Habakkuk 3:13 (GNV)

Passage

Thou wentest foorth for the saluation of thy people, euen for saluation with thine Anointed: thou hast wounded the head of the house of the wicked, and discoueredst the foundations vnto the necke, Selah.

Nearby Context

Habakkuk 3:11 The sunne and moone stood still in their habitation: at the light of thine arrowes they went, and at the bright shining of thy speares.

Habakkuk 3:12 Thou trodest downe the land in anger, and didest thresh the heathen in displeasure.

Habakkuk 3:13 Thou wentest foorth for the saluation of thy people, euen for saluation with thine Anointed: thou hast wounded the head of the house of the wicked, and discoueredst the foundations vnto the necke, Selah.

Habakkuk 3:14 Thou didest strike thorowe with his owne staues the heades of his villages: they came out as a whirle winde to scatter me: their reioycing was as to deuoure the poore secretly.

Habakkuk 3:15 Thou didest walke in the sea with thine horses vpon the heape of great waters.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wounded", "thou", "wentest", "foorth", "saluation", "people", "euen", and "thine". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wounded" and "thou", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "Thou trodest downe the land in anger..." into verse 14's "Thou didest strike thorowe with his owne...", so "wounded" and "thou" 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 "wounded" and "thou" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.