13<\/strong>. Thou wentest forth<\/em> ] Thou art come forth<\/strong>.<\/p>\n for salvation with thine anointed]<\/em> for the salvation<\/strong> (deliverance) of thine anointed<\/strong>. The term “anointed” was used properly of the king (1Sa 24:6<\/span>), or of the priest (1Sa 2:35<\/span>), but in later times it was employed more generally, e.g. of the Patriarchs (Psa 105:15<\/span>), of Cyrus (Isa 45:1<\/span>), and here it appears to designate the people, according to the parallelism with the preceding clause. Comp. Psa 89:38<\/span>; Psa 89:51<\/span>. In Isa 55:3-5<\/span> the promises made to David are represented as being inherited by the people.<\/p>\n Thou woundedst the head<\/em> ] thou hast shattered<\/strong>, or as R.V. marg. thou hast smitten off the head from the house<\/strong>.<\/p>\n By discovering the foundation<\/em> ] laying bare the foundation<\/strong>. The “wicked” is the heathen foe of Israel; if the Theophany of the Exodus be described he is either the nation of the Egyptians or Pharaoh. This foe is compared to a house the top of which is smitten away from it, so that it falls to pieces and the foundation is laid bare. Comp. Amo 9:1<\/span>, “Smite the chapiters that the thresholds may shake, and break them to pieces on the head of all of them.”<\/p>\n unto the neck<\/em> ] The phrase to discover or lay bare the foundations means to destroy utterly and throw down the structure raised upon the foundations so that these appear (Mic 1:6<\/span>). Hence in Psa 137:7<\/span> it is said, “Lay bare even unto the foundation.” This suggests that “lay bare” was used in the general sense of destroy, rase<\/em> (as A.V.). In the present passage the “head” was said to be shattered away from the house, and in this clause it is added that the house from foundation to “neck,” i.e. up to the shattered head, was rased. Possibly “rase unto the neck” was a proverbial expression, meaning to rase utterly. Baethgen ( Psalmen<\/em>, p. 414) proposes to read rock<\/em> (a somewhat similar word) for “neck” the foundation unto the rock. This circumstantiality is rather trivial; and the proposed reading rests on a misconception of the meaning of the phrase “lay bare the foundation.’<\/p>\n Thou wentest forth – <\/B>Even a Jew says of this place, Kimchi: The past is here used for the future; and this is frequent in the language of prophecy; for prophecy, although it be future, yet since it is, as it were, firmly fixed, they use the past concerning it. The prophet speaks again in the past, perhaps to fix the mind on that signal going-forth, when God destroyed Pharaoh, the first enemy who essayed to destroy the chosen line. This stands at the head of all those dispensations, in which God put or shall put forth His might to save His people or destroy their enemies. All is with Him one everlasting purpose; the last were, as it were, embodied in the first: were it not for the last, the first would not have been. Prophecy, in speaking of the first, has in mind all the rest, and chiefly the chiefest and the end of all, the full salvation of His people through Jesus Christ our Lord. Thou wentest forth, i. e. Rup.: Thou, the Unseen God, gavest signs which may be seen of Thy Presence or coming to men. Thou wentest forth, not by change of place, for Thou art not bounded; Thou art without change; but by showing Thy power, and doing something anew openly.<\/P> For the salvation of thy people even for salvation with Thine anointed – <\/B>The English Version is doubtless right. So Aquila, although a Jew rendered, and the 5th Version. The 6th, a Christian, translated, Thou wentest forth to save Thy people through Jesus, Thy Christ. So also the Vulgate and other old Jewish authorities. Rachmon (in Martini Pug. Fid. f. 534.). notes that the word (<\/span> ‘eth<\/I>) means with, as in Gen 37:2<\/span>; Gen 39:2<\/span>. For although it might he used to mark the object only after a verbal noun, it is not likely that the construction would have been changed, unless the meaning were different. If (<\/span> ‘eth<\/I>) had been only the sign of the object there was no occasion for inserting it at all, and it would probably have been avoided, as only making the sentence ambiguous, in that it may more obviously be taken in the sense adopted by Aquila and the Vulgate and the English version.