The Book of
Author
Nahum, whose name means “Comforter” or “Full of Comfort,” is unknown except for the brief caption that opens his prophecy. His identification as an “Elkoshite” does not help greatly, since the location of Elkosh is uncertain. Capernaum, the city in Galilee so prominent in the ministry of Jesus, means “Village of Nahum,” and some have speculated, but without solid proof, that its name derives from the prophet. He prophesied to Judah during the reigns of Manasseh, Amon, and Josiah. His contemporaries were Zephaniah, Habakkuk, and Jeremiah.
Background and Date
In Nahum 3:8–10, the prophet recounts the fate of the Egyptian city of Thebes, which was destroyed in 663 B.C. Nineveh’s fall, around which the entire book revolves, occurred in 612 B.C. Nahum’s prophecy must date between these two events, since he looks backward to one and forward to the other. Most likely, his message was delivered shortly before the destruction of Nineveh, perhaps as Assyria’s enemies were marshalling their forces for the final attack.
The kingdom of the Assyrians, with their capital at Nineveh, had been a thriving nation for centuries by the time the prophet Nahum appeared on the scene. Their territory, which changed over the years with the conquests and defeats of various rulers, lay north of Babylonia, between and beyond the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Ancient documents attest the cruelty of the Assyrians against other nations. Assyrian kings boast of their savagery, celebrating the abuse and torture they inflicted on conquered peoples.
In 722–721 B.C., the Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom of Israel. At that time they also severely threatened Judah, the southern kingdom. Only divine intervention prevented the desecration of Jerusalem a few years later in 701 B.C. (see 1 Kin. 17—19). Now, over a century later, the empire whose atrocities made the world tremble and who acted as God’s instrument against a sinful Israel, teetered on the verge of divine destruction.
The fall of the Assyrian Empire, climaxed by the destruction of the capital city of Nineveh in 612 B.C., is the subject of the prophecy of Nahum. The doom about to descend upon the world’s great oppressor is the single occasion for Nahum’s pronouncement. Consequently, the prophecy is judicial in style, incorporating ancient “judgment oracles.” The language is poetic, forceful, and figurative, underscoring the intensity of the topic with which Nahum wrestles.
While the judgment of Assyria is the overwhelming theme of Nahum, the book is primarily a message of comfort to the people of Judah. News of the destruction of the world’s great tyrant would come as welcome relief to people shuddering with apprehension and anxiety. Political bondage was always a theological problem for the people of Israel, because this was one of the curses God had promised for disobedience (Deut. 28:33, 36, 37, 49–52). Release from the terror of Assyrian domination would bring with it a renewed sense of God’s good favor. Nahum’s two-pronged proclamation of condemnation and comfort is well summarized in 1:7–9. Unfortunately, Judah failed to heed the warning seen in Assyria’s fall and the subsequent rise to power of Babylon. She continued in moral rebellion, which would result in her fall to Babylon in 586 B.C.
Content
The Book of Nahum focuses on a single concern: the fall of the city of Nineveh. Three major sections, corresponding to the three chapters, comprise the prophecy. The first describes God’s great power and how that power works itself out in the form of protection for the righteous but judgment for the wicked. Though God is never quick to judge, His patience cannot forever be taken for granted. All the Earth is under His control; and when He appears in power, even nature shrinks before Him (1:1–8). In her state of distress and affliction (1:12), Judah could easily doubt God’s goodness and even question His power. But the Lord promises to restore peace (1:15), to defeat the enemies of His people (1:13–15), and to remove the threat of renewed affliction (1:9). The prediction of Nineveh’s doom forms a message of consolation to Judah (1:15).
The second major section of the prophecy describes the coming destruction of Nineveh (2:1–13). Attempts to defend the city against her attackers will be in vain because the Lord has decreed the fall of Nineveh and the rise of Judah (2:1–7). Floods will inundate the city, sweeping away all the mighty, man-made structures (2:6). Nineveh’s citizens will be carried away captive (2:7); others will flee in terror (2:8). Precious treasures will be plundered (2:9); all strength and self-confidence will melt away (2:10). The mighty lion’s den will be reduced to desolation, because “ ‘I am against you,’ says the LORD of hosts” (2:11–13).
