Nineveh’s Downfall
1Woe to the city of blood, r
totally deceitful,
full of plunder,
never without prey. s
2 The crack of the whip
and rumble of the wheel,
galloping horse
and jolting chariot! t
3 Charging horseman,
flashing sword,
shining spear;
heaps of slain,
mounds of corpses, u
dead bodies without end v—
they stumble over their dead.
4 Because of the continual prostitution of the prostitute,
the attractive mistress of sorcery,
who treats nations and clans like merchandise
by her prostitution and sorcery, w
5 I am against you. x
This is the declaration of the LORD of Armies.
I will lift your skirts over your face
and display your nakedness to nations,
your shame to kingdoms. y
6 I will throw filth on you
and treat you with contempt; z
I will make a spectacle of you.
7 Then all who see you will recoil from you, saying, a
“Nineveh is devastated;
who will show sympathy to her? ”
Where can I find anyone to comfort you?
8 Are you better than Thebes ,b
that sat along the Nile
with water surrounding her,
whose rampart was the sea,
the river , her wall?
9 Cush and Egypt were her endless source of strength;
Put and Libya were among her allies.
10 Yet she became an exile;
she went into captivity.
Her children were also dashed to pieces c
at the head of every street.
They cast lots for her dignitaries, d
and all her nobles were bound in chains.
11 You also will become drunk;
you will hide.
You also will seek refuge from the enemy.
12 All your fortresses are fig trees
with figs that ripened first;
when shaken, they fall—
right into the mouth of the eater!
13 Look, your troops are like women among you;
your land’s city gates
are wide open to your enemies.
Fire will devour the bars of your gates.
14 Draw water for the siege;
strengthen your fortresses.
Step into the clay and tread the mortar;
take hold of the brick-mold!
15 The fire will devour you there;
the sword will cut you down.
It will devour you like the young locust. e
Multiply yourselves like the young locust;
multiply like the swarming locust!
16 You have made your merchants f
more numerous than the stars of the sky.
The young locust strips the land
and flies away.
17 Your court officials are like the swarming locust,
and your scribes like clouds of locusts,
which settle on the walls on a cold day;
when the sun rises, they take off,
and no one knows where they are.
18 King of Assyria, your shepherds slumber; g
your officers sleep.
Your people are scattered across the mountains h
with no one to gather them together. i
19 There is no remedy for your injury;
your wound is severe. j
All who hear the news about you
will clap their hands because of you, k
for who has not experienced
your constant cruelty?
3:1–4. Nahum 3:1–7, with its terse, powerful phrases, depicts Nineveh in a typical battle, overwhelming another victim. The woe is here a divine pronouncement of judgment. Nahum 3:1 depicts the character of Nineveh and the source of its prosperity and greatness. It was built on bloodshed and deceit and can maintain itself and continue to grow only by devouring more. Its appetite is insatiable.
3:5–7. The repetition of “I am against you” (3:5a) from 2:13 emphasizes the implacability of God’s purpose to destroy Nineveh; in 2:13 the words relate to Nineveh as a predatory lion (2:11–13), while in 3:5 they relate to the never-ending demands of the prostitute Nineveh for more spoils. Nineveh will receive the same treatment she gave others (cf. 2:3–10).
3:8–11. Thebes (Hb No-amon, “City of the God Amon”) was one of the greatest cities of the ancient world. The rhetorical question “Are you better than Thebes?” (3:8) relates to strategic location rather than moral superiority. Asshurbanipal defeated Thebes in 663, in typically cruel Assyrian fashion, despite its favorable location, numerous allies, and strong defenses. The seemingly impossible will also happen with Nineveh. [Libya]
3:12–17. Nineveh will be a choice object of plunder, easy to take, ripe for the plucking (3:12). There may be a subtle allusion as well to the fact that the time has come for Nineveh’s judgment, since being ripe for the harvest metaphorically refers to readiness for judgment (e.g., Jr 51:33; Jl 3:13). Nineveh’s weakness is depicted in terms of its defenders and fortifications (3:13). The formerly fierce and indomitable soldiers are described as being like women, indicating the loss of stalwart manliness due to loss of morale (cf. Is 19:16; Jr 50:37; 51:30). Because of the collapse of the defenders’ courage, the gates are wide open. The outer defenses will fall before the enemy, leaving Nineveh isolated and without protection.
3:18–19. Nahum closes with an epitaph for the king of Assyria. With the demise of rulers (“shepherd”) and nobles, Nineveh’s people will be scattered on the mountains without a trace (3:18). Its passing will cause great rejoicing by those who have experienced Nineveh’s endless cruelty (3:19). Nineveh fell in 612 BC, and the kingdom’s last remnant disappeared in 609. With all the power and influence that Assyria wielded, nothing remained after its fall. It serves well as an example of the future for the kingdoms of this world. By contrast, though God’s people have been scattered, there is indeed a bright future as God raises up a Shepherd and gathers them to himself.