<\/P> The Septuagint and two early heretics who disbelieved the divinity of our Lord (Theodotion and Symmachus) render to save Thy Christs. Moreover, the Septuagint is wrong in that the anointed is never used of the people, but of single persons only, who were shadows of the Christ. Thine anointed is understood of one individual – the king of Judah, by A. E. Saul and David, by Rashi; Moses, by Abarb.; Hezekiah by Tanchum; but Messiah Ben David, by Kimchi Sal. b. Mel. God, from the first, helped His people through single persons – Moses, Joshua, each of the Judges – accustoming them to receive deliverance by one, and to gather together all their hopes in One. To Moses He said, Exo 3:12<\/span> : I will be with thee, and to Joshua, Jos 1:5<\/span> : As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee, and to Cyrus, Isa 45:2<\/span> : I will go before thee, preparing His people to receive that nearer Presence with His Christ, of which our Lord says: Believest thou not, that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The Father that Dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works Joh 14:10<\/span> Rup.: The Son of God, God Invisible, became Man, visible; and with Him, so going forth, the Holy Spirit went forth to the salvation of His people, so as to give a visible sign of His Coming. For upon His Christ Himself, Him who was anointed with the Holy Spirit Act 10:38<\/span>. He descended in a bodily Shape, as a Dove. So He went forth to the Salvation of His people, i. e., to save His people with His Christ, our Saviour; and again, on the Day of Pentecost, when that other Comforter came, whom, He said, I will send unto you from the Father, and in whose Presence His own promise was fulfilled, Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. His Presence was manifested both in the remission of sins, and the parting of graces among all, and in the Heb 2:4<\/span>. signs and wonders, and divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, wherewith God bare witness to the apostles, when, Mar 16:20<\/span>, they went forth, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. A going forth to judgment, at the end of the world, is foretold in the like image of warfare (Rev 17:14<\/span>; Rev 19:11<\/span> ff).<\/P> Thou woundedst (crushedst) the head out of the house of the wicked – <\/B>One wicked stands over against One anointed, as in Isaiah Isa 11:4<\/span>. He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked; and David speaks of one He shall smite the head over a great land Psa 110:6<\/span>; and Paul speaks of that wicked, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming 1Th 4:8<\/span> Him He shall destroy at once from above and below; overthrowing his kingdom from the foundation. From above, his head was crushed in pieces; from below, the house was razed from its very foundations. So Amos said, Amo 9:1<\/span>, The Lord said, Smite the capital, and the lintel (threshold ) strike, and wound them in the head, all of them; and with a different image Amo 2:9<\/span>. I destroyed his fruit from above, and his roots from beneath. First, the head is struck off, crushed; then the house from the foundations to its neck; then as it were the headless walls. The image of the neck may be the rather used to recall, that as the house of God is built of living stones, so the kingdom of the evil one is made of living dead, who shall never cease to exist in an undying death. The bruising of Satan, the head or prince of this evil world, is the deliverance of the world. His head was bruised, when, by the Death of our Lord, the Prince of this world was cast out; he is crushed out of the house of the wicked, whenever he, the strong man, is bound and cast out, and the soul of the sinner which had been his abode, becomes the house of God, and righteousness dwelleth there and walketh in her.<\/P> Rup.: Thou didst not leave any error or vice in the world unshaken, either what was concealed, like the foundation of a house; or that which was open, as the neck of the body is open; to the neck, where the destruction from above ceased, so that nothing remained unsmitten. Rup.: For they being, by the fiery tongues which Thou shewedst without, made fervent and strong, wise and eloquent, ceased not, until they made known to all, what folly was this worlds wisdom, what sacrilege its sacred worship. Dion.: His secret counsels He laid bare, as the apostle says 2Co 2:11<\/span>; 1Co 12:10<\/span>. We are not ignorant of his devices; and, to another is given the discerning of spirits.<\/P><\/p>\n Verse 13<\/span>. Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people<\/B><\/I>] Their deliverance would not have been effected but through thy interference.<\/P> <\/P> For salvation with thine anointed<\/B><\/I>] That is, with Joshua<\/I>, whom God had anointed<\/I>, or solemnly appointed<\/I> to fill the place of Moses, and lead the people into the promised land. If we read, with the common text, meshichecha<\/I>, “thy anointed,” the singular number, Joshua is undoubtedly meant, who was God’s instrument to put the people in possession of Canaan: but if, with several MSS. and some copies of the Septuagint<\/I>, we read meshicheycha<\/I>, “thy anointed ones,” the Israelites<\/I> must be intended. They are frequently called God’s anointed<\/I>, or God’s<\/I> saints<\/I>. The sense is very far-fetched when applied to Jesus<\/I> Christ<\/I>.