Bible Commentaries
Nahum

NAHUM, THE POETIC PROPHET

In the book of Nahum we see and hear the anguished cry of suffering humanity calling for retribution and righteous judgment upon Assyria, the great international aggressor of his day.

About the Author

The book bears the name of Nahum the Elkoshite (Nahum 1:1). Until the end of the nineteenth century, the unity of the book and Nahum’s authorship were never questioned. Since that time, most liberal scholars have attempted to credit the first chapter to some unknown writer. All that we know of the author is that recorded in his book. His name means "consolation" or "comforter." The location of Elkosh, his home, is uncertain. It has been identified with Elhush, a village situated two miles north of ancient Nineveh; also with a village in Galilee which Jerome visited. Some identify it with a village in southwestern Judea near Lachish. Capernaum in Galilee literally means "village of Nahum" which may be our best clue. Nahum was a Hebrew patriot who hated Assyria, the archenemy of his nation. He is unique among the prophets in that he had no condemnation for Israel, nor any call for repentance or reform on the part of Nineveh. He simply announced doom!

Contemporary with Nahum in the prophetic office were Jeremiah, Zephaniah, and Huldah. Josiah the young reformer, king of Judah, also shared the day with Nahum. The date of Nahum’s prophecy is deduced from the information in (Nahum 3:8-10). Thebes, capital of Egypt, had already fallen. That occurred in 663 B.C. Nineveh was yet to fall. That happened in 612 B.C. Within that fifty year interval, Nahum delivered his message. He wrote some 220 years after Jonah who also had predicted Nineveh’s fall.

MORE ABOUT NAHUM, THE PROPHET

Little is known about the prophet, Nahum. His name means comforter. He was contemporary with Habakkuk, Zephaniah and Jeremiah. The opening verse of the book which bears his name identifies him as a native of Elkoshite. Unfortunately, modern archeology has thus far been unable to locate Elkoshite. However, strong Jewish tradition places it at Alkosh about thirty miles north of Mosul. The Galilean city of Capernaum, center of activity during the Roman period and headquarters of Jesus’ ministry, has been suggested as Nahum’s home. Capernaum means, literally, “village of Nahum.” However, there is no proof it is so-called for the prophet Nahum rather than some other with the same name.

The date of Nahum’s prophecy is not too difficult to estimate. The capture, of Niniveh by Babylon, which Nahum vividly predicts, took place c. 612 B.C. In Nahum 3:8-10 is the description of the fall of Karnak, or Thebes, (No-Amon) as a fiat accompli. Karnak fell in 633 B.C. Nahum’s prophecy, then, must have been written between 633 and 612 B.C. To be a bit more exact, Nahum probably prophecied between the beginning of josiah’s reform, c. 621, and the fall of Nineveh, c. 612. An educated guess places the date at about 614 B.C. Some have dated this work as early as 650 B.C., but this seems unlikely in view of recent information concerning the date of Ashurbanipal’s capture of Karnak, as well as the even more recent discovery of a portion of the annals of Nabopolassar, King of Persia at the time Nineveh fell.

According to these annals, Nabopolassar, formerly a vassal of Assyria, and Cyaxares, king of the Medes, were in an allied warfare against Assyria as early as 616 B.C. These allies brought Nineveh down in 612 B.C. Egypt was involved in this struggle on the side of Assyria, Following the fall of Nineveh, the Assyrian capital was moved to Haran, which subsequently fell to the Medo-Persian alliance in 610. From other sources we learn that the war ended in the final defeat of Pharaoh Necho and the remnant of the Assyrian army in the battle of Carchemish by Nebuchadnezzar.

HISTORIC SITUATION

With this secular record of history at hand, and in light of I Kings 23 and 2 Chronicles 35:20-24, we arrive at the following historic situation as prevailing in Nahum’s time. By 616 B.C. the Medes and Babylonians on the one hand and the Assyrian-Egyptian alliance on the other had divided the mid-eastern world into two power blocks. The struggle was for the absolute rule of the entire area.

In Judah there were two parties. With the little kingdom caught in the squeeze between the super powers, one party favored the rise of Babylon, hoping thereby to see the demise of Assyria and the guarantee of Judean independence. This party was led by king Josiah and his court. The other party preached that a pro-Babylonian stance by Judah would only lead to a Babylonian takeover of Judah once the major power struggle was settled. This latter seems to be the position of Jeremiah (cf Jeremiah 13:21), while Nahum, an avowed Assyrophobe, favored an alliance with Babylon lest Judah suffer the same fate as Israel at the hands of Assyria.

This apparent difference of political views on the part of Nahum and Jeremiah does not prevent their agreement concerning the judgements of God against Godless nations. Nahum is not quoted in the New Testament, but it was included in the specific body of writings which Jesus and the New Testament writers called “Scriptures,” or “the oracles of God.” It deals exclusively with the downfall of Nineveh and makes no Messianic predictions. Recent archeology has vindicated Nahum’s description of Nineveh’s downfall.

THE NATURE OF NAHUM

It is to be remembered that Nahum’s prophecy, in the original, was in the form of an incomplete poetic acrostic. As such, it does not easily lend itself to exegetical commentary. To so dissect any poem is to lose much of its esthetic value and, in the case of prophecy, some of its overall impact.

The theme of Nahum is revenge. History has born testimony to the accuracy of the preview of destruction, but there is little to explain Nahum’s attitude. Rejoicing at the bloody destruction of a people who had no opportunity to know God seems out of harmony with God’s loving concern for all men.

Perhaps we need to separate the facts of the prophecy from the attitude of the prophet. As in the case of Jonah, God may have not been pleased with Nahum’s reveling in Nineveh’s destruction.

We cannot but recall Jonah’s prejudiced refusal to preach to Nineveh at the outset, and his petulant pouting under a gourd vine when it became evident, upon Nineveh’s repentance, that God would rather forgive than destroy. (Cp. Jonah, chapter four)

Nahum’s prophecy will be appreciated more if two things are kept in mind: (1) the poetic nature of the book and (2) its sequel relationship to Jonah which precedes it by something more than a century.

NINEVEH

Nineveh, as capital of Assyria, was the leader of an empire whose chief aim was aggressive warfare against her neighbors. Asshur, some fifty miles south of Nineveh, had been the original Assyrian capital, but about the time of Sennacherib, (c. 710 B.C.), and for roughly a century thereafter, Nineveh gained the ascendancy and served as capital. It was about the time Nineveh became capital of Assyria that Jonah was sent to preach repentance to the city. Then Nineveh heeded Jonah’s warning but their repentance was apparently short-lived. Sennacherib built Nineveh’s fortifications, aggrandized her temples and installed a remarkably sophisticated water system. It is estimated that as many as 10,000 slaves worked for twelve years just to build the 15,000,000 ton earthen platform upon which the royal palace was set. Exiles from Israel may have formed part of that work force. (Cp. 2 Kings 18:13-16) Diodorus describes a defensive wall about Nineveh forming a sixty mile circumference. This inner defense wall, whose twin may be viewed today among the remains of Nineveh, formed a 7½ mile circuit broken by fifteen gates.

The present ruins of Nineveh seem to be somewhat farther (some 1500 yards) from the Tigris River than was the city in Nahum’s day. A growing Arab village is today slowly covering the site of the ancient city. The city and the empire she ruled were as cruel as her founder, Nimrod (cf. Genesis 10:11). Her kings, in their official records, made no attempt, as do modern despots, to hide the fact of their fierce atrocities. However, Nineveh’s ability to rule the world did not match her ability to conquer it. No effective administration governed Assyria’s conquered territories. Rather, defeated enemies were considered simply the means of gratifying Ninevh’s drive for conquest and the spoils of war. Mankind has inherited no positive legacy from the Assyrian empire.

