Nahum 1—" The burden of Nineveh [Assyria]. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.”
“God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth; the Lord revengeth, and is furious; the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.”
Is God jealous & vengeful? We don’t consider jealousy and vindictiveness good, so how could God be the ultimate Good if that’s His character? Some have translated the Hebrew as “avenging”, which gives a different connotation in today’s language. Commentators have used “jealous” in terms of a protective spouse/relative. The idea is that God provides consequences for actions, those of our enemies as well as ourselves, and he doesn’t just wimp out in carrying them through. He is firm in His resolve and keeps His word. Note that v. 3 says He is slow to anger as well as great in power. He doesn’t act by whim or arbitrariness. He does get angry over injustice and cruelty (Assyrian warfare was known for its cruelty). If one in authority doesn’t punish wickedness, s/he can hardly be called Just. Offering Mercy & Forgiveness is Just only when it is justified by repentance, and Justice requires Mercy for the truly penitent (because we are all human, and none of us is free from sin, only through an everlasting Atonement God promised from the beginning). Again and again God offered forgiveness and mercy to those who would turn or return to Him from their evil/wicked ways. See
https://biblehub.com/nahum/1-2.htm scroll to the bottom for Hebrew text & translations
This chapter emphasizes God’s power, and the key is in v. 13—God promises that He will break the yoke of Assyria (and all the wicked) from off Israel (and all God’s chosen: those that choose Him). Because He is all-powerful, He can and will do it, they could be assured of that then, and we can be assured of that now.
“Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.” Compare Isa 52:7 and Romans 10:15 (Paul quotes Isaiah).
Nahum 2—still regarding Nineveh/Assyria
The chapter begins in descriptions of war: the dashed children, munitions, strong warriors, emptied cities, destroyed vineyards, bloodied shields & men, flames of torches to set cities on fire, trees cut down (for seige engines), chariots racing through the streets, the wounded stumbling and others running for life or to defend the walls. The gates let in a river of attackers, and the palace is destroyed. Captives taken (especially women). Nineveh has been a well-watered city from ancient times, but her defenders will flee. The officers call to their men to stand and fight, but the soldiers run without looking back. The conquering army pillages the spoils of the city. The city is left empty but for the fearful and trembling, sorrowful remnants. Nineveh’s symbols were lions, but where is their fierceness & strength now? The old and the young of the city were protected and fed, but no longer. (Interestingly, in every documentary I’ve seen it is the female lions that do the hunting and providing of food, the alpha male was given first choice of the meat. It was his duty to protect the pride, though.) The Lord will destroy Nineveh.
Nahum 3—Nineveh’s destruction decreed because of her wickedness
Nineveh’s wickedness: lies, robbery, oppression (noise of the whip), wealthy apparently killing people and riding over their corpses with disdain or no notice, whoredoms, witchcraft, bribing people to sell their nations out. The merchants are as numerous as the stars; they are like cankerworms that consume the fruit (the trade goods) and then fly away. The ruling and military classes are numerous as locusts, a pestilence that the lower/working classes must support, but they disappear when it’s time for them to do their jobs.
The Lord’s consequences for Nineveh: the wickedness of the city will be exposed, and the city will be shamed. Nobody will bemoan the destruction of Nineveh. Like Egypt & Ethiopia were conquered, so will Nineveh/Assyria. Her strongholds/forts/strong cities will be consumed like ripe figs when the tree is shaken. The inhabitants of the cities will be as weak as women (untrained for warfare), and the defenses of the land will be like open gates. Despite preparations for siege (storing water, fortifying the walls, etc), the cities will be burned, destroyed as cankerworms destroy plants. The shepherds slumber (in death), the nobles lie in the dust (dead). The rest of the people are scattered, and no one can gather and organize them against the attackers. There will be no healing of the Assyrian Empire, and all who hear about her destruction will clap in approval, for they have all suffered from Assyrian wickedness continuously.
With Nahum’s seeming detailed knowledge of the wickedness of Nineveh, one might suspect/speculate he might have been one of the Israelites who had been carried away captive by the Assyrians. Some historical background of the city:
https://www.britannica.com/place/Nineveh-ancient-city-Iraq
https://www.worldhistory.org/nineveh/ includes a 2.5 min video re-creation of the ancient city
https://scripturescript.wordpress.com/2023/04/06/the-books-of-jonah-amos-hosea/ book of Jonah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pa54hWROpQ&ab_channel=TED-Ed 5 min video about Assyria
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpAphcaVJIs&ab_channel=FallofCivilizations 3 hour video about Assyria
scripturescript 