<\/P> <\/P> Thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked<\/B><\/I>] This alludes to the slaying of the first-born<\/I> through all the land of Egypt. These were the heads<\/I> of the houses<\/I> or families<\/I>.<\/P> <\/P> By discovering the foundation unto the neck.<\/B><\/I>] The general meaning of this clause is sufficiently plain: the government of these lands should be utterly subverted; the very foundations of it should be razed<\/I>. But what means unto the neck<\/I>, ad tsavvar<\/I>? Several critics read ad tsur<\/I>, “Unto the ROCK,” that on which the house is founded: and this very intelligible reading is obtained by the omission<\/I> of a single letter<\/I>, aleph, from the word , This conjecture has been adopted by Newcome<\/I>, though unsupported either by MS. or version<\/I>. But is the conjecture necessary? I think not: read the verse as it ought to be read, and all will be plain. “Thou hast wounded the head even unto the neck, in the house of the wicked, by laying bare the foundation.” The whole head, neck, and all are cut off. There was no hope left to the Egyptians, because the first-born<\/I> of every family was cut off<\/I>, so that the very foundation<\/I> was laid bare<\/I>, no first-born being left to continue the heirship<\/I> of families.<\/P> <\/p>\n Thou wentest forth:<\/B> pursuant of his metaphor, the prophet speaks of God as marching on before his people; or it may refer to the ark, a token of Gods presence before the people. <\/P> For the salvation; <\/B>to complete the salvation begun in bringing them out of Egypt, and carrying them through the wilderness, and to be finished in settling them in Canaan. <\/P> Of the people; <\/B>thy chosen people, the tribes of thine inheritance. <\/P> Even for salvation:<\/B> it is repeated for confirmation, and to affect us with the greatness of the mercy. <\/P> With thine anointed; <\/B>or, for thine anointed, i.e. all Israel; or under the conduct of thine anointed, Joshua, type of the Messiah, by whose hand all these great things were done. <\/P> Thou woundedst the head; <\/B>gavest a deadly wound to the princes and kings of Canaan, enemies to Israel, who were cut off, and their families utterly destroyed. <\/P> Out of the house; <\/B>royal palaces, or ancient dwellings, and settled habitations; of which slaughter of Canaanitish kings, see Psa 136:17-20<\/span>. <\/P> Of the wicked; <\/B>the courts of these kings were houses of greatest wickednesses, for which they were destroyed. <\/P> By discovering the foundation unto the neck:<\/B> razing the foundations of their power, and destroying all from foot to head. <\/P> Selah:<\/B> all which is to be heeded, and well minded. <\/P> <\/p>\n 13. with thine anointed<\/B>withMessiah; of whom Moses, Joshua, and David, God’s anointed leaders ofIsrael, were the types (Psa 89:19<\/span>;Psa 89:20<\/span>; Psa 89:38<\/span>).God from the beginning delivered His people in person, or by the handof a Mediator (Isa 63:11<\/span>).Thus Habakkuk confirms believers in the hope of their deliverance, aswell because God is always the same, as also because the sameanointed Mediator is ready now to fulfil God’s will and interpose forIsrael, as of old [CALVIN].MAURER translates to suitthe parallelism, “for salvation to Thine anointed,” namely,Israel’s king<\/I> in the abstract, answering to the “people”in the former clause (compare Psa 28:8<\/span>;Lam 4:20<\/span>). Or Israel is meant,the anointed,<\/I> that is, consecrated people of Jehovah (Ps105:15<\/span>). <\/P> woundedst the head out of thehouse of the wicked<\/B>probably an allusion to Ps68:21<\/span>. Each head person<\/I> sprung from and belonging to thehouse of<\/I> Israel’s wicked<\/I> foes; such as Jabin, whose cityHazor was “the head of all the kingdoms” of Canaan (Jos11:10<\/span>; compare Jdg 4:2<\/span>;Jdg 4:3<\/span>; Jdg 4:13<\/span>).<\/P> discovering thefoundation<\/B>Thou destroyedst high and low. As “the head<\/I>of the house” means the prince, so the “foundation”means the general host<\/I> of the enemy. <\/P> unto the neck<\/B>imagefrom a flood reaching to the neck<\/I> (Isa 8:8<\/span>;Isa 30:28<\/span>). So God, by His wrathoverflowing on the foe, caused their princes’ necks<\/I> to betrodden under foot by Israel’s leaders (Jos 10:24<\/span>;Jos 11:8<\/span>; Jos 11:12<\/span>).<\/P><\/p>\n Thou wentest forth for the salvation of that people, [even] for salvation with thine anointed<\/strong>,…. Or, “thy Messiah”; which Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret of Messiah the son of David; and read and give the sense of the words thus,<\/p>\n “as thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, by bringing them into the land of Canaan, so do thou go forth for salvation with thy Messiah.”