Introduction
Nahum primarily focuses on the impending destruction of Nineveh, the capital, by now, of the Assyrian Empire. Nahum means "consolation". He was probably from Judah but possibly resided in Capernaum [“Nahum’s village”]. The book is generally believed to have been written shortly before Nineveh's fall in 612 BC. Nahum's prophecy is characterized by its vivid imagery and poetic style, employing metaphors such as devouring lions and swarming locusts to describe Nineveh's downfall. The book presents the destruction of Nineveh as an act of divine justice, asserting God's moral governance of the world and His stance against oppression and the abuse of power. For the people of Judah, who had suffered under Assyrian aggression, Nineveh's demise is portrayed as a moment of deliverance and renewal. While the book celebrates the fall of a cruel enemy, it also serves as a reminder of God's judgment against nations that engage in ruthless violence and exploitation. Nahum's prophecy thus offers both a message of comfort to the oppressed and a warning to oppressors, set against the backdrop of Ancient Near Eastern power dynamics.1
Questions
Chapter 1
1 The oracle concerning Nineveh—
the scroll of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite2:
What is the primary focus of the book of Nahum?3
YHWH takes vengeance against his enemies
2 YHWH is a jealous God and avenging;
YHWH is avenging and full of wrath [lit. “a lord of wrath”].
YHWH takes vengeance against his enemies;
he rages against his adversaries.
YHWH is a “lord of wrath”. This is similar to the Sumerian poem "The Curse of Agade" in which the god Enlil, angered by a king's attack on his temple, punishes the ruler by orchestrating his downfall and allowing a barbarian invasion. This, and other similar ANE literature, reflects the ancient Near Eastern belief that deities were deeply concerned with their reputation and would take severe action against those who disrespected them.4
Do you hear echoes from the Exodus story?5
3 YHWH is slow to anger but great in power;
and YHWH will certainly not allow the guilty to go unpunished.
He marches in storm wind and in gale;
storm clouds are the dust of his feet.
We are reminded, as we have noted, that YHWH is still “slow to anger”. This is an attribute of YHWH, an aspect of his unchanging character.
Why is YHWH said to march in the storm?6
4 He rebukes the sea and he dries up the rivers;
he makes all the rivers run dry.
Bashan and Carmel wither;
the blossom of Lebanon languishes.
In ancient Assyrian mythology, which closely parallels Babylonian beliefs, the sea is associated with the primordial goddess Tiamat.7
Who is the “he” of v4? Which God really is the god of the sea [and the land and the heavens]?8
5 Mountains quake before him;
the hills melt.
Hills melting is judgment language.9
The
earthland heaves before him—the world and all her inhabitants.
Identify the creation language being used here.10
6 His indignation—who can stand before it?
Who can endure the heat of his anger?
His wrath is poured out like fire;
rocks are shattered before him.
Us moderns tend to think of judgment as something negative.
Do we not want justice? Can there justice without judgment?
YHWH’s judgment cannot be thwarted by these lesser gods. YHWH is all powerful BUT…
7 YHWH is good—a refuge in the day of distress;
he knows [lit. “he cares for”] those who take refuge in him.
8 But with a rushing torrent he will bring Nineveh [Hebrew “her place”] to an end;
he will chase his enemies into darkness.
There are oracles to the Assyrian goddess Ishtar that say “she cares for”11. Nahum may be deliberately referencing this but exhorting the Assyrians to again trust in YHWH, Jonah’s god.
YHWH will destroy Nineveh
9 Why do you plot against YHWH?
He will completely destroy it;
trouble will not rise up a second time!
10 For like entangled thorns,
and like their drink which is drunk,
they will be consumed like fully dry chaff.
Does this remind you of a psalm?12
11 From you goes out one who plots evil against YHWH,
one who plans wickedness.
The “one” may refer to the Assyrian king Sennacherib [705–681 BC], who attacked Jerusalem in 701 BC when Hezekiah reigned over Judah [2 Kings 18:13–19:37].13
YHWH will deliver Judah and destroy Nineveh
The “you” now refers to Judah…
12 YHWH says this:
“Even though they are powerful and likewise many,
even so they will be cut off and pass away.
Though I have afflicted you [Judah],
I will afflict [Judah] no longer.
13 And now, I will break his yoke from upon you [Judah];
I will snap your [Judah’s] bonds.”
Animal yokes were used by the Assyrians to humiliate their captors [see also Jeremiah 5:5; Lamentations 3:27]. Judah will be taken into captivity by the Assyrians [2 Kings 18:1-19:37; Isaiah 36-37; 2 Chronicles 32:1-23] but YHWH will break the figurative yoke of captivity and exile.
