ESV Global Study Bible :: Footnotes for Nahum 3

Nah. 3:1–19 Again, Focus on Nineveh: More concerning the Lord’s Coming Judgment. This last major section of the book repeats most of the themes of the previous section (2:1–13). However, it does not mention the plundering of Nineveh (compare 2:9), and it adds the comparison of Nineveh’s downfall to the destruction of Thebes (3:8–11).

Nah. 3:1 bloody. The Assyrians were well known for their viciousness.

Nah. 3:4 This verse uses figurative language to explain the reasons for Nineveh’s destruction. graceful . . . deadly charms. Nineveh, with its power and wealth, exerted a corrupting influence throughout the Near East (compare 2 Kings 16:18). betrays. The Assyrian leaders did not hesitate to use treachery and deceit to achieve their aims (see Nah. 3:1).

Nah. 3:5 Behold, I am against you. Compare 2:13; the repetition emphasizes the certainty of Nineveh’s doom.

Nah. 3:7 who will grieve for her? The answer to the rhetorical question is that no one will grieve for or comfort Nineveh. People will shrink back or flee in horror at the sight of what will happen to Nineveh.

Nah. 3:8–11 To those who think it is impossible that Nineveh would fall, Nahum reminds them of what had recently happened to the mighty city of Thebes, in Egypt (see Introduction: Author and Date).

Nah. 3:8 Are you better than Thebes? Nineveh was no more secure than Thebes. Nile . . . water around her. This mighty river and its tributaries surrounded most of Thebes, forming a natural wall for the city. This was part of the city’s strong defense system. Rampart a sea is a poetic reference to the Nile (compare Isa. 19:5–6), which was about half a mile (0.8 km) wide at Thebes. Nineveh had no such protection.

Nah. 3:9 Cush was the region just south of Egypt. Egypt refers to military aid coming from northern Egypt. Put may have been on the north African coastline. While Thebes could count on military assistance from these different areas, Assyria could not rely on help from any region.

Nah. 3:10 Despite its strategic advantages, Thebes was conquered by the Assyrians.

Nah. 3:11 This verse directly applies the lesson of vv. 8–10: “Nineveh, you can expect the same!” Just as a drunken man cannot defend himself against an attacker, so Nineveh will not be able to turn back its enemies.

Nah. 3:12–13 Nineveh’s surrounding fortresses will be the first to be taken by the advancing enemy army. The gates of Assyria will be wide open to the enemies since the fortresses that guarded those entrances have been destroyed. The troops, that is, the soldiers within Nineveh, will be filled with fear, so that they cannot act as men. fire. See 2:13; 3:15.

Nah. 3:14 As the enemy draws close, Nahum tells the city to get ready for the attack (see 2:1). However, any preparations they make will be useless. Draw water. The Ninevites can assume that the enemy will shut off the city’s water supply by closing the river gates (see note on 2:6). forts. The fortresses at the walls and within the city would be strengthened or repaired with clay bricks and mortar.

Nah. 3:15 No matter how well supplied and fortified Nineveh is, there the inhabitants will die. fire. Archaeologists have found evidence of a devastating fire at Nineveh. sword. Compare 2:13. Multiply . . . locust . . . grasshopper. Nahum sarcastically tells the Ninevites, in preparation for the attack, to multiply themselves greatly and thus increase their strength.

Nah. 3:16 You increased your merchants. When Nineveh was the proud capital of a vast empire, her merchants brought enormous wealth to the city. Now, however, these merchants, and the huge treasure in Nineveh, will do the city no good. The locust . . . flies away. Compare v. 15. The enemy, having destroyed all that there was in Nineveh, will quickly leave.

Nah. 3:17 Like swarms of grasshoppers or locusts that quickly fly away and disappear, some of the leading men of Nineveh will flee when the enemy takes the city.

Nah. 3:18–19 king of Assyria. See 1:11. Nahum, looking at Nineveh’s wreckage, addresses its monarchy with sarcastic language. Many of Nineveh’s shepherds (leaders and officials) and nobles are dead. Many of the people are scattered. The wound Assyria has received is grievous and marks the end of the empire. unceasing evil. Assyrian emperors had continually caused terror and suffering. Nahum prophesies that the Assyrian monarchy, and Nineveh, will experience the same disasters that it inflicted on other peoples of the Near East.