Introduction
Overview
During the reign of Jeroboam II (786–746 BC), as recorded in the book of Jonah, the city of Nineveh repents and escapes the judgment of God. The book of Nahum reveals that the repentance of Nineveh was apparently short-lived. In the latter half of the eighth century and throughout the first half of the seventh century, the Assyrians, with their capital at Nineveh, were ever growing in power and in ferocity. They expanded their empire all the way to Egypt, completely destroying the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BC and unsuccessfully besieging Jerusalem in 701 BC.
Nahum proclaims judgment on the Assyrians and the destruction of their capital city, Nineveh. In the opening verses Nahum declares that the Lord will bring about judgment on his enemies. Then throughout the book, Nahum uses colorful and graphic language to describe the end of Nineveh. For example, in 2:11 he compares the destruction of Nineveh to the end of a lions’ den, where the cubs and the lioness previously ate safely but can do so no longer. Nahum ends the book by saying that everyone who hears about the fall of Assyria will clap their hands in joy, because they have all felt the cruel hand of the Assyrian army.
Nahum the Prophet
The opening verse of the book of Nahum identifies the author as Nahum the Elkoshite. Apart from this, nothing certain is known of him. Suggestions as to his birthplace are largely conjectural and include Elkosi in Galilee, Al Qosh in Iraq, Capernaum (“Village of Nahum”), and Elcesei, a Judean village.
Structure
The three chapters can be divided into two parts. Chapter 1 describes the majesty and righteousness of God in his dealings with humankind, his kindness toward those who trust him, and his wrath toward those who reject him. Though Judah and Nineveh are clearly in view, the language is universally applicable. Chapters 2 and 3 describe the destruction of Nineveh and give the reasons for this.
Date
The book can be dated somewhere between 663 and 612 BC. According to 3:8 it was written after the destruction of Thebes (No-amon), which was destroyed in 663 by Ashurbanipal. The other limit is 612, the year of the fall of Nineveh. There is no objective evidence that the book is not what it claims to be: an oracle announcing the coming destruction of Nineveh.
Theological Themes
Nahum forms a natural sequel to the book of Jonah in that it reveals the alternative to the grace of God. In the book of Jonah, Nineveh experiences the forgiving grace of God about 150 years before the cataclysmic destruction depicted so graphically by Nahum. In his resentment toward God’s pardoning of Nineveh, Jonah (4:2) quotes Ex 34:6, one of the basic texts of the OT and one frequently quoted or alluded to by OT writers. It is a grand pronouncement by the Lord himself that he is a gracious and merciful and forgiving God. It is for this very reason that Jonah initially refuses to preach to Nineveh, because he understands very well that this pronouncement, seen in its context, is an assurance of forgiveness to all who would repent of their sins, and he has no desire to see Nineveh spared. The sparing of the Ninevites is an outstanding example of the extent of God’s forgiving love.
Nahum, writing possibly 100 to 125 years after Jonah, at the high point of the power and arrogance of Nineveh, vividly sets forth the calamitous downfall of a later, unrepentant generation. Nahum 1:3 quotes a portion of Ex 34:6 (“slow to anger”) and of Ex 34:7 (“will never leave the guilty unpunished”). The point is clearly and unmistakably made that, though God is slow to anger, punishment is certain and sure for unrepentant sinners.
In a very real sense, then, Jonah and Nahum vividly illustrate “God’s kindness and severity” (Rm 11:22). He extends his grace freely to repentant sinners, but judgment is certain and final for those who continue in sin and rebellion.
Another prominent theme is comfort. The very name of the prophet indicates this (Nahum means “Comfort”). This theme is carried out in two ways. First, in a number of specific statements (1:7, 12–13, 15; 2:2) Nahum declares that God is a refuge for those who trust him, that he will remove the yoke and shackles of bondage from Judah, that Judah will again rejoice in true peace and security, and that her splendor will be restored. These statements are gems that shine brightly in the midst of the graphic portrayal of Nineveh’s sin and downfall.
Second, the fact that God judges Nineveh with such finality and so irrevocably cannot but be an unspeakably great relief for those who for years have lived under the dread domination of the cruel and vindictive Assyrians. It is no great wonder that Jonah resents the sparing of Nineveh. Yet, though Jonah is not able to see the whole picture, Nahum shows us how carefully and accurately God keeps his books and how surely and with what finality he closes the account in his own time and way. Nineveh lies a desolate and unmourned ruin with no future, while Judah will prosper again.
The downfall of Assyria demonstrates the principle that God’s enemies, no matter how powerful, will in God’s own time fall. This principle is clearly stated in chapter 1, and the fact that God passes sentence on an unnamed enemy (though Nineveh is certainly in view) makes it easy to see Nineveh as an example of what will happen to all evil kingdoms. It would seem that chapter 1 is deliberately general for this very reason. While God is indeed slow to anger, he is not lacking in either power or resolve (1:2–3), and he will surely bring judgment on the sinner. Chapters 2 and 3, then, graphically portray the carrying out of God’s judgment. That Assyria should fall was an incredible thought in Nahum’s time, yet God carried out his promise to the letter.
Outline
1. The Zeal and Power of God (1:1–2:2)
A. The Principle Underlying Divine Judgment (1:1–6)
B. Destruction and Deliverance Contrasted (1:7–2:2)
2. The Siege and Destruction of Nineveh (2:3–13)
3. The Cause and Certainty of Nineveh’s Downfall (3:1–19)