The Book of Nahum

Lecture Notes for Minor Prophets of the Old Testament

 

Introduction to Nahum

 

I. Who was Nahum?

            --His Name:

--Nahum means something like “comforter” or “consolation.”

--The name occurs nowhere else in OT (but in Luke 3:25), but names from the same root word do occur, i.e. Nehemiah.

--The name, Nahum, does appear in other ANE inscriptions.

 

            --His hometown:

                        --Elkosh, the location of which is unknown.

 

II. When did he preach?

            --No direct chronological references in the book.

--3:8—The destruction of Thebes is mentioned. Thebes was the capital of Egypt during much of its history. In 663 Ashurbanipal destroyed Thebes. Nahum obviously prophesied after this date.

--In Nahum’s prophecy, the destruction of Nineveh seems imminent. The picture is one of coming military defeat.

--The destruction of Nineveh took place in 612, at the hands of the Babylonians, Medes, & Scythians.

--The Babylonians began their rise in 627/626.

--Nahum’s prophecies likely took place between 626-612.

--However, some would argue that the lack of direct reference to Babylon would seem to place the prophecy before 626. This may well be correct, thus placing the Book of Nahum between 640-630, when Assyria was still in control but perhaps weakening.

 

 

III. Where did he preach?

            --Preached in Judah (1:15).

 

IV. What was his message?

--The Book of Nahum is in the genre of Foreign Prophecies, in which the prophet proclaims Yahweh’s control over all nations. He holds all nations accountable for their actions.

--God is all-powerful in creating & controlling the world. Thus, no one can stand against Him, & this is what Assyria has been doing.

--Nineveh is the epitome of evil & opposition to Yahweh & what is right.

--Therefore, Nineveh will be completely destroyed! God will hold Nineveh accountable for the Assyrians’ abuse of power & their ruthless treatment of enemies.

 

V. The Book of Nahum

1:1       —        Superscription

1:2-15  —        Judgment Against Nineveh

2:1-13  —        The Fall of Nineveh

3:1-17  —        Woe to Nineveh

3:18-19—        Final Word to Assyria’s King

 

 

Nahum 1-3

 

1:2-15—Judgment Against Nineveh

--This chapter shows the propensity of Nahum (& other prophets) to move between 2nd & 3rd person & masculine & feminine forms within oracles, often referring to the same thing. This sometimes makes exact interpretation difficult, i.e. does “she” refer to Nineveh and “he” to something else, or does “he” refer to Nineveh & “she” to Judah?

 

1:2-8—An ancient acrostic hymn

--What is an acrostic? An acrostic is a poem/hymn in which each line/couplet begins with the next letter of the alphabet, i.e. couplet 1 begins with aleph, couplet 2 begins with beth, etc. The present hymn was probably originally an acrostic, but Nahum altered it for his use (i.e. he added two couplets in 1b & 2a). Also, the original acrostic nature is not completely maintained. The attempt to restore the original acrostic seems stretched & unnecessary to me.

 

--The message of the acrostic hymn:

--Yahweh is jealous—He will not be relegated to a 2nd class existence among the gods. He will be acknowledged as Lord & God.

--Yahweh is vengeful—He will take vengeance against His enemies. Those who sin will be held accountable. He will punish the guilty.

--Yahweh is angry--Though this is certainly inadequate anthropomorphic language, the message is that Yahweh becomes angry with those who sin against Him.

--Yahweh is patient—He does not act in anger quickly. Perhaps he gives ample opportunity for repentance. Or perhaps this is an explanation of His seemingly slow response to the evils of His enemies. Either way, it shows His basic nature as a patient God.

--Yahweh is powerful—

            --He controls the storm, i.e. the whirlwind, storm, cloud.

            --He controls the waters, i.e. the sea & the rivers.

--Therefore, He controls the plants that grow or wither because of the water or lack thereof.

--He controls the earth, i.e. mountains quake & hills melt.

--Thus, who can stand before Him? No one, of course.

--Yahweh is good—He is a refuge for those who trust in him. Thus His own people can take refuge in God if they trust in Him. Those who do not trust in Yahweh can expect judgment, i.e. Nineveh will come to an end.

 

1:9-11—Judgment from Yahweh

--This passage could be directed to either Assyria or Judah. Some have argued that the change in gender (female to male) suggests a new subject. This is too questionable to be conclusive. The context suggests to me that Assyria is the subject.

--The annihilation will be complete. The enemy will not arise again.

--Even though they appear to be an impenetrable thicket of thorns, i.e. one that no enemy can penetrate to defeat Assyria, & even though they have what they want to excess, i.e. they are drunk with their access, they will be burned like dry stubble. They will burn like the dry weeds of summer!