<\/p>\n God of old went forth in his power and providence for the salvation of his people, whom he chose above all people to be his special and peculiar people; making use of Moses and Aaron in bringing them out of Egypt, and leading them through the wilderness, and of Joshua to introduce them, and settle them in the land of Canaan; who were all types of Christ in the salvation of the chosen people. Joshua particularly was a type of Jesus; they agree in their name, which signifies a Saviour the salvation of God, or God the salvation; and in their character, office, and usefulness to the people of God, Jesus is the Lord’s “anointed”; anointed with the Holy Ghost, the oil of gladness, above his fellows, which he received without measure; anointed to the office of Prophet, Priest, and King; and from whom his people receive the unction, and are denominated Christians, or anointed ones: and the “people” of God, for whose salvation he went forth with him, are not all mankind, who are not all saved; nor the people of the Jews only, or all of them; but a peculiar people, out of Jews and Gentiles, loved with a special love; chosen to salvation, secured in the covenant of grace, and given to Christ as his portion and people, and so saved by him, Mt 1:21<\/span>. The “salvation” of them is a spiritual one, a salvation from all their sins; from the power and dominion, pollution and guilt, the damning power of them, and at last from the very being of them; as well as from Satan, the law, death, hell, and wrath to come: it is perfect and complete, and endures for ever. Jehovah the Father “went forth” with Christ his Son for this salvation, in his purposes and decrees concerning it; in his council and covenant relating to it; in the mission of him into this world to effect it; and by helping and assisting him in it, as man and Mediator. The words may be rendered, “thou wentest forth”; or, “thou goest forth”; thou wilt do so; and mayest thou do so, “to save thy people, to save thy anointed” t; and so respect not the salvation of Israel by Moses or Joshua; nor the spiritual and eternal salvation of God’s elect by the Messiah; but the salvation of the Lord’s people from mystical Babylon, from the oppression and tyranny of antichrist, and from all his false doctrines, superstition, and idolatry, and ruin by them; and particularly the salvation of the two witnesses, the two olive trees, the two anointed ones that stand before the Lord of the whole earth; the singular being put for the plural, “anointed” for “anointed ones”; and so the Alexandrian copy of the Septuagint version, and the Arabic version, render it, “thy Christs”, or “thy anointed ones”; now this will be done when the Lord shall go forth in his power and providence, and quicken and raise their dead bodies, when they have lain three days and a half, and shall cause them to ascend to heaven in the sight of their enemies; see Zec 4:14<\/span>:<\/p>\n thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked<\/strong>; not the princes of the families of the land of Canaan, as some; nor the first born of Pharaoh’s family in Egypt, or him and his host at the Red sea, as, others; nor Goliath of Gath, smitten by David, as Burkius; nor Satan and his principalities and powers by Christ on the cross; but antichrist the man of sin, that wicked and lawless one, who is at the bead of a wicked house or family, the antichristian party; who received a wound at the Reformation; and ere long the kings of the earth will hate the whore, eat her flesh, and burn her with fire; and Christ, will utterly consume and destroy this wicked one with the breath of his mouth, and the brightness of his coming, Re 13:3<\/span> see<\/p>\n Ps 110:6<\/span>. Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret this of the head of the army of wicked Gog, the king of Magog, taking it to belong to future time; and so some render all those phrases, “thou wilt go forth, thou wilt wound” u, c.:<\/p>\n by discovering the foundation unto the neck<\/strong> or “razing the foundation”, as in Ps 137:7<\/span>. There seems to be a double metaphor in the words, expressing the utter ruin and destruction of antichrist and his party; who, being compared to a building, will be demolished, and razed to the very foundation; that will be dug up, and laid bare, and no trace of an edifice to be seen any more; and, being compared to a human body, will be plunged into such distresses and calamities, as to be as it were up to the neck in them, from whence there is no escape and deliverance. Some understand this of the princes of this head, or of his friends, and those of his family that are nearest to him, as the neck is to the head; or of the whole body of the people under him, of which he will be deprived; and so be as a head without a body, and who cannot long survive them.