13 “Behold, aI am against you,” declares Yahweh of hosts. “And I will bburn up her chariots in smoke, and a sword will devour your young lions; and I will ccut off your prey from the land, and no longer will the voice of your messengers be heard.”Jer 21:13; Ezek 5:8; Nah 3:5Josh 11:6, 9; Ps 46:9Is 49:24, 25; Nah 3:1
Yahweh’s Destruction of Nineveh
1The one who ascatters has come up against 2you.Guard the fortification, watch the road;Strengthen your loins, 3instill your power with exceeding courage.Ch 2:2 in HebLit your faceOr make your power courageousJer 51:20-232 For Yahweh will restore the amajesty of JacobbLike the majesty of Israel,Even though those who empty them have emptied them to destructionAnd cruined their vine branches.Is 60:15Ezek 37:21-23Ps 80:12, 13
3 The shields of 1his mighty men are colored red,The valiant men are dressed in a2scarlet,The chariots are enveloped in 3flashing steel4When he is set up to march,And the cypress bspears are brandished.Those attacking NinevehOr crimson, cf. Lam 4:5Lit fire of steelLit On the day of his preparationEzek 23:14, 15Job 39:234 The achariots race madly in the streets;They rush wildly in the 1squares;Their appearance is like torches;They dash to and fro like lightning flashes.Lit broad placesIs 66:15; Jer 4:13; Ezek 26:10; Nah 3:2, 35 He remembers his amighty ones;They bstumble in their march;They hurry to her wall,And the 1mantelet is set up.Lit covering (used in a siege)Nah 3:18Jer 46:126 The gates of the rivers are opened,And the palace is melted away.7 So it stands fixed:She is exiled, she is carried away,And her maidservants are amoaning like the sound of doves,bBeating on their hearts.Is 38:14; 59:11Is 32:12
8 Though Nineveh was like a pool of water throughout her days,Now they are fleeing;“Stand! Stand!”But ano one 1turns back.Lit gathersJer 46:5; 47:39 Plunder the silver!Plunder the agold!And there is no limit to the treasure—1Wealth from every kind of desirable object.Lit GloryRev 18:12, 1610 She is aemptied! Yes, she is emptied out and eviscerated!bHearts are melting and knees knocking!Also anguish is in all their loins,And all their cfaces 1turn pale!Lit gather their radianceIs 24:1; 34:10-13; Nah 2:2Ps 22:14; Is 13:7, 8; Ezek 21:7Joel 2:611 Where is the den of the lionsAnd the feeding place of the ayoung lions,Where the lion, lioness, and lion’s cub prowled,With nothing to make them tremble?Is 5:2912 The lion tore enough for its cubsAnd strangled enough for its lionessesAnd filled its lairs with torn up preyAnd its dens with torn up flesh.
The Overthrow of Nineveh
1The one who ascatters has come up against 2you.Man the fortress, watch the road;3Strengthen your back, 4summon all your strength.Ch 2:2 in HebLit your faceLit Make strong your loinsLit strengthen power greatlyJer 51:20-232 For the LORD will restore the asplendor of JacobbLike the splendor of Israel,Even though devastators have devastated themAnd cdestroyed their vine branches.Is 60:15Ezek 37:21-23Ps 80:12, 13
3 The shields of 1his mighty men are colored red,The warriors are dressed in ascarlet,The chariots are enveloped in 2flashing steel3When he is prepared to march,And the cypress bspears are brandished.I.e. those attacking NinevehLit fire of steelLit On the day of his preparationEzek 23:14, 15Job 39:234 The achariots race madly in the streets,They rush wildly in the 1squares,Their appearance is like torches,They dash to and fro like lightning flashes.Lit broad placesIs 66:15; Jer 4:13; Ezek 26:10; Nah 3:2, 35 He remembers his anobles;They bstumble in their march,They hurry to her wall,And the 1mantelet is set up.Lit covering used in a siegeNah 3:18Jer 46:126 The gates of the rivers are openedAnd the palace is dissolved.7 It is fixed:She is stripped, she is carried away,And her handmaids are amoaning like the sound of doves,bBeating on their 1breasts.Lit heartsIs 38:14; 59:11Is 32:12