Israel became a vassal of Assyria c. 854 B.C. and was finally destroyed by her in 722 B.C. Under Ahaz, Judah became vassal to Assyria c. 735 B.C. Jerusalem was threatened by the armies of Assyria under Sargon c. 711 B.C. (cf. Isaiah 20) and Judah was severely punished by her c. 701 B.C. The complete submission of Judah to Nineveh was thwarted by the remarkable destruction of Sennacherib’s army, (Cf. 2 Kings 18:13 to 2 Kings 19:36)

After the city of Nineveh was destroyed by the Medo-Persian alliance in 612 B.C., the Assyrian capital moved to Haran where it stayed until destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 605 B.C. at the battle of Carchemish. Nineveh reached its peak, as did the Assyrian empire of which it was capital, under the reign of Ashurbanipal. When he died c. 626 B.C., the downfall began. There are no Assyrian records of the last twenty-five years of her own existence. The final obliteration of Nineveh was total! Two hundred years later the Greek army passed by the site and gave no indication of knowing it had ever existed!

The Socio-Political Background of Nahum’s Message.

The international scene in Nahum’s day was dominated by Assyria and Egypt. The decisive battle of Thebes in 663 had made Assyria master of the fertile crescent. Assyria was founded by Nimrod, great-grandson of Noah (Genesis 10:8-11). Its capital, Nineveh, was situated on the east side of the Tigris River, opposite the present day city of Mosal in Iraq. Nineveh was capital of Assyria from 1100-800 B.C. and from 705-612 B.C.

The Assyrians worshiped as their principal god, the cruel Asshur. They were primarily a nation of warriors who delighted in raping, ravishing, plundering, and destroying. They have been described as the most sensual, ferocious and diabolical race ever to inhabit the earth. Assurbanipal, one of their great kings, boasted of tearing lips and limbs off of captured rulers, of forcing conquered kings to pull his chariot and of hanging the head of a slaughtered king about another king’s neck. Their’s was truly a reign of terror. Ashurbanipal, king of Assyria from 669-626 was the greatest patron of literature in pre-Christian times.

Nineveh, Assyria’s capital, was thought to be impregnable. Her chief wall was 100 feet high and wide enough for four chariots to race abreast. She had 1200 defense towers about her walls. The moat, outside the walls, was 140 feet wide and 60 feet deep. For more information on Nineveh, see the chapter on Jonah.

The fall of Nineveh occurred in 612 B.C. as Nahum had predicted. The Medes, Babylonians, and Scythians united to attack the city under the Median King Cyaxares. They first took all the surrounding cities and fortifications, then laid siege to Nineveh herself. Fearing the worst, her leaders proclaimed a hundred day feast to propitiate their gods. The river supplying their moats overflowed and undermined the great walls, causing them to collapse. The king, Esar-haddon II, seeing his defenses broken, had himself and his family burnt alive in his palace to escape the wrath of his enemies. The city was totally destroyed. So complete was her overthrow that for centuries no one even knew the location of her ruins.

Assyrian Invasions of Palestine

Tiglath-pilisar (745-727 B.C.) invaded northern Israel and deported some of her people in 734 B.C. Shalmanezer IV (727-722) laid siege to Samaria but died before her fall (2 Kings 18:9-12). Sargon II (722-705) took Samaria in 722. He dismantled and deported the Northern Kingdom. Sennacherib (705-681) took all of Judah and sieged Jerusalem. His army was destroyed at the gates of Jerusalem by the Lord’s angel (2 Kings 18:13-19; 2 Kings 18:37). Esar-Haddon (681-625) passed through Palestine and invaded Egypt, capturing Thebes in 663 B.C. He was reigning when Nahum wrote.

About Nahum’s Book

The author presents his material in a poetic style. J. C. McFadyen writes, "Poetically, the little book of Nahum is one of the finest in the Old Testament." No other prophet, save Isaiah, is equal to Nahum in boldness, ardor or sublimity. Brice notes that his is "the most vivid and passionate fragment of declamation in all literature. The book consists of one single poem. From the three uses of the musical term "selah," some have concluded that Nahum’s poem was set to music for use in worship. The writer was a master of the Hebrew literary art.

Nahum has but one theme; the doom of Nineveh. It was soon to come. He writes from the standpoint of a citizen of Judah (Compare Nahum 1:4; Nahum 1:15; Nahum 2:1-2). He has no word of condemnation for Judah, nor does he call for repentance on the part of Nineveh. It is too late for that. His message is designed to comfort the bruised and broken nation of Judah. It is a cry of joy at the coming of judgment upon Assyria, the evil aggressor. It is the "fervent expression of the outraged conscience of mankind" (Homer Hailey). His book is a terrific arraignment against all nations that seek glory by war and oppression. Nahum has nothing to say about Messiah or his coming kingdom.

The words of Nahum are not quoted in the New Testament. The "beautiful feet" passage of (Romans 10:15) is more likely from (Isaiah 52:7) than from Nahum 1:15. In the Septuagint, the book of Nahum is placed after Jonah since both relate to Nineveh.

Some liberal scholars assert that Nahum 1:2 to Nahum 2:3 is part of a later acrostic poem, prefixed to the prophet’s original work. For a good discussion and refutation of this subjective criticism. See an Old Testament Introduction by John H. Raven.

Some Miscellaneous Facts About Nahum’s Book

It is not possible to fully understand Nahum without some knowledge of Nineveh, the Assyrian nation, her evil ways and final overthrow. Isaiah also predicted the destruction of the Assyrian empire (Isaiah 10:24-27). Four great national sins of Assyria were singled out by Nahum for special condemnation: ruthless military power (Nahum 2:11-13); unscrupulous commercial practices (Nahum 3:16); slavery and witchcraft (Nahum 3:4-5). Assyria is "an object lesson to the empires of the modem world, the absolute necessity for a nation’s continued vitality, of that righteousness, personal, civic and national- which alone exalteth a nation" (Kennedy).

It is of value to compare and contrast Nahum and Jonah. Jonah proclaimed God’s love for all men (Jonah 4:2) while Nahum declares his holiness and justice (Nahum 1:2; Nahum 1:6). The men of Nineveh had repented at Jonah’s preaching, but they soon reverted to their old ways. Nahum now pronounces their doom.

Two major aspects of God’s nature are depicted by Nahum; his mercy (Nahum 1:7; Nahum 1:15) and his righteous judgment (Nahum 1:2).

Diodorus Seculus relates an ancient prophecy that Nineveh would never be taken until the river should become its enemy. He reports that during the siege of Nineveh, the river flooded and undermined the walls for some two and one-quarter miles, causing their collapse (Compare Nahum 2:6). So completely was Nineveh destroyed that prior to her excavation in the nineteenth century, many skeptics questioned if she had ever existed. Lucian wrote, "Nineveh is perished, and there is no trace left where once it was."

In Nahum’s message we see the agony of a tormented world anxiously awaiting a deliverer.

Fragments of an ancient commentary on Nahum were found in Cave #1 at Qumran along with other Dead Sea Scrolls.

Literary men have been favorably impressed by Nahum’s message. Kyle Yates said, "For sheer beauty, poetic imagery, dramatic description, and vivid imagination, Nahum is unsurpassed...." George A. Smith wrote, "His language is strong and brilliant: his rhythm rumbles and rolls, leaps, and flashes like the horseman and chariots he describes." DeWette observes that "It is a classic in all. It is marked by clearness, by its finished elegance, as well as by fire, richness and originality."

Content of Nahum

Assyria was once an oasis for merchants due to trade and commerce (Nahum 2:8). Those whom she conquered provided a rich storehouse of wealth (Nahum 2:9). There was not one nation that had not been touched by her cruelty (Nahum 3:19). God used the wicked nature of the Assyrians to accomplish His end of stroking Israel with the rod of correction (cf. Isaiah 10:5). The time of Assyria’s punishment, however, had now come (cf. Isaiah 10:24-27). The once feared, wealthy, and strong nation was about to be reduced to trembling knees and pale faces for the fear they would now experience at the hands of Jehovah God (cf. Nahum 2:10).

