Habakkuk 3:13 (DRB)

Passage

Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people: for salvation with thy Christ. Thou struckest the head of the house of the wicked: thou hast laid bare his foundation even to the neck.

Nearby Context

Habakkuk 3:11 The sun and the moon stood still in their habitation, in the light of thy arrows, they shall go in the brightness of thy glittering spear.

Habakkuk 3:12 In thy anger thou wilt tread the earth under foot: in thy wrath thou wilt astonish the nations.

Habakkuk 3:13 Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people: for salvation with thy Christ. Thou struckest the head of the house of the wicked: thou hast laid bare his foundation even to the neck.

Habakkuk 3:14 Thou hast cursed his sceptres, the head of his warriors, them that came out as a whirlwind to scatter me. Their joy was like that of him that devoureth the poor man in secret.

Habakkuk 3:15 Thou madest a way in the sea for thy horses, in the mud of many waters.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thou", "wentest", "forth", "salvation", "people", and "christ". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thou" and "wentest", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "In thy anger thou wilt tread the..." into verse 14's "Thou hast cursed his sceptres the head...", so "thou" and "wentest" belong inside that flow. In Habakkuk context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "thou" and "wentest" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.