Verses 1-19
NINEVEH’S VICES AND INEVITABLE DOOM, 1-19.
A woe is pronounced upon the bloody city (Nahum 3:1). Her doom is inevitable and imminent (Nahum 3:2-3), but it is well deserved and no one will bemoan her (Nahum 3:4-7). Natural strength and resources will avail no more in her case than in the case of the Egyptian No Amon (Nahum 3:8-11). In spite of her resources she will come to a terrible end, and the whole earth will rejoice because her power is departed from her (Nahum 3:12-19).
Nahum 3:1 contains a woe upon the bloody city.
Bloody city Literally, city of blood, that is, of bloodshed, of violence. Nineveh represents the whole nation, which was founded and held together by the sword. King after king glories in the cruelties committed against conquered nations. The words of Ashur-nasir-pal may serve as an illustration: “With combat and slaughter I attacked the city, I captured it; three thousand of their fighting men I slew with the sword. Their spoil, their goods, their oxen, their sheep I carried away. Their numerous captives I burned with fire. I captured many of the soldiers alive with the hand; I cut off the hands and feet of some; I cut off the noses, the fingers, and ears of others; the eyes of numerous soldiers I put out. I built up a pyramid of the living and a pyramid of heads.… Their young men and their maidens I burned.” A kingdom thus founded and maintained lacks the elements of permanency and sooner or later must go to pieces. The epithet “bloody” is explained in the rest of Nahum 3:1.
Full of lies Since the prophet is concerned primarily with external politics, the lies and deceit condemned here are such as were practiced against other nations, though it is not improbable that they flourished also in the intercourse of Assyrians with Assyrians.
Robbery R.V., “rapine”; literally, tearing in pieces. A figure taken from the practice of the lion (Nahum 2:11-12), that tears to pieces whatever falls into his power (Psalms 7:2).
The prey departeth not Not the prey taken, in the sense that it is always plentiful, but the prey- taking, that is, robbery and oppression, never ceases. It is the one policy Assyria carried out consistently from beginning to end.
Nahum 3:2-3 picture the fulfillment of the woe. The hostile army attacks and takes Nineveh, a great slaughter ensues, and the city is filled with corpses. Nahum 3:2 describes the noise of the onslaught: the cracking of the whips as the charioteers urge on the horses, the rattling of the wheels as they speed along, the prancing of the horses as they rage to and fro, and the bumping of the chariots as they rush wildly over the rugged roads, made less passable through obstacles placed in the way by the defenders. Instead of “the noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels,” we might translate, “Hark! the whip! and hark! the rattling of wheels!” (G.-K., 146b.) Nahum 3:3 depicts the sights that meet the eye. The charge is progressing; nearer and nearer the enemy approaches; one can see distinctly his various movements. In 3a, R.V. is to be preferred; and the whole description becomes more vivid if “there is” is omitted whenever, as indicated by the italics, it is not in the original.
Mounting Better, with R.V. margin, “charging”; literally, causing to ascend, that is, the horse; to urge it to greater speed. Seen are also the flashing swords and the glittering spears. Scenes representing charges of this sort are depicted on numerous reliefs in the palaces of Nineveh. The prophet describes the sequel with equal vividness. The defenders are slain; corpses are piled up in heaps; the victorious assailants stumble over them as they rush into the city.
The retribution is just; no one pities her, Nahum 3:4-7.
Nahum 3:4 contains a new denunciation, justifying the judgment announced in Nahum 3:5-7. Nineveh is personified as a harlot.
Multitude of the whoredoms The figure of faithlessness to the marriage relation, when applied to Israel, is used (1) of idolatry, (2) of alliances with other nations, both being evidences of faithlessness to and lack of confidence in Jehovah. Applied to other nations it denotes improper political or commercial intercourse (Isaiah 23:17). Nahum, in this passage, refers not to idolatry or falling away from the true God, nor to protective alliances or commercial intercourse, but, as Hitzig has so well said, to “the treacherous friendship and statecraft with which the coquette in her search for conquests ensnared the smaller states.”
The well-favored harlot Not, the one receiving special favors, but “beautiful,” “good-looking.” “Beauty and charm is a point in the harlot.” With her splendor and brilliancy Nineveh dazzled and ensnared the nations.
Mistress of witchcrafts In this connection the expression does not denote black arts, but “the secret wiles which, like magical arts, do not come to the light in themselves, but only in their effects” (compare2 Kings 9:22; 2 Kings 9:22). By means of these crafty and treacherous dealings Assyria made easy victims of the other nations.
Nations… families Synonymous expressions denoting the nations conquered by Assyria (Amos 3:1).
Selleth Is used here not of selling into bondage or slavery to other nations, but in the general sense of robbing of liberty, making tributary, or in the sense of consigning to ruin (Deuteronomy 32:30; Esther 7:4). A similar verb in Arabic means “ensnare,” “beguile,” and this meaning is given by several commentators to the verb in this passage.
5-7. Jehovah cannot overlook this treacherous conduct.
I am against thee See Nahum 2:13. The punishment will be according to the lex talionis. The part of a harlot she has acted, the fate of a harlot she must endure.
