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.

Woe to the Bloody City

1
Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and robbery. The prey doesn’t depart. ​
2
The noise of the whip, the noise of the rattling of wheels, prancing horses, and bounding chariots, ​
3
the horseman mounting, and the flashing sword, the glittering spear, and a multitude of slain, and a great heap of corpses, and there is no end of the bodies. They stumble on their bodies,
4
because of the multitude of the prostitution of the alluring prostitute, the mistress of witchcraft, who sells nations through her prostitution, and families through her witchcraft. ​

The Lord Will Judge Nineveh

5
“Behold, I am against you,” says the LORD of Hosts, “and I will lift your skirts over your face. I will show the nations your nakedness, and the kingdoms your shame. ​
6
I will throw abominable filth on you, and make you vile, and will set you a spectacle.
7
It will happen that all those who look at you will flee from you, and say, ‘Nineveh is laid waste! Who will mourn for her?’ Where will I seek comforters for you?” ​

Comparison to the Fall of Thebes

8
Are you better than No-Amon, who was situated among the rivers, who had the waters around her; whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was of the sea? ​
9
Cush and Egypt were her boundless strength. Put and Libya were her 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
You also will be drunken. You will be hidden. You also will seek a stronghold because of the enemy. ​
12
All your fortresses will be like fig trees with the first-ripe figs: if they are shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater. ​
13
Behold, your troops in your midst are women. The gates of your land are set wide open to your enemies. The fire has devoured your bars.
14
Draw water for the siege. Strengthen your fortresses. Go into the clay, and tread the mortar. Make the brick kiln strong. ​
15
There the fire will devour you. The sword will cut you off. It will devour you like the grasshopper. Multiply like grasshoppers. Multiply like the locust. ​
16
You have increased your merchants more than the stars of the skies. The grasshopper strips, and flees away. ​
17
Your guards are like the locusts, and your officials like the swarms of locusts, which settle on the walls on a cold day, but when the sun appears, they flee away, and their place is not known where they are.

Final Lament and Irreversible Doom

18
Your shepherds slumber, king of Assyria. Your nobles lie down. Your people are scattered on the mountains, and there is no one to gather them. ​
19
There is no healing your wound, for your injury is fatal. All who hear the report of you clap their hands over you; for who hasn’t felt your endless cruelty? ​

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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