Nahum

Reasons for Judgment: The Violence, Lying, and Greed of Nineveh. bloody. The Assyrians were notorious for the atrocities they committed. lies. Second Kings 18:31–32 is an example of lying ultimately being traced back to the king who ruled from Nineveh (cf. 2 Chron. 28:20). plunder … prey. See Nah. 2:11–13.

Military Action at Nineveh and the Ensuing Slaughter of the Assyrians. Nahum quickly flashes to a vivid picture of the coalition forces attacking and entering Nineveh and slaughtering the Assyrians (cf. 2:3–5). Again, the details seem to come from an eyewitness.

Reasons for Judgment: The Wickedness of Nineveh. This verse uses figurative language to present reasons for the destruction of Nineveh. whorings. As the capital of idolatrous Assyria, Nineveh continually engaged in many violations of God’s will. graceful … deadly charms. Nineveh, with its power and wealth, exerted a corrupting influence throughout the Near East (cf. 2 Kings 16:18). betrays. The monarchy based in Nineveh did not hesitate to use treachery and deceit (see Nah. 3:1) to achieve its aims.

The Lord Speaks a Word of Judgment. The seductive prostitute (i.e., Nineveh; see v. 4) will receive a punishment befitting her shameful trade. The figurative language dramatically conveys the message that God will bring Nineveh’s wicked activity to an end and utterly humiliate the city by having it conquered and devastated. Its disgrace would be internationally known.

Behold, I am against you. Cf. 2:13. This repetition emphasizes the certainty of Nineveh’s doom.

who will grieve for her? The answer to the rhetorical question is that no one will grieve or comfort, not even some of those who gave in to the enticements of the alluring prostitute (but had no real love for her). People will shrink back, or flee, in horror at the sight of what will happen to Nineveh.

Comparison with the Conquest of Thebes. The prophet now recalls an event that was well known in the Near East, especially to the Assyrians, at the time of his writing: the capture and destruction of the Egyptian city of Thebes by the Assyrians in 664/663 B.C. To all who think it is impossible that Nineveh would fall, Nahum says, “Look at what happened to Thebes!”

Are you better than Thebes …? Nineveh was not better fortified and did not appear more invincible than Thebes, a very important, powerful city located in southern Egypt (about 400 miles/644 km from the Mediterranean). Nile … water around her. This mighty river, along with canals and channels from the Nile that surrounded most of Thebes, was an aspect of the city’s strong defense system and its seeming invulnerability. Rampart a sea is a poetic reference to the Nile (cf. Isa. 19:5), which was about half a mile wide at Thebes. The Nile, canals, and channels formed a natural outer wall for the city. Nineveh did not have similar protection.

Cush was the region just south of Egypt. Egypt refers to military aid coming from northern Egypt. The location of Put is not certain; perhaps it was situated along the north African coastline, just to the west of Libya, which was just to the west of the Nile delta region of Egypt. While Thebes could count on military assistance from these different areas, Assyria could not rely on help from any region.

Despite these strategic advantages, Thebes was taken by the Assyrians, sacked, and destroyed, and its inhabitants either slaughtered or taken off as exiles. lots were cast. The Assyrian soldiers cast lots to determine who would get the more highly prized men (with their education and skills) as slaves.

This verse directly applies vv. 8–10: “Nineveh, you can expect the same!” Just as a drunken man cannot effectively defend himself against an attacker, so Nineveh will not be able to turn back its enemies. hiding. Figuratively, Nineveh will be conquered and humiliated such that, if it could, the city would go into hiding from fear and shame. More literally, this could refer to the remnant band of Assyrians who fled to the west and temporarily had their base at Haran (see Introduction: Purpose, Occasion, and Background). Nineveh will find no refuge, unlike those who put their trust in the Lord (1:7).

A Taunting Song Presenting Nineveh’s Inevitable Destruction Because of the City’s Incessant Evil. After finishing the analogy with Thebes, the book concludes with a taunting song presenting Nineveh’s total defeat because of the city’s ceaseless evil.

The Assyrian fortresses surrounding Nineveh will be the first to encounter the advancing enemy army. The coalition forces will easily and quickly take these strongholds, with two results: First, the gates of Assyria will be wide open to the enemies since the fortresses which guarded those entrances have been destroyed. Second, the troops, i.e., the soldiers within Nineveh, will be demoralized and filled with fear so that they cannot acquit themselves as men in the coming siege. fire. See 2:13; 3:15. Your bars, that is, the bars or bolts of the gates, which had kept these entrances closed.

As the enemy draws close, Nahum tells the city to get ready for the siege (see 2:1). However, any preparations they make will be useless. Draw water. The Ninevites can anticipate that the enemy will shut off the city’s water supply by closing the river gates (see 2:6) and blocking the aqueduct system built by Sennacherib. Water could be stored inside the city in vessels and cisterns. forts. The fortresses and other fortifications at the walls and within the city would be strengthened or repaired with bricks, which were made from clay, shaped by molds, and held together with mortar.

No matter how well supplied and fortified Nineveh is, there the inhabitants will die. fire. Archaeologists have found evidence of a devastating fire at Nineveh. sword. Cf. 2:13. There will be mass extermination of the Ninevites, as when a locust plague strips the countryside of all vegetation (e.g., Joel 1:4–10). Multiply … locust … grasshopper. Nahum sarcastically tells the Ninevites, in preparation for the siege, to multiply themselves greatly and thus increase their strength.

You increased your merchants. When Nineveh was the proud capital of a vast empire, her merchants brought enormous wealth to the city. Now, however, these merchants, and the huge treasure in Nineveh, will do the city no good. The locust … flies away. Cf. v. 15. The enemy, having devoured all that there was in Nineveh through plundering (and slaughter and destruction), will quickly leave the scene.

Like swarms of grasshoppers or locusts that quickly fly away and disappear, some of the leading men of Nineveh, who for a while had been very prominent, will flee at the appearance of the enemy overrunning the city. Scribes were probably a type of official, perhaps “secretaries.”

king of Assyria. Cf. 1:11. Nahum, surveying the wreckage of Nineveh, addresses its monarchy with sarcastic language. Many of Nineveh’s shepherds (leaders and officials) and nobles are sleeping the slumber of death. Many of the people are forever dispersed. This verse may imply, since the king is alive to see the aftermath, that a shadow of the Assyrian monarchy would continue (briefly) after the fall of Nineveh (see Introduction: Purpose, Occasion, and Background). The wound that is grievous is a fatal injury. The Assyrian monarchy has received a mortal blow, and the absolute end is imminent. unceasing evil. The reign of the Assyrian emperors from Nineveh had continually caused terror and suffering. Nahum foretells that the Assyrian monarchy, and Nineveh, will experience this same evil that it meted out to other peoples of the Near East. Nahum ends his book with a rhetorical question, joining Jonah as the only other biblical writer to do so.