Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition)
The Goodness of God to His People, NAHUM L and His Severity to His Enemies.
Nineveh, ami the destruction of No-ammon. [Eichorx.] De Wette calls attention to his variety of manner In prehBUting ideas, as inarliing great poetic talent. "Here there is sometiiing sonorous in his language, there sometliin murmuring; with both tliere alternates somewhat that is soft, delicate, and melting, as the sulyect demands."
'ing two alleged Assyrian words (ch. 3. 17), English Version "crowned," or princes, and English Vernon, "captains," or satraps (used by Jeremiah 51. 27), the language Is pure. These two, doubtless, came to be known in Judca from t»,e intercourse with Assyria in the eighth and seventh centuries b. c. attack of Sennacherib (r. 7), and to announce the doom of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian foe (.v. 8). Tlie contrast of v. 7 and 8 heightens the force, he knoweth recognizes as his own (Hosea 13. 5; Amos 3. 2); and so, cares for and guards (Psalm 1. 6 ; 2 Timothy 2. 19). 8. with an overrunning flood — i.e.. With irresistible might whicii ooerruiu every hai rier like a flood. Tiiis image is often applied to overwliehniiig armies of invaders. Also of calamity in general (Psalm 32. 6: 42. 7; 90. 5). Tliere Is, perliaps, a special allusion to tlie mode of Nineveh's capture by tlie Medo-Baliylonian army, iiz., througli a Jlood in the river wiiich broke down the wall twenty furlongs (see Note, ch.2. 6; Isaiali 8.8; Daniel 9. 26; 11.10, 22.40). end of the place tliereof— Nineveli is personified as a queen; and "her place" of residence (tlie Hebrew lot " thereof" is feminine) is tfte city itself (ch. 2. 8). [Maureu.J Or, He shall so utterly destroy Nineveh that CHAPTER I.
Ver. 1-15. Jehovah's Attributes as a Jealous Judge OF Sin, > ET Merciful to His Trusting People, should Inspire them with Confidence. He will not allow THE Assyrians again to assail them, but will Destroy THE Foe. 1. burden of Nineveh—The prophetic doom of Nineveh. Nahum prophesied against ttiat city
150 years after Jonah. 3. Jealous—in this there is sternness, yet tender afifection. We are Jealous only of those we love: a husband, of a wife; a king, of his subjects' loyalty. God is jealous of men, because He loves them. God will not bear a rival in His claims on them. His burning jealousy for his own wounded honour and their love, as much as His justice, accounts for all his fearful judgments: the flood, the destruction of Jerusalem, that of Nineveh. His Jealousy will not admit of His friends being oppressed, and their enemies flourishing (cf. Exodus 20. 5; 1 Corinthians 16. 22 ; 2 Corinthians 11. 2). Burnits place cannot be found ; ch. 3. 17 confirms this (cf. Psalm 37.36; Daniel 2. 35; Revehitlon 12. 8 and 20.11). darkness—llie severest calaniities. 9. \VI»at do ye Imagine against the Lord 1—Abrupt address to the Assyrians. How mad is your att<?mpt, O Assyrians, to resist so powerful a God ! Wiiat can ye do against sucli an adver.sary, successful tliougli ye liave been against all other adversaries? Ye imagine ye have to do merely witti mortals and with a weak people, and that so you will gain an easy victory ; but you have to encounter God, the protector of His people. Parallel to Isaiah 37. 2.3-29 ; cf. Psalm ing zeal enters into the Idea in "Jealous" here (cf. Numbers
25. 11, 13; 1 KingiJ 19. 10). the Lord revengeth . . . Lord revengeth—the repetition of the iBCommunicable name Jehovah, and of His revenging, gives an awful solemnity to the introduction, furious lit., a master of Jury, So a master of the tongue, i. e., eloquent. " One wlio, if He pleases, can most readily give effect to His fury." [Gro-
Tiu.s.] Nahum has in view the provocation to fury given to God by the Assyrians, after having carried away the ten tribes, now proceeding to Invade Judea under Heze-
