TEXT [Commentary]

  C.   The Consequences (1:11-15)

11 Who is this wicked counselor of yours

who plots evil against the LORD?

12 This is what the LORD says:

“Though the Assyrians have many allies,

they will be destroyed and disappear.

O my people, I have punished you before,

but I will not punish you again.

13 Now I will break the yoke of bondage from your neck

and tear off the chains of Assyrian oppression.”

14 And this is what the LORD says concerning the Assyrians in Nineveh:

“You will have no more children to carry on your name.

I will destroy all the idols in the temples of your gods.

I am preparing a grave for you

because you are despicable!”

15 [*]Look! A messenger is coming over the mountains with good news!

He is bringing a message of peace.

Celebrate your festivals, O people of Judah,

and fulfill all your vows,

for your wicked enemies will never invade your land again.

They will be completely destroyed!

NOTES

1:11 wicked counselor. The participial phrase from which this rendering is drawn contains the term beliya‘al [TH1100, ZH1175], a word that always has unsavory associations in the OT. It is used of reprobates (Judg 19:22; 1 Sam 10:27) and serves as an appropriate designation for Jezebel’s two false witnesses against Naboth (1 Kgs 21:10; see further discussion in Robertson 1990:74-77). As formulated here, it stands in stark contrast to the coming Messiah, who will be a “Wonderful Counselor” (Isa 9:6).

plots evil. The term rendered “plots” here (khashab [TH2803, ZH3108]) constitutes the literary hook between this section and the preceding poem (cf. “plot” with “scheming” in 1:9; both words are from the same root).

1:12 This is what the LORD says. While a prophet’s words are often introduced by some such phrase as “thus says the LORD,” this phrase occurs only here in Nahum. The singular use of so common a formula argues for a certain deliberate emphasis, perhaps expressing Nahum’s sense of the awesomeness of the Lord’s pronouncement he was about to deliver.

Though. The divine sentence is expressed in the form of a condition whose protasis is formed with the particle ’im [TH518, ZH561] and a participle. Such constructions usually have a present or immediate future time reference and express a real contingency or possibility. Therefore, the likelihood of a strong and sizeable military force at the disposal of the Assyrians is in view.

allies. The NLT’s rendering simplifies a difficult phrase that has been variously translated and emended. The translation “allies” for shelemim depends on a study by D. J. Wiseman (1982:311-326) and is perhaps the best solution to the time-honored crux. Together with the weken rabbim [TH2050.1/3651A/7227, ZH2256/4027/8041] (“many”, NLT; cf. Exod 1:12), it suggests this thought: “even though they will have allies and so be all the more numerous.” Thus construed, the following apodosis becomes an argument a fortiori: so much the more will they be cut off and their armies pass away. Roberts (1991:46-47) suggests that the weken rabbim here “refers back to the thicket of interwoven thorns mentioned in v. 10.” Similarly he takes the second weken with which the next clause begins to refer “back to the destruction of the dry stubble mentioned in v. 10. Just as dry stubble is devoured, so the Assyrians will be cut off and pass away.”

disappear. Scholars customarily read the masculine singular of the Hebrew text as a plural by redividing the words so that the waw beginning the next word (we‘innithik) is read as finishing this word: we‘aberu (plural from ‘abar [TH5674, ZH6296]). So construed, the verbs “be destroyed” and “disappear” are in agreement, both being plural. As the MT stands, however, the form could be considered a collective singular.

punished. The underlying Hebrew verb ‘anah [TH6031, ZH6700] is at times used in contexts of God’s judicial punishment of his people (see Deut 8:2-3; Pss 90:15; 119:75). Joel reports that the Assyrians would be used as instruments of God’s chastisement if no repentance was forthcoming in Judah and Jerusalem (Joel 2:1-27). Habakkuk similarly warns of God’s use of the Babylonians (Hab 1:5-11). The LXX apparently confused this word with a homonymous verb meaning “to answer”: “Your report will be heard no more.”

1:13 Now. The rhetorical function of the Hebrew particle found here is to introduce the next point in consequence. Not only will conditions between Assyria and Judah be reversed, but God’s people will also be set free from Assyrian vassalage.

chains. Although some feel compelled on the basis of the Greek text and Vulgate to emend the Hebrew text to read “his scepter” rather than “chains” (lit., “yoke”) here, the Hebrew text makes perfectly good sense as it stands. Yokes are commonly mentioned in the ancient literature to depict the fate of those held in vassalage by treaty arrangement with their overlord (cf. Jer 27:1-10). Thus Nabopolassar boasts: “As for the Assyrians who since distant days had ruled over all the people and with heavy yoke had brought misery to the people of the land, from the land of Akkad I banished their feet and cast off their yoke.” For the inscription, see Langdon (1912:17ff). The Lord’s promise of freedom from chains for those who follow him stands in bold contrast with the complaint of those who would refuse his rightful sovereignty over them (Ps 2:1-3).