<\/p>\n Selah<\/strong> is added as a mark of attention, something of moment and importance being observed.<\/p>\n t “ad salutem populi tui, ad servandum unctum tuum”, De Dieu. u “egredieris”; so some in Vatablus. “transfiges”; so some in Drusius.<\/p>\n The Prophet applies again to the present state of the people what he had before recorded—that God went forth with his Christ for the salvation of his people. Some consider that there is understood a particle of comparison, and repeat the verb twice, “As thou didst then go forth for the deliverance of thy people, so now wilt thou go forth for the deliverance of thy people with thy Christ.” But this repetition is strained. I therefore take the words of the Prophet simply as they are—that God went forth for the deliverance of his people. But when God’s people are spoken of, their gratuitous adoption must ever be remembered. How was it that the children of Abraham became the peculiar people of God? Did this proceed from any worthiness? Did it come to them naturally? None of these things can be alleged. Though then they differed in nothing from other nations, yet God was pleased to choose them to be a people to himself. By the title, the people of God, is therefore intimated their adoption. Now this adoption was not temporary or momentary, but was to continue to the end. Hence it was easy for the faithful to draw this conclusion—that they were to hope from God the same help as what he had formerly granted to the fathers. <\/p>\n Thou wentest forth, he says, for the salvation, for the salvation of thy people. He repeats the word salvation, and not without reason; for he wished to call attention to this point, as when he had said before—that God had not in vain manifested, by so many miracles, his power, as though he were angry with the sea and with rivers, but had respect to the preservation of his people. Since then the salvation of the Church has ever been the design of God in working miracles, why should the faithful be now cast down, when for a time they were oppressed by adversities? for God ever remains the same: and why should they despond, especially since that ancient deliverance, and also those many deliverances, of which he had hitherto spoken, are so many evidences of his everlasting covenant. These indeed ought to be connected with the word of God; that is, with that promise, according to which he had received the children of Abraham into favor for the purpose of protecting them to the end. “For salvation, for salvation,” says the Prophet, and that of his elect people. <\/p>\n He adds, with thy Christ. This clause still more confirms what Habakkuk had in view—that God had been from the beginning the deliverer of his people in the person of the Mediator. When God, therefore, delivered his people from the hand of Pharaoh, when he made a way for them to pass through the Red Sea, when he redeemed them by doing wonders, when he subdued before them the most powerful nations, when he changed the laws of nature in their behalf—all these things he did through the Mediator. For God could never have been propitious either to Abraham himself or to his posterity, had it not been for the intervention of a Mediator. Since then it has ever been the office of the Mediator to preserve in safety the Church of God, the Prophet takes it now for granted, that Christ was now manifested in much clearer light than formerly; for David was his lively image, as well as his successors. God then gave a living representation of his Christ when he erected a kingdom in the person of David; and he promised that this kingdom should endure as long as the sun and moon should shine in the heavens. Since, then, there were in the time of Habakkuk clearer prophecies than in past times respecting the eternity of this kingdom, ought not the people to have taken courage, and to have known of a certainty that God would be their Deliverer, when Christ should come? We now then apprehend the meaning of the Prophet. (61) But I cannot now go farther; I shall defer the subject until tomorrow. <\/p>\n (61) However true is what is said here, it seems not to be the doctrine of this text. The version of Aquila and the Vulgate have been followed as to the second clause of the verse. The Septuagint read, του σωσαι τον χριστον σου— to save thy Christ;” or, according to Alex. cod., “thy Christs —τους χριστους σου; ” or, according to Barb. MS., “thine elect —τους εκλεκτους σου. ” Five Hebrew MSS. have [ משיחיד ], “thine anointed ones.” But if “people” in the preceding line; or it may refer to