The sovereignty of Jehovah God is depicted in said actions. The Lord God Almighty has authority and power over all creation. The sea, storms, lush vegetative areas, mountains, “yea the world and all that dwell therein” are subject to His will (cf. Nahum 1:3-5). Jehovah called upon Assyria to fortify herself and build up her military might for the day of her judgment (cf. Nahum 1:12; Nahum 3:14). Though Assyria did all within her power to resist, she was going to be reduced to ashes. The sovereignty of Jehovah would be directed at Assyria in the form of the Babylonians. Babylon would crush Assyria with the horrendous bloodshed that Assyria had used on her enemies. Nahum records, “The noise of the whip, and the noise of the rattling of wheels, and prancing horses, and bounding chariots, the horseman mounting, and the flashing sword, and the glittering spear, and a multitude of slain, and a great heap of corpses, and there is no end of the bodies; they stumble upon their bodies” (Nahum 3:2-3). Jehovah would use Babylon as His “battle axe” (Jeremiah 51:20) to “dash in pieces” (Nahum 2:1) Assyria. When the Lord was finished with Babylon, He would punish her for her wickedness as well (cf. Jeremiah 51:24).

Application For Nahum

Those who do not bow their heads to the sovereign will of God shall be eternally punished. Jehovah God is the Lord of all flesh (Jeremiah 32:27). All will one day bow their stubborn knees before him (cf. Philippians 2:10). Jesus will judge each man and woman by his deeds he has done (Revelation 20:12-13). God’s word will be the standard by which man is judged (John 12:48). Let all of humanity recognize the sovereign rule of Jehovah God and submit to His precepts before it is everlasting too late.

Keys That Unlock Nahum’s Message

The key verse is Nahum 1:7-8. "Jehovah is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that take refuge in him. But with an over—running flood he will make a full end of her (Nineveh’s) place, and will pursue his enemies in darkness."

The key thought is, God will utterly destroy Nineveh.

The key words are, "He will make a full end."

A Simple Analysis of Nahum

I. Nineveh’s Judgment Decreed (Nahum 1:1-15).

II. Her Judgment Described (Nahum 2:1-13).

III. Her Judgment Defended (Nahum 3:1-19).

WHO CAN WITHSTAND HIM?

A SHORT STUDY OF THE BOOK OF NAHUM

Notes For Part One: Background, Overview & Themes

The prophet Nahum wrote roughly a century after Micah, yet these two books are connected, as they discuss different aspects of the same situation. When Micah prophesied that God would use Assyria to discipline his people, he left unanswered the question of how a righteous God could use a nation as vile and sinful as Assyria. Nahum addresses that and some related questions.

Background to Nahum

Although little is known with certainty about the prophet Nahum* aside from his book of prophecy, the historical background to Nahum can be easily established. His prophecies were made in the middle of the 7th century BC, sometime between 663 BC and 612 BC**. In this era, the Assyrian Empire experienced great success, but also began to face a crisis in its relations with Babylon. While this was going on, God had some important messages for his own people.

• ·    In Hebrew, Nahum roughly means "comfort ". Nehemiah is a more common form of the same name.

• ·    In 663 BC, the Assyrians destroyed the Egyptian city of Thebes, an event referred to as past in Nahum 3:8-10 (see also below). The city of Nineveh fell to Babylon in 612 BC.

The events and teachings in Micah form much of the background to Nahum. As we detailed when studying Micah, when Micah began preaching in about 750 BC, the people of God were divided into two kingdoms: a Northern Kingdom called Samaria, after its capital city, or sometimes just called Israel, and a Southern Kingdom called Judah, with its capital in Jerusalem.

In Micah’s lifetime, the Assyrian Empire began a series of campaigns in the region. God allowed the Assyrians to conquer the Northern Kingdom in 722 BC, and the ten tribes of that kingdom were dispersed. The Assyrians pressured Judah, and for some years exacted tribute from her. But in the reign of King Hezekiah, Judah decided to resist the Assyrians, which eventually led to the tumultuous siege of 701 BC, which ended with God miraculously delivering his people.

As we have seen, Micah prophesied this siege, and he also foresaw further attacks by Assyria, while assuring God’s people that they would survive. But Micah, like Isaiah, proclaimed that Babylon would later rise, and that the Babylonians would take Judah captive for a time, with Judah’s restoration following afterwards. Micah did not dwell on the ultimate fate of Assyria itself, nor did he discuss the implications of God’s use of the Assyrians in his plans.

Nahum’s own era, the 600s BC, saw the Assyrians’ final successes. They invaded Egypt, and in 663 BC captured, tormented, and destroyed the great ancient Egyptian city of Thebes* (or Luxor), just across the Nile River from the "Valley of the Kings", the great burial site of ancient Egyptian royalty. Meanwhile, the Babylonian Empire** was expanding and preparing to challenge Assyria. The Babylonians conquered Assyria’s capital city of Nineveh in 612 BC, and then defeated the remnant of the Assyrian Army and their allies at Carchemish in 605 BC.

• ·    There was also a city of Thebes in ancient Greece, which was named after the Egyptian city. The Greek city of Thebes is well-known in classical mythology as the home of Oedipus and his daughter Antigone.

• ·    Often called by historians the Neo-Babylonian Empire, to distinguish it from the much earlier Babylonian Empire best known for the law code promulgated by Hammurabi, its most famous ruler.

Assyria had a long history of its own, which we won’t be able to cover here, and it often appears as part of the Old Testament history of God’s people. The Assyrians first appear in Jonah’s mission to their capital Nineveh, which at the time led to a large-scale repentance. Later, however, the Assyrians became a constant threat to Israel and Judah, and they are frequently mentioned in Kings, Chronicles, and the prophetic books. The Assyrian conquest of Samaria and the Northern Kingdom in 722 BC was soon followed by attacks on Judah and Jerusalem, from which only God’s own hand was able to protect his people. Besides Nahum, Isaiah and Zephaniah also prophesied the final fall of Assyria (see Isaiah 10:5-19 and Zephaniah 2:13-15).

Questions For Discussion or Study: What significance could events in Nahum’s lifetime have for interpreting his book of prophecy? What general lessons can we find in the ways that Assyrian history relates to biblical history? Are there any lessons that we can apply to our own lives and ministries? What implications are there in the fact that God used pagan nations like Assyria and Babylon to accomplish his work?

Overview of Nahum

Nahum is filled with vivid language and imagery that the prophet uses to emphasize his points. The book can be outlined by looking at the main thrust in each of its three chapters, and in doing so the key themes of the book also become apparent. Although God himself used Assyria to discipline his people, Assyria will be destroyed and God’s people will one day be restored.

In the first chapter of Nahum, the prophet discusses God’s character and also the ways that God views Jerusalem and Nineveh. Nahum is certainly aware of the reasons why God has used the Assyrians to discipline his own people, but he also knows that there are some important differences between the sins of God’s people, which are correctible, and the hard hearts of the Assyrians, which make them usable only as what Isaiah refers to as "the rod of my (i.e. God’s) anger" (Isaiah 10:5). Nahum in part answers the question of how God could allow a nation of unbelievers to discipline his own people*, no matter how sinful they had been.

• ·    The book of Habakkuk was written for a similar purpose. Not long after Nahum, the prophet Habakkuk asked God when he was going to deal with the sins his people were committing. God answered that soon the Babylonians would come to render discipline to Judah (which began with their invasion of 606 BC, and culminated in the conquest of Jerusalem and the exile to Babylon in 586 BC). On hearing this, Habakkuk asked the question of how God could possibly allow a pagan nation to harm his own people, and then listened as God explained his plans and his perspective to the prophet.

The book* of Nahum opens with a series of images that illustrate God’s awe-inspiring nature and character (Nahum 1:1-8). Nahum does not simply say that God is all-powerful and all-knowing, but gives vivid symbols to illustrate his power in striking and memorable ways. In particular, Nahum says that God stands ready to use his power to punish and discipline when it is necessary, but that at the same time he can be a wonderful place of refuge for those who trust in him. Note that the imagery in Nahum 1:3-6 is similar to that in Micah and other prophetic books.