1:14 children to carry on your name. The loss of descendants and family name would mean total annihilation for Nineveh. Armerding (1985:468) rightly remarks: “The ‘name’ of a population represented its living identity, perpetuated in its ‘descendants’; to be destitute of descendants therefore represented obliteration of identity and of life itself.” For a discussion of the textual problems connected with the mishimeka [TH4480/8034, ZH4946/9005] (of/from your name) in the MT, see Patterson 1991:50; Longman 1993:799.

all the idols. The NLT combines two Hebrew terms (the images and idols). The first is usually taken to refer to carved images and the second, to those that are molten. As such, they constitute two of several words for idols and images in the OT. But the usual definitions do not always apply, and the original significance of the two terms is uncertain.

I am preparing. Some scholars relate the Hebrew verb to another root meaning “devastate,” hence, God’s intention to desecrate the Ninevites’ tombs. The context, however, appears to focus on God’s personal preparation of Nineveh’s grave rather than on Nineveh’s dread of the destruction of her grave.

despicable. The charge here represents a moral extension of the root qalal [TH7043, ZH7837] (“be light”; in this case, lacking moral value or weight). The root is used of a person’s slighted reputation (2 Sam 6:22) and also of actively treating someone contemptuously (2 Sam 19:43 [44]; Isa 23:9), hence of cursing (Gen 12:3; 1 Sam 17:43; 2 Sam 16:5). LXX “because you are swift” depends on a different derived sense of the verb. Other views to be rejected include (1) relating the verb to the Ugaritic qll (fall) and (2) emending the text into a noun such as qiqaloth [TH7022, ZH7814] (dung heap) or qlyt (“shame”; G. R. Driver). (See the discussion in Patterson 1991:51.)

1:15 [2:1] Look! Nahum uses this particle (hinneh [TH2009, ZH2180]) to call attention to key descriptive statements in his prophetic discourses. Here it introduces the close of the first portion of the book.

messenger. The theme of the messenger/message closes each major section of Nahum’s prophecy (cf. 2:13; 3:7, 19). Nahum’s words are drawn from Isa 52:7, one of several instances of his dependence upon Isaiah. Armerding (1985:455) suggests that the ubiquity of the interrelationship between Isaiah and Nahum may corroborate Isaiah’s authorship of all the prophecy that bears his name.

good news! The Hebrew root bsr [TH1319, ZH1413] does not necessarily mean a message of good news but simply indicates the bearing of a message (cf. 1 Sam 4:17-18). Similarly, the Akkadian cognate bussuru means basically “bring a message.” Nevertheless, it is most often used in the OT, as also in Ugaritic, of bearing glad tidings, hence is translated that way in most English versions. For the combination of good news and peace, see Isa 52:7; Luke 2:10, 14; Acts 10:36.

festivals . . . vows. The great yearly feasts centered on God’s saving acts on behalf of his people (Deut 16:16). Votive offerings were a matter of the believer’s free will; but once such vows were made, they were to be kept and the offerings were to be of high quality (Lev 22:18-25; 27:1-13; Num 15:2-16; Deut 12:6-7; 23:21-23).

your wicked enemies. Lit., “the wicked one” (beliya‘al [TH1100, ZH1175]). See note on 1:11 and commentary.

completely destroyed! The promise of complete annihilation of the enemy such that it could never again invade Jerusalem/Judah, together with the promise of peace and prosperity for God’s people, is repeated elsewhere in the writings of the prophets (e.g., Isa 52:1, 7; Joel 3:17). The prophecy of certain judgment and sure deliverance is basic to the scriptural teaching concerning the Day of the Lord. Roberts (1991:54) adds, “One should note how thoroughly this judgment was carried out in the collapse of the Assyrian empire, when Nineveh was permanently destroyed, the gods of Assyria desecrated, and the Assyrian monarchy brought to an end.”

COMMENTARY [Text]

With the completion of the poem (1:2-10), Nahum turns to the two nations and their capitals that are the subject of his prophecies. The latter half of his poem had been directed against those who plot against God. Keying in on that term, Nahum turns to the supreme example of such activity: Assyria and its capital city of Nineveh. In four short verses, Nahum brings God’s charges against Nineveh. God will judge the city (1:11) regardless of its seemingly limitless strength (1:12a, 14), a judgment that will result in a respite for Judah in its affliction (1:12b-13). The section is closed with a stirring message of good news: Because wicked Nineveh has been judged, a repentant Judah may once again worship God in peace (1:15).

In a dramatic structural shift from poetic to narrative style, Nahum pronounces judgment on Nineveh. Nineveh (as well as Assyria) is identified as a plotter, an identification that seems obvious in the light of the military exploits of its most prominent kings. The primary reference may well be to Sennacherib, who launched his infamous third campaign against the western countries of the Fertile Crescent in general and Judah in particular. According to his records, he subdued the northern lands and took control of Eltekeh, Timnah, and Ekron on the Philistine coast, as well as some 46 cities of Judah. Although he failed to subdue Jerusalem, the booty he carried away from the campaign was enormous. The scriptural record likewise indicates that the Judahite king paid a huge tribute to Sennacherib and that the Assyrian king spent considerable time in taking the key towns of Lachish and Libnah in the western Shephelah (2 Kgs 18:13–19:8). The writer of Kings also records something of Sennacherib’s own secret plottings against the Lord at that time (2 Kgs 19:21-28). Because of the viciousness of the plotter’s thoughts, he is aptly termed “one who counsels wickedness.”