8 Though Nineveh was like a pool of water throughout her days,Now they are fleeing;“Stop, stop,”But ano one turns back.Jer 46:5; 47:39 Plunder the silver!Plunder the agold!For there is no limit to the treasure—Wealth from every kind of desirable object.Rev 18:12, 1610 She is aemptied! Yes, she is desolate and waste!bHearts are melting and knees knocking!Also anguish is in 1the whole bodyAnd all their cfaces are grown pale!Lit all the loinIs 24:1; 34:10-13; Nah 2:2Ps 22:14; Is 13:7, 8; Ezek 21:7Joel 2:611 Where is the den of the lionsAnd the feeding place of the ayoung lions,Where the lion, lioness and lion’s cub prowled,With nothing to disturb them?Is 5:2912 The lion tore enough for his cubs,1Killed enough for his lionesses,And filled his lairs with preyAnd his dens with torn flesh.Lit Strangled
13 “Behold, aI am against you,” declares the LORD of hosts. “I will bburn up her chariots in smoke, a sword will devour your young lions; I will ccut off your prey from the land, and no longer will the voice of your messengers be heard.”Jer 21:13; Ezek 5:8; Nah 3:5Josh 11:6, 9; Ps 46:9Is 49:24, 25; Nah 3:1
The Overthrow of Nineveh
1The one who ascatters has come up against you Nineveh.Man the fortress and ramparts, watch the road;2Strengthen your back prepare for battle, summon all your strength.Nahum begins his message to Nineveh with a brief sarcastic statement (v 1) referring to the Medes, the Babylonians, and the Scythians who were allied against Assyria.Lit Make strong your loins.Jer 51:20-232 For the LORD will restore the asplendor and majesty of JacobbLike the splendor of ancient and united Israel,Even though destroyers have destroyed themAnd cruined their vine branches. Is 10:12Is 60:15Ezek 37:21-23Ps 80:12, 13
3 The shields of his soldiers of 1Media and Babylon are colored red;The warriors are dressed in ascarlet.The chariots blaze with fire of flashing steelWhen he is prepared to march,And the cypress bspears are brandished for battle.The Medes were an ancient Iranian people who lived in the area that is now the northwestern part of modern day Iran. After they joined with the Chaldeans of Babylonia to defeat the Assyrians, they established their own empire. It was the largest empire of its day until Cyrus the Great united the Medes and the Persians to form the Archaemenid Empire which stretched over several million square miles.Ezek 23:14, 15Job 39:234 The achariots race madly in the streets;They rush wildly in the broad plazas.Their appearance is like torches;They rush in various directions like forked lightning.Is 66:15; Jer 4:13; Ezek 26:10; Nah 3:2, 35 1He remembers and summons his anobles;They bstumble in their march terrified because of the attack.They hurry to the city wall,And the 2mantelet is prepared and firmly set up.Perhaps the Assyrian king.A large shield or portable shelter used for deflecting stones, spears and arrows.Nah 3:18Jer 46:126 The gates of the rivers surrounding Nineveh are openedAnd the palace of sun-dried brick is dissolved by the torrents.7 It is decreed:Nineveh is stripped, and she is carried away,And her handmaids are amoaning like the sound of doves,bBeating on their breasts in sorrow.Is 38:14; 59:11Is 32:12
8 Though Nineveh was like a pool of water throughout her days,Now her inhabitants are fleeing;“Stop! Stop!” a few cry,But ano one turns back.Jer 46:5; 47:39 Plunder the silver!Plunder the agold!For there is no end to the treasure—Wealth from every precious object.Rev 18:12, 1610 aShe is emptied! She is desolate and waste!bHearts melting in fear and knees knocking!Anguish is in the whole body,And the cfaces of all grow pale! Is 13:7, 8Is 24:1; 34:10-13; Nah 2:2Ps 22:14; Is 13:7, 8; Ezek 21:7Joel 2:611 Where is the den of the lions And the feeding place of the ayoung lions,Where the lion, lioness, and lion’s cub prowledWith nothing to fear?Is 5:2912 The lion of Assyria tore enough for his cubs ,Killed enough prey for his lionesses,And filled his lairs with preyAnd his dens with torn flesh.
13 “Behold, aI am against you Nineveh,” declares the LORD of hosts, “and I will bburn your chariots in the smoke, and the sword will devour your young lions. I will ccut off your prey from the land, and the voice of your messengers will no longer be heard.”Jer 21:13; Ezek 5:8; Nah 3:5Josh 11:6, 9; Ps 46:9Is 49:24, 25; Nah 3:1