Nahum
Book Outhne
Key theme: The vengeance of God on His enemies
Key verses: ,
I. God Is Jealous: Nineveh Will Fall ()
A. God declares His anger ()
B. God speaks to Nineveh (, )
C. God encourages Judah (, , )
II. God Is Judge: How Nineveh Will Fall ()
A. The invaders appear and advance ()
B. The city is captured ()
C. The conquerors taunt their captives ()
III. God Is Just: Why Nineveh Will Fall ()
A. Her ruthless bloodshed ()
B. Her idolatry ()
C. Her pride and self-confidence ()
Book Overview
The prophet Nahum wrote the Old Testament book that vividly describes the destruction of Nineveh, the event that marked the beginning of the end for the Assyrian Empire. Nahum made it clear that God is indeed the Judge of the nations, and that “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (). In the seventh century B.C., the very mention of Nineveh brought fear to people’s hearts, but today, Nineveh is mentioned primarily by Bible students, archaeologists, and people interested in ancient history. Sic transit gloria (thus passes [away] glory)!
Little is known about Nahum except that he came from the town of Elkosh (which location we can’t identify with certainty) and that he was a prophet of God who announced the fall of Nineveh, capital city of the Assyrian Empire. He mentioned the capture of the Egyptian city of Thebes, which occurred in 663 B.C., and he predicted the fall of Nineveh, which took place in 612 B.C.; so these dates place him in Judah during the reigns of Manasseh (695–642 B.C.) and Josiah (640–609 B.C.). His contemporaries would have been Jeremiah, Zephaniah, and Habakkuk.
Nahum’s name means “comfort” or “encouragement,” and his message of Assyria’s doom would certainly have comforted the people of Judah who had suffered because of Assyria. The Assyrians had taken the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C. and dispersed the people, and they had tried to take Judah in the days of Hezekiah (701 B.C.), but they had been defeated by the angel of the Lord (). Assyria was always looming over the tiny kingdom of Judah, and having these ruthless people out of the way would have greatly bettered Judah’s situation.
Jonah had announced Nineveh’s doom over a century earlier, but God had relented because the people had repented. The Lord was certainly patient to spare the city that long, especially since the Assyrians had returned to their evil ways. While Nahum’s message was directed especially to the Assyrians, he was careful to encourage the people of Judah as well.
“Be Transformed”
Like the Book of Jonah, the Book of Nahum ends with a question: “Where can anyone be found who has not suffered from your continual cruelty?” (). Nahum emphasized the same truth that had been declared by the prophet Amos: God punishes cruel nations that follow inhumane policies and brutal practices (). Whether practicing genocide, exploiting the poor, supporting slavery, or failing to provide people with the necessities of life, God knows the sins of national leaders, and He eventually judges.
Nations as well as individuals are tempted to minimize the effects of their behavior. We soften or lighten our sin in the vain hope of ignoring the inevitable consequences. The contrast between and in this brief book gives us pause to approach God much more aware of what we will find if we ignore and reject Him and what we will enjoy if we recognize “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” ().
God’s Wrath on His Enemies
2God is jealous, 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;
3The LORD is slow to anger and great in power,
And will not at all acquit the wicked.
The LORD has His way
In the whirlwind and in the storm,
And the clouds are the dust of His feet.
4He rebukes the sea and makes it dry,
And dries up all the rivers.
Bashan and Carmel wither,
And the flower of Lebanon wilts.
5The mountains quake before Him,
The hills melt,
And the earth heaves at His presence,
Yes, the world and all who dwell in it.
6Who can stand before His indignation?
And who 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 He knows those who trust in Him.
8But with an overflowing flood
He will make an utter end of its place,
And darkness will pursue His enemies.
9What do you conspire against the LORD?
He will make an utter end of it.
Affliction will not rise up a second time.
10For while tangled like thorns,
And while drunken like drunkards,
They shall be devoured like stubble fully dried.
Who plots evil against the LORD,
A wicked counselor.
“Though they are safe, and likewise many,
Yet in this manner they will be cut down
When he passes through.
Though I have afflicted you,
I will afflict you no more;
13For now I will break off his yoke from you,
And burst your bonds apart.”
14The LORD has given a command concerning you:
“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 grave,
For you are vile.”
The feet of him who brings good tidings,
Who proclaims peace!
O Judah, keep your appointed feasts,
Perform your vows.
For the wicked one shall no more pass through you;
He is utterly cut off.
The Destruction of Nineveh
Man the fort!
Watch the road!
Strengthen your flanks!
Fortify your power mightily.
2For 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.
The valiant men are in scarlet.
The chariots come with flaming torches
In the day of his preparation,
And the spears are brandished.
4The chariots rage in the streets,
They jostle one another in the broad roads;
They seem like torches,
They run like lightning.
They stumble in their walk;
They make haste to her walls,
And the defense is prepared.
And the palace is dissolved.
7It is decreed:
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.
8Though Nineveh of old was like a pool of water,
Now they flee away.
