Habakkuk 3 · Verse 13

Habakkuk 3:13

Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, even for salvation with thine anointed; thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked, by discovering the foundation unto the neck. Selah.

Habakkuk 3:13, King James Version

Habakkuk 3:13 in other translations

BSB	You went forth for the salvation of Your people, to save Your anointed. You crushed the head of the house of the wicked and stripped him from head to toe. Selah
WEB	You went out for the salvation of your people, for the salvation of your anointed. You crushed the head of the land of wickedness. You stripped them head to foot. Selah.
ASV	Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, For the salvation of thine anointed; Thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked man, Laying bare the foundation even unto the neck. [Selah
YLT	Thou hast gone forth for the salvation of Thy people, For salvation with Thine anointed, Thou hast smitten the head of the house of the wicked, Laying bare the foundation unto the neck. Pause!
DARBY	Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, For the salvation of thine anointed; Thou didst smite off the head from the house of the wicked, Laying bare the foundation even to the neck. Selah.
BBE	You went out for the salvation of your people, for the salvation of the one on whom your holy oil was put; wounding the head of the family of the evil-doer, uncovering the base even to the neck. Selah.
Webster	Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, even for salvation with thy anointed; thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked, by uncovering the foundation to the neck. Selah.

What does Habakkuk 3:13 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

13. with thine anointed--with Messiah; of whom Moses, Joshua, and David, God's anointed leaders of Israel, were the types (Psa 89:19, 20, 38). God from the beginning delivered His people in person, or by the hand of a Mediator (Is 63:11). Thus Habakkuk confirms believers in the hope of their deliverance, as well because God is always the same, as also because the same anointed Mediator is ready now to fulfil God's will and interpose for Israel, as of old [Calvin]. Maurer translates to suit the parallelism, "for salvation to Thine anointed," namely, Israel's king in the abstract, answering to the "people" in the former clause (compare Psa 28:8; La 4:20). Or Israel is meant, the anointed, that is, consecrated people of Jehovah (Psa 105:15). woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked--probably an allusion to Psa 68:21. Each head person sprung from and belonging to the house of Israel's wicked foes; such as Jabin, whose city Hazor was "the head of all the kingdoms" of Canaan (Jos 11:10; compare Jud 4:2, 3, 13). discovering the foundation--Thou destroyedst high and low. As "the head of the house" means the prince, so the "foundation" means the general host of the enemy. unto the neck--image from a flood reaching to the neck (Is 8:8; 30:28). So God, by His wrath overflowing on the foe, caused their princes' necks to be trodden under foot by Israel's leaders (Jos 10:24; 11:8, 12).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 13 Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people - Their deliverance would not have been effected but through thy interference. For salvation with thine anointed - That is, with Joshua, whom God had anointed, or solemnly appointed to fill the place of Moses, and lead the people into the promised land. If we read, with the common text, משיחך meshichecha, "thy anointed," the singular number, Joshua is undoubtedly meant, who was God's instrument to put the people in possession of Canaan: but if, with several MSS. and some copies of the Septuagint, we read משיחיך meshicheycha, "thy anointed ones," the Israelites must be intended. They are frequently called God's anointed, or God's saints. The sense is very far-fetched when applied to Jesus Christ. Thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked - This alludes to the slaying of the first-born through all the land of Egypt. These were the heads of the houses or families. By discovering the foundation unto the neck - The general meaning of this clause is sufficiently plain: the government of these lands should be utterly subverted; the very foundations of it should be razed. But what means unto the neck, עד צואר ad tsavvar? Several critics read עד צור ad tsar, "Unto the Rock," that on which the house is founded: and this very intelligible reading is obtained by the omission of a single letter, א aleph, from the word צוער, This conjecture has been adopted by Newcome, though unsupported either by MS. or version. But is the conjecture necessary? I think not: read the verse as it ought to be read, and all will be plain. "Thou hast wounded the head even unto the neck, in the house of the wicked, by laying bare the foundation." The whole head, neck, and all are cut off. There was no hope left to the Egyptians, because the first-born of every family was cut off, so that the very foundation was laid bare, no first-born being left to continue the heirship of families.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Habakkuk 3:3-15

