Habakkuk 3:13 (ESV)

13 You went out for the salvation of your people, for the salvation of your anointed. You crushed the head of the house of the wicked, laying him bare from thigh to neck. Selah

The Lord’s mission was not just to defeat the Babylonians but also to save his people. His intention was to come as their rescuer to deliver them, because they were his anointed and special people. Although the Israelites had disobeyed him, he did not reject them but reached out to free them from the captivity of their enemies.

His salvation was brought about by him crushing the head of the house of the wicked. The word, head is a reminder of the promise made by God that his Son would crush Satan (Genesis 3:15). The head referred to the leadership of the Babylonians, and their fall would be followed by the demise of the whole nation. The Babylonians would be stripped of their power and humbled before God resulting in them being conquered by him as described in the words, laying him bare from thigh to neck.