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Nahum

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Nahum 3

1Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and rapine; the prey departeth not.

1Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;

Commentary · verse 1

Nineveh was referred to as a "bloody city."

2The noise of the whip, and the noise of the rattling of wheels, and prancing horses, and bounding chariots, 3the 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;— 4because 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.

2The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots.

3The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses:

4Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts.

Commentary · verses 2-4

The cause of Nineveh's ruin: whoredom and witchcraft. Was there anything Nineveh could do to reverse the two causes of this judgment?

5Behold, 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.

5Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.

Commentary · verse 5

Again, God was against Nineveh.

6And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazing-stock.

6And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock.

Commentary · verse 6

God would set Nineveh as a "gazing-stock." She would be in plain sight as an example to other people.

7And 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?

8Art 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?

9Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers.

10Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity; her young children also were dashed in 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.

7And 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?

8Art thou better than populous No, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the sea?

9Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers.

10Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity: her young children also were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets: and they cast lots for her honourable men, and all her great men were bound in chains.

Commentary · verses 7-10

Ethiopia and Egypt were Nineveh's strength but that was not enough for Nineveh to escape judgment from God.

11Thou also shalt be drunken; thou shalt be hid; thou also shalt seek a stronghold because of the enemy.

12All thy fortresses shall be like fig-trees with the first-ripe figs: if they be shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater.

11Thou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid, thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy.

12All thy strong holds shall be like fig trees with the firstripe figs: if they be shaken, they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater.

Commentary · verses 11-12

Fruit of wickedness had no roots just as Nineveh's strongholds were weak and would fall.

13Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women; the gates of thy land are set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire hath devoured thy bars.

14Draw thee water for the siege; strengthen thy fortresses; go into the clay, and tread the mortar; make strong the brickkiln.

15There 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.

16Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the canker-worm ravageth, and fleeth away.

17Thy princes are as the locusts, and thy marshals as the swarms of grasshoppers, which encamp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are.

18Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria; thy nobles are at rest; thy people are scattered upon the mountains, and there is none to gather them.

19There 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?

13Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars.

14Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter, make strong the brickkiln.

15There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm: make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts.

16Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and flieth away.

17Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are.

18Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria: thy nobles shall dwell in the dust: thy people is scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them.

19There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hands over thee: for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?

Commentary · verses 13-19

Other people would clap with gladness over Nineveh's ruin because Nineveh had been continually wicked to others. Unlike during Jonah's prophecy, this time it was too late for Nineveh, their judgment was imminent. They would not be able to reverse the two causes of this judgment: whoredom and witchcraft.

Commentary · verse 19

The Book of Nahum was the seventh of the twelve books that made up the minor prophet section of the Old Testament. Nahum was a prophet about fifty to seventy years after Jonah. This book can be seen as a complement to the Book of Jonah. While Nineveh avoided the judgment Jonah spoke of, the judgment did come about 100 years after Jonah at the hands of Nabopolassar, father of Nebuchadnezzar. Decades before this judgment, Nahum explained that Ninevites would be judged because they had returned to their sinful ways.

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