Nahum3

Woe is pronounced upon Nineveh, the 'bloody city,' full of lies and robbery, whose destruction is depicted with vivid imagery of battle and slaughter. The LORD declares Himself against Nineveh for its spiritual harlotry and witchcraft, promising to expose its shame to the nations. Its downfall will be complete, with no one to mourn its desolation, a fate worse than that of No-amon.
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Woe to the Bloody City

1
Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and rapine; the prey departeth not. ​
2
The noise of the whip, and the noise of the rattling of wheels, and prancing horses, and bounding chariots, ​
3
the horseman mounting, and the flashing sword, and the glittering spear, and a multitude of slain, and a great heap of corpses, and there is no end of the bodies; they stumble upon their bodies;—
4
because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the well-favored harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts. ​

The Lord Will Judge Nineveh

5
Behold, I am against thee, saith Jehovah of hosts, and I will uncover thy skirts upon thy face; and I will show the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame. ​
6
And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazing-stock.
7
And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee? ​

Comparison to the Fall of Thebes

8
Art thou better than No-amon, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about her; whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was of the sea? ​
9
Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers.
10
Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity; her young children also were dashed in pieces at the head of all the streets; and they cast lots for her honorable men, and all her great men were bound in chains. ​

The Futility of Nineveh's Defenses

11
Thou also shalt be drunken; thou shalt be hid; thou also shalt seek a stronghold because of the enemy. ​
12
All thy fortresses shall be like fig-trees with the first-ripe figs: if they be shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater. ​
13
Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women; the gates of thy land are set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire hath devoured thy bars.
14
Draw thee water for the siege; strengthen thy fortresses; go into the clay, and tread the mortar; make strong the brickkiln. ​
15
There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off; it shall devour thee like the canker-worm: make thyself many as the canker-worm; make thyself many as the locust. ​
16
Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the canker-worm ravageth, and fleeth away. ​
17
Thy princes are as the locusts, and thy marshals as the swarms of grasshoppers, which encamp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are.

Final Lament and Irreversible Doom

18
Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria; thy nobles are at rest; thy people are scattered upon the mountains, and there is none to gather them. ​
19
There is no assuaging of thy hurt; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the report of thee clap their hands over thee; for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually? ​

Study Notes for Nahum 3

Verse 1

The 'bloody city' is Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, condemned here for its violence, deceit, and ruthless exploitation of conquered nations through continuous warfare and robbery.

Verse 2

These verses vividly portray the chaos and brutality of the coming siege and battle, emphasizing the noise of the invading army and the overwhelming number of casualties.

Verse 4

The charges of 'whoredom' and 'witchcraft' refer not merely to sexual sin, but to Nineveh’s political treachery, seductive diplomacy, and reliance on deceptive practices to gain power over other nations.

Verse 5

This is the formal declaration of judgment. The imagery of uncovering skirts is a powerful ancient Near Eastern symbol of public shame, humiliation, and the exposure of Nineveh’s hidden sins before the world.

Verse 7

The rhetorical question anticipates the complete lack of pity for Nineveh, confirming that its widespread wickedness has alienated all potential allies and mourners.

Verse 8

Nahum compares Nineveh to No-amon (Thebes), the mighty capital of Upper Egypt. Thebes was captured by Assyria in 663 BC, demonstrating that immense strength is no guarantee of security against God’s judgment.

Verse 10

This verse confirms the historical reality of Thebes’ brutal fall, including the slaying of children and the enslavement of nobility. This serves as a direct prophecy that Nineveh will suffer the same fate it inflicted upon others.

Verse 11

The metaphor of being 'drunken' refers to being overwhelmed and incapacitated by the judgment of God, making Nineveh unable to mount an effective defense.

Verse 12

The image of strongholds falling like easily shaken ripe figs emphasizes the suddenness and inevitability of the city’s collapse when God’s judgment is executed.

Verse 14

This passage uses ironic commands, mocking Nineveh’s desperate, yet futile, attempts to prepare for the inevitable siege by gathering water and reinforcing defenses.

Verse 15

The judgment is inescapable regardless of preparations. The locust imagery is used ironically: though Nineveh is numerically vast, the enemy will consume it completely.

Verse 16

Nineveh’s vast trade network, symbolized by merchants 'above the stars,' will provide no safety; its commercial strength will simply scatter and disappear when judgment arrives.

Verse 18

The Assyrian leadership ('shepherds' and 'nobles') are asleep or dead, signifying the total failure of the monarchy and military command, leaving the people scattered and defenseless.

Verse 19

The final rhetorical question affirms the universality of Assyria’s cruelty. The world's 'clapping hands' signifies joyful relief and vindication at the downfall of the cruel oppressor, confirming God's justice.

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