Nahum
Nah 1:11a Nineveh Gen. 10:11; Jonah 3:3; Zeph. 2:13
[ par. 1 2 ]
Nah 1:11 [1] See note 21 in Jonah 1. The prophecies of both Jonah and Nahum relate to the city of Nineveh. Whereas Jonah brought, or extended, God’s salvation to that sinful city, Nahum brought God’s judgment upon it. Jonah reveals that God in His salvation is the God of all the peoples of the earth, not only of the Jews but also of the Gentiles (see note 111 in Jonah 4). Nahum reveals that God is also the God of all peoples in His judgment. Thus, God is the God of all peoples both in judgment and in salvation.
Nah 1:11 [2] Although He extended His salvation to Nineveh, God judged Nineveh because Nineveh was sinful and invaded Israel (2 Kings 15:19-20, 29; 17:3-6; 18:9—19:37). Assyria was the first nation to devastate Israel, invading Israel more than one hundred years before the Babylonian invasion under Nebuchadnezzar (2 Kings 24:1—25:21).
Nah 1:12 Nahum
Meaning comfort, and similar in sound to the word for avenge. This name signifies that Jehovah God comforts His elect, Israel, and avenges Israel of her enemy, Nineveh, by judging Assyria.
Nah 1:2a jealous Exo. 20:5; 34:14; Deut. 4:24; Josh. 24:19
Nah 1:3a long-suffering Exo. 34:6-7; Neh. 9:17; Psa. 103:8
Nah 1:3b clouds 2 Sam. 22:12; Job 22:14; Psa. 104:3; Dan. 7:13; Matt. 24:30; Rev. 1:7
Nah 1:4a rebukes Psa. 106:9; Isa. 44:27; 50:2; Matt. 8:26
Nah 1:5a quake Psa. 97:5; Micah 1:4
Nah 1:5b melt cf. 2 Pet. 3:10
Nah 1:6a Who Psa. 76:7; Rev. 6:17
Nah 1:7a knows 1 Cor. 8:3; 2 Tim. 2:19; Psa. 1:6
Nah 1:81a flood Dan. 9:26; 11:10, 22, 40
In vv. 8-12 and 14a Jehovah, the majestic Judge, pronounces His verdict concerning the destruction of Nineveh by the Medes and the Babylonians in 612 B.C. The remainder of the book gives a full portrait of Jehovah’s judgment on this evil city. See note 61 in ch. 2.
Nah 1:82 her
I.e., Nineveh.
Nah 1:121 they
Lit., he.
Nah 1:12a no Isa. 30:19; 51:22; 60:18-20; Rev. 7:16
Nah 1:131 his
I.e., the yoke that Sennacherib, the king of Assyria, had placed on Israel. First, the Assyrians came to devastate Israel. Then God used Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar to defeat the Assyrians, and this became a deliverance to Israel.
Nah 1:13a yoke Isa. 9:4; 10:27; 14:25; Psa. 107:14
Nah 1:15a See Isa. 52:7; Rom. 10:15
Nah 1:151 glad
This refers to the announcement of Assyria’s defeat by the Babylonians and was a word of comfort to Israel.
Nah 2:11 He
Verses 1-4 describe the swift activity of the Babylonian armies in destroying Nineveh. God used the Babylonians with the Medes to invade Assyria and thereby to save Israel from the tyranny of the Assyrians.
Nah 2:1a scatters Jer. 50:23
Nah 2:2a vine Psa. 80:8, 12; Hosea 10:1
Nah 2:51 The
Lit., He.
Nah 2:52 of
Lit., of it.
Nah 2:61 gates
This is a reference to the overflowing flood mentioned in 1:8. Nineveh was built on the Tigris River. This was a protection to Nineveh. In 612 B.C. the Medes and the Babylonians came together to attack Nineveh; they found a way to open the gates of the river, and they flooded the city.
Nah 2:71 She
She refers to the queen, and her maidens refers to the young women in the palace.
Nah 2:10a anguish Jer. 30:6; Joel 2:6
Nah 2:131 your
Lit., her.
Nah 3:81 No-amon
A city in upper Egypt, once the residence of the Pharaohs; called Thebes by the Greeks.
Nah 3:82 sea
I.e., the Nile River.
Nah 3:91 Cush
I.e., Ethiopia.
Nah 3:92 Put
Put refers to Libya in the broader sense, encompassing much of north Africa.
Nah 3:93 her
Lit., your.
Nah 3:141 ready
Or, strong.
Nah 3:171 locusts
[ par. 1 2 ]
Nah 3:171 [1] The mentioning of locusts here is significant, indicating that the Assyrians also were “locusts” that devastated Israel (Joel 1:4 and note). The Assyrian locusts were eventually defeated by the Babylonian locusts.
Nah 3:171 [2] According to the Minor Prophets, God’s chastising of Israel and His punishing of the nations are for the manifestation of Christ. The main point of Nahum is that while God was chastising Israel and punishing the nations, He always did what was necessary to preserve Israel for the purpose of manifesting Christ. God used one kind of locust to deal with another kind of locust in order to preserve Israel that Christ might have a channel—the reserved and preserved Israel—through which to be brought forth.
Nah 3:18a Assyria Jer. 50:18; Ezek. 31:3, 12-17