God's people, when in distress, and ready to despair, seek help by considering the days of old, and the years of ancient times, and by pleading them with God in prayer. The resemblance between the Babylonish and Egyptian captivities, naturally presents itself to the mind, as well as the possibility of a like deliverance through the power of Jehovah. God appeared in his glory. All the powers of nature are shaken, and…

Read the full comment on Habakkuk 3:3-15 →

Habakkuk 3:13 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

יָצָ֙אתָ֙ya.Tza.tayou have gone outH3318

לְיֵ֣שַׁעle.Ye.sha'for [the] salvation ofH3468

עַמֶּ֔ךָ'a.Me.khapeople yourH5971

לְיֵ֖שַׁעle.Ye.sha'for [the] salvationH3468

אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853

מְשִׁיחֶ֑ךָme.shi.Che.khaanointed yourH4899

מָחַ֤צְתָּma.Chatz.tayou have shatteredH4272

רֹּאשׁ֙roSh[the] chiefH7218

מִבֵּ֣יתmi.Beitfrom [the] house ofH1004

רָשָׁ֔עra.Sha'[the] wickedH7563

עָר֛וֹתa.Rotyou have laid bareH6168

יְס֥וֹדye.Sodfoundation[s]H3247

עַד\־'ad-toH5704

צַוָּ֖ארtza.VarneckH6677

סֶֽלָה\׃\ \פSe.lahSelahH5542

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Habakkuk 3:13

Psalms 110:6
He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.
Psalms 105:15
Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.
Exodus 14:13-14
And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
Joshua 11:12
And all the cities of those kings, and all the kings of them, did Joshua take, and smote them with the edge of the sword, and he utterly destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the Lord commanded.
Psalms 68:19-23
Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah. He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto God the Lord belong the issues from death. But God shall wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses. The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan, I will bring my people again from the depths of the sea: …
Joshua 10:11
And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Beth–horon, that the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.
Exodus 15:1-2
Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
Joshua 10:24
And it came to pass, when they brought out those kings unto Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of these kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them.
Psalms 28:8
The Lord is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.
Joshua 11:8
And the Lord delivered them into the hand of Israel, who smote them, and chased them unto great Zidon, and unto Misrephoth–maim, and unto the valley of Mizpeh eastward; and they smote them, until they left them none remaining.
Joshua 10:42
And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel.
Psalms 20:6
Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

wentest.
Ex 14:13,14; 15:1,2; Ps 68:7,19-23
with.
Ps 77:20; 89:19-21; 99:6; 105:15,26; Isa 63:11
thou woundedst.
Ex 12:29,30; Jos 10:11,24,42; 11:8,12; Ps 18:37-45; 68:21; 74:13,14
Ps 110:6
discovering. Heb. making naked.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Habakkuk 3:12
Thou didst march through the land in indignation, thou didst thresh the heathen in anger.
Habakkuk 3:13
Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, even for salvation with thine anointed; thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked, by discovering the foundation unto the neck. Selah.
Habakkuk 3:14
Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of his villages: they came out as a whirlwind to scatter me: their rejoicing was as to devour the poor secretly.

Read all of Habakkuk 3

Habakkuk 3:13 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Saliste para salvar tu pueblo, para salvar con tu ungido. Traspasaste la cabeza de la casa del impío, desnudando el cimiento hasta el cuello. (Selah.)
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Tu sortis pour le salut de ton peuple, pour le salut de ton oint; tu brisas le faîte de la maison du méchant, mettant à nu les fondements jusqu’au cou. Sélah.
German Elberfelder 1871	Du zogest aus zum Heile deines Volkes, zum Heile deines Gesalbten: du zerschmettertest das Haupt vom Hause des Gesetzlosen, entblößend den Grund bis zum Halse.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Egressus es in salutem populi tui, in salutem cum christo tuo: percussisti caput de domo impii, denudasti fundamentum ejus usque ad collum.