Habakkuk 3:14 (YLT)

Passage

Thou hast pierced with his staves the head of his leaders, They are tempestuous to scatter me, Their exultation <FI>is<Fi> as to consume the poor in secret.

Nearby Context

Habakkuk 3:12 In indignation Thou dost tread earth, In anger Thou dost thresh nations.

Habakkuk 3:13 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!

Habakkuk 3:14 Thou hast pierced with his staves the head of his leaders, They are tempestuous to scatter me, Their exultation <FI>is<Fi> as to consume the poor in secret.

Habakkuk 3:15 Thou hast proceeded through the sea with Thy horses--the clay of many waters.

Habakkuk 3:16 I have heard, and my belly trembleth, At the noise have my lips quivered, Rottenness doth come into my bones, And in my place I do tremble, That I rest for a day of distress, At the coming up of the people, he overcometh it.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thou", "hast", "pierced", "staves", "head", "leaders", "tempestuous", and "scatter". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thou" and "hast", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "Thou hast gone forth for the salvation..." into verse 15's "Thou hast proceeded through the sea with...", so "thou" and "hast" 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 "hast" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.