The Prophet
NAHUM

Nahum 1

The majesty of God in goodness to his people, and severity against his enemies.


1THE 1burden 2of Nineveh. The 3book of the vision of Nahum 4the Elkoshite.

1 This is the common title or inscription of all the difficult prophecies. See Isa. 13 on verse 1; 15:1; 17:1; 19:1, 21:1, 11, 13; Jer. 23:33, 34; Hab. 1:1; Zech. 9:1; 12:1; Mal. 1:1.

2 That is, over or concerning the city of Nineveh, which once was the capital city of Assyria; and understand hereby Nineveh not only the city itself, but also the entire kingdom of Assyria.

3 That is, the book in which is described the vision or prophecy revealed to Nahum.

4 That is, who was born at Elkos, a village situated in Galilee, or, as some write, in the tribe of Simeon, existing yet in Hieronymus’ time, but nowhere else mentioned in Holy Scripture. Others hold Elkos to be the name of Nahum’s family.

2God is 5jealous,a and 6the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is 7furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and 8he reserveth wrath for 9his enemies.

5 That is, God is jealous, namely, of His honor, see Isa. 9:7, not able to suffer any idol to be worshipped and invocated besides Him.

aExod. 20:5.

6 Who does not permit to go unpunished the sin committed against His holy Majesty, nor the tyranny practiced upon His chosen people.

7 Being most highly offended with those who mistreat or persecute His people. Hebr. a Lord, Master or Possessor of fierceness, or of hot anger. See Gen. 14 on verse 13.

8 See the annotation on Psalm 103 on verse 9; Jer. 3 on verse 5.

9 But on His elect He has compassion, as a father on his children. See Psalm 103:8, 9, 10, etc.

3The LORD is 10slow to anger, and great in power, and 11will not at all acquit the wicked: 12the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and 13the clouds are the dust of his feet.

10 See Exod. 34 on verse 6; Num. 14:18.

11 See Exod. 34 on verse 7. Other, he shall not hold them (namely, enemies) guiltless.

12 The sense is: The LORD shows Himself mighty, dreadful and terrible. See Psalm 18:7.

13 Compare Psalm 104:3.

4He 14rebuketh the sea, and 15maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: 16Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and 17the flower of Lebanon 18languisheth.

14 That is, punish. The prophet describes the power which God has over the seas, rivers and fields, whereof see examples, Exod. 14:22; 2 Kings 2; Psalm 66:6; 106:9; 107; Isaiah 4; Luke 8:24. The sense is: He, Who is able to do such mighty things in the waters and on the land, can likewise, if it pleases Him, work a change in the kingdom of Assyria.

15 That is, He is able to make it dry at His own pleasure.

16 See of Bashan, Psalm 22:12, and of Carmel, 2 Kings 19 on verse 23.

17 That is, the flowers growing on mount Lebanon.

18 Namely, because of His anger, or, by reason of the great and long continued drought which frustrates the coming forth of the fruits of the earth. Compare Joel 1:10, 27.

5Theb mountains 19quake at him, and the hills 20melt, and the earth is 21burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.

bExod. 19:18; Psalm 18:7; 29:5, 6; 68:7; 97:4, 5; 114:4.

19 Or, shake of him.

20 Compare Amos 9:13; Micah 1:4.

21 As the like happens in earthquakes. Other, the earth burneth before his face. The sense is: If it did please God the Lord, He could as well destroy the whole world as He did Sodom and Gomorrah. Or, He is able to burn the earth to ashes by drought and barrenness. See 2 Sam. 5 on verse 21.

6Who 22can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.

22 Or, shall.

7The LORD is 23good, a strongc hold in the day of trouble; and 24he knoweth 25them that trust in him.

23 Namely, to them who fear and serve Him.

cJoel 3:16.

24 That is, He loves them, He cares for them, He takes pity on them, as Psalm 1:6.

25 Or, that hope in him, those who betake themselves for refuge to and trust in Him.

8But 26with an overrunningd flood 27he will make an utter end 28of the place thereof, and 29darkness shall pursue 30his enemies.

26 That is, by an hostile invasion that shall overrun all, God shall utterly destroy her place. Or, And with a thorough passing flood, he shall make her (namely, of Nineveh) place unto destruction (or unto ruin), that is, He shall cause that the place of Nineveh shall be or prove itself the destruction, and be reduced to nothing, namely, by the Medes and the Chaldeans.

d overflowing

27 Namely, God the Lord.

28 That is, the city of Nineveh itself. It is a common manner of speech in Holy Scripture, that the place of a thing is said to perish, when the thing itself perishes. Also Dan. 2:35; Rev. 12:8.

29Darkness means here all kinds of great miseries and calamities, as Joel 2:2; Micah 7:8, and elsewhere.

30 Namely, of the Lord, or, of the people of God, and understand here by enemies the Assyrians. Other, he shall cause the darkness to persecute his enemies.

931What do 32ye imagine 33against the LORD? 34he will make an 35utter end: affliction 36shall not rise up the second time.

31 Or, what do ye devise against the LORD? The meaning is: God shall not always suffer you, O thou king of Assyria and thou mighty city of Nineveh to bear sway and rage as ye do.