Discover R.V., “uncover.”
Thy skirts I will remove the skirts which form the covering of the body, and which by their gaudiness have added much to her attractiveness.
Upon thy face Or, over; so that the skirts are drawn over the face. Margin renders, “before thy face.” She must look on as she is exposed naked to the curious gaze of the bystanders. The same picture is found several times in the Old Testament (Jeremiah 13:26; Isaiah 47:3; Hosea 2:10); it may be borrowed from an ancient custom of exposing a harlot or adulteress in public (Ezekiel 16:37-40).
As she stands exposed she will be subjected to indignities of every sort.
Abominable filth Literally, abhorrence, or objects of abhorrence, applied quite frequently to idols; hence Kleinert interprets the threat as equivalent to “I will bury thee underneath thy idols” (compare Nahum 1:14); but it should be understood here in a more general sense of things that one views with abhorrence and disgust, dirt and filth. To throw these upon a person is a sign of greatest contempt.
Make thee vile The same verb is translated in Micah 7:6, “dishonor”; it means to accord contemptuous treatment, to insult (Jeremiah 14:21). Hitzig, deriving it from a different root, translates “cast carcass upon.”
Set thee as a gazingstock Literally, a sight. The treatment accorded by Jehovah will be so startling that the eyes of all who see it will be fixed upon her in malicious joy (Ezekiel 28:17-18; compare Matthew 1:19; 1 Corinthians 4:9). The picture will be so awful that the on-lookers will be horror-struck and flee in terror. In 7b the figure of the harlot is interpreted as applying to Nineveh. Without pity and sympathy she must go to her ruin.
The fate of No Amon is to be the fate of Nineveh, Nahum 3:8-11.
Nineveh may boast in her strong defenses, but they will not save her. No Amon in Egypt was the equal of Nineveh in this respect, yet she suffered inglorious defeat. Nineveh can expect no better fate.
Art thou better Better protected or fortified; or, “shalt thou be better?”
that is, shalt thou have a better fate?
Populous No Better, R.V., “No-amon,” that is, No of the god Amon. No is the Old Testament name of Thebes, the capital of Upper Egypt (Jeremiah 46:25; Ezekiel 30:14), whose chief deity was Amon. It was a prominent city from very early times, and for many centuries it was the center of Egyptian civilization and power, until, in the seventh century, it fell before the Assyrian invaders. Its final capture by Ashurbanapal is in the mind of the prophet (see p. 429). The rest of Nahum 3:8 describes the location of the city.
Among the rivers The city proper lay on the eastern banks of the Nile, here about fifteen hundred feet wide. The noun is used ordinarily of the Nile; the plural might be explained as a plural of majesty, “the great river”; but it seems better to take it as including the canals receiving the water from the Nile (Exodus 7:19).
Waters round about The Nile and the canals surrounded the city, thus forming a natural defense. Perhaps moats formed a part of the fortifications, as in the case of Nineveh.
Whose rampart was the sea This translation presupposes a slight change in the original. The “sea” is the Nile which, during its overflow, resembles a sea (compare Isaiah 18:2; Isaiah 19:5; Jeremiah 51:36).
Her wall was from the sea R.V., “of the sea,” that is, consisted of the sea, which would have to be understood again of the Nile but the construction is peculiar. LXX., with a very slight change, reads, “and waters were her wall,” which is to be preferred. Some consider, though on insufficient ground, the description unsuitable for Thebes; hence No Amon has been identified with Memphis and several cities in the Delta.
Nahum 3:8 describes the natural strength of the city; Nahum 3:9 points to her military resources.
Ethiopia See on Zephaniah 2:12.
Egypt At the time No Amon was threatened, Ethiopia and Egypt were one under an Ethiopian dynasty, so that the military strength of both might be summoned to the defense of Egypt.
Infinite Literally, without end (Nahum 2:9; Nahum 3:3; Isaiah 2:7).
Put and Lubim The latter are the Libyans, the people settled west of Lower Egypt, who had succeeded in securing a strong foothold in the Delta itself. Put is mentioned several times in the Old Testament (Genesis 10:6; Ezekiel 27:10; Ezekiel 38:5), but opinions differ as to its location. It has been identified with the Egyptian Punt, corresponding to the modern Abyssinian and Somali coast in Eastern Africa, a country to which Egyptian kings undertook expeditions (see on Zephaniah 3:10). Against this identification it has been urged that this district never supplied Egypt with soldiers, which assertion can neither be proved nor disproved. LXX. sometimes translates “Libyans”; for this reason, and because sometimes the two are named together, some hold that they are closely connected. Put has been thought to denote all the peoples west of Lower Egypt, while the Libyans, in the narrower sense, were the tribes immediately west of the Delta; others make Put a distinct tribe west of Libya. Other identifications, which have found some support in an inscription of Nebuchadnezzar, make Put an island of the Mediterranean or the coast of Asia Minor, whence later Egyptian kings secured mercenaries.
Thy helpers Whatever the exact location of Put, it, with Libya, furnished soldiers for the defense of Thebes. LXX. and other ancient versions read “her helpers,” which, in parallelism with “her strength,” is preferable.
