Nah 1:12-15 | TNotes | STEP | 1:12 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 ), 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 ; Joel 2:1-27 ).

a1:12►

b2 Kgs 19:32-36►

cHos 11:5►

dJoel 2:1-27►

e1:14►

f1 Sam 24:21►

gJob 18:17►

hIsa 14:22►

i1:15►

j1:13►

kIsa 52:7►

lZeph 3:13►

mLuke 2:10-14►

nActs 10:34-43►

oRom 10:15►

pEph 2:14-18►

‏ Nahum 1:12-15

1:12 ^a 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 ^b), 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 ^c; Joel 2:1-27 ^d).
1:14 ^e 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 ^f; Job 18:17 ^g; Isa 14:22 ^h).

• 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 ⁱ Nahum supplements his prophecy of Judah’s release from bondage (1:13 ^j) with a prediction of the arrival of a messenger bringing the good news of restored peace (see also Isa 52:7 ^k). 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 ^l; Luke 2:10-14 ^m; Acts 10:34-43 ⁿ; Rom 10:15 ^o; Eph 2:14-18 ^p).