Verse 11
"There is one gone forth out of thee, that deviseth evil against Jehovah, that counselleth wickedness."
Some would apply this to Sennacherib, whom it fits well enough; but it is better to understand this as a personification of the whole spirit of Nineveh:
"Nineveh is addressed; and we need not refer the words entirely to Sennacherib and his impious threats, but may take them generally as expressing the arrogant impiety of the Assyrians and their attitude toward Jehovah."[17]
"That counselleth wickedness ...." often rendered, "a wicked counsellor," is literally, "A counsellor of Belial."[18] Belial was sometimes used by the sacred writers as a synonym for "Satan"; and this shows that Satan was completely in charge of the affairs of the city of Nineveh. These verses state the reasons for God's execution of his wrath upon them.
Be the first to react on this!
