Habakkuk 3:14
“Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of his villages: they came out as a whirlwind to scatter me: their rejoicing was as to devour the poor secretly.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →God turns the enemy's own weapons against him, defeating those who stormed out to scatter the helpless and devour the poor.
What Does Habakkuk 3:14 Mean?
The defeat of the wicked is described with poetic intensity. God pierces the enemy's leaders with their own weapons. They had stormed out like a whirlwind to scatter God's people, gloating as if to devour the poor in secret. But their assault is turned back upon them by the hand of God.
Two things shine here. First, the wicked are undone by their own devices — their weapons turned against them, a recurring mark of divine justice. Second, God's special concern for "the poor" comes into view; the secret devouring of the helpless does not escape Him. The Lord defends those who cannot defend themselves and overturns the schemes of their oppressors. For all who feel small and preyed upon, this is assurance that God sees, and that the predator's whirlwind will be turned back by a greater power.