Nah 1 | TNotes | STEP | Book of Nahum — Quick facts: Purpose: To announce God’s coming judgment on Nineveh, the Assyrian capital, thus offering hope to the people of Judah Author: Nahum Date: Sometime between 663 and 612 BC Setting: The Assyrian Empire had conquered the northern kingdom of Israel, and now the southern kingdom of Judah was in danger of facing the same fate Book of Nahum — Overview: Setting In Nahum’s time, the kingdom of Judah was in danger of being swallowed by a great superpower, the Assyrian empire. From Nineveh, the capital, the great king Ashurbanipal (668–626 BC ) brought Assyrian might to its zenith. Its military power and cultural influence spanned the length and breadth of the ancient Near East. Even the age-old city of Thebes had felt the conqueror’s heel (3:8-10 ). These circumstances were less than encouraging for Nahum and the people of Judah. Israel, their sister kingdom to the north, had already fallen to the Assyrians in 722 BC , and Judah now faced the same imperial enemy. To make matters worse, Ashurbanipal had recently captured Judah’s king, the wicked Manasseh (697–642 BC ), and taken him to Babylon (2 Chr 33:10-11 ). Following his release from captivity, a repentant Manasseh (2 Chr 33:12-17 ) attempted to undo his former wickedness (2 Kgs 21:1-18 ; 2 Chr 33:1-9 ). Despite his efforts, his prior evil influence still permeated the land. A cloud of doom hung over God’s people. Thus, Nahum’s prophetic messages of Nineveh’s fall and of hope for Judah’s future were timely. The seeds of Assyria’s fall were already being sown in Nahum’s day. After King Ashurbanipal repelled a strong coalition of enemies to the west and resisted his brother’s challenge to the throne, he busied himself with literary and artistic pursuits. Affairs of state languished, and Assyria grew increasingly weak. After Ashurbanipal’s death (626 BC ), one after another of the great cities of Assyria began falling to foreign invaders. Then the unthinkable happened—Nineveh itself fell in 612 BC , as Nahum had predicted. Summary Nahum opens his prophecy by depicting God’s power in two striking poetic passages, 1:2-6 and 1:7-11 . These poems portray God’s sovereign judgment against wickedness and his goodness toward those who put their trust in him. The opening verses give assurance that God will administer his justice fairly. Nahum then explains what God’s sovereign justice means in the flow of history (1:12-15 ). No nation is so great that it will not pay for its evil, and God is aware of the plight of those who are oppressed. The prophet assures the people of Judah that they will soon know changed circumstances. Peace and stability will return, and God’s people will be able to enjoy the uninterrupted worship of God. After predicting the siege of Nineveh and the return of normal conditions in Judah (2:1-2 ), Nahum describes the fall of the Assyrian capital in two vivid portrayals (2:3-10 ; 3:1-7 ). Between the two accounts, Nahum contemplates Nineveh’s destruction in a brief, taunting song. With biting satire, he declares God’s intention of bringing an end to proud Nineveh’s greed (2:11-13 ). Nahum builds upon his second description of Nineveh’s fall through another satire of the city. Nineveh would be no more defensible than Egypt’s capital, Thebes (3:8-13 ), which Assyria had destroyed. Nahum closes his prophecy with yet another piece of satire (3:14-19 ). Sensing the hopelessness of Nineveh’s plight, he taunts the city’s citizens by urging them to call upon all their resources in order to defend themselves. Of course, that would do no good. Nineveh would lie fatally wounded with no one to help or even mourn her passing. Author Beyond the little that can be gleaned from his writings, nothing is known of Nahum, the author of this short prophecy. In the Hebrew text, he is identified as “Nahum the Elkoshite” (1:1 ). Elkosh could be his clan name, but more likely it was his hometown, which was probably located in southwest Judah. The details of the book show that he was well acquainted with the city of Nineveh. Date Nahum mentions the fall of Thebes (663 BC ; 3:10 ) and predicts the fall of Nineveh, which occurred in 612 BC . Therefore, Nahum spoke these prophecies sometime between 663 and 612 BC . Exactly when he did so within this span of years is debatable. It may have been sometime late in the reign of Manasseh (around 648–645 BC ), perhaps during Manasseh’s attempted reforms after being released from Assyrian captivity (2 Chr 33:12-16 ). Or it may have been later, during the early or middle part of righteous King Josiah’s reign (640–609 BC ). Meaning and Message No empire, however great, is beyond God’s scrutiny. Sooner or later, all must give an account of their actions to the Lord. The reality of God’s righteous and sovereign justice lies beneath the predicted judgment of Nineveh and Assyria. He is in control of everyone and everything on earth, and he has concern for all who suffer, whether from the horrors and atrocities of war or from some other oppression. A burdened humankind can be confident that divine justice will ultimately prevail. God is long-suffering (1:3 ), and his people must be patient. The assurance that this good and caring Lord (1:7 ) has a distinct purpose for his people (2:2 ) encourages them to a life of faith and trust. Beyond the book’s menacing tone lies the good news of hope (1:15 ). The prophet predicts a coming day when God’s people will once again worship him in wondrous peace and joy. They will at last be free from those who would take away their freedom. Subsequent writers of Scripture found in Nahum’s good news a promise of the good news of Christ (Rom 10:15 ; see also Isa 52:7 ), who provides the opportunity for deliverance from sin. Knowing that the unbeliever faces an even greater doom than that of fallen Nineveh motivates a missionary effort to carry the good news of salvation and eternal life through Christ to a dying world. 1:1 message ... vision: This opening, similar to that of other prophetic books (cp. Obad 1:1 ; Hab 1:1 ; Mal 1:1 ), identifies Nahum as a prophet, one who uttered messages from God. • Nineveh became the capital of the Assyrian Empire sometime shortly after 705 BC and remained so until its destruction in 612 BC . • The name Nahum means “comfort” or “encouragement.” An important theme of his prophecy is that God will bring encouragement to his people through Nineveh’s downfall (Nah 1:12-15 ; see Isa 40:1 ).

