Bible Strands
Habakkuk 3:13
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
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The prophet Habakkuk addresses God within a liturgical prayer, recounting divine intervention immediately after describing the march of wrath across the nations.
The words — The text records יָצָ֙אתָ֙ (ya.Tza.ta) as "you have gone out" and מָחַ֤צְתָּ (ma.Chatz.ta) as "you have shattered," describing God's advance to deliver His people and destroy the wicked's leader.
The thread — The theme of God advancing for His people's salvation appears in Exodus 14:13, while the crushing of leaders and protection of the anointed echo Psalm 110:6 and Psalm 105:15.
Why it lands — The passage demands recognition of God's decisive intervention in history and calls the reader to stand firm in reliance on His salvation rather than fear human opposition.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- Psalms 110:6 He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead; He will crush the leaders far and wide.
- Psalms 105:15 “Do not touch My anointed ones! Do no harm to My prophets!”
- Exodus 14:13 But Moses told the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the LORD’s salvation, which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again.
- Exodus 15:1 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: “I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted. The horse and rider He has thrown into the sea.
- Joshua 10:11 As they fled before Israel along the descent from Beth-horon to Azekah, the LORD cast down on them large hailstones from the sky, and more of them were killed by the hailstones than by the swords of the Israelites.
- Joshua 10:24 When they had brought the kings to Joshua, he summoned all the men of Israel and said to the army commanders who had accompanied him, “Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So the commanders came forward and put their feet on their necks.
- Joshua 10:42 And because the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel, Joshua captured all these kings and their land in one campaign.
- Joshua 11:8 and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Israel, who struck them down and pursued them all the way to Greater Sidon and Misrephoth-maim, and eastward as far as the Valley of Mizpeh. They struck them down, leaving no survivors.
- Joshua 11:12 Joshua captured all these kings and their cities and put them to the sword. He devoted them to destruction, as Moses the LORD’s servant had commanded.
- Psalms 20:6 Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He answers him from His holy heaven with the saving power of His right hand.