And now “you” is Nineveh…
14 YHWH has commanded concerning you [Nineveh]:
“Your name will no longer be sown.
I will cut off the idols and the molten idols from the house of your gods;
I will send you to the grave because you are worthless.”
The flip from Judah back to Nineveh is confusing but v14 cannot refer Judah as this tribe will never be cut off or become worthless. The Messiah will come from Judah…
15a Look! On the mountains!
The feet of the one who brings good tidings,
the one who proclaims peace!
Isaiah uses the verse to announce the future return of the captive exiles from Babylon to Jerusalem [52:7] and interprets the “one” being the Messiah.
Some consider 1:15 to be the key verse of the book14. Discuss.
15b “Celebrate your festivals, O Judah,
Fulfill your vows!
For he will not invade you again;
the wicked one is cut off completely!”
The return is envisioned as the faithful worship of YHWH back in the land and “the wicked one…cut off completely”.
“Introduction to Nahum” in Barry, John D., Douglas Mangum, Derek R. Brown, Michael S. Heiser, Miles Custis, Ritzema, Elliot, Whitehead, Matthew M., Grigoni, Michael R., and Bomar, David. Faithlife Study Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012. Turner, Paul, and John W. Martens, eds. Liturgy and Life Study Bible. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2023. Jamieson, D. D. Rev Robert, A. M. Rev A. R. Fausset, and D. D. Rev David Brown. Commentary on the Whole Bible. Zondervan Publishing House, 1977, 696.
Where is Elkosh? "Possibilities include (1) an unlikely identification with Al-Kosh in northern Iraq, (2) the simplistic equation with Capernaum, which means “the village of Nahum,” on the shore of the Sea of Galilee and (3) the possibility of a place in Judah. None is wholly convincing, but Nahum probably did live in Judah." Craig S. Keener and John H. Walton, eds., NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2016), 1529.
The judgment of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria.
Craig S. Keener and John H. Walton, eds., NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2016), 1529.
There YHWH takes on the gods of Egypt. Another battle of the gods is about to take place.
In Assyrian mythology Ashur was the supreme god but Adad was the storm god symbolizing Assyrian identity and power. Adad ensured that weather etc. necessary for life and sustenance was maintained. [See Black, Jeremy, and Anthony Green. Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia: An Illustrated Dictionary. First Edition. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1992. Schwemer, Daniel. Die Wettergottgestalten Mesopotamiens Und Nordsyriens Im Zeitalter Der Keilschriftkulturen. Harrassowitz, 2001. Leick, Dr Gwendolyn. A Dictionary of Ancient Near Eastern Mythology. 1st edition. Hoboken: Routledge, 1991. Pongratz-Leisten, Beate. Religion and Ideology in Assyria. 1st edition. Boston: De Gruyter, 2015.]
She personifies the salt water ocean and represents the chaotic waters that existed before creation. According to the creation epic Enuma Elish, Tiamat is eventually slain by the god Marduk [or Ashur in Assyrian versions], who uses her [his] body to create the world, including the earthly seas. This myth symbolizes the triumph of cosmic order over primordial chaos, with the sea retaining connotations of danger and disorder in Assyrian thought. [See Dalley, Stephanie. Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, The Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others. Oxford University Press, 2008. Foster, Benjamin R. Before the Muses: An Anthology of Akkadian Literature. CDL Press, 2005. Pongratz-Leisten, Beate. Religion and Ideology in Assyria. De Gruyter, 2015.]
In utter contrast, but within the same ancient cosmology, Nahum is asserting that it is YHWH who controls the sea and the waters.
"This figure of judgment is echoed in a fragment of poetry written about 800 BC on the plaster of a wall in the desert caravanserai at Kuntillet Ajrud on the road from Gaza to Elath: “when God shone forth … the mountains melted, and peaks grew weak.”" Craig S. Keener and John H. Walton, eds., NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2016), 1529.
In Genesis 1:9 the land heaved, was raised up, separating it from the water. These creative acts were demonstrated to the Israelites in the Exodus: the mountain shook at Sinai; the rivers ran dry [v4] at the Red Sea and the Jordan.
Craig S. Keener and John H. Walton, eds., NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2016), 1530.
Yes, Psalm 2 and the very similar Psalm 45. The nations plotting against YHWH and his Messiah.
Kenneth L. Barker, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, vol. 20, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 182.
Kenneth L. Barker, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, vol. 20, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 190.