspian Sea, where they were called Chaldians or the people of Van. History records that some Chaldians were driven northward out of the Near East by the Assyrians and Medes before 610 BC. From the shores of the Black Sea, they moved to southeastern Europe, later heading west into the Roman Empire, settling in northern Italy, southeastern France, parts of Spain, and northern Africa. Ancient Chaldeans of Babylonia were also exiled to Syria during the Greek period of rule over Babylon. Many peoples calling themselves Chaldeans still live in Syria and surrounding regions. During the Roman Empire, Latin Romans often bought these people as slaves for their European villas, and later, their descendants were freed and settled nearby. Thus, wherever the Chaldeans are mentioned in Bible prophecy, the reference is primarily to these people in central and southwestern Europe.

Judah was beginning to fear that they were next in the line of nations falling to conquest, terrified by the reputation of the Chaldeans, also known as the Babylonians, for their brutal treatment of those they conquered. Habakkuk's cry to God reflects a natural response from a man who loved his people and nation, as Judah's day of reckoning drew near with the looming threat of these ferocious invaders. God reveals to Habakkuk a shocking plan, announcing that He is already at work to deliver and punish the sinners by sending the terrifying Chaldeans to conquer Judah. This answer stuns the prophet, as it seems a harsh and humiliating defeat at the hands of such godless people, striking terror across the Middle East. Habakkuk struggles to reconcile this with his understanding of a loving God, questioning how He could use such a cruel club as the Chaldeans to punish His own special people. Habakkuk expresses his dismay, describing the Chaldeans as a people who take what is not theirs, marching through the earth, gobbling up towns, seizing goods and people, and transporting them elsewhere. He likens the situation to fish in a barrel, easily caught by the Chaldeans' nets and hooks, enabled by God's allowance, which confounds him further as he sees their unchecked wickedness. In response, God pronounces a series of five woes upon the Chaldeans for their sins, detailing their dishonest gain by oppression, coveting and plotting, using violence, promoting debauchery, and practicing idolatry. These pronouncements reassure Habakkuk that God will not let their actions go unpunished, affirming that justice will prevail in the end, even if through means that initially seem incomprehensible.

In the book of Habakkuk, written during the last days of Judah over 2,500 years ago, the prophet addresses the moral and spiritual decay of his nation. God reveals that He will use the Babylonians, also referred to as the Chaldeans, as His instrument of judgment upon Judah. This revelation troubles Habakkuk, as he questions how God can employ a nation more wicked than Judah to punish His people. The Chaldeans are described as fierce and scornful of resistance, yet God asserts that their rise to power is not due to their own military prowess but because He has raised them up for His purpose. Habakkuk struggles with the moral dilemma of God using such an ungodly nation, yet he is reminded that God controls history and has appointed the Chaldeans for judgment and correction. Though perplexed, Habakkuk ultimately commits this concern to God, waiting for further understanding. God assures that the Chaldeans will not go unpunished, as He will judge them in due time, reinforcing that all nations are under His sovereign hand.