Nahum 2:8

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Nahum 2:1-10

Here is, I. An alarm of war sent to Nineveh, Nah. 2:1. The prophet speaks of it as just at hand, for it is neither doubtful nor far distant: ?Look about thee, and see, he that dashes in pieces has come up before thy face. Nebuchadnezzar, who is noted, and will be yet more so, for dashing nations in pieces, begins with thee, and will dissipate and disperse thee;? so some render the word. Babylon is called the hammer of the whole earth, Jer. 50:23. The attempt of Nebuchadnezzar upon Nineveh is... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Nahum 2:8

But Nineveh is of old like a pool of water ,.... This was a very ancient city, built by Nimrod, as some say; or rather by Ashur, as appears from Genesis 10:10 and it was like fish pool, full of people, as it was in the times of Jonah, who for their number may be compared both to water and to fish; and likewise full of wealth and riches, which for their instability may be signified by water also; and moreover, like a pool of standing water, had never been liable to any commotions and... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Nahum 2:8

But Nineveh is of old like a pool of water - מימי mimey , from days. Bp. Newcome translates the line thus: "And the waters of Nineveh are a pool of waters." There may be reference here to the fact given in the preceding note, the overflowing of the river by which the city was primarily destroyed. Stand, stand - Consternation shall be at its utmost height, the people shall flee in all directions; and though quarter is offered, and they are assured of safety it they remain, yet not one... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Nahum 2:8

Verse 8 The prophet here anticipates a doubt which might have weakened confidence in his words; for Nineveh not only flourished in power, but it had also confirmed its strength during a long course of time; and antiquity not only adds to the strength of kingdoms, but secures authority to them. As then the imperial power of the city Nineveh was ancient, it might seem to have been perpetual: “Why! Nineveh has ever ruled and possessed the sovereign power in all the east; can it be now shaken, or... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Nahum 2:1-8

§ 1. Nineveh shall be besieged, because God is about to exalt his people by taking vengeance on the enemy, whose defence, howsoever formidable, is of no avail. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Nahum 2:1-10

A predicted invasion. I. THE ENEMY DESCRIBED . 1 . His violence. Nahum calls him "a dasher in pieces" (verse 1), and represents his warriors as "mighty" and "valiant" (verse 3)—epithets which apply with fitness and force to the Merdo-Babylonian army under Cyaxares and Nabopolassar. 2 . His boldness. He comes up against Nineveh, not stealthily and under cover of darkness, but openly, pitching his tent opposite the city gates. His fearless attitude was a proof that God was... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Nahum 2:1-13

Part II . THE EXECUTION OF THE DECREE ; THE DESTRUCTION OF NINEVEH DESCRIBED . read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Nahum 2:3-13

The downfall of Nineveh, as illustrative of the Divine and the human dements in revelation. There are two elements in the Bible, the Divine and the human. God speaks to us in every page, nor does he speak the less emphatically, but all the more so, in that he addresses us through men possessing throbbing hearts, and who were phasing through experiences like our own. We honour the volume as being in the highest sense God's Word, nor do we honour it the less in this respect because we... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Nahum 2:8

The prophet compares the past and present condition of Nineveh. But Nineveh is of old like a pool of water; and (or, though ) Nineveh hath been like a pool of water all her days. Others, altering the points in accordance with the Septuagint and Vulgate, translate, "But as for Nineveh, her waters are like a pool of water." This is what she has come to, for "her waters" represent herself. She is compared to a pool or reservoir ( Nehemiah 2:15 ; Nehemiah 3:15 ) from the multitude of... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Nahum 2:8

But Nineveh is of old like a pool of water - that is, of many peoples Revelation 17:1, gathered from all quarters and settled there, her multitudes being like the countless drops, full, untroubled, with no ebb or flow, fenced in, “from the days that she hath been,” yet even therefore stagnant and corrupted (see Jeremiah 48:11), not “a fountain of living waters,” during 600 years of unbroken empire; even lately it had been assailed in vain ; now its hour was come, the sluices were broken; the... read more

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