Joshua and his successors, the singular being used, as it is often done by the Prophets, in the collective sense. The particle [ את ] before it is not often used as a preposition; and the word [ ישע ] may better be taken here as a verb, according to the Septuagint, than as a noun, though as a verb it most commonly occurs in Hiphil: but see 1Sa 23:5<\/span>; 2Sa 8:6<\/span>. The following would then be the version— <\/p>\n Go forth didst thou to save thy people, To save thine anointed: Thou didst smite the head from the house of the wicked, Emptying out the foundation even to the neck. <\/p>\n The reference in the two lines is evidently to the rooting out of the Canaanites, and not, as Newcome thinks, to the destruction of the firstborn in Egypt. The singular is poetically used for the plural: “head,” instead of heads, or chiefs, etc. The last line seems to be a proverbial saying, signifying an entire demolition, the very foundation being dug up, though so deep as to reach up to man’s neck. There is no MSS. nor version to countenance [ צור ], “rock,” which Houbigant and Newcome adopt.— Ed. <\/p>\n (13) Thou wentest<\/strong>.Here the verbs, though past, are best rendered by the English present.<\/p>\n Even for salvation<\/strong> . . .Better, even for the salvation of Thine anointed<\/em>scil.,<\/em> Thy chosen people, as also, perhaps, in Psa. 105:15<\/span>. The rendering of the Authorised Version has the support of Aquila and the Quinta. It is a possible rendering, but few impartial Hebraists will deny that the other is preferable. In the last half of the verse two figures are blendedthose of a house and a human body. Literally, it runs, Thou crushest the head of the house of the wicked<\/em> (comp. Psa. 110:6<\/span>), laying bare the foundation even to the neck.<\/em> The obvious meaning is that the house or race of the Chaldans is to be destroyed, root and branch.<\/p>\n ‘You wounded the head from the house of the wicked,<\/p>\n Laying bare the foundation, even to the neck. Selah (consider that!)<\/p>\n You pierced with his own staves the head of his warriors,<\/p>\n They came as a whirlwind to scatter me.<\/p>\n Their rejoicing was to devour the poor in secret.<\/p>\n You trod the sea with your horses,<\/p>\n The heap of mighty waters.’<\/p>\n Parallels with the conquest continue. The head from the house of the wicked can be seen as referring to a petty king or similar. Many were executed by Joshua (Jos 10:26<\/span>; Jos 12:7-24<\/span>). Some would be executed by striking the neck, presumably with a sword. The piercing with their own staves may well have referred to the Midianites and their allies (Jdg 7:22<\/span>) who slew each other in panic. They had descended like a whirlwind on Israel (Jdg 6:4<\/span>), and met their end mainly at each other’s hands. But in the end God will slay all the heads of the wicked.<\/p>\n ‘Their rejoicing was to devour the poor in secret.’ Those who slay in secret are especially cursed (Deu 27:24<\/span>). This suggests that the Midianites may have regularly secretly sought out lone people desperately seeking food in order to kill them out of vindictiveness. It depicts the worst kind of killer.<\/p>\n ‘You trod the sea with your horses, the heap of mighty waters.’ In Psa 77:15-20<\/span> YHWH is depicted in Hab 3:15<\/span> as redeeming His people, and it ends in Hab 3:19<\/span> with Him leading His people like a flock by the hand of Moses. But examination of the context demonstrates quite clearly that between these verses there was great divine activity in terms of water, a great storm and His making His way in the sea and His paths through the waters. This can only be vivid language referring to the crossing of the Reed Sea. Thus He trod the seas, the heap of mighty waters, at the Reed Sea. But what of the horses?<\/p>\n No mention is made in accounts of the wilderness journey of Israel as having horses, although it may well be that some important leaders did have one for their own use which they had obtained in Egypt. But in Isa 63:13<\/span> Yahweh is said to have led His people through the Reed Sea ‘as a horse in the wilderness’. Thus it may be that Habakkuk, knowing this verse from Isaiah and the ideas behind Psalms 77<\/span> (if not the Psalm itself) utilised the references in this way, the horses representing the people of Israel who were like a horse in the wilderness. Israel were YHWH’s horses.<\/p>\n Alternately it may be seeing the horses of the pursuing Egyptians as YHWH’s horses. They rode into the pathway in the Reed Sea with confidence, but found themselves struggling in the mud, and then treading the sea as the waters came down on them, only to perish.