Nahum 2
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He that dasheth in pieces is come up before thy face: keep the munition, watch the way, make thy loins strong, fortify thy power mightily.
2 For 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.
3 The 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.
4 The 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.
5 He shall recount his worthies: they shall stumble in their walk; they shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defence shall be prepared.
6 The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved.
7 And 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.
8 But Nineveh is of old like a pool of water: yet they shall flee away. Stand, stand, shall they cry; but none shall look back.
9 Take 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.
10 She 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.
11 Where 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?
12 The 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.
13 Behold, 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.
Public Domain KJV text from Wordproject.org
Nahum 2:1-13
The Destruction of Nineveh
1The scatterer has come up against you.
Man the ramparts;
watch the road;
dress for battle;
collect all your strength.
2For the Lord is restoring the majesty of Jacob
as the majesty of Israel,
for plunderers have plundered them
and ruined their branches.
3The shield of his mighty men is red;
his soldiers are clothed in scarlet.
The chariots come with flashing metal
on the day he musters them;
the cypress spears are brandished.
4The chariots race madly through the streets;
they rush to and fro through the squares;
they gleam like torches;
they dart like lightning.
5He remembers his officers;
they stumble as they go,
they hasten to the wall;
the siege tower is set up.
6The river gates are opened;
the palace melts away;
7its mistress is stripped; she is carried off,
her slave girls lamenting,
moaning like doves
and beating their breasts.
8Nineveh is like a pool
whose waters run away.
“Halt! Halt!” they cry,
but none turns back.
9Plunder the silver,
plunder the gold!
There is no end of the treasure
or of the wealth of all precious things.
10Desolate! Desolation and ruin!
Hearts melt and knees tremble;
anguish is in all loins;
all faces grow pale!
11Where is the lions’ den,
the feeding place of the young lions,
where the lion and lioness went,
where his cubs were, with none to disturb?
12The lion tore enough for his cubs
and strangled prey for his lionesses;
he filled his caves with prey
and his dens with torn flesh.
13Behold, I am against you, declares the Lord of hosts, and I will burn your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions. I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall no longer be heard.
ESV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Nahum 2:1-13
Nineveh to Fall
1An attacker advances against you, Nineveh.
Guard the fortress,
watch the road,
brace yourselves,
marshal all your strength!
2The Lord will restore the splendor of Jacob
like the splendor of Israel,
though destroyers have laid them waste
and have ruined their vines.
3The shields of the soldiers are red;
the warriors are clad in scarlet.
The metal on the chariots flashes
on the day they are made ready;
the spears of juniper are brandished.
4The chariots storm through the streets,
rushing back and forth through the squares.
They look like flaming torches;
they dart about like lightning.
5Nineveh summons her picked troops,
yet they stumble on their way.
They dash to the city wall;
the protective shield is put in place.
6The river gates are thrown open
and the palace collapses.
7It is decreed that Nineveh
be exiled and carried away.
Her female slaves moan like doves
and beat on their breasts.
8Nineveh is like a pool
whose water is draining away.
“Stop! Stop!” they cry,
but no one turns back.
9Plunder the silver!
Plunder the gold!
The supply is endless,
the wealth from all its treasures!
10She is pillaged, plundered, stripped!
Hearts melt, knees give way,
bodies tremble, every face grows pale.
11Where now is the lions’ den,
the place where they fed their young,
where the lion and lioness went,
and the cubs, with nothing to fear?
12The lion killed enough for his cubs
and strangled the prey for his mate,
filling his lairs with the kill
and his dens with the prey.
13“I am against you,”
declares the Lord Almighty.
“I will burn up your chariots in smoke,
and the sword will devour your young lions.
I will leave you no prey on the earth.
The voices of your messengers
will no longer be heard.”
NIV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Commentary
The Assyrians were effective siege warriors; you can read accounts of them laying siege to Judea in 2 Chronicles 32. There is a sense of justice because these techniques are the same way God organizes their own destruction. Nineveh is first surrounded and sieged by the Medes, who breached the wall. Finally, they plundered the city. The entire chapter focuses on this staged destruction.
This destruction ought to be a cause for grand celebration, and it likely was for Judah and Israel. However, Assyria was probably the lesser of the two evils as Babylon took control of the region. Notice the Lion imagery in v. 11 and 12 connected to the powerful lion symbol of Babylon. However, we know God completely controlled this situation and the following events as well. God always has His hand in our lives and works towards our good.
We know that ultimate good will prevail, but like the Israelites at this time, they were still in the liminal—the space between being with God and being surrounded by these invading nations. Our lives today are the same; we are surrounded by many things that could separate us from God’s kingdom, yet we know He is in control and has already made our salvation possible.
Justin Boyd
Youth Pastor and Chaplain, Greater Sydney Conference, Australia (as of this writing)