32 Ye Assyrians.

33 Or, of the LORD?

34 Hebr. he maketh an accomplishment. The present tense is frequently taken for the time to come soon after, Gen. 13:15; 19:13, 14; 48:21; 50:5, 24; Exod. 12:33; Jonah 1:3; Mat. 3:10; 17:11; Acts 27:6; 1 Cor. 15:35.

35 See Jer. 4 on verse 27, the 70th annotation.

36 Or, shall not come the second time. The meaning is: God shall, O Nineveh, oppress you by this threatened invasion as such, that He shall not need to come the second time; He shall destroy and cut you off once and for all. Others take it in this sense: He shall not permit His people to be vexed entirely.

10For while 37they be folden together as thorns, 38and while they are drunken as drunkards, 39they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.

37 Namely, the Assyrians with the other kings and nations. The meaning is: It shall fare with them as with thorns entangled together, which, as the husbandman is not able to part or pull asunder, he throws them together into the fire and burns the one with the other. Other, For they are distressed to the very thorns, that is, so perplexed that they betake themselves for refuge to the thorns to hide and shelter themselves there. It is a sign of great perplexity and anxiety, when one runs to that place, where he shall surely injure and harm himself. Compare 1 Sam. 13:6.

38 Hebr. and are drunk excessively according to their wine or drunkenness. Or, and as being drunk of their wine, that is, they are driven by a perverse spirit, which makes them giddy and reeling as if they were drunk, and this because of their long prosperity, having had all to their will.

39 Or, therefore they shall be consumed (Hebr. devoured, or eaten up) entirely, or, fully dry stubble.

11There 40is one come 41out of thee, 42that imagineth evil against the LORD, 43a wicked counsellor.

40 Or, from thee, O Nineveh.

41 That is, shall shortly come forth. See verse 9.

42 That is, who breathed forth nothing but fire and flame against the people of God.

43 Understand hereby Sennacherib and Rabshakeh who sought to persuade the people of God, that God would not be able to deliver them out of their hands. See 2 Kings 18:35; 2 Chronicles 32; Isaiah 36. Hebr. a counseller of Belial; see Deut. 13 on verse 13.

1244Thus saith the LORD; Though they be 45quiet, and likewise many, yet thus shall they be 46cut down, when 47he shall pass through. Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more.

44 Now the prophet turns his speech to those of Jerusalem, whom he comforts with the prophecy of the defeat and destruction of the Assyrians.

45 Hebr. complete, or, having peace, that is, complete in power, or prosperous. God wants to say: Although they are mighty and with many, nevertheless they shall be struck down and destroyed by His Divine hand.

46 The prophet Isaiah makes use of the same similitude, Isa. 7:20.

47 Namely, Sennacherib. See 2 Kings 19:35, 36, 37.

1348For now will I break 49his yoke 50from off thee, and will 51burst 52thy bonds in sunder.

48 In this verse God continues to speak to His people, as in verse 12.

49 Namely, the yoke, that is, slavery, or servitude, of the king of Assyria. See of the Hebrew word Jer. 27 on verse 2.

50 Hebr. break up from you, that is, I will take it off from your necks and deliver you from it.

51 In order that you shall be no more subject to the king of Assyria. Compare Psalm 2:3, and the fulfillment in 2 Chron. 36:22; Ezra 1:1.

52 That is, the bonds with which the king of Assyria keeps you bound and in servitude.

14And the LORD hath 53given a commandment 54concerning 55thee, 56that no more of thy name be sown: out of the house of thy gods will I cut off 57the graven image and the molten image: I will make 58thy grave; 59for thou art vile.

53 Namely, to the king of the Medes and of Babylon, to destroy you and your people utterly. This God has decreed, so that it shall come to pass, and be executed.

54 Or, And the Lord hath given a commandment from thee.

55 O ye Ninevite, or, O thou king of Assyria.

56 That is, as such you shall be totally and completely be oppressed that after this none shall bear your name anymore; or, that there shall be no further mention made of you such as was made until now.

57 That is, your idols, to which you used to worship there.

58 Namely, in the house of your god Nisroch. See the fulfillment of this prophecy in 2 Kings 19:37; Isa. 37:38.

59 Namely, after you have escaped with damage and in disgrace out of the land of Judah, about which you shall come into great contempt among all nations.

15Beholde60upon the mountains the feet 61of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth 62peace! O Judah, 63keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for 64the wicked shall no more pass 65through thee; 66he is utterly cut off.

eIsa. 52:7; Rom. 10:15.

60 Or, upon these mountains, that is, in the land of Judah, which is a mountainous country.

61 Or, of one that preacheth good. Or, of an evangelist; understand this of the glad news, concerning the great slaughter of the army of the Assyrians, and shortly thereafter the death of their king. However this may also well be applied to the spiritual deliverance of the Jews by Christ.

62 That is, victory and prosperity.

63 As if he said: Now ye people of Judah, may ye freely and publicly again attend your holy worship, and give praise and thanks to your God, which for a long time you were hindered and interrupted to do by the Assyrians.

64 See verse 11.

65 That is, he shall no more march into or through your land anymore with his destroying army, as Joel 3:17.

66 Namely, his army, whereof 185,000 men were smitten by the angel, and he was slain by Adrammelech and Sharezer, his two sons.