<\/p>\n But the most probable significance in view of Hab 3:8<\/span> is that it is referring to the horses of the heavenly host (2Ki 6:17<\/span>). YHWH is seen at the Reed Sea leading His invisible horses and their riders as they trod the sea and destroyed the Egyptian troops.<\/p>\n So the poem up to this point has been a glorious paean of victory and praise. It has depicted God as controlling nature, as delivering His people, and as showing His might in the earth. It is a full explanation of why He is able to bring about His purposes described in chapters 1 & 2.<\/p>\n Hab 3:13<\/span><\/em><\/strong>. <\/strong>Even for salvation with thine anointed<\/em><\/strong><\/strong> For the salvation of thine anointed. Thou woundedst the head of the house of the wicked; thou rasedst the foundations even to the rock. <\/em>Hab 3:14<\/span>. Thou piercedst through with thy sceptre the head of the villages. <\/em>Green. The persons who are said in this passage to be wounded, <\/em>and pierced through, <\/em>were some of the kings of Canaan; but which of them are meant, the history of Joshua is not particular enough to inform us. <\/p>\n This blessed verse serves as a key to open to us the whole passage, and according to my apprehension, defines at once the glorious visible Jehovah, spoken of through the whole, to mean Christ. The words may be rendered, thou goest forth; Micah therefore had authority to say, whose goings forth were from everlasting; and expressly declared it to be Him, who in after ages should come forth from Bethlehem. Mic 5:2<\/span> ; Mat 2:6<\/span> . And indeed of Him, and Him only, could the expression be warrantable, and that in his mediatorial character as the God-man, the Glory-man, Christ Jesus. For considered only as God, in the immensity and ubiquity of his essence and nature, there can be neither goings forth, nor retirings. I beg yet further to remark on this blessed passage, that some read this passage, thou wentest forth, or thou goest forth to save thy people, thine anointed ones. I apprehend that the Alexandrian copy of the Septuagint version so translates it. Hence, if so, the point is still yet clearer; for then it will be, Jehovah Jesus goings forth was for the salvation of his anointed ones. So called from being one with Christ, and anointed with Him, and in Him. Eph 4:7<\/span> . I beg the Reader to observe, that I do not presume to determine the matter. But I beg to say, that according to my view, it seems to correspond on this grand point to the tenor of the whole Bible. I cannot think it necessary to detain the Reader with any further observations of what salvation the Prophet is speaking. Surely he must see that it can be no other than the eternal salvation of the Church from death and hell: which the deliverance from Egypt, and afterwards Joshua’s carrying the Church into Canaan, were but types and shadows.<\/p>\n Hab 3:13 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.<\/p>\n Ver. 13. Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people<\/strong> ] q.d.<\/em> Thou wast Generalissimo<\/em> grand general in our expeditions, in the days of the judges, who therefore were so successful. How could they be otherwise, when God came with them into the field? If Queen Elizabeth could take for her motto, Cui adhaereo, praeest,<\/em> He to whom I adhere prevaileth, how much more may Almighty God say as much? <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Even for salvation with thine anointed<\/strong> ] i.e.<\/em> With David, 1Sa 16:12-13; 2Sa 5:3<\/span> ; 2Sa 5:17<\/span> ; 2Sa 19:22 ; 2Sa 22:51<\/span> ; Psa 20:7<\/span> ; a lively type of Christ, that Messiah the prince, the mystery of which promised Saviour the ancient Jewish doctors confessed to be contained in this text. It is not altogether unlikely that the prophet might intend here to point at Jesus Christ, when he saith, for salvation ( Jeshang,<\/em> whence Jesus) for thine anointed, or thy Christ. There are those who read the words in the future tense, thus: Thou shalt go forth for the salvation of thy people, sc.<\/em> when Messiah, the great Sospitator,<\/em> preserver cometh: thou shalt wound the head of the wicked, sc.<\/em> of the devil, Rom 16:20<\/span> . Thou shalt make naked the foundation of his kingdom, unto the neck. Selah<\/em> : thou shalt utterly destroy sin, death, and hell. A remarkable mercy indeed, a mystery of greatest concernment, and most worthy to be considered. Gualther carries the sense this way; and yet addeth, that if any please to refer the words to the history of the Old Testament, they must be understood as those tyrants that persecuted the true Church, and whom God, for Christ’s sake, subdued and subverted, together with their kingdoms.