10. In spite of her natural strength and her limitless resources No Amon fell (p. 429), and her treasures were carried to Assyria.
Her young children also were dashed in pieces A barbarous custom, not uncommon in ancient warfare (Hosea 13:16; Isaiah 13:16); another cruel practice was to rip up pregnant women (Amos 1:13; Hosea 13:16), in order to exterminate all male children, and thus prevent future revolts. The “top” or “head” of the streets (Isaiah 51:20) is probably the place where several streets meet, the public square, where many might see the execution.
Cast lots for her honorable men The captured nobles were distributed as slaves (see on Joel 3:3; Obadiah 1:11).
Her great men were bound in chains The inscription of Ashurbanapal states that his commanders in Egypt “captured the rebellious kings and laid their hands and feet in iron chains and iron bonds.”
11. As Thebes with all her magnificence and splendor became a heap of ruin, so Nineveh must fall under the angry blows of Jehovah.
Be drunken From the deep draught she must take from the cup of Jehovah’s wrath (Habakkuk 2:16; Obadiah 1:16). A figure of stupefaction caused by calamity (Isaiah 51:17 ff.).
Shalt be hid So that no one can see a trace of her. Nineveh will be reduced to nothing, will vanish completely (Nahum 1:8; Nahum 2:11; Obadiah 1:16). Some render, “thou shalt be shrouded in darkness,” that is, shalt swoon or faint, as a result of the powerful draught (Isaiah 51:20). Either interpretation gives acceptable sense.
Shalt seek strength R.V., “a stronghold.” As the enemy presses nearer she will seek protection and shelter, but in vain; she, like No Amon, will be utterly ruined? Nahum 3:12-19
Vain struggles of Nineveh, Nahum 3:12-19.
The description of the hopeless struggle begins with Nahum 3:11; but it seems better to regard that verse as the concluding portion of the preceding section, threatening Nineveh with a fate similar to that of No Amon. Desperate efforts are made to save the city, but all in vain. Rapidly the enemy advances, and the city goes down before him; all the earth rejoices over her downfall. 12. The fortresses throughout the land fall almost without a blow. Strongholds [“fortresses”] Not the fortifications of Nineveh, but the strongholds scattered throughout the land to protect the capital.
Like fig trees The tertium comparationis is the ease with which they are taken. It requires only a feeble shaking, and down come the figs (Isaiah 28:4); so it requires only a feeble assault and the fortresses capitulate, and the cowardly defenders become an easy prey.
First-ripe figs See on Hosea 9:10.
13. The news of the resistless advance of the invader causes consternation everywhere, even in the capital.
In the midst of thee In Nineveh.
Thy people… are women The people, including the soldiers, are so terrified by the approach of the enemy that strength and courage fail them; they become feeble like women. The Assyrians were considered the most warlike nation of the time; the transformation is therefore the more startling. The figure is not uncommon in the Old Testament (compare Isaiah 19:16; Jeremiah 50:37; Jeremiah 51:30), and it is found also in the inscriptions. In Nahum 3:13 b the prophet reiterates the cause of the terror. The tenses of R.V. are to be preferred.
The gates of thy land shall be set [“are”] wide open The entrance into the land and the roads to the capital. These were barred by strongholds and fortresses (Nahum 3:12), but since the latter have fallen the gates are wide open and the enemy can advance unhindered.
Fire shall devour [“hath devoured”] thy bars Bars prevent the entrance into fortified towns (see on Amos 1:5); here the term seems to be used metaphorically of the fortresses themselves (Jeremiah 51:30), which are intended to bar the way to the capital.
With these burned, so that the enemy can advance unhindered, a siege is inevitable; the prophet urges the people in Nahum 3:14 to make preparations for it. One cannot fail to see the irony of the appeal, for the prophet immediately proceeds to make plain that all efforts will be futile.
Draw thee waters for the siege In a prolonged siege the ordinary water supply may prove insufficient; for this emergency they are to prepare themselves by storing up water. Billerbeck, on the basis of Assyrian representations (compare, for example, Layard, Nineveh and Its Remains, 2: 32), thinks that the water was to be used in the defense, to be poured, perhaps boiling, upon the heads of the assaulters. That this was one means of defense is quite probable; that the illustration in Layard or the expression in Nahum refers to it is more than doubtful.
Fortify thy strongholds R.V., “strengthen thy fortresses.” Improve the fortifications, the towers, walls, etc. How this is to be done is stated in the rest of the verse.
Clay,… mortar Since it was exceedingly difficult to secure stone for building purposes, brick, sometimes burned, more often only sun-dried, was used as a common building material in Assyria, even in the construction of fortifications; and the excavations have shown that brick was used very extensively in the fortifications of Nineveh. The people are urged to make bricks, for the strengthening of the defenses already existing, for the erection of new ones, and for the repairing of possible breaches. The two exhortations are practically identical in meaning (Isaiah 41:25); they are to tread the clay of which the bricks are to be made, so as to prepare it for the brickmaker.
Make strong the brickkiln Should be translated with margin R.V., “lay hold of the brick mold” (2 Samuel 12:31); having prepared the clay, they are to make the bricks.
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