Nahum 3

Na 3:1-19.

REPETITION OF

NINEVEH'S

DOOM, WITH

NEW

FEATURES; THE

CAUSE

IS

HER

TYRANNY,

RAPINE, AND

CRUELTY:

NO-AMMON'S

FORTIFICATIONS

DID

NOT

SAVE

HER;

IT

IS

VAIN,

THEREFORE, FOR

NINEVEH TO

THINK

HER

DEFENSES

WILL

SECURE

HER AGAINST

GOD'S

SENTENCE.

1. the bloody city!--literally, "city of blood," namely, shed by

Nineveh; just so now her own blood is to be shed.

robbery--violence [MAURER]. Extortion

[GROTIUS].

the prey departeth not--Nineveh never ceases to live by rapine. Or,

the Hebrew verb is transitive, "she (Nineveh) does not make the prey

depart"; she ceases not to plunder.

2. The reader is transported into the midst of the fight

(compare

Jer 47:3).

The "noise of the whips" urging on the horses (in the chariots) is

heard, and of "the rattling of the wheels" of war chariots, and the

"horses" are seen "prancing," and the "chariots jumping," &c.

3. horseman--distinct from "the horses" (in the chariots,

Na 3:2).

lifteth up--denoting readiness for fight [EWALD].

GESENIUS translates,

"lifteth up (literally, 'makes to ascend') his horse." Similarly

MAURER,

"makes his horse to rise up on his hind feet." Vulgate translates,

"ascending," that is, making his horse to advance up to the assault.

This last is perhaps better than English Version.

the bright sword and the glittering spear--literally, "the glitter of

the sword and the flash of the spear!" This, as well as the translation,

"the horseman advancing up," more graphically presents the battle scene

to the eye.

they stumble upon their corpses--The Medo-Babylonian enemy stumble

upon the Assyrian corpses.

4. Because of the multitude of the whoredoms--This assigns the reason

for Nineveh's destruction.

of the well-favoured harlot--As Assyria was not a worshipper of the

true God, "whoredoms" cannot mean, as in the case of Israel, apostasy to

the worship of false gods; but, her harlot-like artifices whereby

she allured neighboring states so as to subject them to herself. As the

unwary are allured by the "well-favored harlot's" looks, so Israel,

Judah (for example, under Ahaz, who, calling to his aid Tiglath-pileser,

was made tributary by him,

2Ki 16:7-10),

and other nations, were tempted by the plausible professions of

Assyria, and by the lure of commerce

(Re 18:2, 3),

to trust her.

witchcrafts--

(Isa 47:9, 12).

Alluding to the love incantations whereby harlots tried to dement and

ensnare youths; answering to the subtle machinations whereby Assyria

attracted nations to her.

selleth--deprives of their liberty; as slaves used to be

sold: and in other property also sale was a usual mode of

transfer. MAURER understands it of depriving

nations of their freedom, and literally selling them as slaves

to distant peoples

(Joe 3:2, 3, 6-8).

But elsewhere there is no evidence that the Assyrians did this.

families--peoples.

5. I will discover thy skirts upon thy face--that is, discover thy

nakedness by throwing up thy skirts upon thy face (the greatest

possible insult), pulling them up as as high as thy head

(Jer 13:22;

Eze 16:37-41).

I will treat thee not as a matron, but as a harlot whose shame is

exposed; her gaudy finery being lifted up off her

(Isa 47:2, 3).

So Nineveh shall be stripped of all her glory and defenses on which she

prides herself.

6. cast abominable filth upon thee--as infamous harlots used to be

treated.

gazing stock--exposed to public ignominy as a warning to others

(Eze 28:17).

7. all . . . that look upon thee--when thou hast been made "a gazing

stock"

(Na 3:6).

shall flee from thee--as a thing horrible to look upon. Compare

"standing afar off,"

Re 18:10.

whence shall I seek comforters for thee?--Compare

Isa 51:19,

which Nahum had before his mind.

