Bible Commentary (1871–1879 Edition) (continued)
OocCs Severity against His Enemies, NAHUM 11. His Armies a</ainst Nineven,
CHAPTER II.
ttnd ultimate destruction of Nineveh referred to by Tahum was long subsequent to that under Sardanapalus. il. The cause of Nineveh's overthrow; Sennacherib's piois against Judah. out of tliee—O Nineveli. From thyself shall arise the source of thy own ruin. Thou Shalt have only thyself to blame for it. Imngliictli evil —Sennacherib carried out the imaginations of his coun-
Ver. 1-13. The Advance of the Desthoying FoRCSii AGA INST Nineveh, after it was used as God'.s rod for A TIME TO Chastise His People : The Capture of that Lion's dwelling, according to the sure Word of Jehovah. 1. He that daslieth In plece»—God's " battleaxe," wherewith He "breaks in pieces" His enemies. Jeremiah 51. 20 applies the same Ilebreiv term to NebuclKadnezzar (cf. Proverbs 25. 18; Jeremiah 50. 2:!, " the hammer of the whole earth"). Here the MedoBabylonian army under Cyaxares and Nabopolassar, tliat destroyed Nineveh, is prophetically meant, before thy face—before Nineveh. Openly, so that the work of God may be manitrymen {v. 9) against the Lord and His people (2 Kings 19.
'22,23). « ^ic Ketl counseliloilit., "a counsellor of Belial." Belial means v)ilhout profit, worthless, and so bad
(1 Samuel 2'). '25; 2 Corinthians 6.15). 13-14. The same truths repeated as In ti. 9-11, Jehovah here being the speaker, lie addresses Judah, prophesying good to it, and evil to the Assyrian. TKough tliey be quiet—i. c, without fear, and tranquilly secure. So Chaldee aud Calvin. Or, entire, complete; "Though their power be fest, watch the way—by which the foe will attack, so as to be ready to meet him. Ironical advice; equivalent to a prophecy, T'.iou Shalt have need to use all possible means of de'ence; but nse what thou wilt, all will be in vain. :anke thy loins strong—the loins are the seat of strcngtl) ; to gird them up is to prepare all one's strength for conflict (Job 40. 7). Also gird on thy swonl (2 Samuel utilii okcn [Maurer], and though they be so many, yet even so they shall be cut down" (lit., shorn ; as hair shaved off closely by a razor, Isaiah 7. 20. As the Assyrian was a razor shaving others, so sliall he be shaven himself. Retribution in kind). In the height of their pride and power, they sliall be clean cut off. The same i/etreic stands for "likewise" and "yet thus." So many as they are, so many shall they perish, wlieu lie gUall pass tUrougIt
20. s ; 2 Kings 4. 29). 3. For tlie Lord liatU turned away tlie excellency of Jacob— j.e.. The time for Nineveh's overtlirow is ripe, because Jacob (Judah) and Israel (the ten tril)es) have been sufficiently chastised. The Assyrian rod of chastisement having done its work, is to be thrown into the fire. If God chastised Jacob and Israel with all their "excellency" (Jerusalem and the temple, which was their pi-e-eminent excellency above all nations in God's eyes, Psalm 47. 4; 87. 2; Ezekiel 24. 21; Note, Amos 6. 8), how much more will He punish fatally Nineveh, an alien to Him, and idolatrous 7 Maurer, not so well, translates, "restores," or "will restore the excellency of Jacob," &c. emplicrs— the Assyrian spoilers, have emptied them out—have spoiled the Israelites and Jews (Hosea 10. 1).
or, "and he shall pass away," ti/z., "the wicked counsellor" (v. 11), Sennacherib. The change of number to the singular distinguishes him from his host. They shall be cut down, he shall pass away home (2 Kings 19. 35, 3(i). [HkndSkson.] English Veision is better, " they shall l)e cut down, idien He (Jehovah) shall pass through," destroying by one sti'Oke the Assyrian host. This gives the reason why they with all their numbers and power are to he so utterly cut otT. Cf. "pass through," i. e., in destroying power (E/.ekiel 12. 12, 23; Isaiah 8. 8; Daniel 11.
10). TUon,gU I have afflicted tlice-Judah, " I will afflict thee no more" (Isaiah 40. 1, 2; 52. 1, 2). The contrast is between " they," the Assyrians, and "thee," Judah. Tlieir punishment is fatal and final. Judah's was temporary and corrective. 13. will I break liis yoke—the Assyrian's yoke, viz., tlie tribute imposed by Sennacherib on Hezekiah (2 Kings 18. H). from off thee—O Judah (Isaiah 10.
