The prophet Nahum was a contemporary of
Jeremiah, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah. His hometown was Elkosh (1:1), believed to
have been somewhere in Galilee, perhaps Capernaum (meaning “town of Nahum”). His
written prophecy was recorded after the fall of the Egyptian No Amon (a.k.a. Thebes)
in 663 BC (alluded to in 3:8-10) and before the fall of Nineveh in 612 BC.
Nahum’s message is written in poetic style
and concerns the destruction of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire.1
At the time Nineveh was one of the oldest inhabited cities on earth, having
been built by Nimrod son of Cush, son of Ham, son of Noah (Gen. 10:6-11).
The name Nahum, meaning “comfort” or
“consolation,” is an abbreviated form of Nehemiah (meaning “comfort of Yahweh”).
Nahum’s words were certainly no consolation to the Assyrians, but did bring
comfort to those who were tormented by the Assyrians (cf. 3:19).
The Background
The rising Empire of Assyria had repeatedly afflicted
the Northern Kingdom of Israel, conquering and exiling them by 722 BC (2 Kings
15:19–17:23). With divine judgment on the horizon, God sent a prophet
to Nineveh to call them to repentance (Jonah 1:1-2). Despite his reluctance,
Jonah’s preaching was so effective that “they turned from their evil ways”
(Jonah 3:10).2 Unfortunately, about a century later they had
reverted back to their corrupt behavior and continued to afflict the Southern
Kingdom of Judah.
The Message
The prophecy begins with “God” [Heb. el]
(1:2a), followed by thirteen references to Yahweh [God’s personal name]
(1:2b–3:5). There can be no question about the source of the prophecy and the
executer of its fulfillment. Divine attributes are highlighted, namely God’s
holiness (1:2a), wrath (1:2b), longsuffering (1:3a), justice (1:3b),
sovereignty (1:3c), power (1:4), and goodness (1:7).
Whether God’s human creation cooperates or
chooses to rebel, “The LORD has His way” (1:3c).
“The LORD is good, A stronghold in
the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him” (1:7). Nineveh’s doom
is assured: “an utter end of its place” (1:8b); “an utter end of it” (1:9b);
“they will be cut down” (1:12b); “utterly cut off” (1:15c). The people of
God are reassured: “For now I will break off his yoke from you, And burst your
bonds apart” (1:13); “For the LORD will restore the
excellence of Jacob Like the excellence of Israel” (2:2a) – a promise involving
the whole nation.
What a terrifying revelation to hear, “‘Behold, I am against you,’ says the LORD of hosts …” (2:13a;
3:5a). The instrument of divine judgment is the combined forces of the Babylonians,
Medes, and Scythians (2:3-13). The result is that “Nineveh of old …. is empty,
desolate, and waste!” (2:8-10; 3:7b).
The Assyrian capital was to reap what it
had sown after about 130 years of tyranny. “O king of Assyria …. Your injury
has no healing, Your wound is severe. All who hear news of you Will clap their
hands over you, For upon whom has not your wickedness passed continually?”
(3:18-19). Nineveh fell in 612 BC. Today it still lies in ruins near the city
of Mosul in Northern Iraq.
Lessons to Learn
1. God is
in control (1:3, 9; cf. John 19:11; Rom. 13:1).
2. God is
patient, but his patience is not limitless (1:3, 7-8; 2:13; 3:5; cf. Rom.
11:22; 2 Pet. 3:9-10).
3. God holds
sinners accountable (1:2, 3, 9; 2:13; 3:5, 7; cf. Num. 32:23; 2 Cor. 5:10).
4. God
hates evil and so should we (1:8-9; 2:13; 3:5; cf. Psa. 5:4-5).
5. God does
not forsake his people (1:13, 15; 2:2; cf. Heb. 13:5).
6. God
keeps his word (1:8, 9, 15; 2:13; 3:7, 19; cf. Rom. 3:4; Heb. 6:18).
--Kevin
L. Moore
Endnotes:
1 Cf. Jonah 1:2; 3:10; Isa.
10:1-27; 14:24-27; Mic. 5:5-6.
2 Scripture quotations are from
the NKJV.
Related Posts: Minor Prophets 2, Isaiah 7:14
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