• ·    Although it has little influence on the interpretation of Nahum’s prophecies, it is somewhat interesting that Nahum is the only one of the prophets who actually calls his book a "book". This probably means that he was inspired to write an actual book from the beginning, whereas many of the other prophets probably first gave inspired oral lessons, which they (or supporters) then collected into a written record.

God’s own character determines the actions he will take towards Nineveh (i.e. Assyria) and Judah. He will render judgment upon Nineveh, but will provide peace and restoration for Judah (Nahum 1:9-15). The Assyrians were useful to him, but they were useful in spite of themselves. All the while that God allowed them to be successful, they took the credit and glory for themselves. Even as God used them, they were plotting evil against him (verse 11). But for Judah there would be good news (Nahum 1:15). After a time of discipline, they would again worship and serve God with a renewed spirit. Despite their sin, someplace deep inside themselves they still desired to belong to their God.

In the second chapter of Nahum, the prophet proclaims the coming doom of Nineveh and Assyria. He foresees that the wicked attacker will itself be attacked and crushed, while formerly oppressed Judah will regain its splendor (Nahum 2:1-4). In Nahum 2:3-4, the prophet describes the coming assault of the Babylonians, who even now are being raised up as God’s new weapon against those who are disobedient to him.

Nineveh will put up a futile defense against this attack (Nahum 2:5-13). They will try everything they know how to do, but it will not stave off defeat. The references to flooding and pools of water in Nahum 2:6-8 are particularly interesting in view of some of the historical details of Nineveh’s fall. The ancient historian Diodorus Siculus, for example, relates that a series of heavy rains began to swell the Tigris River, making it easy for the invaders to turn the city’s own sluice gates against it, flooding a stretch of the city wall and significantly assisting in the attack.

It is also interesting to note that Nahum does not merely proclaim Nineveh’s doom and destruction, but that he takes all of chapter three to emphasize the shame that will accompany the city’s collapse. So much of Assyria’s earthly power, as is the case with so many worldly oppressors and bullies, came from pride, and the prophet wants God’s people to see the Assyrians revealed for what they are. First, he foresees their defeat (Nahum 3:1-4) in a terse succession of images that starkly contrasts their evil glory with the total defeat they shall soon experience.

Then Nahum dwells at length on Nineveh’s humiliation (Nahum 3:5-19). The more prideful someone is (whether a believer or an unbeliever), the more humiliating it will be for that person when God disciplines him or her. Nineveh had extraordinary pride, and thus their humiliation will be total. Some of the images in these verses are unforgettable descriptions of God’s desire to humble them completely. Nahum even taunts them with one of their own worldly triumphs, their victory over Thebes (Nahum 3:8-10), after which the Assyrians had gone out of their way to inflict unnecessary suffering and destruction on the losers and their city. When Nineveh is the recipient of this kind of humbling, no one will care or show them mercy (Nahum 3:19).

Questions For Discussion or Study: What seem to be the prophet’s main points of emphasis? What lessons would we expect to learn from studying Nahum? What reasons might there be for God emphasizing these particular things in a prophecy made against Assyria? How do the positive things that Nahum says to God’s people fit in?

Significant Themes in Nahum

There are a couple of themes that are particularly important in the book. First, Nahum wants both God’s people and unbelievers to see and acknowledge God’s power and God’s control over all things. He also wants his readers to understand how God chooses to use his power. God’s omnipotence is a source of danger to the ungodly, but a source of security and hope to believers.

First of all, Nahum emphasizes, as do most of the prophetic books, some important aspects of God’s nature. At the very beginning of the book (Nahum 1:2), the prophet reminds us that God is a "jealous" God. This is a side of God that we do not often consider carefully, but it is important to remember that he does feel a particular interest in his people, and he will not welcome any attempt by worldly forces to claim ownership or influence over them.

God is also slow to anger, yet great in power (Nahum 1:3). We should never allow God’s patience to make us forget his power, nor should we allow his power to make us forget his patience. Both are essential in understanding who he is. Nahum follows this verse with vivid images to remind us that God’s power is greater than storms, seas, mountains, or any of the earth’s greatest forces.

One of Nahum’s goals is also to help us to understand some things about the ways that God chooses to use his power in this world. To the ungodly, God’s power should be a severe warning. Twice he explicitly tells Nineveh, "I am against you" (Nahum 2:13 and Nahum 3:5). The ungodly are all too often complacent, and thus God occasionally gives them a very small demonstration of his power, hoping that some of them will heed it and repent.

But for those who trust in God, God’s power makes him a secure and longed-for refuge, as Nahum says in Nahum 1:7, perhaps the best-known verse from the book. The very power that means danger for the worldly becomes a promise of peace and restoration for believers who are suffering, discouraged, or persecuted in this world. We know first of all that God has absolute power over the affairs of this world. He can act any time that it is within his will, and if he does not act, we also know that he has a greater purpose in mind. More than that, we know that no matter what this world denies to us or does to us, we have an eternal home with a glory that will transcend anything even imagined in this world.

There are a number of applications for Christians in the book of Nahum. It can particularly help us to look for spiritual parallels. The struggle between God’s people and worldly nations such as Assyria, Babylon, and the like often forms a parallel with our own experience in struggling against the worldly powers we ourselves must face. Things that played out in physical form in the Old Testament era so often find fulfillment on a spiritual level in the lives of Christians. When we conclude this short study next week, we shall consider a few of these possibilities.

Questions For Discussion or Study: How do these key themes fit in with the subject matter concerning Nineveh and the Assyrians? What themes does Nahum have in common with Micah, and/or with other prophetic books with which you are familiar? What spiritual parallels to Nahum’s message might be especially helpful to us?

Sources & References for Nahum

As is the case with Micah, commentaries on the short book of Nahum are most usually parts of commentaries on two or more prophetic books. Here are a few of the more useful sources for studying Nahum. Let me know if you would like suggestions for your own study:

Elizabeth Achtemeier, Nahum-Malachi (Interpretation Commentary)

David Baker, Nahum, Habbakuk, Zephaniah (Tyndale Old Testament Commentary)

Michael Bentley, Balancing the Books (Micah & Nahum) (Welwyn Commentary Series)

Alberto Ferreiro (editor), The Twelve Prophets (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture)

Frank E. Gaebelein (editor), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 7 O. Palmer Robertson, The Books of Micah, Nahum, and Zephaniah (NICOT)

-Mark Garner, May 2005

WHO CAN WITHSTAND HIM?

A SHORT STUDY OF THE BOOK OF NAHUM

Notes For Part Two: Nahum’s Message to Christians

Last week, we looked at the background to the book of Nahum, and then surveyed the contents and the most significant themes of the book. Nahum’s prophecies foretold the fall of the Assyrian Empire, which had been a menace to God’s people for many years. This week, we shall look at some parallels that show how Nahum’s message can be helpful to Christians today.

Review

Nahum was written roughly a century after the book of Micah. In Nahum’s time, Assyria had been a long-standing threat to God’s people. In the first chapter, the prophet describes God’s nature, slow to anger yet great in power, and he explains how this will be shown in his treatment of Jerusalem and Nineveh. Nineveh’s doom is now near (chapter two), while for the Israelites God will bring refuge and hope. Not only will Nineveh and the Assyrians be destroyed, but they will also be covered with shame (chapter three) for all the world to see.

The book of Nahum emphasizes the ways in which God’s nature determines the things that he does. His patience allows us all to have a chance to come to know him, but his power is great, and nothing on earth can withstand it. Much of Nahum’s prophecy has to do with the ways in which God chooses to use his power in this world.

God’s Character & His Will (Nahum 1)

In the first chapter, the prophet first gives us some vivid images of God’s awe-inspiring nature and character. He then reveals what God has decided concerning Assyria and Judah. It is significant to note how the prophet demonstrates the ways that God’s own nature determines his plans and his will. He does nothing on a whim, but always acts in ways that are true to himself.