The third chapter forms the final section of the book. God’s judgment may seem overly harsh, but He is justified in His condemnation. Nineveh was a “bloody city” (3:1), a city guilty of shedding the innocent blood of other people. She was a city known for deceit, falsehood, theft, and debauchery (3:1, 4). Such vice was an offense to God, so His verdict of judgment was inevitable (3:2, 3, 5–7). Like No Amon, an Egyptian city that fell despite numerous allies and strong defenses, Nineveh cannot escape divine judgment (3:8–13). All efforts to survive prove futile (3:14, 15). Troops scatter, leaders perish, and the people run for the hills (3:16–18). God’s judgment has fallen, and the peoples Assyria once victimized so mercilessly rejoice and celebrate in response to the news (3:19).
Personal Application
Nahum graphically portrays the seriousness of sin in the sight of God. Though His mercy and patience may cause Him to withhold judgment for a season, God will ultimately announce a day of reckoning. When His righteous judgment is unleashed, no human or superhuman power can withstand its force. His dominion extends over all that exists, and He sits on the bench as Judge over both individuals and nations.
Nahum calls us to serious self-examination and warns against the subtle sin of believing that life can be lived apart from the will and the ways of God. He chides us for becoming overly smug and secure in our faith, for Assyria, once used as God’s instrument (Is. 10:5, 6), now becomes the object of His wrath. The most frightening words anyone could ever experience are those directed toward Nineveh by the Lord: “Behold, I am against you” (2:13). With such prospects in view, serious self-examination should lead us into wholehearted repentance.
Misuse and abuse of other people is sin in God’s sight. Assyria built an empire by raping and plundering others, but national or personal kingdoms founded on deceit and tyranny also are displeasing to the Lord and will be judged by Him. A life of wickedness eventually will lead to isolation, not only from other people, but also from God. Others will withdraw from you, and God will finally be forced to judge (3:19).
Graciously, His judgment against the sinful is offset by His mercy toward the faithful. To the proud, the arrogant, and the rebellious He comes with condemnation. To the humble, the devoted, and the faithful He comes with comfort.
Assyria’s long-awaited doom teaches that God’s goodness and justice will prevail, though circumstances may seem contradictory. His concern for His people is unceasing, though He may sometimes seem slow to act or far removed. The antidote for discouragement among believers is a revitalized vision of the person and power of God. It is a renewed understanding that vengeance is the work of God, not of ourselves. True faith leaves judgment in the hands of God.
The truth of God’s judgment upon sin and the sinner should prompt believers to a renewed evangelistic mission. Those we fail to reach with the saving message of the gospel will indeed suffer the wrath of God.
Christ Revealed
The Book of Nahum pronounces God’s judgment on sin and evil, personified in the wickedness of the Assyrians. Nineveh was indeed destroyed, but that partial and temporary defeat of evil awaited the complete and permanent conquest that would come only through Jesus Christ. Nahum’s prophecy proclaims that God cannot countenance evil, that sin must be cut off from the Earth. At the crucifixion of Christ, God drove the final nail into sin’s coffin by cutting off His own Son. See Matt. 27:46; 2 Cor. 5:21. God’s final judgment on wickedness and evil took place at the Cross. That is surely reason for even greater celebration than that prompted by the fall of Nineveh (Nah. 3:19).
But the counterpart, God’s greatest demonstration of His goodness, is also revealed in Jesus Christ. Nahum proclaims that God is good, but His goodness was brought to its climax only in Christ (Rom. 5:6–11). God’s goodness was enfleshed in Jesus, a living declaration of the good tidings of peace. Now humanity has a way to return to its God-appointed tasks and calling (Nah. 1:15). The wicked lioness (Nah. 2:11, 12) has been defeated and replaced by the righteous Lion of the tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5). God’s vengeance against sin has been satisfied through the sacrifice of His Son.
The Holy Spirit at Work
No specific references to the Holy Spirit occur in the Book of Nahum. However, the Spirit’s work in the production of the prophecy and in the direction of the events depicted in the book must be assumed.