Book of Nahum — Quick facts:

Purpose: To announce God’s coming judgment on Nineveh, the Assyrian capital, thus offering hope to the people of Judah

Author: Nahum

Date: Sometime between 663 and 612 BC

Setting: The Assyrian Empire had conquered the northern kingdom of Israel, and now the southern kingdom of Judah was in danger of facing the same fate

Book of Nahum — Overview:

Setting
In Nahum’s time, the kingdom of Judah was in danger of being swallowed by a great superpower, the Assyrian empire. From Nineveh, the capital, the great king Ashurbanipal (668–626 BC) brought Assyrian might to its zenith. Its military power and cultural influence spanned the length and breadth of the ancient Near East. Even the age-old city of Thebes had felt the conqueror’s heel (3:8-10 ^a).
These circumstances were less than encouraging for Nahum and the people of Judah. Israel, their sister kingdom to the north, had already fallen to the Assyrians in 722 BC, and Judah now faced the same imperial enemy. To make matters worse, Ashurbanipal had recently captured Judah’s king, the wicked Manasseh (697–642 BC), and taken him to Babylon (2 Chr 33:10-11 ^b). Following his release from captivity, a repentant Manasseh (2 Chr 33:12-17 ^c) attempted to undo his former wickedness (2 Kgs 21:1-18 ^d; 2 Chr 33:1-9 ^e). Despite his efforts, his prior evil influence still permeated the land. A cloud of doom hung over God’s people. Thus, Nahum’s prophetic messages of Nineveh’s fall and of hope for Judah’s future were timely.
The seeds of Assyria’s fall were already being sown in Nahum’s day. After King Ashurbanipal repelled a strong coalition of enemies to the west and resisted his brother’s challenge to the throne, he busied himself with literary and artistic pursuits. Affairs of state languished, and Assyria grew increasingly weak. After Ashurbanipal’s death (626 BC), one after another of the great cities of Assyria began falling to foreign invaders. Then the unthinkable happened—Nineveh itself fell in 612 BC, as Nahum had predicted.

Summary
Nahum opens his prophecy by depicting God’s power in two striking poetic passages, 1:2-6 ^f and 1:7-11 ^g. These poems portray God’s sovereign judgment against wickedness and his goodness toward those who put their trust in him. The opening verses give assurance that God will administer his justice fairly.
Nahum then explains what God’s sovereign justice means in the flow of history (1:12-15 ^h). No nation is so great that it will not pay for its evil, and God is aware of the plight of those who are oppressed. The prophet assures the people of Judah that they will soon know changed circumstances. Peace and stability will return, and God’s people will be able to enjoy the uninterrupted worship of God.
After predicting the siege of Nineveh and the return of normal conditions in Judah (2:1-2 ⁱ), Nahum describes the fall of the Assyrian capital in two vivid portrayals (2:3-10 ^j; 3:1-7 ^k). Between the two accounts, Nahum contemplates Nineveh’s destruction in a brief, taunting song. With biting satire, he declares God’s intention of bringing an end to proud Nineveh’s greed (2:11-13 ^l).
Nahum builds upon his second description of Nineveh’s fall through another satire of the city. Nineveh would be no more defensible than Egypt’s capital, Thebes (3:8-13 ^m), which Assyria had destroyed. Nahum closes his prophecy with yet another piece of satire (3:14-19 ⁿ). Sensing the hopelessness of Nineveh’s plight, he taunts the city’s citizens by urging them to call upon all their resources in order to defend themselves. Of course, that would do no good. Nineveh would lie fatally wounded with no one to help or even mourn her passing.

