John Gill Commentary Habakkuk 3:12

"Thou didst march though the land in indignation; Thou didst thresh the nations in anger." — Habakkuk 3:12 (ASV)

You marched through the land with indignation
Not the land of Canaan, fighting against the inhabitants of it, dispossessing them to make room for the Israelites, whatever allusion may be to it; but the antichristian land, the whole Romish jurisdiction, and all the states of it, through which the Lord will march in wrath and fury, when he pours out the vials of it upon them; or this is desired, and prayed for; for it may be rendered, "do you march through the land" ^F18 ; foreseeing and believing that he would.

You threshed the heathen in anger ;
or, "do you thresh" ^F19 , &c.; these are the Papists, called heathens and Gentiles in Scripture, because of the heathenish customs and practices they have introduced into the Christian religion, (Psalms 10:16) (Revelation 11:2) these are the nations that will be gathered together like sheaves of grain on a floor to be threshed; and when Zion the church of Christ, and Christian princes, will be called upon to arise, and thresh them; and the Lord by them will do it, namely, separate his own people from them, which are like wheat, and utterly destroy them, as chaff and stubble, (Micah 4:12Micah 4:13) .

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FOOTNOTES:

• F18: (deut) "progredlaris", Van Till.
• F19: (vwdt) "tritures", Van Till.