The heading of the book describes it as “the vision of Nahum” (1:1). The Holy Spirit functions here as the Revealer, the One who opens to Nahum the drama that unfolds before him and imparts the message from the Lord he is commissioned to deliver.
The Holy Spirit must also function as the Great Instigator in the downfall of Nineveh. Enemies, among them the Babylonians, Medes, and Scythians, gather forces against the Assyrians and sack the city. God uses human agents to carry out His judgment, but behind it all is the working of His Spirit, prompting, pushing, and punishing according to the will of God. By the work of the Spirit, the Lord mustered His troops and led them into victorious battle.
Outline of Nahum
I. Title 1:1
II. The verdict of God 1:2–15
A. The jealousy of God 1:2–6
B. The gentleness of God 1:7
C. The judgment of Nineveh 1:8–14
D. The joy of Judah 1:15
III. The vengeance of God 2:1–13
A. The destruction of Nineveh 2:1–12
B. The declaration of the Lord 2:13
IV. The victory of God 3:1–19
A. The sins of Nineveh 3:1–4
B. The siege of Nineveh 3:5–18
C. The celebration over Nineveh 3:19
1 THE 1burden aagainst Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
God’s Wrath on His Enemies
2 God is ajealous, and the LORD avenges;
The LORD avenges and is furious.
The LORD will take vengeance on His adversaries,
And He reserves wrath for His enemies;
3 The LORD is aslow to *anger and bgreat in power,
And will not at all acquit the wicked.
cThe LORD has His way
In the whirlwind and in the storm,
And the clouds are the dust of His feet.
4 aHe rebukes the sea and makes it dry,
And dries up all the rivers.
bBashan and Carmel wither,
And the flower of Lebanon wilts.
5 The mountains quake before Him,
The hills melt,
And the earth 1heaves at His presence,
Yes, the *world and all who dwell in it.
6 Who can stand before His indignation?
And awho can endure the fierceness of His anger?
His fury is poured out like fire,
And the rocks are thrown down by Him.
A stronghold in the day of trouble;
And bHe knows those who *trust in Him.
8 But with an overflowing flood
He will make an utter end of its place,
And darkness will pursue His enemies.
9 aWhat do you 1conspire against the LORD?
bHe will make an utter end of it.
Affliction will not rise up a second time.
10 For while tangled alike thorns,
bAnd while drunken like drunkards,
cThey shall be devoured like stubble fully dried.
11 From you comes forth one
Who plots evil against the LORD,
A 1wicked counselor.
12 Thus says the LORD:
“Though they are 1safe, and likewise many,
Yet in this manner they will be acut down
When he passes through.
Though I have afflicted you,
I will afflict you no more;
13 For now I will break off his yoke from you,
And burst your bonds apart.”
14 The LORD has given a command concerning you:
1“Your name shall be perpetuated no longer.
Out of the house of your gods
I will cut off the carved image and the molded image.
I will dig your agrave,
15 Behold, on the mountains
The afeet of him who brings good tidings,
Who proclaims peace!
O Judah, keep your appointed feasts,
Perform your vows.
For the 1wicked one shall no more pass through you;
He is butterly cut off.
The Destruction of Nineveh
1 He1 who scatters has come up before your face.
Man the fort!
Watch the road!
Strengthen your flanks!
Fortify your power mightily.
2 For the LORD will restore the excellence of Jacob
Like the excellence of Israel,
For the emptiers have emptied them out
And ruined their vine branches.
3 The shields of his mighty men are made red,
The valiant men are in scarlet.
The chariots come with flaming torches
In the day of his preparation,
And 1the spears are brandished.
4 The chariots rage in the streets,
They jostle one another in the broad roads;
They seem like torches,
They run like lightning.
5 He remembers his nobles;
They stumble in their walk;
They make haste to her walls,
And the defense is prepared.
6 The gates of the rivers are opened,
And the palace is dissolved.
She shall be led away captive,
She shall be brought up;
And her maidservants shall lead her as with the voice of doves,
Beating their breasts.
8 Though Nineveh of old was like a pool of water,
Now they flee away.