8. populous No--rather, as Hebrew, "No-ammon," the Egyptian name

for Thebes in Upper Egypt; meaning the portion or

possession of Ammon, the Egyptian Jupiter (whence the Greeks called

the city Diospolis), who was especially worshipped there. The Egyptian

inscriptions call the god Amon-re, that is, Amon the Sun; he is

represented as a human figure with a ram's head, seated on a chair

(Jer 46:25;

Eze 30:14-16).

The blow inflicted on No-ammon, described in

Na 3:10,

was probably by the Assyrian Sargon (see on

Isa 18:1;

Isa 20:1).

As Thebes, with all her resources, was overcome by Assyria, so Assyrian

Nineveh, notwithstanding all her might, in her turn, shall be overcome

that No's large population did not save her from destruction.

situate among the rivers--probably the channels into which the

Nile here divides (compare

Isa 19:6-8).

Thebes lay on both sides of the river. It was famed in HOMER'S time for its hundred gates [Iliad, 9.381].

Its ruins still describe a circumference of twenty-seven miles. Of them

the temples of Luxor and Karnak, east of the river, are most famous.

The colonnade of the former, and the grand hall of the latter, are of

stupendous dimensions. One wall still represents the expedition of

Shishak against Jerusalem under Rehoboam

(1Ki 14:25;

2Ch 12:2-9).

whose . . . wall was from the sea--that is, rose up "from the sea."

MAURER translates, "whose wall consisted of the sea." But this would

be a mere repetition of the former clause. The Nile is called a sea, from its appearance in the annual flood

(Isa 19:5).

9. Ethiopia--Hebrew, Cush. Ethiopia is thought at this time to

have been mistress of Upper Egypt.

Egypt--Lower Egypt.

her strength--her safeguard as an ally.

it was infinite--The resources of these, her allies, were endless.

Put--or Phut

(Ge 10:6);

descended from Ham

(Eze 27:10).

From a root meaning a bow; as they were famed as archers [GESENIUS]. Probably west of Lower Egypt. JOSEPHUS [Antiquities, 1:6.2] identifies it with

Mauritania (compare

Jer 46:9,

Margin;

Eze 38:5).

Lubim--the Libyans, whose capital was Cyrene; extending along the

Mediterranean west of Egypt

(2Ch 12:3; 16:8;

Ac 2:10).

As, however, the Lubim are always connected with the Egyptians

and Ethiopians, they are perhaps distinct from the Libyans. The

Lubim were probably at first wandering tribes, who afterwards were

settled under Carthage in the region of Cyrene, under the name Libyans.

thy--No's.

helpers--literally, "in thy help," that is, among thy auxiliaries.

10. Notwithstanding all her might, she was overcome.

cast lots for her honourable men--They divided them among themselves

(Joe 3:3).

11. drunken--made to drink of the cup of Jehovah's wrath

(Isa 51:17, 21;

Jer 25:15).

hid--covered out of sight: a prediction remarkably verified in the

state in which the ruins of Nineveh have been found

[G. V. SMITH]. But

as "hid" precedes "seek strength," &c., it rather refers to Nineveh's

state when attacked by her foe: "Thou who now so vauntest thyself, shalt

be compelled to seek a hiding-place from the foe"

[CALVIN]; or, shalt be

neglected and slighted by all [MAURER].

seek strength because of the enemy--Thou too, like Thebes

(Na 3:9),

shalt have recourse to other nations for help against thy

Medo-Babylonian enemy.

12. thy strongholds--on the borders of Assyria, protecting the

approaches to Nineveh: "the gates of thy land"

(Na 3:13).

fig trees with the first ripe figs--expressing the rapidity and ease

of the capture of Nineveh (compare

Isa 28:4;

Re 6:13).

13. thy people--thy soldiers.

women--unable to fight for thee

(Isa 19:16;

Jer 50:37; 51:30).

gates on thy land--the fortified passes or entrances to the

region of Nineveh (compare

Jer 15:7).

