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Nahum 2

KJV · Chapter 2/3

1He that dasheth in pieces is come up before thy face: keep the munition, watch the way, make thy loins strong, fortify thy power mightily.

2For the Lord hath turned away the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel: for the emptiers have emptied them out, and marred their vine branches.

3The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are in scarlet: the chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of his preparation, and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken.

4The chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall justle one against another in the broad ways: they shall seem like torches, they shall run like the lightnings.

5He shall recount his worthies: they shall stumble in their walk; they shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defence shall be prepared.

6The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved.

7And Huzzab shall be led away captive, she shall be brought up, and her maids shall lead her as with the voice of doves, tabering upon their breasts.

8But Nineveh is of old like a pool of water: yet they shall flee away. Stand, stand, shall they cry; but none shall look back.

9Take ye the spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold: for there is none end of the store and glory out of all the pleasant furniture.

10She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness.

11Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feedingplace of the young lions, where the lion, even the old lion, walked, and the lion’s whelp, and none made them afraid?

12The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his holes with prey, and his dens with ravin.

13Behold, I am against thee, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions: and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Nahum describes in vivid, almost cinematic detail the final attack on Nineveh: chariots racing through the streets, the gates of the rivers thrown open, and the complete plundering of what was once the mighty 'den of lions.'

Explanation

Nahum's poetry here is remarkable for its almost journalistic realism: red shields, torches flashing on the chariots, soldiers stumbling over one another in the chaos of battle. The mention of the 'gates of the rivers' being opened is historically significant, since extrabiblical records confirm that a flood of the Tigris River weakened Nineveh's walls, helping bring about its fall to the Babylonians and Medes in 612 BC. The final image of Nineveh as an empty, destroyed lions' den stands in stark contrast to centuries of Assyrian power, which took pride in comparing its kings to conquering lions. The application for today: empires and powers that seem invincible can fall quickly once the foundation of violence and oppression they rest on gives way.

Fun facts

  • Archaeologists and historians confirm that a combination of military siege and a flood of the Khosr River (a tributary of the Tigris) directly contributed to the collapse of Nineveh's walls in 612 BC, validating the prophetic mention of the 'gates of the rivers' being thrown open.
  • The comparison of Assyrian kings to lions was not merely poetic: Assyrian relief carvings found in excavations show kings hunting lions as a symbol of power and dominion, making the irony of the prophecy — the lions' den itself being destroyed — all the more striking.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Nahum 2:1The warning is ironic: Nineveh is told to prepare for war ("keep the munition... fortify thy power") knowing that none of it will do any good against what has already been decided.
  2. Nahum 2:2While Nineveh crumbles, God promises to restore the splendor of Jacob and Israel — the same people the Assyrians had stripped will see their own honor given back.
  3. Nahum 2:3"The chariots shall be with flaming torches" describes the final attack on Nineveh, probably carried out by the alliance between the Babylonians and the Medes — the poetry here reads almost like real-time war reporting.
  4. Nahum 2:4The scene of war chariots racing like torches and lightning through the streets of Nineveh is the poetic description of the final assault overtaking the city.
  5. Nahum 2:5In the midst of the attack's confusion, Nineveh's soldiers stumble as they run to defend the walls — the city tries to organize itself too late.
  6. Nahum 2:6"The gates of the rivers shall be opened" probably describes a real historical detail: ancient records tell that part of Nineveh's defenses gave way because of a flood on the Tigris River, making the city's final invasion easier.
  7. Nahum 2:7The city's queen is led away captive, and her maidservants weep like doves beating their breasts — a scene of mourning and total humiliation before the fall.
  8. Nahum 2:8Nineveh is compared to "a pool of water" because the city lived surrounded by canals and was known for its abundance of water; now that same water (the people) flees and drains away, an irony aimed at the city's own symbol.
  9. Nahum 2:9The call to plunder silver and gold in abundance shows the wealth Nineveh had piled up over years of conquest — wealth that now becomes spoil for whoever defeats it.
  10. Nahum 2:10After the plunder, only an empty city and a panicked people remain: knees trembling, faces pale with fear — the complete picture of collapse.
  11. Nahum 2:11"Where is now the dwelling of the lions" uses the lion, a common symbol of Assyrian royalty and power (it appears on many palace reliefs), to ask, with irony, where all the strength that used to devour other nations has gone.
  12. Nahum 2:12The lion that filled its dens with prey is the image of the Assyrian empire itself, which gorged itself endlessly plundering other nations.
  13. Nahum 2:13God declares Himself directly against Nineveh: its war chariots will turn to smoke, and not even its messengers, who carried threats to other nations, will have a voice anymore.

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