<\/p>\n anointed: i.e. for the salvation of Jehovah’s anointed People (sing). See Psa 105:15. <\/p>\n woundedst = dashest in pieces. <\/p>\n out of = from. <\/p>\n the wicked = [the] lawless one. Hebrew. rasha’. App-44. Looking forward to the final destruction of Israel’s enemy in the person of the Antichrist. The Targum (or Paraphrase) of Jonathan is remarkable: “the kingdom of Babylon will not remain, nor exercise dominion over Israel. The Romans will be destroyed, and not take tribute from Jerusalem; and therefore, on account of the marvelous deliverance which Thou wilt accomplish for Thine Anointed, and for the remnant of Thy People, they will praise the LORD”. <\/p>\n by discovering, &c.: i.e. overturning the house from the top (the neck) so completely as to lay bare the foundations. Such will he the final overthrow of Israel’s great enemy. <\/p>\n Selah. This third Selah connects this final overthrow and its magnitude, when contrasted with the enemy’s previous proud boasting and exaltation in Hab 3:14. It connects Jehovah’s doings also (Hab 3:14) with Jehovah’s goings (Hab 3:15). See App-66. <\/p>\n wentest: Exo 14:13, Exo 14:14, Exo 15:1, Exo 15:2, Psa 68:7, Psa 68:19-23 <\/p>\n with: Psa 77:20, Psa 89:19-21, Psa 99:6, Psa 105:15, Psa 105:26, Isa 63:11 <\/p>\n thou woundedst: Exo 12:29, Exo 12:30, Jos 10:11, Jos 10:24, Jos 10:42, Jos 11:8, Jos 11:12, Psa 18:37-45, Psa 68:21, Psa 74:13, Psa 74:14, Psa 110:6 <\/p>\n discovering: Heb. making naked <\/p>\n Reciprocal: Exo 14:28 – the waters Psa 3:2 – Selah Psa 7:5 – Selah Psa 7:13 – ordaineth Psa 68:8 – earth Isa 51:9 – the dragon Eze 13:14 – the foundation Amo 9:1 – cut them Mic 1:6 – and I will pour Mat 27:51 – the earth<\/p>\n Hab 3:13. The events of rescue mentioned here are both history and prophecy. God redeemed his people from Egypt and promised to rescue them from Babylon.<\/p>\n Hab 3:13-15. Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people For their deliverance and protection; even for salvation with thine anointed With those appointed and qualified to be leaders and rulers of thy people; such as Moses, Joshua, Samuel, and David. Thou woundedst the head out of the house of the wicked That is, the heads, or confederate princes, of the Canaanites, Jos 10:3; Jos 11:1; by discovering the foundation unto the neck Or, as Green renders it, Thou rasedst the foundations even to the rock. Thou didst strike through with his staves, &c. <\/p>\n Waterland reads, Thou didst strike through the head of his warriors among his tribes: and Houbigant, Thou, with thy sceptre, didst strike through the head of his princes. Thou didst discomfit all the petty kings of the several clans carrying on the war against Joshua. They came out as a whirlwind to scatter me The prophet here assumes the person of the Israelitish people, and therefore says, They came out to scatter me. Armies are sometimes spoken of as whirlwinds: see Zec 9:14. Their rejoicing was as to devour the poor secretly Or, in secret, that is, to devour those who were weak and defenceless, and should keep themselves in secret for fear. So the enemies of the Israelites, who came out as a whirlwind to scatter them, thought that they were not able to oppose them, but would hide themselves through fear; and they therefore exulted, as if they were marching to certain victory. Thou didst walk through the sea with thy horses This seems to be a highly figurative expression, to signify Gods dividing the waters of the Red sea and the river Jordan, and making them to stand on a heap, while the Israelites went through with as much safety as if they had rode on horses.<\/p>\n 3:13 Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people, [even] for salvation with thy {q} anointed; thou didst wound the head out of the house of the wicked, by laying bare the foundation to the {r} neck. Selah.<\/p>\n (q) Signifying that there is no salvation, except by Christ.<\/p>\n (r) From the top to the bottom you have destroyed the enemies.<\/p>\n 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. Isa 45:1) or Messiah (cf. Psa 2:2; Dan 9:26), or more than one of these.<\/p>\n "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 (Hab 1:2-4), or allowing oppression of his people to go unpunished (Hab 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 (Hab 1:12-17)-his people will be saved." [Note: Baker, pp. 74-75.] <\/span><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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. 13. Thou wentest forth ] Thou art come forth. for salvation with thine anointed] for the salvation (deliverance) of thine anointed. … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Habakkuk 3:13”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22792","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22792"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22792\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"