1“Halt! Halt!” they cry;
But no one turns back.
9 1Take spoil of silver!
Take spoil of agold!
There is no end of treasure,
Or wealth of every desirable prize.
10 She is empty, desolate, and waste!
The heart melts, and the knees shake;
Much pain is in every side,
And all their faces 1are drained of color.
11 Where is the dwelling of the alions,
And the feeding place of the young lions,
Where the lion walked, the lioness and lion’s cub,
And no one made them afraid?
12 The lion tore in pieces *enough for his cubs,
1Killed for his lionesses,
aFilled his caves with prey,
And his dens with 2flesh.
13 “Behold, aI am against you,” says the LORD of hosts, “I will burn 1your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions; I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your bmessengers shall be heard no more.”
The Woe of Nineveh
1 Woe to the abloody city! It is all full of lies and robbery.
Its 1victim never departs.
And the noise of rattling wheels,
Of galloping horses,
Of 1clattering chariots!
3 Horsemen charge with bright sword and glittering spear.
There is a multitude of slain,
A great number of bodies,
Countless corpses—
They stumble over the corpses—
4 Because of the multitude of 1harlotries of the 2seductive harlot,
aThe mistress of sorceries,
Who sells nations through her harlotries,
And families through her sorceries.
5 “Behold, I am aagainst you,” says the LORD of hosts;
b“I will lift your skirts over your face,
I will show the nations your nakedness,
And the kingdoms your shame.
6 I will cast abominable filth upon you,
And make you ba spectacle.
7 It shall come to pass that all who look upon you
aWill flee from you, and say,
b‘Nineveh is laid waste!
cWho will bemoan her?’
Where shall I seek *comforters for you?”
8 aAre you better than bNo1 Amon
That was situated by the 2River,
That had the waters around her,
Whose rampart was the sea,
Whose wall was the sea?
9 Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength,
And it was boundless;
aPut and Lubim were 1your helpers.
10 Yet she was carried away,
She went into captivity;
aHer young children also were dashed to pieces
bAt the head of every street;
They ccast lots for her honorable men,
And all her great men were bound in chains.
11 You also will be adrunk;
You will be hidden;
You also will seek refuge from the enemy.
12 All your strongholds are afig trees with ripened figs:
If they are shaken,
They fall into the mouth of the eater.
13 Surely, ayour people in your midst are women!
The gates of your land are wide open for your enemies;
Fire shall devour the bbars of your gates.
14 Draw your water for the siege!
aFortify your strongholds!
Go into the clay and tread the mortar!
Make strong the brick kiln!
15 There the fire will devour you,
The sword will cut you off;
It will eat you up like a alocust.
Make yourself many—like the locust!
Make yourself many—like the swarming locusts!
16 You have multiplied your amerchants more than the stars of heaven.
The locust plunders and flies away.
17 aYour commanders are like swarming locusts,
And your generals like great grasshoppers,
Which camp in the hedges on a cold day;
When the sun rises they flee away,
And the place where they are is not known.
18 aYour shepherds slumber, O bking of Assyria;
Your nobles rest in the dust.
Your people are cscattered on the mountains,
And no one gathers them.
19 Your injury has no healing,
aYour wound is severe.
bAll who hear news of you
Will *clap their hands over you,
For upon whom has not your wickedness passed continually?
1:1 Burden: A threatening word. Nahum’s message is the only prophecy in the OT identified as a book. Nineveh, representing the entire Assyrian Empire, was a magnificent city located on the eastern bank of the Tigris River in modern Iraq. It was founded by Nimrod (Gen. 10:8–11) and was surrounded by a wall almost 8 miles in circumference. The city could accommodate an estimated 300,000 people. See note on Jon. 3:3.
1:2, 3 The LORD translates the Hebrew Yahweh, the covenant name for God. He is jealous, demanding undivided devotion, and is intent on protecting and vindicating His people. His mercy and patience make Him slow to anger.
1:3 See section 3 of Truth-In-Action at the end of Nah.
