Habakkuk 3:14

“Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of his villages, etc.] Of his warriors, mighty men, princes; so the Vulgate Latin, Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions; or of his armies, as Jarchi and Kimchi; which some interpret of Pharaoh and his host, who were destroyed by the steps and methods which they themselves took, going into the sea of themselves, and so were struck through with their own staves: others of the princes and armies of the Canaanites, who destroyed one another with their own weapons of war, as the Midianites did; though we have no instance of it on record: others of Goliath, as Burkius, called before “the head out of the house of the wicked”, with respect to his…”

“strike . . . with his staves--with the "wicked" (Hab 3:13) foe's own sword (MAURER translates, "spears") (Jdg 7:22). head of his villages--Not only kings were overthrown by God's hand, but His vengeance passed through the foe's villages and dependencies. A just retribution, as the foe had made "the inhabitants of Israel's villages to cease" (Jdg 5:7). GROTIUS translates, "of his warriors"; GESENIUS, "the chief of his captains." to scatter me--Israel, with whom Habakkuk identifies himself (compare Hab 1:12). rejoicing . . . to devour the poor secretly--"The poor" means the Israelites, for whom in their helpless state the foe lurks in his lair, like a wild beast, to pounce on and devour (Psa…”

“Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of his villages - The destruction comes not upon himself only, but upon the whole multitude of his subjects; and this not by any mere act of divine might, but “with his own staves,” turning upon him the destruction which he prepared for others. So it often was of old. When the Midianites and Amalekites and the children of the east Judges 6:3-4 wasted Israel in the days of Gideon “the Lord set every man’s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host” Judges 7:22; and when God delivered the Philistines into the hand of Jonathan 1 Samuel 14:12, 1 Samuel 14:16, 1 Samuel 14:20 so it was with “Ammon Moab and the inhabitants of Mount…”

“Villages - All the cities and all the unwalled towns. They - The inhabitants of Canaan. As a whirlwind - With violence invading me on every side. To scatter - To disperse and drive away the Israelites. Their rejoicing - They rejoiced in full confidence of swallowing up Israel unawares. Habakkuk 3:15”

“the head: Exo 11:4-7, Exo 12:12, Exo 12:13, Exo 12:29, Exo 12:30, Exo 14:17, Exo 14:18; Psa 78:50, Psa 78:51, Psa 83:9-11 they: Exo 14:5-9, Exo 15:9, Exo 15:10; Psa 83:2, Psa 83:8, Psa 118:10-12; Act 4:27, Act 4:28 came out: Heb. were tempestuous, Dan 11:40; Zac 9:14 their: Exo 1:10-16, Exo 1:22; Psa 10:8, Psa 64:2-7 Habakkuk 3:15”