Author
Beyond the little that can be gleaned from his writings, nothing is known of Nahum, the author of this short prophecy. In the Hebrew text, he is identified as “Nahum the Elkoshite” (1:1 ^o). Elkosh could be his clan name, but more likely it was his hometown, which was probably located in southwest Judah. The details of the book show that he was well acquainted with the city of Nineveh.

Date
Nahum mentions the fall of Thebes (663 BC; 3:10 ^p) and predicts the fall of Nineveh, which occurred in 612 BC. Therefore, Nahum spoke these prophecies sometime between 663 and 612 BC. Exactly when he did so within this span of years is debatable. It may have been sometime late in the reign of Manasseh (around 648–645 BC), perhaps during Manasseh’s attempted reforms after being released from Assyrian captivity (2 Chr 33:12-16 ^q). Or it may have been later, during the early or middle part of righteous King Josiah’s reign (640–609 BC).

Meaning and Message
No empire, however great, is beyond God’s scrutiny. Sooner or later, all must give an account of their actions to the Lord. The reality of God’s righteous and sovereign justice lies beneath the predicted judgment of Nineveh and Assyria. He is in control of everyone and everything on earth, and he has concern for all who suffer, whether from the horrors and atrocities of war or from some other oppression. A burdened humankind can be confident that divine justice will ultimately prevail.
God is long-suffering (1:3 ^r), and his people must be patient. The assurance that this good and caring Lord (1:7 ^s) has a distinct purpose for his people (2:2 ^t) encourages them to a life of faith and trust. Beyond the book’s menacing tone lies the good news of hope (1:15 ^u). The prophet predicts a coming day when God’s people will once again worship him in wondrous peace and joy. They will at last be free from those who would take away their freedom.
Subsequent writers of Scripture found in Nahum’s good news a promise of the good news of Christ (Rom 10:15 ^v; see also Isa 52:7 ^w), who provides the opportunity for deliverance from sin. Knowing that the unbeliever faces an even greater doom than that of fallen Nineveh motivates a missionary effort to carry the good news of salvation and eternal life through Christ to a dying world.
1:1 ^x message ... vision: This opening, similar to that of other prophetic books (cp. Obad 1:1 ^y; Hab 1:1 ^z; Mal 1:1 ^aa), identifies Nahum as a prophet, one who uttered messages from God.

• Nineveh became the capital of the Assyrian Empire sometime shortly after 705 BC and remained so until its destruction in 612 BC.

• The name Nahum means “comfort” or “encouragement.” An important theme of his prophecy is that God will bring encouragement to his people through Nineveh’s downfall (Nah 1:12-15 ^ab; see Isa 40:1 ^ac).
Summary for Nah 1:2-11: 1:2-11 ^ad This short, two-stanza hymn (1:2-6 ^ae, 7-11 ^af) tells of God’s sovereign power.
Summary for Nah 1:2-6: 1:2-6 ^ag The hymn’s first stanza draws from biblical texts commemorating Israel’s exodus from Egypt. The message is that everything in all creation is subject to God’s sovereign power, and God will ensure the punishment of those who oppose him. 1:2 ^ah jealous (or zealous): God zealously guards the welfare of his people and zealously desires their faithfulness (see Exod 20:4-5 ^ai; Deut 4:23-24 ^aj; 6:4 ^ak; Jer 2:1–3:5 ^al).

• God’s vengeance and rage cannot be confused with the human attitude of “getting even.” God’s actions emerge from his holiness (Jer 50:28-29 ^am), justice (Isa 63:1-9 ^an), and faithfulness to the covenant with his people (Lev 26:23-25 ^ao; Isa 1:24-26 ^ap). His vengeance is never arbitrary.
1:3 ^aq slow to get angry: God’s patience with disobedience is linked to his faithful love (Exod 34:6 ^ar; Num 14:18 ^as; Ps 103:8 ^at; Joel 2:13 ^au). This trait had disappointed Jonah, who wanted Nineveh destroyed immediately (Jon 4:2 ^av). Because God is patient, he sometimes delays the deserved punishment of sinners (Neh 9:29-30 ^aw; Rom 2:4 ^ax; 2 Pet 3:9 ^ay), but those guilty of persisting in sin will ultimately face God’s judgment (Exod 34:7 ^az; Rom 14:10 ^ba; 2 Cor 5:10 ^bb; Rev 14:6-7 ^bc).