--Yahweh will take vengeance on the one plotting & promoting wickedness.

 

1:12-13—Salvation for Judah

--This word of promise to Judah acknowledges the unlikelihood of deliverance. Assyria looks (again) like an impenetrable fortress, i.e. “strong & numerous,” but they will be defeated.

            --Judah will be delivered from her affliction.

            --The yoke & the shackles will be removed. Judah will again know freedom & blessing.

 

1:14—Judgment on Nineveh’s king

            --The king will know no more descendants, i.e. “seed will not be sown . . . .”

            --The idols, i.e. gods, will be destroyed.

--Even though he saw himself as big & important, Yahweh says that he is small & insignificant. The last term could mean “wicked” or “vile,” but the root of the word means “small” or “worthless.” Once again, as we have seen in numerous prophecies of the Minor Prophets, God’s estimation of the situation & the people is quite different from their own & that of their society.

 

1:15—Salvation for Judah—

--cf. Is 40:9, 52:7, Romans 10:15—the bringing of the good news of salvation & deliverance is celebrated. –The apostle Paul compares this to the act of Christian preaching, i.e. proclamation of the gospel message that brings salvation.

--They will again celebrate their festivals in peace.

--The “wicked” are cut off forever. The “wicked” may refer to a personal representation of wickedness or evil. The term Belial became a name for Satan himself in the 2nd temple period, i.e. NT period & DSS.

 

 

2:1-13—The Fall of Nineveh

2:1, 3-10—Describes the defeat of Nineveh.

            NOTE—v.1—A warning to the armies of Nineveh to prepare for war.

--The vivid military description, i.e. shields, chariots, spears, torches. The prophet speaks as if he is a witness of this military destruction of Nineveh.

--v. 6—“The river gates”—Nineveh was built on the Tigris River, with gates to hold back the high water. These gates will be opened, flooding the cities & adding to the destruction.

--v. 10—A rapid-fire description of the destruction, i.e. “pillaged, plundered, stripped!”

 

2:2—Declaration of the restoration of Israel after destruction. God will restore Israel to splendor.

 

2:11-12—Nineveh is like a lion’s den that has been destroyed. The lions no longer have a home. They no longer have food to eat, i.e. Nineveh has lost its power & its wealth.

 

2:13—Change to singular, addressed to Assyrian king.

--“The Lord of Hosts,” Yahweh Sabaoth, declares war upon the king of Assyria, promising destruction.

                        --The king will lose his war machine.

            --The king will lose his warriors, i.e. “young lions” (cf. vv. 11-12 above).

                        --The king will lose the ability to wage war on enemies, i.e. “prey.”

 

3:1-17—Woe to Nineveh

3:1-7—Woe to the defeated city.

            --Nineveh is a wicked city deserving of destruction.

--vv. 2-3a—Vivid descriptions of battle, i.e. whips, wheels, horses, chariots, cavalry, swords, spears.

--v. 3b—Vivid descriptions of defeat, i.e. casualties, piles of dead, bodies, corpses.

--Why will Nineveh be judged? Abuse of power, enslaving nations. The preceding was a description of the Assyria’s brutal treatment of its enemies.

--The Lord of Hosts: “I am against you.”

--No one will mourn or comfort Nineveh.

 

3:8-13—The Analogy of Thebes

--Thebes—Capital of Egypt for most of its history. Despite the Egyptians’ many defenses & allies, the Assyrians defeated & burned Thebes in 663 BC. If mighty Thebes could fall, why not Nineveh as well.

--“Ripe figs”—The fortifications of Nineveh are like ripe figs. Only a shake will cause them to fall. The coming attack will be the shaking that brings down the figs. Then their enemies will devour them.

--“Like women”—The warriors are weak & unable to defend the city from attack. Thus the city is unprotected.

 

3:14-17—The Coming Siege

            --Prepare for siege:

                        --Collect water

                        --Reinforce the fortifications

            --Fire will destroy Nineveh like grasshoppers destroy the field, stripping it clean.

--And like grasshoppers, the multiplied merchants, officials, and allies will fly away after stripping the land. They will awake like locusts on a wall on a cold day, then they will leave.

 

3:18-19—Final Word to the King

            --The king of Assyria is told of his defeat as if it had already happened.

--No one can gather the scattered people or heal the land. This is in contrast to Israel, who has Yahweh to heal them after defeat!

--In fact, everyone will celebrate the demise of Assyria. They will celebrate the brutal destruction of Nineveh because all of them have experienced the same brutality from the hands of Assyria’s king!