Questions
What is the main theme of Nahum 3?1
What does Psalm 139:7–10 emphasize about God's presence?2
Why was Nineveh condemned in Nahum 3:1?3
Vv 2-3 describe invading armies. These would be the Medes and Babylonians that the Assyrians were beginning to fear. These wicked armies are described as instruments of YHWH executing His will against Nineveh.
How does Nahum 3:4–5 describe Nineveh's sins?4
What form of humiliation is described in Nahum 3:6–7?5
In Nahum 3:8–11 Nahum compares Nineveh to Thebes [in Egypt] which had strong defenses but still fell into captivity. Similarly, Nineveh's nobles would be enslaved and shared among captors through casting lots.
What metaphor is used for Nineveh’s defenses in Nahum 3:12–15?6
What does Nahum 3:17 imply about loyalty within Nineveh's empire?7
To summarise, Nahum 3 teaches that warnings of judgment are given so people might repent. This applies not only to Nineveh but also to Judah and humanity as a whole.
The main theme of Nahum 3 is the certainty of judgment and doom for Nineveh due to its wickedness, including bloodshed, deception, plunder, and idolatry.
Psalm 139:7–10 emphasizes that no one can escape God's presence, whether in heaven, Sheol, or the farthest parts of the sea. God's hand leads and holds fast everywhere.
Nineveh was condemned for shedding much blood, deception, plundering, and hoarding spoils of war during its relentless subjugation of neighboring nations like Cyprus, Lebanon, and Syria.
Nahum 3:4–5 describes Nineveh's sins as idolatries, prostitution, witchcraft, and enslavement of nations through sorceries. YHWH declares His opposition to Nineveh due to these actions.
YHWH declares that Nineveh will be treated with contempt, made a spectacle, and publicly humiliated by exposing her nakedness—a common practice in ancient Near Eastern cultures to shame defeated enemies.
Nineveh’s defenses are compared to ripe fig trees that easily fall when shaken. The city’s troops are likened to women in their midst—a curse that the Assyrians made through Ishtar against their enemies—and its gates are described as wide open to enemies.