1:4 Nahum refers to the Lord’s parting the sea and leading Israel out of Egypt (Ex. 14) and to His cutting off the river when Israel crossed the Jordan to enter Canaan (Josh. 3). Bashan, Carmel, and Lebanon were areas renowned for their fertility.
1:5 Even the greatest emblems of strength and stability, mountains, hills, and the earth, shudder in the presence of God.
1:7 See section 4 of Truth-In-Action at the end of Nah.
1:7 The Assyrians regarded Nineveh as an invincible fortress. Beyond its massive walls, a system of canals, moats, outworks, and armed guards provided strong defenses. But as strong as Nineveh was, the Lord is the real stronghold for those who trust in Him.
1:8 The flood probably refers to natural disaster combined with enemy invasion. The end came for Nineveh in 612 B.C. at the hands of a coalition headed by the Medes and Babylonians.
1:9 The Lord would not allow Assyria to defeat His people a second time. They had been used previously against Israel in 722 B.C.
1:11 The one who plots evil is probably a general reference to the habitually wicked character of the Assyrian rulers. It could refer either to Sennacherib, whose planned attack on Jerusalem in 701 B.C. was thwarted (2 Kin. 18), or to Ashurbanipal, the last great Assyrian ruler (669–627 B.C.), who conquered Egypt and forced King Manasseh of Judah to submit as his puppet (2 Chr. 33:11–13).
1:12, 13 See section 1 of Truth-In-Action at the end of Nah.
1:12, 13 The Assyrians could not rely on numbers, allies, and past victories to anticipate continued dominion over their kingdom. They failed to reckon with the God of Israel, who had previously used them as His instrument to afflict His own people (Is. 10:5). Now He would break their dominion and remove the yoke of slavery from Judah.
1:14 As God had previously used the Assyrians, He uses the Medes, the Babylonians, and the Scythians to dig the grave for Nineveh. Ezek. 32:22, 23 confirms this prophecy.
1:15 See section 2 of Truth-In-Action at the end of Nah.
1:15 The mountains are those surrounding Jerusalem. The message is one of deliverance from the oppression of the enemy, which allows the people of Judah to resume their appointed feasts and fulfill their vows without the threat of the wicked one. See Is. 52:7 and Rom. 10:15.
2:1 He who scatters is the coalition of Medes, Babylonians, and Scythians about to attack Nineveh. The Assyrians practiced a policy of deporting conquered peoples from their homelands and scattering them throughout their empire, thereby stripping them of identity and continuity. The tribes of the northern kingdom suffered this fate. But Assyria the great scatterer will be scattered by others. The short, staccato lines Man the fort! Watch the road! depict the urgency of preparing for impending attack; but a sense of irony pervades, because all the efforts of the Assyrians are futile in the face of the judgment of God.
2:2 The ruin of Assyria is offset by the restoration of God’s people. The LORD will restore their excellence. Jacob and Israel refer to the southern and northern kingdoms respectively. In that the northern kingdom never returned, Nahum’s reference is likely to include the future blessings of God’s covenant people in the church age, Millennium, and world to come; all these are part of the OT Day of the Lord. See note on Obad. 15.
2:3, 4 The conflict between the mighty men of the invaders and Nineveh’s troops is engaged. Military weaponry is graphically described: shields are made red in preparation for the battle. The valiant men are clad in scarlet, the battle colors of the invaders. The chariots, the zenith of military weaponry in the seventh century B.C., surge forward like flaming steel.
2:5 He, the king of Assyria, musters his best troops, but their efforts are bumbling in the face of the skill of the attackers. By this point, the invaders have likely crossed the 150-foot moat outside Nineveh and have moved battering rams into position against one or more of the 15 gates in the wall around the city.
2:6 Besides the Tigris River on the west, the Khoser, a spring-fed stream, traversed Nineveh. A canal also ran through the city. Sennacherib (705–681 B.C.) had built a series of dams to control water flow. The invaders likely closed the gates of the rivers to stop the flow of water and make their approach to Nineveh easier, then suddenly opened the gates to release torrents of water and unleash a destructive flood on the city. The palace, likely constructed of dried mud bricks, would literally dissolve.
2:7 Nineveh is disgraced and humiliated.