Cf. Psalm 80. 8-16, on "vine branches," as applied to Israel. 3. his mighty men—the Medo-Babylonian general's 7nighty nie)i !ittiwk.\Bg Nineveh, made red—the ancients dyed their bull's-hide shields red, partly to strike terror into t.he enemy, chiefly lest the blood from wounds which they might receive should be perceived and give confidence to him. [Calvin.] G. V. Smith conjectures that the reference is to the red reflection of the sun's rays from shields of bronze or copper, such as are found among the Assyrian remains. In scarlet—or crimson military tunics
27). li. tliat wo more of tliy name be gown—that no more of thy seed, bearing thy name, as kings of Nineveh, be propagated; that thy dynasty become extinct, viz., on Ihe destruction of Nineveh here foretold. "Thee" means Ihe king of Assyria, will I cut off. . . graven image—the Medes under Cyaxares, the joint destroyers of Nineveh with the Babylonians, hated Idolatry, and would delight in destroying its idols. As the Assyrians had treated the gods of other nations, so their own should be treated (2 Kings 19. 18). The Assyrian palaces partook of a sacred cliaracter [La yard]; so that "house of thy gods" 7nay refer to the palace. At Khorsabad there is remaining a representation of a man cutting an idol to pieces. I will laaUe thy grave—rather, "I will make it
(cf. Matthew 27. 28). Xenophon mentions that the Medes were fond of this colour. The Lydians and Tyrians extracted the dye from a particular worm, chariots . . . with flaming torches — i.e., the cliariots shall be like flaming torches, their wheels in lightning-like rapidity of rotation flashing light and striking sparks from the stones over which they pass (cf. Isaiah 5. 28). English Version supposes a transposition of the Hebrew letters. It is better to translate the Hebrew as it is, "the chariots (shall be furnished) with fire-flashing scythes" {HI., with the fire, or glitter, of ironweapons). Iron scythes were fixed at right angles to the axles and turned down, or parallel to it, inserted into the felly of the wheel. The Medes, perhaps, had such chariots, though no traces of them are found In Assyrian remains. On account of the latter fact, it may be Ijelter to translate, "the chariots (shall come) with the
(viz., "the house of tliy gods,' i.e., Nisroch) thy grave" (2 Kings 19.37; Isaiah 37. 38). Thus, by Sennacherib's being slain in it, Nisroch's house should be defiled. Neither thy gods, nor thy temple, shall save thee; but the latter Bhall be thy sepulchre, tliou art vile—or, thou art lighter than due weiglit (Daniel 5. 27; cf. Job 31. 6). [Maukeu.] 15. Tiiis verse is joined in the Hebrew text to ch. 2. It is nearly the same as Isaiah 52. 7, referring to the similar deliverance from Babylon, lilm that bringetli good tidings-announcing the overthrow of Sennacherib and ileliverance of Jerusalem. The "mountains" are those round Jerusalem, on which Sennacherib's host had so lately encamped, preventing Judah from keeping her "feasts," but on wliich messengers now speed to Jerusalem, publisliing his overthrow with a loud voice where lately they durst not have opened their mouths. A type of the far more glorious spiritual deliverance of God's people from Satan by Messiah, heralded by ministers of f>\\lleT of steel weapons." [MAtJRER and G. V. Smith.] In tile dny of his preparation — Jehovah's (Isaiah 13. 3). Or, " Medo-Babylonian commander's day of preparation for the attack" (v. 1). "He" confirms this, and " his" in this verse, tlie flr trees—their fir-tree lances, terribly shaken —branded so as to strike terror. Or, "shall be tremulous
Willi being brandished." [Maurer.] 4. rage—are driven in furious haste (Jeremiah 46. 9). jiistle one against another—run to and fro. [Maurer.] in the broad way —(2 Chronicles 32. 6.) Large open spaces in the suburbs of Nineveh, tliey shall seem like torclies — lit., "tljelr (feminine in Hebrew) appearance" (is): ciz., the appearance of the broad places is like tliat of torclies, through the numbers of chariots in them flasliing in tlie sun (Margin, Proverbs 8. 26). run like the liglitnings — with rapid violence (Matthew 24. 27; Luke 10. 18). 5. Tlie Assyrian preparations for defence. He—the Assyrian king. BhoH tlie gospel (Romans 10. 15). perform thy vows—which thou didst promise if God would deliver thee from the Assyrian. tl»e wicked Belial; the same as the "counsellor of Belial" (Margin, ch. 1. 11), viz., Sennadierlb