Nahum 3:1

The reason for the destruction of Nineveh lay in their unmitigated wickedness. "This imperial city had brought such a fate upon itself by its sin and crimes (Nahum 3:1-7), and will no more be able to avert it than was the Egyptian No-Amon (Nahum 3:8-13)."[1] A terrible end will come to the city despite all of their wealth, power, and resources (Nahum 3:14-19). As Augustine said (as quoted by Barnes):

"Two sorts of love have made two sorts of cities; the earthly love of self even to contempt of God; the heavenly love of God even to contempt of self ... There are but two kinds of human society, which we may call two cities. One is of such as will live only for the flesh; the other of such as will live after the Spirit."[2]

Of this city of the evil world, Nineveh is a type. We have already observed in Nahum 2 that Nineveh is particularly important because of its status as the second head of the Scarlet Beast of Revelation 13:1ff; this significance of its destruction will appear in even more bold relief under Nahum 3:8 below.

Nahum 3:1

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

"Woe to the bloody city ..." In the Bible, such an expression as "woe" is occasionally associated with a lament (Jeremiah 22:18); "But it appears here to be clearly related in nuance to a malediction ..." "This would suggest a rendition of `Woe be ...' rather than `Alas.'"[3]

"The bloody city ..." or "city of bloods" as rendered by some. Instances of the remarkable and sadistic cruelty of Nineveh have already been cited; but in this connection, we shall return again briefly to that horrible subject:

"On their monuments, we may see prisoners impaled alive, flayed, beheaded, dragged to death with ropes passed through rings in their lips, blinded by the king's own hand, hung up by hands or feet to die in slow torture. Others had their brains beaten out, their tongues torn out by the roots, while the bleeding heads of the slain were tied round the necks of the living who were reserved for further torture. The royal inscriptions boast with exultation of the number of enemies slain, and of captives carried away, and of cities leveled with the ground."[4]

How amazing it is that any scholar would consider Nahum's description of such a city as in any manner unjustified. Smith wrote, "It is doubtful whether the cruelty of Nineveh exceeded that of other oriental peoples who had like power and opportunity!"[5]