1. 1. he will make an utter end—tile utter overthrow of Sennacherib's host, soon about to take place, is an earnest of the " utter end" of Nineveh itself, aflliction shall not rise up the second time—Judali's " affliction" caused by the invasion shall never rise again. So v. 12. But Calvin takes the " affliction" to be that of Assyria: "There will be no need of His inflicting on you a second liiow: He will make an utter end of you once for all" (1 Samuel .3. 12; 26. 8 ; 2 Samuel 20. 10). If so, this verse, in contrast to kiali. reserveth wrath for his enemies rcsei-ves it against his own appointed time (2 Peter 2. 9). After long waiting for their repentance in vain, at length punishing them. A wrong estimate of Jehovah Is formed from His suspending punishment: It is not that He is insensible or dilatory, but He reserves wrath for His own fit time. In the case of the penitent He does not reserve or retain His anger (Psalm 103.9; Jeremiah 3.5,12; Micah 7.18). 3. slow to anger, and great In power—t. e., but great in power, so as to be able in a moment. If He pleases, to destroy tlie wielied. His long-sul Tering is not from want of power to punish (Exodus 3-1. 6, 7). not at all acquit— V. 12, will express. Affliction shall visit the Assyrian no more, in a sense very diflferent from that in which God will afflict Judah no more. In the Assyrian's case, because the blow will be fatally final ; the latter, because God will make lasting blessedness in Judali's case succeed to temporary chastisement. But it seems simpler to refer "affliction" here, as in t;. 12, to Judali; indeed destruction, rather than affliction, applies to the Assyrian. 10. wliile they are folden togetlier as thorns lit., " to the same degree as thorns" (cf. Margin, 1 Chronicles 4. 27). As thorns so folded together and entangled that they cannot be without trouble loosed asunder, are tlirown by the husbandmen all in a mass into the fire, so the Assyrians shall all be given together to destruction. Cf. 2 Samuel will not acquitting acquit, or treat as innocent. Lord hath his way iu the whirlwind—From this to v. 5, inclusive.
Is a description of His power exhibited in the phenomena of nature, especially when He is wroth. His vengeance shall sweepaway the Assyrian foe like a whirlwind (Proverbs 10. 25). clouds are the dust of his feet—large as they are. He treads on them, as a man would on the small dust; He is Lord of the clouds, and uses them as he pleases. 4. rebuketh the sea—as Jesus did (Matthew 8. 26), proving Himself God (cf. Isaiah 50. 2). Bashan langnisheth through drought; ordinarily it was a region famed for its rich pasturage (cf. Joel 1. 10). flower of Lebanon its bloom; all that blooms so luxuriantly on Lebanon (Hosea
23. 6, 7, where also " thorns" are the image of the wicked. As this image represents the speediness of their destruction in a mass, so that of "drunkards," their rusiiing as it were o/ their own accord into it; for drunkards fall down without any one pushing them. [Kimchi.] Calvin explains. Although ye be dangerous to lo'i.ch as thorns (i. c, full of rage and violence), yet tlie Lord can easily consume you. But "although" will hardly apply to tlie next clause. English Version and Kimchi, therefore, are to be preferred. Ttie comparison to drunkards is appropriate. For drunkards, though exulting and bold, are weak and easily thrown down by even a finger touching them. So the insolent self-confidence of tlie Assyrians shall precipitate tlieir overthrow Ijy God. The Hebrew is "soaked," or "drunken as with their own wine." Their drunken revelries are perliaps alluded to, during which the foe (according to DiODORU.s Siculus, 2.) brolje into their city, and Sardanapalus burned his palacetiiough the mala
14. 7). As Bashan was famed for its pastures, Carmel for its corn-fields and vineyards, so Lebanon for its forests (Isaiali
33.9). There is nothing in the world so blooming that God cannot change it when He is wroth. 5. earth is burned— so GuoTius. Rather, "lifts itself," i.e., heaveth[MAVKER]: as the Hebrew is translated in Psalm 89.9; Hosea 13. 1; cf. Margin, 2 Samuel 5. 21. 6. fury is poured out lilte lirelike tlie licjuid fire poured outof volcanoes in ail directions (see Jereiniul) 7. 20). rocks are thrown down—or, "are bur t asunder;" the usual effect of volcanic fire (Jeremiah 51. 2.'), M). As Hanniiial burst asunder tlie Alpine rocks by fire to matte a pivssage for his army. [Gp.otius.] 7. Here Nalium enters on his special subject, for which the previous verses have prepared the way, viz., to assure his pi.'ople of safely in Jehovah under the impending