Nahum, Chapter 3
1 Nineveh’s Complete Ruin2 The noise of the whip, The noise of the rattling of the wheel, Galloping horses Andabounding chariots! 3 4 5 “Behold, I am against you,” declares the LORD of hosts; “And I willdlift up your skirts over your face, And show to the nations your nakedness And to the kingdoms your disgrace. 6 “I will throwefilth on you And make you vile, And set you up as a spectacle. 7 “And it will come about that all who see you Willfshrink from you and say, ‘Nineveh is devastated! Who will grieve for her?’ Where will I seek comforters for you?” | |
8 9 Ethiopia was her might, And Egypt too, without limits. Put and Lubim were amongjher helpers. 10 12 All your fortifications are fig trees withkripe fruit— When shaken, they fall into the eater’s mouth. 13 14 15 16 You have increased your traders more than the stars of heaven— The creeping locustlstrips and flies away. 17 Yourmguardsmen are like the swarming locust. Your marshals are like hordes of grasshoppers Settling in the stone walls on a cold day. The sun rises and they flee, And the place where they are is not known. 18 19 There is no relief for your breakdown, Your wound is incurable. All who hearnabout you Will clap their hands over you, For on whom has not your evil passed continually? | 16 |
3 The sins of Nineveh, and judgments pursuing them, Nah 3:1-7.
Instances of like judgments for like sins, Nah 3:18-11.
The overthrow of all wherein they trusted, Nah 3:12-19.
3:1 The prey - Extortion and rapine.
3:3 The horsemen - The Chaldeans and their confederates.
3:4 The whoredom - The idolatries, which were multiplied by the many people that served the Assyrian idols. And whoredoms literally understood, did undoubtedly abound, where wealth, luxury, ease, and long continuance of these were to be found. Well - favoured - Glorious in their state and government, and in the splendor of their idols, temples, and sacrifices. Of witchcrafts - Bewitching policies; or it may be taken for witchcrafts or necromances, which abounded among the Assyrians. That selleth - That dispose of them as imperiously, and absolutely as men do slaves. And families - This may intimate the seducing of some particular and eminent families to an hereditary service of the Assyrian idols, or to witchcrafts, in which the devil imitated God's institution, in taking a family to his service.
3:5 Discover - l will strip thee naked, and deal with thee as inhuman soldiers deal with captive women.
3:7 Shall flee - With loathing and abhorrence. Will bemoan - Whose bowels will be moved for her that had no bowels for any one.
3:8 Thou - O Nineveh. No - It is supposed this was what we now called Alexandria. Art thou greater, stronger, and wiser?Yet all her power was broken, her riches spoiled, and her glory buried in ruins. Rampart - The defence of its walls on one side.Her wall - A mighty, strong wall, built from the sea landward.
3:9 Her strength - Furnishing soldiers and warlike assistance.It was infinite - There was no end to their confidence and warlike provisions. Put - Or the Moors, who lie westward of Alexandria.Lubim - The people that inhabited that which is now called Cyrene.
3:11 Thou also - Thou shalt drink deep of the bitter cup of God's displeasure. Hid - Thou shalt hide thyself. O Nineveh, as well as Alexandria. Shalt seek - Shalt sue for, and intreat assistance.
3:12 Ripe figs - Whose weight and ripeness will bring them quickly to the ground. Shaken - If but lightly touched.
3:13 Are women - Were very cowards.The gates - The strong frontiers. Wide open - Either through fear or treachery. Thy bars - With which the gates were shut and strengthened.
3:14 Draw thee waters - Fill all thy cisterns, and draw the waters into the ditches. Tread the mortar - Set thy brick - makers on work to prepare store of materials for thy fortifications.
3:15 There - In the very fortresses. Eat thee - As easily as the canker - worm eats the green herb. Many - They are innumerable; be thou so if thou canst; all will be to no purpose.
3:16 The canker - worm spoileth - So these are like the canker - worms, which spoil wherever they come, and when no more is to be gotten, flee away.
3:17 Thy crowned - Thy confederate kings and princes.Captains - Commanders and officers are for number, like locusts and grasshoppers; but 'tis all for shew, not for help.In the cool day - While the season suits them. The sun - When trouble, war, and danger, like the parching sun, scald them.Is not known - Thou shalt never know where to find them.
3:18 Thy shepherds - Thy rulers and counsellors. Slumber - Are remiss, heartless, or dead. No man gathereth - No one will concern himself to preserve thy dispersed ones.
3:19 Shall clap the hands - Insulting and rejoicing.Thy wickedness - Thy tyranny, pride, oppression and cruelty; treading down and trampling upon them.