Habakkuk 3:13 - Exposition

Thou wentest forth. The prophet specifies the end which these manifestations were designed to effect. God is said to "go forth" when he intervenes for the aid of his people, as 5:4 ; 2 Samuel 5:24 ; Isaiah 42:13 . For salvation with thine anointed; In salutem cum Christo tuo (Vulgate) ; τοῦ σῶσαι τὸν χριστὸν σου ( τοὺς χριστούς σου , Alex; Sin.), "to save thine anointed". If the signification of the word "with" ( eth ) be pressed, the passage is taken to mean that, as God manifested himself in old time for the salvation of his people with his chosen "Christ," Moses; so he will hereafter reveal his power for the destruction of the Chaldeans with his chosen "Christ," Cyrus. But this is too definite, and cannot be shown to be intended. The "anointed one," again, is not the nation of Israel, for the term is always applied to a single individual and never to the people collectively; so here it is the theocratic king who is meant—first, the representative of David; and secondly, the Messiah. God reveals himself for the salvation of his people in union with the work especially of his anointed Son, Christ. This is how the passage is taken by Eusebius ('Dem. Evang.,' 4.16), εἰς σωτηρίαν λαον σου σὺν χριστῷ σου . It must be confessed, however, that most modern commentaters translate, "for the salvation of thy anointed," taking the last expression (contrary to all usage) to mean the Israelites, as being a kingdom and nation of priests ( Exodus 19:6 ). In this case the present clause is merely a repetition of the preceding one. Thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked; thou dashest in pieces the head . As in the following clause the metaphor of a house is plainly employed, "the head" must be taken for the gable or topmost ridge. "The house of the wicked" is an allegorical description of the Chaldaic dominion and its king; and the prophet declares that God will smite with destruction both the ungodly monarch and the kingdom that opposes itself. Some commentators see here an allusion to the primeval sentence ( Genesis 3:15 ): others to the destruction of the Egyptians' firstborn; others to the incident of Jael and Sisera ( 5:26 ). If the prophet's language was influenced by any of these matters, his view and his oracle are concerned with the mighty future. The LXX . has, "Thou wilt east death upon the heads of the evil." By discovering (literally, making naked ) t he foundations unto the neck . "By" is better omitted. Keil supposes that "the neck" is the central part of the house, looking from the gable downwards; though why this should be so called is not apparent; and the wording of the original, "the foundations even to the neck," compels us to connect the two words together, and will not allow us to interpret "the neck" of some higher part of the building. The general meaning is plain—the metaphorical house is destroyed from summit to base, the destruction beginning at the gable is carried on to the very foundations According to this view, "the neck" should mean the very lowest basis of the walls. Henderson (after Capellus and others) suggests that we should read "rock," a word derived from the same root. Septuagint, ἐξήγειρας δεσμοὺς ἕως τραχήλου , "Thou didst raise chains unto the neck." It is possible that the mention of "the head," just above, has led the prophet to use the term "neck" in order to express the utter destruction of the whole body. Selah . Another solemn pause ensues.