• the whirlwind and the storm: This imagery describes the fury of God’s judgment against the wicked (see also Isa 29:6 ^bd).
1:4 ^be Like clouds (1:3 ^bf) and mountains (1:5 ^bg), oceans and rivers are under God’s sovereign control. The Old Testament prophets often recall God’s actions against the seas and rivers during the Exodus (Exod 15:8-10 ^bh; 2 Sam 22:16 ^bi; Pss 66:6 ^bj; 77:16 ^bk; Hab 3:15 ^bl). God’s power over the waters repudiated the mythology of the ancient Canaanites, who believed that the oceans and the rivers were under the control of the sea-god, Yam.

• Bashan, situated east of the Sea of Galilee, was known for its rich pastureland, ideal for raising cattle (cp. Mic 7:14 ^bm).

• Carmel, on the Mediterranean coast in central Canaan, was noted for its beauty and fruitfulness (Song 7:5 ^bn; Jer 50:19 ^bo).

• Lebanon was famed for its great cedars (1 Kgs 5:6-18 ^bp). Nahum lists these areas to demonstrate that even the most fertile and productive places on earth cannot withstand the power of God’s judgment.
1:5 ^bq Old Testament poetry often mentions the shaking of the earth to commemorate the Exodus period (e.g., Ps 18:7 ^br; Hab 3:6 ^bs; see Exod 19:18 ^bt).
1:6 ^bu The Hebrew word translated rage is repeated from 1:2 ^bv. Its repetition brackets 1:2-6 ^bw as a single poetic unit.
Summary for Nah 1:7-11: 1:7-11 ^bx This second stanza (see study note on 1:2-11) concentrates on God’s sovereignty, righteousness, and justice in dealing with all people. 1:7 ^by The Lord is good: God acts equitably when he judges the wicked. He also provides refuge for those who trust in him. He accepts them and protects them in the midst of life’s trials (Pss 18:2 ^bz; 62:5-7 ^ca). God’s rich goodness can lead individuals to repentance (Rom 2:2-4 ^cb).
1:8 ^cc overwhelming flood: A metaphor for the powerful nature of God’s judgment (see 2:6 ^cd).
1:9 ^ce Why are you scheming: No scheme or human plot against God can succeed. Human plans are worthless if they do not match God’s plans (Ps 2 ^cf; Isa 14:26-27 ^cg; 23:9 ^ch).
1:11 ^ci The wicked counselor is the Assyrian king. God had also dealt with the arrogant conceit of an Assyrian king in Hezekiah’s time (about 701 BC; see 2 Kgs 19:35-36 ^cj). Assyria’s wicked counselor contrasts with the coming Messiah, the King who is a “Wonderful Counselor” (Isa 9:6 ^ck).
1:12 ^cl The Assyrians’ allies were vassal or subordinate kingdoms, including once-powerful Egypt. Ironically, a coalition of former allies gradually brought down the great Neo-Assyrian Empire between 625 and 605 BC.

• O my people refers to Judah, whom God had punished earlier when the Assyrian king Sennacherib (704–681 BC) launched a campaign (701 BC) against the western states of the Near East. While Sennacherib failed to take Jerusalem (2 Kgs 19:32-36 ^cm), he boasted in his annals of carrying away Jerusalem’s tribute and an enormous amount of spoils from forty-six cities in Judah. Although Judah was now reduced to vassalage and faced the constant possibility of Assyrian aggression, Assyria did not defeat the southern kingdom. Babylon did so, however, in 586 BC. Sadly, neither Israel nor Judah heeded God’s repeated warnings that failure to repent would result in judgment (Hos 11:5 ^cn; Joel 2:1-27 ^co).
1:14 ^cp no more children: Nineveh would be completely annihilated. Cutting off a person’s name and leaving him without a descendant meant utterly destroying him (1 Sam 24:21 ^cq; Job 18:17 ^cr; Isa 14:22 ^cs).

• None of Assyria’s venerated gods could deliver Nineveh from God’s death sentence.

• God was already preparing a grave for Nineveh and directing Assyria’s enemies to destroy the city. Assyria’s proud cities fell one by one to the combined attacks of the Chaldeans, the Medes, and the Ummanmanda. Nineveh itself fell in 612 BC.
1:15 ^ct Nahum supplements his prophecy of Judah’s release from bondage (1:13 ^cu) with a prediction of the arrival of a messenger bringing the good news of restored peace (see also Isa 52:7 ^cv). The message of peace was that Assyria’s hold on Judah would be broken and God’s people would be free of its burden. This took place during the reign of Josiah (640–609 BC), after the death of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal in 626 BC. This political message is a foretaste of God’s final triumph over evil, when his people will be released from bondage to sin through the saving work of the Messiah and be given eternal peace (Zeph 3:13 ^cw; Luke 2:10-14 ^cx; Acts 10:34-43 ^cy; Rom 10:15 ^cz; Eph 2:14-18 ^da).