The first few verses in Nahum (Nahum 1:1-8) can be very helpful in appreciating God’s power. God has absolute sovereignty over nature and over all of the affairs of humanity. That should not be a surprise, since he made everything himself. Yet we so often allow worldly powers or worldly events to cloud our minds, so that we doubt God’s power. No one can withstand God’s power, and nothing can endure God’s power.

In order to have confidence in God’s will, we must first understand his nature. When the prophet tells us that God is slow to anger, but great in power, he is identifying two very important aspects of God’s nature. A healthy view of God will take into account his patience and love, but also his power and his righteousness. Just as God allowed his people to be oppressed by the Assyrians, he sometimes allows those whom he loves to suffer, if there is a greater spiritual purpose that can thus be fulfilled. And he frequently postpones the punishment of the wicked, if there is still a hope of their repentance. Unless we accept that God has higher priorities than our short-term happiness, we will often be filled with doubts and confusion.

God’s judgment on Nineveh (Nahum 1:8-14) is an inevitable consequence of his righteous nature. Nineveh was a vile and sin-filled place, and they had finally exhausted even God’s great patience. He regretfully had to punish them, knowing that their hearts had become too hard for another repentance (such as he had once granted them through Jonah). God never allows the guilty to go unpunished, but this does not mean that God is fussy or arbitrary. Rather, it is part of who he is that he cannot have fellowship with sin. Yet, he often defers punishment for a long time (in our terms), because of his patience and love. This too is part of who he is.

To his own people who trust in him, God brings refuge and good news (Nahum 1:7; Nahum 1:15). We need a refuge from the harshness of the world just as much as the ancient Israelites needed it. We have many stresses and fears in our lives, and worldly forms of refuge do not give us the lasting comfort and security that our souls need. God’s refuge and mercy are never contingent on our performance or our knowledge, but rather on our trust in him. If we trust him, and place our faith in him rather than in this world, we can know that he is there for us.

Questions For Discussion or Study: How can we see God’s power in our daily lives? What can we do to see it more clearly? Of what significance to us is God’s inability to let sin go unpunished? From what things do we need refuge? What kind of refuge does the world seek? What kind of refuge does God provide? How can we benefit from it?

Nineveh’s Certain Fall (Nahum 2)

In proclaiming that Nineveh would fall regardless of the efforts the Assyrians made in its defense, God was also assuring his own people that their greatest source of worry and fear was completely under his control. In the same way, we ought to remind ourselves each day that the things that trouble, harm, and frighten us are always under God’s control. As surely as God himself lives, he is greater and more powerful than anything in our world.

God uses Nahum to proclaim that Nineveh is doomed beyond any doubt (Nahum 2:1-4). There was probably a lapse of some time before Nineveh’s final fall occurred, but from the moment that the prophet proclaimed it, this judgment was certain. When Nahum wrote his book, Assyria had been a constant threat to God’s people for a century or more. Nahum’s original readers and hearers would thus have lived their entire lives in fear of Assyria and of the harm that it could cause. While we do not at present face the same kind of long-term threat (though those living in some other countries do), we still have our own Assyrians, things we have feared all of our lives, things that have harmed us all of our lives. If we realize that God swept away a great kingdom like Assyria, we can also realize that God has power over any problem in our own lives.

The prophet proclaims that, despite its imposing appearance to the world, Nineveh is in fact defenseless against the coming attack (Nahum 2:5-13). Some of their own strengths will even be turned against them*, and will become weaknesses when it matters most. Nahum’s vision is a powerful lesson in appearance and reality. Worldly bullies always do their best to appear intimidating, so as to hide their weaknesses. Not only are worldly forces often not as strong as they appear to be in worldly terms, but also, even the worldly power they do have is insignificant in eternity. Jesus said to fear not those who can destroy the body, but to fear only him who can destroy the soul**.

• ·    See, for example, the notes from last week about Nahum’s images in Nahum 2:6-8.

• ·    See Matthew 10:26-31 and Luke 12:4-7. Those passages would make good comparison studies.

Questions For Discussion or Study: What things are constant sources of fear, worry, or harm in our lives? What power does God have over them? How can we take courage from what God did to Nineveh? How can we entrust these things to God?

Nineveh’s Shame (Nahum 3)

Nahum does not stop at proclaiming the doom of Nineveh. He also describes in great detail the humiliation and shame that will accompany its fall. In fact, the Assyrians have already covered themselves with shame by their cruelty, violence, and other sins. In shaming them before the world, God will simply make clear to all their true nature, which has always been clear to him.

The graphic, rapid-fire imagery of Nahum 3:1-4 is meant to preview the sudden reversal that will befall the Assyrians. Their power will turn to weakness, the great city of Nineveh will become a ruin, and the things they did to others will be done to them. Nahum says that this is "all because of the wanton lust of a harlot", that is, because of their unrestrained fleshly desires.

It is one of the basic aspects of living as Christians that we are called to "escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires" (2 Peter 1:4). The worldly, instead, glorify and worship their desires. Because they know in their hearts that this is wrong, they must come up with all kinds of rationalizations for their selfish lusts and cravings, and they call these uncontrolled appetites "sophisticated" or "hip". Behavior and language that is actually typical of adolescents they call "adult". But nothing can erase the spiritual shame of living to please the flesh instead of living to satisfy the spirit. "Their glory is in their shame" (Philippians 3:19).

In bringing shame and destruction upon Nineveh, God is simply revealing her for what she is (Nahum 3:5-19). Nahum’s imagery of helplessness, filth, and contempt would soon be fulfilled literally when the Babylonians demolished and ransacked Nineveh, but they were already true of the Assyrians’ spiritual condition. So too, we must remember that the worldly unbelievers who tempt us, taunt us, and sometimes torment us are themselves living behind a façade that will someday be torn away. The apparent glamour and "excitement" of sin is a thin cover for its true shameful and destructive nature.

Nineveh’s sins are no different, in essence, from the temptations the world offers to us. The world tries to get us to sin by presenting selfish desires as something important, by re-labeling shameful things with sanitized but deceitful labels, and by telling us that we are "missing out" on some fun and exciting things. This can be very persuasive, especially at times when we may feel discouraged or lonely. Christians do indeed sacrifice a lot of worldly opportunities to gratify their flesh’s urges. But the spiritual rewards that we shall gain will not even compare with the pitiful little thrills that we have to pass up. And if we live godly lives, we also shall never have to wallow in shame and humiliation when God once and for all reveals everything for what it is.

Questions For Discussion or Study: Why does the prophet emphasize the shame that will come upon the Assyrians, and not just their destruction? What parallels for today are there in this? In what ways does the world tries to hide the true nature of the sins that it commits? How can we learn to see sin for what it really is? What positive things can replace the sins that we find tempting (or the sins that we used to commit)?

-Mark Garner, 2005

AN EXPOSITION OF THE TEXT

Nineveh’s Destruction Declared

(Nahum 1:1 to Nahum 2:13).

The Author’s Introduction (Nahum 1:1). "The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite." When a prophet speaks or writes of a "burden" to be delivered upon some person or nation, it is a message of future judgments to be imposed by Jehovah. He immediately tells us that the subject of his vision is God’s judgment on Nineveh, the capital of the mighty Assyrian Empire. The author tells us he received his message in a "vision." The writer of Hebrews tell us that God spoke to the fathers in divers or different portions and manners (Hebrews 11:1). Thus, some received their message in dreams, visions, trances and others by direct communication. In each case, the holy man of God spoke or wrote as he was moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). Nahum was an Elkoshite, in that he hailed from Elkosh, a small Hebrew village of which we have no certain knowledge.