“Halt! Halt!” they cry;
But no one turns back.
9Take spoil of silver!
Take spoil of gold!
There is no end of treasure,
Or wealth of every desirable prize.
10She is empty, desolate, and waste!
The heart melts, and the knees shake;
Much pain is in every side,
And all their faces are drained of color.
And the feeding place of the young lions,
Where the lion walked, the lioness and lion’s cub,
And no one made them afraid?
12The lion tore in pieces enough for his cubs,
Killed for his lionesses,
Filled his caves with prey,
And his dens with flesh.
The Woe of Nineveh
It is all full of lies and robbery.
Its victim never departs.
2The noise of a whip
And the noise of ratthng wheels,
Of galloping horses,
Of clattering chariots!
3Horsemen 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—
The mistress of sorceries,
Who sells nations through her harlotries,
And families through her sorceries.
5“Behold, I am against you,” says the LORD of hosts;
“I will lift your skirts over your face,
I will show the nations your nakedness,
And the kingdoms your shame.
6I will cast abominable filth upon you,
Make you vile,
And make you a spectacle.
7It shall come to pass that all who look upon you
Will flee from you, and say,
‘Nineveh is laid waste!
Who will bemoan her?’
Where shall I seek comforters for you?”
That was situated by the River,
That had the waters around her,
Whose rampart was the sea,
Whose wall was the sea?
9Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength,
And it was boundless;
Put and Lubim were your helpers.
10Yet she was carried away,
She went into captivity;
Her young children also were dashed to pieces
At the head of every street;
They cast lots for her honorable men,
And all her great men were bound in chains.
11You also will be drunk;
You will be hidden;
You also will seek refuge from the enemy.
12All your strongholds are fig trees with ripened figs:
If they are shaken,
They fall into the mouth of the eater.
13Surely, your people in your midst are women!
The gates of your land are wide open for your enemies;
Fire shall devour the bars of your gates.
14Draw your water for the siege!
Fortify your strongholds!
Go into the clay and tread the mortar!
Make strong the brick kiln!
The sword will cut you off;
It will eat you up like a locust.
Make yourself many—like the locust!
Make yourself many—like the swarming locusts!
16You have multiplied your merchants more than the stars of heaven.
The locust plunders and flies away.
17Your 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.
Your nobles rest in the dust.
Your people are scattered on the mountains,
And no one gathers them.
19Your injury has no healing,
Your wound is severe.
All who hear news of you
Will clap their hands over you,
For upon whom has not your wickedness passed continually?
Annotations for Nahum
We certainly know the intended target of Nahum’s message, yet the broader audience was made up of God’s people, living under the fear of the Assyrians and desperate for a word of hope. God delivered that message through Nahum.
Catalyst
Three important words in Nahum’s opening lines need our attention, because they all relate to the character of God: jealousy, vengeance, and rage (wrath, anger). These terms have human expressions, but they must be understood carefully when they are applied to God. He is awesome in His jealousy, vengeance, and rage.
Jealousy. Jealousy is a sin if it means being envious of what others have and wanting to possess it, but it’s a virtue if it means cherishing what we have and wanting to protect it. A faithful husband and wife are jealous over one another and do everything they can to keep their relationship exclusive. “Jealous” and “zealous” come from the same root, for when we are jealous over someone, we’re zealous to protect the relationship. Since God made everything and owns everything, He is envious of no one. But since He is the only true God, he is jealous over His glory, His name, and the worship and honor that are due to Him alone.
Vengeance. In Scripture, vengeance is usually presented as a sin. Both Jesus and Paul warned about it (; ). But a just and holy God cannot see people flouting His law and do nothing about it. “Vengeance is Mine, and recompense . . . I will render vengeance to My enemies, and repay those who hate Me” (, ). God takes vengeance by judging people, because He is holy and is jealous (zealous) for His holy law. God’s anger isn’t like human anger, which can be selfish and out of control. His is a holy anger, a righteous indignation against all that defy His authority and disobey His law. God’s people ought to exercise a holy anger against sin ().
Rage. In , Nahum wrote that “The LORD avenges and is furious”; in , he described “the fierceness of His anger” as so powerful that it is “like fire” with the power to “throw down” the rocks (mountains). But assures us that God’s wrath isn’t a fit of rage or a temper tantrum; for “the LORD is slow to anger” (see ; ; ). On the human level, we immediately think of Jesus taking angry action in the temple courts, driving out the money changers (, ). His godly rage was always under control.
Go to the
With the echoes of God’s awesome judgment in the readers’ ears, Nahum offered a three-level assurance of God’s intimate attractiveness despite His fierceness: He is good; He is a strong refuge; He is close. Those who reject and resist God have every reason to live in terror of Him, but those who fear Him rightly have every reason to live in the security of His protection and love.
