Charles Ellicott Commentary Habakkuk 1:12

"Art not thou from everlasting, O Jehovah my God, my Holy One? we shall not die. O Jehovah, thou hast ordained him for judgment; and thou, O Rock, hast established him for correction." — Habakkuk 1:12 (ASV)

We shall not die — i.e., God’s people may suffer, but shall not be obliterated, shall not be “given over to death.” The rest of the verse runs literally, Jehovah, for judgment You have appointed him, and O Rock, for chastisement You have founded him. “Him,” means, of course, the Chaldean invader, whom Habakkuk regards as raised up only to be God’s instrument of correction. The term “Rock” has been paraphrased in the Authorized Version. Used absolutely, it occurs as a Divine title in Deuteronomy 32:4. Generally it is qualified in some way, as “my rock,” “our rock,” “rock of salvation,” etc.