"Jehovah is a jealous God and avengeth; Jehovah avengeth and is full of wrath; Jehovah taketh vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies" (Nahum 1:2). Nahum is a spokesman for Jehovah the God of the Hebrews. He begins his message by telling his readers about the God he represents. He is jealous, full of wrath and takes vengeance on his enemies. His wrath he will pour out on their heads. "Jehovah is a jealous God." According to Webster, our modern use of the word jealous nearly always means "(lb) disposed to suspect rivalry or unfaithfulness: apprehensive of the lose of another’s exclusive devotion." While there are some cases of this meaning attached to God’s jealousy, in this verse the meaning is "(3) vigilant in guarding a possession" (Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary). He wants his readers to know that his God is capable of "wrath" toward his enemies. Wrath is violent anger. It is "retributory punishment for an offense or a crime" (Ibid.). Human beings are prone to attribute to God their own weaknesses. We often take extreme positions or engage in extreme actions. Some preachers seem to dwell only on God’s wrath. Others know only his love for sinners.

Each conveys to his hearers a faulty concept of our God. The truth is he is a loving God (John 3:16) who is angered by the rebellion of man. Although he is longsuffering in calling them to repentance (2 Peter 3:9), he will punish severely those who are his determined adversaries. Having said this about God’s nature, Nahum proceeds to show what the angry God is going to do to the cruel Ninevites.

"Jehovah is slow to anger, and great in power, and will by no means clear the guilty" (Nahum 1:3 a). God’s anger is tempered by his patience. We must be careful lest we misjudge his patience for lack of concern or lack of intent to punish. Peter wrote of mockers who would say of God, "where is the promise of his coming...all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation" (2 Peter 3:4). This reminds us of Friedrich von Logau’ s lines,

"Though the mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding small; Though with patience he stands waiting, with exactness grinds he all."

The unforgiven guilty will receive their just penalties either now or in eternity (2 Corinthians 5:10). When we contemplate the judgement of nations, we must remember that nations are judged in time, while individuals will be judged in eternity. When the tourist in Iraq views the scattered ruins of ancient Nineveh, he can appreciate the prophet’s message.

"Jehovah hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel; and the flower of Lebanon languisheth. The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt; and the earth is upheaved at his presence, yea, the world and all that dwell therein" (Nahum 1:3-5). With poetic flourish, the prophet describes the mighty power of God in the world He created. His power is seen in destructive tornadoes and hurricanes. It is seen in droughts which cause lakes and rivers to dry up and vegetation to die. It is seen in devastating earthquakes. This lesson is largely missed by folks in our well-educated world. While seeking to understand the natural causes of these phenomena, they forget that the Creator can use these destructive things to punish the wicked. Unbelieving secularists in our society are outraged if some Christians dares to suggest that God might have used some act of nature to punish an ungodly people. They want a world without consequences for ungodly behavior.

"Bashan" was the rich farming and pasture land, east of the Jordan. "Carmel" was the forested mountain on the western coast of Palestine. It jutted out into the Mediterranean. "Lebanon" was the mountainous territory north of Galilee, renowned for its great cedar trees. Nahum’s point is God’s judgments are seen throughout the land from east to west and from the north southward. All suffer when God punishes his people. Of course, hills don’t literally melt. The context is speaking of earthquakes. Mountains quake, the earth is upheaved and the hills melt. To understand this, think of the great landslides that occur during excessive rainfall or in connection with earthquakes.

"Who can stand before his indignation? And who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken asunder by him" (Nahum 1:6). These two questions are rhetorical in nature. All thinking people know that no one can stand before our God when he is angry with them. Malachi asked the same question of his readers (Malachi 3:2). God’s wrath is expressed in many way. His bolts of lightning strike the earth. In ancient times, they did not know of lightning rods for their buildings. They had no meaningful fire protection service. His great power can smash even the great rocks that defied ancient man. They had no explosives to use in breaking them. He can cause a mountain explode with fiery destruction that sends molten and shattered rock over its slopes.

"Jehovah is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that take refuge in him. But with an over-running flood he will make a full end of her place and will pursue his enemies into darkness" (Nahum 1:7-8). While he stresses God’s wrath and judgment upon his enemies, Nahum wants his readers to know of God’s goodness to all who look to him for refuge. The sons of Korah sang, "God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble" (Psalms 46:1). In contrast, God will make a full end of Nineveh and pursue them as they flee their fallen citadel. Some nations are punished, but survive and in time regain their standing. Nineveh was totally destroyed So thorough was her destruction and burial beneath the desert sands, that for centuries people could find no trace of her existence. Only since the mid-nineteenth century have we known the site of Nineveh’s ruins.

"What do ye devise against Jehovah? He will make a full end; affliction shall not rise up the second time. For entangled like thorns, and drunken as with their drink, they are consumed utterly as dry stubble" (Nahum 1:9-10). What could mortal men do in response to the great Jehovah? Could finite men outthink the infinite Jehovah? He is invisible; they could not see him. He is omnipotent they could not overpower him. He is omniscient, they could not hide from him. What can bows, slings and spears do against storms, floods, earthquakes and lightning bolts? In his vision, the prophet see the Assyrian soldiers staggering like drunks. He sees them tangled in briars and thorns, unable to escape the raging fire that will consume them. Nineveh is finished. She will not reemerge a second time to afflict her neighbors and God’s people. God had used the Ninevites to afflict His people (Isaiah 10:5-21), but they will afflict them no more.

"There is one gone forth out of thee that deviseth evil against Jehovah, that counselleth wickedness" (Nahum 1:11). We are uncertain just who the "one gone forth out of" Nineveh was. Perhaps it was Sennacherib who in 705 B.C. led his armies into Palestine. He captured all of Judah and laid siege to Jerusalem. Rabshakeh, one of his generals, publicly belittled and defied Jehovah before the gates of Jerusalem (Is. 36:1-20). Shortly thereafter "the angel of Jehovah went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand; and when men arose early in the morning, behold these were all dead bodies" (Isaiah 37:36-37). Not long after, Sennacherib himself was assassinated by his own sons. (Isaiah 37:37-38).

"Thus saith Jehovah: Though they be in full strength, and likewise many, even so shall they be cut down, and he shall pass away. Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more. And now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder" (Nahum 1:12-13). The great size of the Assyrian army and their prior success in combat did not intimidate Jehovah. He could confidently say, "so shall they be cut down and he shall pass away." God then directs he words to his people, the Hebrews. "I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more." Again we direct our readers to Isaiah 10:5-19). God had used the Assyrians as "the rod of (his) anger" to punish the Hebrews and their neighbors. The evil Assyrians had no idea they were serving God. They fought for conquest, land and booty. When he had accomplished His divine purpose God then destroyed those who had eagerly punished the children of Abraham (Isaiah 10:12). Afterward His people would be free of the Assyrian yoke.

"And Jehovah hath given commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sown: out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven image and the molten image; I will make thy grave; for thou art vile" (Nahum 1:14). The words of this verse are spoken to the Assyrians. Not only would they be defeated, they would be completely destroyed from the face of the earth for their vileness. In the introduction, we pointed out the extreme cruelty of the Assyrians toward their victims. They were known for raping, robbing, ravishing, pillaging, destroying and terrorizing. For this they paid dearly.

"Behold, upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! Keep thy feasts, 0 Judah, perform thy vows; for the wicked one shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off" (Nahum 1:15). These words of encouragement are spoken to the suffering Hebrews. The prophet sees the messenger shouting his message as he passes by. "Nineveh is fallen, we are free of her yoke." He encourages his fellow Hebrews to celebrate their deliverance with feasts of thanksgiving unto God. Paul uses similar words to describe the gospel message proclaimed by missionaries of Christ to a world enslaved to sin (Romans 10:16). This passage is the beginning of chapter two in the Hebrew text.

The Judgment of Nineveh Described

(Nahum 2:1-3).