The initial phase of Nahum’s messages against Nineveh appears in 1:12-14. The Lord had a personal word for each of the parties involved. For Judah, there was reassurance that its Assyrian vassalage would soon pass away, a condition that became a virtual reality during the latter days of Josiah’s reign (2 Kgs 22–23; 2 Chr 35). In contrasting Judah’s previous and future situations, Nahum compared Judah’s unjust treatment to a yoke and shackles, all of which would be broken (1:13). For Nineveh, there was the solemn affirmation that her long night of cruel domination was soon to end. This vile and ruthless nation would shortly pass from the scene of earth’s history.

The pronouncement that Nineveh would lack descendants to bear her name reads literally in the Masoretic Text: “There will not be sown [any] of your name anymore.” As a farmer sows his seed in anticipation of harvest, so a man’s posterity is viewed as his seed (e.g., Gen 13:16). The metaphor is common in the Old Testament. Stress is laid here on the impossibility of Nineveh’s recovery. Never again will it know its former fame, for it will have neither status nor descendants to perpetuate its name.

Along with the idea of sowing, Nahum’s use of the word “name” is particularly appropriate. To “cut off the name” was to destroy a person or leave him without descendants (cf. 1 Sam 24:21; Job 18:17; Isa 14:22). Conversely, a man continued to exist in his posterity, for it was his name and seed (Isa 66:22; cf. Jer 13:11). Nineveh (and Assyria) would never again have its name sown![91]

The pathos of Assyria’s demise is further deepened by the notice that none of its vaunted gods, so long venerated in Mesopotamia, would be able to deliver it from God’s sentence of death. Rather, their limitations are clearly spelled out. These “gods” are what they appear to be—mere temple “images” and “idols” that could never be of help (cf. Isa 44:9-10) to a doomed Nineveh. Worse still, those same gods will be cut off. This reflects the usual custom in the ancient world whereby the victor desecrated the temples of the conquered foe and carried off the idols. The Assyrians themselves were past masters of such activities. Now it was their turn to suffer such indignities.

The divine sentence ends with a dreadful dictum. So hopeless was Nineveh’s case and so devastating would be its demise that it would not even have a memorial left to its greatness (cf. Ps 49:16-17), nor would anyone erect a monument to its memory. Further reason for the necessity of the divine interment is given in the observation that none will want to preserve Nineveh’s remembrance, for the city is utterly reprobate. Because of its debased activity, it has gained such contempt for itself that its demise will bring to the lips of the observers a sigh of relief and a song of rejoicing (1:15; cf. 3:19). These verses put all on notice that Israel’s God is not only the sole true God of the universe but also the God of true justice with whom all have to deal. Robertson (1990:83) remarks, “Because of the broader redemptive-historical structures of Scripture, this deliverance from Assyria’s oppression may be perceived as a microcosmic depiction of deliverance from all the oppression that comes as a consequence of sin, Satan, and death.”

The closing proclamation of the messenger reminds the believer that there is still a place for good news. A believing mankind will yet enjoy the peace and felicity that come with the final defeat of evil. Israel would doubtless join in that exultation and take comfort in the good news (cf. 1:7, 12, 15; 2:2). Her dreaded enemy was gone, a reminder of God’s promise concerning his judgment against all Israel’s foes. In a sense, Nahum’s prophecy is a near historical realization of Isaiah’s prophecy relative to the eschatological scene. For Isaiah foresaw the day when an oppressed Israel would be freed at last from oppressors and invaders; its people would not only hear the message of the Lord’s salvation but also experience the everlasting serenity that comes with his presence in royal power in their midst (Isa 52:1-10; cf. Joel 3:18-20). At that time, Jerusalem will be holy (cf. Jer 33:16) and in turn bear the good news of the tender care of its saving shepherd to the other cities of Judah (Isa 40:9-11). Under the direction of the Messiah (Isa 52:13–53:12), Zion will be rebuilt and its enemies subdued, and it will live in everlasting felicity with its God (Isa 61:1-7).

The emphasis of Isaiah and Nahum on God’s good news becomes an important motif for the New Testament revelation. Jesus’ birth was thus announced as an occasion of glad tidings (Luke 2:10), and Christ announced that his ministry fulfilled the message of salvation and joy that Isaiah prophesied (cf. Isa 61:1-2 with Luke 4:16-21). Peter made it clear to Jew and Gentile alike that Christ effected their full salvation, with the result that God’s full peace can be enjoyed by all (Acts 10:34-43), a message of good news that Paul likewise affirms (Eph 2:14-18).

Nahum’s prophecy, together with that of Isaiah 52:7, is thus related not only to Paul’s missionary challenge but also to the theme of the good news of Christ’s saving work. Because of the saving work of the Messiah, all can rejoice in the essence of Nahum’s great prophecy. May the saints of all ages carry the completed message of good news to a needy mankind and live faithfully in the certain hope of that coming era of earth’s completed redemption.