The Bloody City
Study note
Nahum paints a terrifying picture of battle: cracking whips, rumbling wheels, charging horses, and bodies piling up in the streets. Nineveh had earned its reputation as a city of blood. Assyrian kings boasted in their own records about skinning captives alive, impaling people on stakes, and cutting off heads to build victory piles. The 'witchcraft' and 'charms' in verse 4 refer to Assyria's use of deception, political manipulation, and seductive alliances to control other nations.
1 Disaster is coming for the blood-soaked city! It is overflowing with lies and crammed with stolen goods. The violence never lets up. Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;
2 Listen! Whips crack! Wheels thunder! Horses pound! Chariots bounce and clatter! The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots.
3 Cavalry charges with swords flashing and spears gleaming! Dead bodies piled everywhere — heaps upon heaps of corpses, more than anyone can count. People trip over the dead at every turn. The 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:
4 This is all happening because Nineveh sinned without end. Like a beautiful seductress skilled in witchcraft, she lured nations into slavery through her charms and trapped whole families with her spells. Because 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.
God Will Shame Nineveh
Study note
God declares that he will publicly humiliate Nineveh just as Nineveh had humiliated other nations. In the ancient world, exposing someone's nakedness was one of the greatest shames possible. Conquered peoples were often stripped and paraded before crowds. God says he will treat Nineveh the same way. The city that once made others weep will have no one to weep for it. No one will feel sorry for Nineveh when it falls.
5 "I am coming after you," the LORD of Armies declares. "I will humiliate you in front of everyone. I will expose your shame for nations to see and your disgrace for kingdoms to witness." Behold, 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.
6 "I will cover you in filth and treat you with utter contempt. I will make you a public spectacle for everyone to gawk at." And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock.
7 Everyone who sees you will back away and say, "Nineveh lies in ruins! Who would bother mourning for her?" No one will even try to offer a word of comfort. 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?
The Warning of Thebes
Study note
Nahum compares Nineveh to the great Egyptian city of Thebes (called 'No' or 'No-Amon' in Hebrew). In 663 BC, the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal conquered and destroyed Thebes, one of the most magnificent cities in the ancient world. Thebes sat along the Nile River and was protected by water on all sides. It had powerful allies in Ethiopia, Egypt, Put (Libya), and Lubim (also Libya). Yet even this mighty city fell to Assyria. Nahum asks: if Thebes could not survive, why does Nineveh think it will be any different?
8 Are you truly any better than the great city of Thebes? That city sat along the Nile with water all around it. The river was its fortress wall and water was its shield. Art 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?
9 Ethiopia and Egypt gave Thebes limitless backing. The nations of Put and Libya were its allies. Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers.
10 Yet even mighty Thebes was conquered and dragged into exile. Its babies were smashed at every street corner. Its leaders were divided up by drawing lots, and all its important men were clapped in chains. Yet 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.
11 You too will stagger around like a drunk, Nineveh. You will run and hide, desperately searching for safety from the enemy. Thou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid, thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy.
Nineveh's Defenses Will Fail
Study note
Nahum uses vivid images to describe how easily Nineveh will fall. Its fortresses are like fig trees with ripe fruit: shake them and the figs drop right into your mouth. Its soldiers will become as helpless as civilians. Nahum sarcastically tells the city to store up water and strengthen its walls, but then says it will not matter. Fire and sword will consume them. The locust and cankerworm images describe both the overwhelming number of invaders and the total destruction they will bring.
12 All your fortresses are like fig trees heavy with ripe fruit — shake them and the figs drop right into the waiting mouth. All 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.
13 Look at your soldiers — they are as helpless as defenseless civilians! The gates to your country are standing wide open for anyone to walk through. Fire has burned away every bar and bolt. Behold, 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.
14 Fill up your water jugs for the siege! Shore up your walls! Stomp the mud and pack it into bricks! Fire up the kilns! Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the mortar, make strong the brickkiln.
15 None of it will matter — fire will eat you alive, and the sword will hack you down. Destruction will consume you like a swarm of locusts. Go ahead — multiply your forces like locusts! Swarm together like grasshoppers! There 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.
The Final Downfall of Assyria
Study note
In its final verses, the book describes Assyria's complete collapse. Though Nineveh had more merchants than stars in the sky and more officials than swarms of locusts, they will all disappear when danger comes. The 'shepherds' in verse 18 are the leaders and generals of Assyria, and they have all fallen asleep in death. The word 'bruit' in the original means 'news' or 'report.' When the nations heard that Nineveh had fallen, they clapped their hands in celebration because every one of them had suffered under Assyria's endless cruelty.
16 You made your merchants as numerous as the stars in the sky. But just like locusts that strip a field bare and then fly off, they will vanish. Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and flieth away.
17 Your officials are like huge swarms of locusts and your commanders like giant clouds of grasshoppers. They huddle on the walls when it is cold outside, but the moment the sun warms up, they disappear — and nobody can find where they went. Thy 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.
18 King of Assyria, your leaders have dropped dead. Your nobles have laid down and are never getting up. Your people are scattered across the mountains with nobody to round them up. Thy 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.
19 There is no bandage big enough for your wound. Your injury will kill you. Everyone who hears the news about your downfall will clap their hands and cheer, because there is nobody alive who did not suffer under your relentless cruelty. There 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?