The plotter mentioned in verse is the king of Assyria, and God addressed him in verse , making three declarations: (1) his dynasty would end because he would have no descendants; (2) the help of his gods and goddesses would end because they would be destroyed; and (3) his life would end because God would prepare his grave. What a solemn message for a man who was sure his plans would succeed! God would do all these things because this man was “wicked.”
, The fact that the Assyrian army outnumbered the army of Judah, and that Assyria had more allies to help them fight, didn’t mean that Assyria was bound to win, for God was fighting on behalf of Judah. Yes, the Lord had used Assyria to chasten Judah in the past, but that would not happen again. This time, God would break the yoke and remove the shackles that Assyria had put on Judah, and Assyria would attack them no more.
In ancient days, news was carried by couriers, and the watchmen on the walls would scan the horizon hoping that messengers would bring good news. In this case, it was good news indeed: the courier would announce that Nineveh was fallen and the Assyrian army was defeated and in disarray. Judah would be able to live in peace and enjoy her annual feasts and regular religious festivals.
In the prophecy, the guards on the walls of the city see the army advancing and the officers issue orders and encourage their soldiers. You can almost hear the sharp commands: “Man the fort! Watch the roads! Strengthen your flanks! Fortify your power mightily” (v. ). Above all the noise, the voice of the Lord is heard as He speaks to Israel and Judah and assures them that they will be restored and reunited (v. ).
, In the prophecy, the invading army is formidable with its troops, armor, weapons, and chariots. Their shields appear red as if with blood. The chariots look like flames of fire as they dash here and there in the streets of the city, and the soldiers find it easy to slaughter the defenseless people.
In this view of the future, the king of Assyria, who had plotted against the Lord and His people (, ), gathers his best officers and gives them orders to protect the wall, but they are too late. They stumble like drunks instead of marching like heroes. The leaders were sure their fortress was impregnable, but their defenses prove to be their undoing.
The Khosr River flowed through the city, so the invaders would dam it up and then release the water so that it would destroy part of the wall and some of the buildings. For the Medes and Babylonians to enter the city and take control would be a simple matter. But they wouldn’t be able to take credit for the victory because God had decreed that the city would be destroyed and the inhabitants killed or taken captive (v. ). The invaders would be God’s instruments to execute His will.
Speaking on behalf of God, the prophet had the last word. At the end of this prophecy, picturing the Assyrian captives being marched away, leaders and common citizens, and the city’s treasures being carried off by their captors, Nahum taunted the Ninevites by contrasting their predicted plight with their former glory.
The Assyrians often used the image of the lion in their art and architecture. Visit the Assyrian room in any large museum and you will see huge statues of lions. But even more, the Assyrians would act like lions as they stalked their prey and completely devoured their captives.
Over a century before, the Lord had sent Jonah to warn Nineveh. Then, when the city repented, He withdrew His hand of judgment. But their time was up and the end had come. Assyria would be left with no weapons, no leaders, and no victories to be announced by their messengers. Instead, Assyria’s enemies would hear the voice of couriers announcing peace because Assyria had been defeated.
The Assyrians were clever diplomats who lied to other nations and then broke their promises and destroyed them. They would slaughter people without regard for age or sex and stack corpses like lumber as warning to anybody who would oppose them. The shedding of innocent blood is a serious sin that God notes, remembers, and judges (; ).
Often in Scripture, idolatry is associated with prostitution. So when we consider that the chief deity of Nineveh was Ishtar, goddess of sexual passion, fertility, and war, we can understand why Nahum used this metaphor. Because of their spiritual blindness, the Assyrians were ensnared by this evil goddess and were under the control of lust, greed, and violence. People become like the god that they worship (), for what we believe determines how we behave.
In these closing stanzas, Nahum used a number of images to show the Assyrians their weaknesses and assure them of their ultimate defeat.
Nahum compares several things to locusts. The invading soldiers would sweep through the land and the city like a plague of grasshoppers or locusts and wipe everything out. The Assyrian merchants were also like locusts as they collected all the treasures they could find and then fled with the profit. And the Assyrian leaders were like locusts that go to sleep in the hedges on a cold day, but when the sun comes up, they feel the heat and fly away. The king and his council were overconfident, like locusts sleeping in the hedges, but when the invasion occurred, they would fly to a safe place, abandoning their city!
, Assyria was like a scattered flock with sleeping shepherds, or like a wounded body with no way to be healed. They had no allies to rescue them, for all the other nations would rejoice when they heard that the Assyrian Empire was no more.
Nahum 1
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1:1 Or oracle
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1:5 Targum reads burns.
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Nahum 2
2:1 Vulgate reads He who destroys.
2:3 Literally the cypresses are shaken; Septuagint and Syriac read the horses rush about; Vulgate reads the drivers are stupefied.
2:7 Hebrew Huzzab
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2:10 Compare
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2:13 Literally her
Nahum 3
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3:8 That is, ancient Thebes; Targum and Vulgate read populous Alexandria.
3:8 Literally rivers, that is, the Nile and the surrounding canals
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3:9 Septuagint reads her.
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