Northeast of Nineveh there were hills affording a natural barrier

against an invader; the guarded passes through these are probably "the

gates of the land" meant.

fire shall devour thy bars--the "bars" of the fortresses at the passes

into Assyria. So in Assyrian remains the Assyrians themselves are

represented as setting fire to the gates of a city

[BONOMI, Nineveh, pp. 194, 197].

14. Ironical exhortation to Nineveh to defend herself.

Draw . . . waters--so as not to be without water for drinking, in the

event of being cut off by the besiegers from the fountains.

make strong the brick-kiln--or "repair" [MAURER];

so as to have a supply of bricks formed of kiln-burnt clay, to repair

breaches in the ramparts, or to build new fortifications inside when

the outer ones are taken by the foe.

15. There--in the very scene of thy great preparations for defense;

and where thou now art so secure.

fire--even as at the former destruction; Sardanapalus (Pul?) perished

with all his household in the conflagration of his palace, having in

despair set it on fire, the traces of which are still remaining.

cankerworm--"the licking locust"

[HENDERSON].

make thyself many as the locusts--"the swarming locusts"

[HENDERSON];

that is, however "many" be thy forces, like those of "the swarming

locusts," or the "licking locusts," yet the foe shall consume thee as

the "licking locust" licks up all before it.

16. multiplied thy merchants--

(Eze 27:23, 24).

Nineveh, by large canals, had easy access to Babylon; and it was one of

the great routes for the people of the west and northwest to that city;

lying on the Tigris it had access to the sea. The Phœnicians

carried its wares everywhere. Hence its merchandise is so much spoken

of.

the cankerworm spoileth, and fleeth away--that is, spoiled

thy merchants. The "cankerworm," or licking locust, answers to the

Medo-Babylonian invaders of Nineveh [G. V. SMITH].

CALVIN explains less

probably, "Thy merchants spoiled many regions; but the same shall befall

them as befalls locusts, they in a moment shall be scattered and flee

away." MAURER, somewhat similarly, "The licking locust

puts off (the envelope in which his wings had been folded),

and teeth away"

(Na 2:9;

compare

Joe 1:4).

The Hebrew has ten different names for the locust, so

destructive was it.

17. Thy crowned--Thy princes

(Re 9:7).

The king's nobles and officers wore the tiara, as well as the king;

hence they are called here "thy crowned ones."

as the locusts--as many as the swarming locusts.

thy captains--Tiphsar, an Assyrian word; found also in

Jer 51:27,

meaning satraps [MICHAELIS]; or rather,

"military leaders" [MAURER]. The last syllable,

sar means a "prince," and is found in Belshaz-zar,

Nabopolas-sar, Nebuchadnez-zar.

as the great grasshoppers--literally, "as the locust of locusts," that

is, the largest locust. MAURER translates, "as many as

locusts upon locusts," that is, swarms of locusts. Hebrew idiom

favors English Version.

in the hedges in the cold--Cold deprives the locust of the power of

flight; so they alight in cold weather and at night, but when warmed by

the sun soon "flee away." So shall the Assyrian multitudes suddenly

disappear, not leaving a trace behind (compare PLINY,

Natural History, 11.29).

18. Thy shepherds--that is, Thy leaders.

slumber--are carelessly secure [MAURER]. Rather, "lie in death's sleep,

having been slain" [JEROME]

(Ex 15:16;

Ps 76:6).

shall dwell in the dust--

(Ps 7:5; 94:17).

thy people is scattered--the necessary consequence of their leaders

being laid low

(1Ki 22:17).

19. bruit--the report.

clap the hands--with joy at thy fall. The sole descendants of the

ancient Assyrians and Babylonians in the whole country are the Nestorian

Christians, who speak a Chaldean language [LAYARD].

upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?--implying God's

long forbearance, and the consequent enormity of Assyria's guilt,

rendering her case one that admitted no hope of restoration.

Send Addenda, Corrigenda, and Sententiae to

the editor