Nahum 3
Nahum 3 consists of a prophecy about the fall of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire. The chapter focuses on God’s pronouncement of judgment against Nineveh for its violence and wickedness, idolatry, and pride. The text lays out Nineveh’s sins in detail and emphasizes that the resulting destruction and disaster will come, and that the world will be astonished because of it.
1verseWoe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and robbery—no end to the prey.
2verseThe noise of the whip, the noise of the rattling of wheels, prancing horses, and bounding chariots,
3versethe horseman charging, 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
4versebecause 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.
5verse“Behold, I am against you,” says the LORD of Armies, “and I will lift your skirts over your face. I will show the nations your nakedness, and the kingdoms your shame.
6verseI will throw abominable filth on you and make you vile, and will make you a spectacle.
7verseIt 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?”
8verseAre 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?
9verseCush and Egypt were her boundless strength. Put and Libya were her helpers.
10verseYet 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.
11verseYou also will be drunken. You will be hidden. You also will seek a stronghold because of the enemy.
12verseAll your fortresses will be like fig trees with the first-ripe figs. If they are shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater.
13verseBehold, your troops among you are women. The gates of your land are set wide open to your enemies. The fire has devoured your bars.
14verseDraw water for the siege. Strengthen your fortresses. Go into the clay, and tread the mortar. Make the brick kiln strong.
15verseThere 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.
16verseYou have increased your merchants more than the stars of the skies. The grasshopper strips and flees away.
17verseYour 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.
18verseYour shepherds slumber, king of Assyria. Your nobles lie down. Your people are scattered on the mountains, and there is no one to gather them.
19verseThere 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?
Summary of the Main Text
- 3:1-7: It points out Nineveh’s violence, lies, plunder, and cruelty, and declares that its judgment is inevitable. It contains a warning that the horrors of war and God’s punishment cannot be avoided.
- 3:8-13: It warns that Nineveh, thinking of itself as safe, will be captured as easily as No-Amon (Thebes) in Egypt. Here, it shows how empty and futile Nineveh’s pride and self-confidence are.
- 3:14-19: Finally, it lets them know that their careful defenses will not help, and it proclaims that their downfall will bring joy to all nations. It states that their wounds cannot be healed and that they will receive retribution for the wicked deeds they committed against other nations during that time.
Overall Meaning
This chapter shows that even a power that has practiced oppression and violence for a long time cannot ultimately escape God’s justice. Nineveh’s impending destruction delivers the message about the limits of human authority and that God judges evil justly. It awakens God’s kingdom principles concerning evil that must collapse beyond any era or location, and human pride as well.
Points to Ponder
- In our lives today, we need to reflect on whether there is any wickedness like pride such as that of Nineveh, or any evil that harms others.
- Let’s think about whether God’s judgment comes not first as fear, but as a message of justice and restoration.
Try Applying It to Yourself
- Consider whether I need to put aside my pride about the power or position I have and make a decision to practice a life of justice and humility.
- By practicing love and sharing with my neighbors, I check what commitment I can make today in order to live a life that pleases God.
This is the last chapter of Nahum.