The Meaning of Habakkuk 3:13 Explained

Habakkuk 3:13

KJV: 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.

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.

ASV: Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, For the salvation of thine anointed; Thou woundest the head out of the house of the wicked man, Laying bare the foundation even unto the neck. Selah.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Habakkuk 3:13 Mean?

Verse Meaning

He had gone forth as a warrior to save His people and to deliver His anointed one. This may refer to Moses in his battles with Israel"s enemies, or it may refer to a coming anointed one: Cyrus (cf. Isaiah 45:1) or Messiah (cf. Psalm 2:2; Daniel 9:26), or more than one of these.
"The first half of the verse provides the key to understanding the relationship of this chapter to the rest of the book. Rather than ignoring wrongdoing ( Habakkuk 1:2-4), or allowing oppression of his people to go unpunished ( Habakkuk 1:12-17), God remembers his covenant and acts on their behalf. The whole purpose of the psalm and of God"s theophany is to indicate the continued presence of gracious care coupled with divine judgment. Here we have God"s answer to Habakkuk"s complaints ( Habakkuk 1:12-17)-his people will be saved." [1]
The Lord had also smitten the leaders of many evil nations that opposed the Israelites, beginning with Pharaoh. He had disabled their nations as thoroughly as when someone slits a body open from bottom to top or tears a building off its foundation. Selah.

Context Summary

Habakkuk 3:1-19 - The Faith That Is Invincible
This psalm was intended to be sung by the captives during the Exile, which was near. In Habakkuk 3:3-15 there is a recital of the great events in the past. First Sinai, then the victories and deliverances of the book of Judges, the passage of the Red Sea and Jordan, the divine vengeance on the oppressors. But the prophet could not contemplate the future of the Chosen People without dismay. He longed to be at rest before those terrible Chaldean hosts burst upon the land. At the close he breaks into a sublime refrain which has been the solace and song of myriads of believers. If all God's gifts failed he would still possess the Giver. He could still triumph in God. Indeed, the divine Savior and Friend is often more apparent when the fields and the farmsteads are bare [source]

Chapter Summary: Habakkuk 3

1  Habakkuk, in his prayer, trembles at God's majesty
17  The confidence of his faith

What do the individual words in Habakkuk 3:13 mean?

You went forth for the salvation of Your people for salvation with Your Anointed You struck the head from the house of the wicked by laying bare from foundation to neck Selah -
יָצָ֙אתָ֙ לְיֵ֣שַׁע עַמֶּ֔ךָ לְיֵ֖שַׁע אֶת־ מְשִׁיחֶ֑ךָ מָחַ֤צְתָּ רֹּאשׁ֙ מִבֵּ֣ית רָשָׁ֔ע עָר֛וֹת יְס֥וֹד עַד־ צַוָּ֖אר סֶֽלָה פ

יָצָ֙אתָ֙  You  went  forth 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
לְיֵ֣שַׁע  for  the  salvation 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: יֵשַׁע  
Sense: deliverance, salvation, rescue, safety, welfare.
עַמֶּ֔ךָ  of  Your  people 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
לְיֵ֖שַׁע  for  salvation 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יֵשַׁע  
Sense: deliverance, salvation, rescue, safety, welfare.
מְשִׁיחֶ֑ךָ  Your  Anointed 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: מָשִׁיחַ  
Sense: anointed, anointed one.
מָחַ֤צְתָּ  You  struck 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, second person masculine singular
Root: מָחַץ  
Sense: to smite through, shatter, wound severely.
רֹּאשׁ֙  the  head 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: רֹאשׁ 
Sense: head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning.
מִבֵּ֣ית  from  the  house 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
רָשָׁ֔ע  of  the  wicked 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רָשָׁע  
Sense: wicked, criminal.
עָר֛וֹת  by  laying  bare 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Infinitive absolute
Root: עָרָה  
Sense: to be bare, be nude, uncover, leave destitute, discover, empty, raze, pour out.
יְס֥וֹד  from  foundation 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְסׄוד  
Sense: foundation, base.
צַוָּ֖אר  neck 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: צַוָּאר 
Sense: neck, back of neck.
סֶֽלָה  Selah 
Parse: Interjection
Root: סֶלָה  
Sense: to lift up, exalt.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation