Nahum 1:9

"What do ye devise against Jehovah? he will make a full end; affliction shall not rise up the second time."

"Shall not rise up the second time ..." It will not be necessary for God to destroy his enemies twice; once will be far more than sufficient! Assyria, and all of the great military powers, were engaged in nothing else except strengthening themselves; and, in all such preparations, the essential hostility of those powers against God and against God's people upon earth was abundantly evident. The word here, is that no preparation, of a physical and military nature, against the execution of the wrath of God could be effective. The only adequate response to that eventuality must ever be a penitent and contrite heart, turning to God for forgiveness. Nineveh had done that once before, in the days of Jonah; but they had, in Nahum's time, decided to "do it their way." "There is a close connection between these verses and those that precede."[14] Indeed, this entire first chapter, and all of the prophecy, is a skillfully written treatise remarkable for unity, logic, and dramatic clarity of the meaning.

The warning of this passage should not be restricted to Assyria, nor should it be denied to them on the basis of its being addressed to Judah. As Hailey said, "In all probability it is addressed to both."[15] As a matter of fact, it is addressed to all humanity intent upon forgetting God and building their civilizations without regard to his divine will. "God's great war on cosmic and supernatural evil,"[16] is the conflict in view.