2:8–10 Nineveh was once like a beautiful pool of water, with all her waterways neatly designed, but now God has pulled the plug, and everything is draining away. Ancient records attest to the great amounts of plunder taken from Nineveh.
2:11, 12 In a twist of irony, Nahum employs the figure of a lion to mock the fall of Nineveh. The lion was the symbol of the nation (Hos. 5:13, 14), and Assyrian rulers often depicted themselves as the “king of the beasts.”
2:13 Nineveh’s fall is an act of divine retribution. Ancient records and modern excavations confirm that portions of the city were burned. The fall of Nineveh silenced the voice of Assyria forever.
3:1–4 The wickedness of Assyria is cataloged in graphic fashion. Nineveh was indeed a bloody city, guilty of shedding the innocent blood of multitudes of victims. Her wealth and power made Nineveh a seductive ally, but she was really a harlot, demanding heavy payment for her services.
3:5–7 Nineveh receives the judgment of the prostitute and the adulteress—public exposure and disgrace. Ezek. 16:35–39 describes similar judgment on Jerusalem.
3:8, 9 Amon was the supreme sun-god of Egypt. No Amon, meaning “City of Amon,” was also known as Thebes. Thebes, located on the upper Nile River about 350 miles south of modern Cairo, was the center of the Egyptian Empire for nearly 1,400 years, until Assyria conquered it in 663 B.C. It was surrounded by waterways and sacred temples, much like Nineveh, and boasted allies like Put (Somaliland) and Lubim (Libya). The greatness of Thebes was legendary. Nahum mentioned her as a reminder that even the greatest fall.
3:10 The punishment inflicted on Thebes by Assyria will now fall on Nineveh.
3:12 Nineveh is ripe for judgment, and her enemies are eager to partake of the fruit. The conquest is as easy as shaking ripe figs from a tree.
3:13 Women were not trained for war, and they could not withstand men in hand-to-hand combat.
3:14 These were the normal preparations for a siege. Water was always the target of enemy efforts; shortage of water would wilt any attempted defense. More brick would be necessary to repair damage to the fortifications.
3:15–17 All the frantic effort is in vain. Ancient sources indicate that the Assyrian king died in the fire that consumed his palace.
3:18 The shepherds are leaders, ones upon whom the king would depend. But instead of rallying to defend Nineveh, they slumber in death. Without leadership, the people are scattered: the “Queen City” of the ancient East has lost all her subjects.
3:19 The ruin of Nineveh evokes the rejoicing of the nations.
CHAPTER 1
1 oracle, prophecy
* See WW at Judg. 10:7.
1 Tg. burns
* See WW at Jer. 51:15.
a [Jer. 33:11]
* See WW at Ezek. 34:14.
* See WW at Zeph. 3:12.
1 Or devise
1 Lit. counselor of Belial
a [Is. 10:16–19, 33, 34]
1 Or at peace or complete
1 Lit. No more of your name shall be fruitful
2 Or contemptible
1 Lit. one of Belial
CHAPTER 2
1 Vg. He who destroys
1 Lit. the cypresses are shaken; LXX, Syr. the horses rush about; Vg. the drivers are stupefied
1 Heb. Huzzab
1 Lit. Stand
1 Plunder
1 LXX, Tg., Vg. gather blackness; Joel 2:6
1 Lit. Strangled
2 Torn flesh
b 2 Kin. 18:17–25; 19:9–13, 23
1 Lit. her
CHAPTER 3
1 Lit. prey
1 bounding or jolting
1 Spiritual unfaithfulness
2 Lit. goodly charm, in a bad sense
1 despicable
1 Ancient Thebes; Tg., Vg. populous Alexandria
2 Lit. rivers, the Nile and the surrounding canals
a Gen. 10:6; Jer. 46:9; Ezek. 27:10
1 LXX her
a Ps. 137:9; Is. 13:16; Hos. 13:16
a Is. 49:26; Jer. 25:27; Nah. 1:10
a Is. 19:16; Jer. 50:37; 51:30
a Ex. 15:16; Ps. 76:5, 6; Is. 56:10; Jer. 51:57