"He that dasheth in pieces is come up against thee: keep the fortress, watch the way, make their loins strong, fortify thy power mightily" (Nahum 2:1). These words are spoken to the Ninevites. The prophet sees invading armies laying siege to their city. History tells us it was the Babylonians, the Medes and Sythians whose armies attacked Nineveh. It may be that the prophet purposely chose the word "dasheth" to described what the invaders would do to the city and its inhabitants. The Assyrians commonly killed the babies of nations they conquered by dashing their heads against stones (Hosea 13:16; Nahum 3:10). Now they would be dashed by their attackers. They would reap as they had sown (Galatians 6:7). He mocks the Ninevites, urging them to prepare for a battle he already knew they would lose. Making the "loins strong" refers to strapping on their leather girdle that strengthened their waist and legs and held some of their weapons. Also it signified to pull up the skirt of their robe and tuck it under the belt so it would not hinder their movement when in combat. The idea is to get ready for the battle.

"For Jehovah restoreth the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel; for the emptiers have emptied them out, and destroyed their vine-branches" (Nahum 2:2). By this he informs us that the overthrow of Nineveh was decreed by Jehovah. For agents he used the three heathen nations mentioned above. God was doing this as a just recompense for the harm they had inflicted upon His people. They had looted the land of the Hebrews and other conquered nations, now it was their turn to be looted. The NIV renders this, "The Lord will restore the splendor of Jacob like the splendor of Israel." The Assyrians had defeated the Northern Kingdom and carried away everything of value, including the best of her citizens. They had imported prisoners from other nations to till her land. They brought their idols and corrupted Jehovah’s worship (2 Kings 17:24-34). Typical of Hebrew writers, he twice referred to the nation’s founder, "Jacob" and "Israel." Such repetition is called parallelism and is a literary devise used to emphasize a point. Jacob was the father of the ten tribes. God bestowed upon him the name Israel as a name of honor (Genesis 32:28).

"The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are in scarlet: the chariots flash with steel in the day of his preparation, and the cypress spears are brandished. The chariots rage in the streets; they rush to and fro in the broad ways: the appearance of them is like torches; they run like lightnings" (Nahum 2:3-4). In his vision the prophet sees the invading armies. They are dressed in uniforms of scarlet, their shields are painted red (See Ezekiel 23:14). He sees the attackers inside the city, the battle raging from street to street and house to house. Accompanying their foot soldiers were war chariots with deadly iron cutting blades attached to their wheels. Their cutting blades flashed in the sun as they race through the streets pursing the retreating Assyrians.

"He remembereth his nobles: they stumble in their march; they make haste to the wall thereof, and the mantelet is prepared" (2:5). The RSV is better, "The officers are summoned. They stumble as they go, they hasten to the wall, the mantelet is set up.” He sees the invading troops struggling to get their mantelet in place before the gates they are trying to breach. A mantelet was a large portable shield under which the soldiers could work who were trying to force open the gate. Soldiers on the walls would be dropping rocks and flammables on them, but the mantelet would deflect them.

"The gates of the rivers are opened, and the palace is dissolved. ...And she is carried away; her handmaids moan as with the voice of doves, beating upon their breasts" (Nahum 2:7). Nineveh was situated on the eastern banks of the Tigris River. Her towering walls were surrounded by a moat 60 ft. deep and 140 ft. wide. Her inhabitants thought she was impregnable. Sluice gates controlled the water in the moats and canals within the city. Diodorus Seculus cited an ancient prophecy that Nineveh would not be taken until the river became her enemy. He notes that during the siege, the river flooded and undermined her great wall for 2 1/4 miles. With the collapse of the wall, the invading hordes soon brought the city to her knees. The city of Nineveh is pictured as a once proud woman being led away by her conquerors. "Her handmaids" are the women of the city, like the servants follow their mistress, they are driven from their city bemoaning their loss and plight, openly demonstrating their consternation by smiting their breasts. The Arab women still respond to disaster in this way.

"But Nineveh hath been from of old like a pool of water: yet they flee away, Stand, stand, they cry; but none looketh back" (Nahum 2:8).To illustrate the fleeing population of Nineveh, Nahum tells us for generations she had been like a pool or reservoir of water. Now the gates were opened and the water rushes out, leaving the city, empty like a lake whose dam was destroyed. The military officers are depicted calling the people back...especially the soldiers, "Stand, stand" and defend your city, but none look back. Their one thought is escaping the wrath upon them.

"Take ye the spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold for there is no end of the store, the glory of all goodly furniture. She is empty, and void, and waste; and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and anguish is in all loins, and the faces of them all are waxed pale" (Nahum 2:9-10). In his vision, Nahum sees the trimphant soldiers in the city. He hears a voice telling them to help themselves to the immense treasure the fleeing citizens left behind. Nineveh had been extracting the wealth of neighboring nations for years. The booty they had stored up within their great fortified walls. Now she was being stripped bare by the looters. "She is empty...void and waste." Her fleeing citizens are terrorized. Great fear has gripped every heart. Their despair was seen in their ashen faces.

"Where is the den of the lions, and the feeding-place of the young lions, where the lion and the lioness walked, the lion’s whelp, and none made them afraid? The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his caves with prey and his dens with ravin." (Nahum 2:11-12). The national symbol of the Assyrian Empire was the lion. So the prophet uses an allegory of a pride of lions and their den to describe Nineveh. For generations, like lions, the Ninevites had ruled the region and terrorized their neighbors. They had preyed on them and taken their possessions and people at will. Their den was stocked with the treasures they had taken from others. "Ravin" is rendered "torn flesh" by the RSV which stands for that when they had torn from its rightful owners. Now God taunts them, by asking, Where have they gone?

"Behold, I am against thee, saith Jehovah of hosts, and I will burn her chariots in the smoke and the sword shall devour thy young lions; and I will cut off the prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard" (Nahum 2:13). Remember, Nahum wrote long before Nineveh’s overthrow. He records God declaration and promise. He is against the Ninevites and will destroy their war machine and people from the earth. The treasures they had accumulated will be left for others.

A Vindication of God’s Judgement on Nineveh

(Nahum 3:1-19).

"Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and rapine; the prey departeth not" (Nahum 3:1). In this chapter the author explains why Nineveh’s judgment was coming. She was a "bloody city." The victims of her aggressive wars were innumerable. Her cruelty to captives was legendary. "Of King Ashur-nasir-pal we are told, "His usual procedure after the capture of a hostile city was to burn it, and then to mutilate all the grown male prisoners, putting out their eyes; after which they were piled up in a great heap to perish in torture from the sun, flies, their wounds and suffocation; the children; both boys and girls, were all burned alive at the stake; and the chief was carried off to Assyria to be flayed (skinned) alive for the king’s delectation" (Hall’s Ancient History of the Near East, p. 445). No agreement, covenant or alliance with the Ninevites could be trusted. They were full of lies. The Ninevites deserved the judgments God was sending upon them. "The prey departeth not." Ebenezer Henderson thinks this refers to the prisoners taken from the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Others think it means Assyria was always taking from others, never returning or giving back.

"The noise of the whip, and the noise of the rattling of wheels, and prancing horses, and bounding chariots, the horseman mounting and the flashing sword, and the glittering spear, and a multitude of slain, and a great heap of corpses, and there is no end of the bodies; they stumble upon their bodies..." (Nahum 3:2-3). Again, in his vision, the prophet sees and hears the invading army doing their deadly work of destruction.

"—because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the well-favored harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts." (Nahum 3:4). More charges are lodged against the Ninevites; crimes that well deserve the punishment they will receive. God personifies the great city, liken her to an attractive harlot. Just as harlots use their outward attractiveness to seduce men, so the leaders of Nineveh used every clever enticement to bring other nations under her control. He then likens her to a witch who through deception and superstition intimidates people. Solomon, in warning his sons of harlots, observed "Her house is the way to Sheol, Going down to the chambers of death" (Proverbs 7:27). So anyone who dealt with Nineveh was going to suffer for it.

"Behold I am against thee, saith Jehovah of hosts, and I will uncover thy skirts upon thy face; and I will show the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame. And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazing stock" (Nahum 3:5-6). The Ruler of nations promises that he would humiliate the proud Ninevites before their neighbors. The figure he uses is that of a harlot who has been publicly punished. In the ancient world it was common that they be stripped naked and displayed in some public place such as the stocks used in our colonial times. The people would cast rotten fruit and vegetables and fecal material upon them. Their punishment would be for all to see.

"And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?" (3:7).

In her day of distress, Nineveh will have no friends to come to her aid. None loved her. They feared her. Under threat of destruction they had obeyed her, but now they turn their backs on the suffering city. None would mourn her passing.

Nineveh is No More Invincible than was Thebes

(Nahum 3:8-11).

"Art thou better than No-Amon, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about her, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was of the sea? Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers. Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity; her young children also were dashed to pieces at the head of all the streets; and they cast lots for her honorable men, and all her great men were bound in chains" (Nahum 3:8-10). The prophet addresses the leaders of Nineveh who boasted that their city was too strong to be taken. "No-Amon" was the ancient Egyptian city of Thebes. It was situated some 450 miles south of modern Cairo. Its fabulous ruins can be seen at Luxor. It was the seat of Amon, the sun god. Thebes served as capital of the Egyptian empire from 711-663 B.C. He describes the fortifications of the great city. Her borders were on both sides of the mighty Nile River, which he called "the sea." She ruled over Egypt and Ethiopia. Put and Lubim were confederate with her. Lubim is thought to be modern Libya and Put might possibly refer to modern Somalia. If that is the case we can appreciate his reference to her strength. With territory stretching from the Mediterranean southward to the equator and eastward to the Indian Ocean. "Her strength...was infinite," like Nineveh’s and yet she fell to the Assyrians. Ashurbanipal had conquered No-Amon in His troops sacked the city and brutalized her population. The Assyrians killed their infants by dashing them against stones. The cream of her citizenry was marched away in chains. His point is, if this great catastrophe fell upon the great city of Thebes, why do the Ninevites think they can escape a similar fate?

"Thou also shalt be drunken; thou shalt be hid; thou also shalt seek a stronghold because of the enemy" (Nahum 3:11). He tells the Ninevites they will be dazed and stagger like drunken men, seeking a safe place to hide from the marauding army of invaders. Obadiah likens God’s judgments to a cup of poisoned drink. "For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the nations drink, and swallow down, and shall be as though they had not been" (Obadiah 1:16).

None of Her Defenses and No Amount of

Preparation Will Save Nineveh (Nahum 3:12-19).

"All thy fortresses shall be like fig-trees with the first-ripe figs: if they be shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater. Behold thy people in the midst of thee are women; the gates of thy land are set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire bath devoured thy bars" (Nahum 3:12-13). He chides them, telling them their fortresses will not stand before the invading enemy. Rather than a brave resistance, her men will be frightened and helpless as women. Fire would destroy the great wooden bars that secured her gates from the enemy without. They will be as helpless before their attackers as ripe figs are to the those who come to devour them.

"Draw thee water for the siege; strengthen thy fortresses; go into the clay, and tread the mortar; make strong the brickkiln. There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off; it shall devour thee like the canker-worm; make thyself many as the canker-worm; make thyself many as the locust" (Nahum 3:14-15). He taunts the Ninevites to get busy preparing for the coming siege, though it will be of no avail. The siege would keep them from going outside for water. The attackers would cut off any water flowing into the city. So he advises, store up water. Nineveh was highly fortified. Her primary walls were 100 feet high and sufficiently wide for four chariots to race abreast upon them. She boasted of 1200 defense towers and a wide and deep moat around her walls. He ridicules their efforts to make additional fired bricks. All of their efforts would be in vain. "The mortar" was the pit where the clay and sand were mixed with water. It was prepared for the molds by men wading in the mud with their bare feet. The bricks were fired and hardened in the "brickkiln." As the bricks were burned in the kiln, so the people would be burned in the destruction of their city. "The sword would devour" them like the canker-worm devours the green plants. Of course the sword can do nothing by itself. It is the swordsman that makes the weapon do its brutal job. The figure he uses is a metonymy. "The canker-worm" is the early stage grasshopper or locust. As they strip the vegetation, so would the invading armies strip Nineveh bare. While speaking of locusts, he again taunts them, saying even if they could multiply their numbers like the locust, they could not save themselves.

"Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the canker-worm ravageth, and fleeth away. Thy princes are as the locusts, and thy marshals as the swarms of grasshoppers, which encamp in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are" (Nahum 3:16-17). Still using the analogy of the locusts, Nahum mentions the merchants of the nation who, seeing the coming attack, fled the city like locusts. Nineveh was the great emporium of her day. All trade routes led to and from her. Her agents traverse the world about them bringing wealth and treasure to the city. Although they had grown rich because of her, they would not stay to defend her. The ruling class of the city, her princes, had also multiplied in the days of her prosperity and power. They too would flee when they realized the fall of the city was approaching. The meaning of her "marshals" is uncertain. The RSV renders it "your scribes." The NIV translates it "your officials." Whatever the specific meaning, they too would flee like locusts, rather than risk themselves to defend their city. They would never be seen again.

"Thy shepherds slumber, 0 king of Assyria; thy nobles are at rest; thy people are scattered upon the mountains, and there is none to gather them. There is no assuaging of thy hurt; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the report of thee clap their hands over thee; for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?" (Nahum 3:18-19). Nahum’s closing words are addressed specifically to the King of Assyria. When one addresses a person not present, it is a literary device called an apostrophe. The man of God sees the end result of his prophesy. The "shepherds" of Assyria are those who were responsible for leading and protecting the people. Her "nobles" were included among the shepherds. They are now all slumbering in death. The citizens who survived the siege and destruction of Nineveh are like sheep, scattered in the mountains. Without leaders and protectors, there they will perish. Nineveh has suffered a mortal wound. Some cities have been devastated, yet recovered to flourish again, but this will not be the case with Nineveh; "Her wound is grievous." When a person dies, we expect there to be someone who will mourn their passing. When the Assyrian nation died, no one mourned. Rather there was celebrating and rejoicing. People were applauding her death. Why? Because for generations all had felt the oppression of the Assyrians. Rather than mourning, there would be heard a sigh of relief and thanksgiving that at last she had been given her due.

What do you think the response would have been if the king of Assyria had chanced to read the words of Nahum’s book? He was reigning over the most powerful nation on the earth. Kings of nations feared and trembled at the king’s word. The lives of millions of subjects were in his hands to bless or destroy. In the royal court, the first question likely to be heard would be, "Who is this idiot who dares to write such foolishness?" That some obscure preacher, living hundreds of miles away, dared to make such an outlandish prediction would likely be received with scorn and ridicule. When the final assault was being launched against Nineveh, do you wonder if anyone in the court, recalled what the prophet had said? Hebrews who lived to see the overthrow of Nineveh would say, surely God spoke through this man, Nahum!

LESSONS TO REMEMBER

1. There is a limit to the patience of God.

2. We see the universality of God’s government in the world. He rules in the kingdoms of men (Daniel 4:17).

3. God will punish wicked nations and individuals according to their works (Nahum 1:3).

4. God’s wrath must be understood in terms of his love.

5. A nation built on pride, cruelty, force and selfishness cannot hope to have friends in its day of calamity.

6. All that God can do with a wicked, impenitent nation is destroy it.

7. In the day of distress and anguish, men who do not know God must endure untold sufferings.

8. Arrogance that leads to senseless destruction of life and property arouses the anger of God.

9. No mercy will be shown to those who show no mercy.

10. The student of world history will see that it is about the judgement of nations.

11. There are no strongholds secure from the vengeance of God.

12. They that take the sword shall perish with the sword (Matthew 26:52).

13. Men and nations are saved to serve. When they cease to serve God and humanity, judgment comes.

14. In Nahum, we see the goodness and the severity of God (Romans 11:22).

15. "Though the mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceedingly small; though with patience he stands waiting, with exactness grinds he all" (H. W. Longfellow).