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Nahum Chapter
One
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO NAHUM 1
This
chapter begins with the title of the book, showing the subject matter of it;
and describing the penman of it by his name and country, Nahum 1:1; which is
followed with a preface to the whole book; setting forth the majesty of a
jealous and revenging God; the power of his wrath and fury; of which instances
are given in exciting tempests; drying up the sea and the rivers; making the
most fruitful mountains barren, which tremble before him; yea, even the whole
world, and the inhabitants thereof, his indignation being intolerable; and yet
he is slow to anger, good to them that trust in him, whom he knows, and whose
protection he is in a time of trouble, Nahum 1:2. Next the
destruction of the Assyrian empire, and of the city of Nineveh, is prophesied
of; and is represented as an utter and an entire destruction, and which would
come upon them suddenly and unawares, while they were in their cups, Nahum 1:8. A
particular person among them is spoken of, described as a designing wicked man,
an enemy to the Lord and his people, thought to be Sennacherib king of Assyria,
Nahum 1:11; from
whose evil designs, yoke and bondage, the Jews should be delivered; and he and
his posterity be cut off, because of his vileness, Nahum 1:12; and the
chapter is concluded with tidings of joy to Judah, who are exhorted to keep
their feasts and perform their vows on this occasion, Nahum 1:15.
Nahum 1:1 The burden[a] against
Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
YLT
1Burden of Nineveh. The Book
of the Vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
The burden of Nineveh,.... Of the
city of Nineveh, and the greatness of it; see Gill on Jonah 1:2; See Gill
on Jonah 3:3; Jonah
was sent to this city to threaten it with ruin for its sins; at that time the
king and all his people humbled themselves and repented, and the threatened
destruction was averted; but they relapsing to their former iniquities, this
prophet foretells what would be their certain fate; very rightly therefore the
Targum, and some other Jewish writingsF13Tzemach David, fol. 15. 1.
, observe, that Jonah prophesied against this city of old; and that Nahum
prophesied after him a considerable time, perhaps at a hundred years distance.
This prophecy is called a burden; it was taken up by the prophet at the command
of the Lord, and was carried or sent by him to Nineveh; and was a hard, heavy,
grievous, and burdensome prophecy to that city, predicting its utter ruin and
desolation; and which, as JosephusF14Antiqu. l. 9. c. 11. sect. 3.
says, came to pass hundred fifteen years after this prophecy; and which event
is placed by the learned UsherF15Annales Vet. Test. A. M. 3378. in
the year of the world 3378 A.M., and which was 626 B.C.; and by othersF16Universal
History, vol. 4. p. 331. in the year of the world 3403 A.M., of the flood 1747,
in 601 B.C.; but by Dean PrideauxF17 Connexion, &c. par. 1. B.
1. p. 47, 48. and Mr. WhistonF18 Chronological Table, cent. 9. , in
612 B.C.;
the book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite; no other
prophecy is called, a book but this, as Abarbinel observes; and gives this
reason for it, because the other prophets immediately declared their
prophecies, as Jonah; but Nahum never went to the Ninevites, but wrote his
prophecy in a book, and sent it to them. It is called "the book of the
vision"; what it contains being made known to him by the Lord in a vision,
as was common; hence the prophets are called seers; and the prophet is
described by the place of his birth, an Elkoshite; though some think he is so
called from his father, whose name was Helkesi, and said to be a prophet too,
as Jerom relates; and with this agrees the Targum, which calls him Nahum of the
house or family of Koshi; but Jarchi says that Elkosh was the name of his city;
Aben Ezra and Kimchi are in doubt which to refer it to, whether to his city, or
to his ancestors; but there seems no reason to doubt but that he is so called
from his native place; since JeromF19Proem. in Nahum. says, that
there was a village in Galilee called Helkesi in his days, and which he had
seen; though scarce any traces of the old buildings could be discerned, it was
so fallen to ruin, yet known, to the Jews; and was shown him by one that went
about with him; and which is, by HesychiusF20Apud Reland. Palestina
Illustrata, tom. 2. p. 748. the presbyter, placed in the tribe of Simeon. This
is another instance, besides that of Jonah, disproving the assertion of the
Jews, that no prophet rose out of Galilee, John 7:52.
Nahum 1:2 2 God is
jealous, and the Lord avenges; The Lord avenges and is furious. The Lord will take
vengeance on His adversaries, And He reserves wrath for His enemies;
YLT
2A God zealous and avenging
[is] Jehovah, An avenger [is] Jehovah, and possessing fury. An avenger [is]
Jehovah on His adversaries, And He is watching for His enemies.
God is jealous, and
the Lord revengeth,.... He is jealous of his own honour and glory, and for his own
worship and ordinances; and will not give his glory to another, nor his praise
to graven images; and therefore will punish all idolaters, and particularly the
idolatrous Assyrians: he is jealous for his people, and cannot bear to see them
injured; and will avenge the affronts that are offered, and the indignities
done unto them:
the Lord revengeth, and is furious; or, is
"master of wrath"F21בעל חמה "dominus irae", Calvin, Vatablus, Grotius;
"dominus excandescentiae", Piscator, Tarnovius; "dominus irae
aestuantis, sive fervoris", Burkius. ; full of it, or has it at his
command; can restrain it, and let it out as he pleases, which man cannot do; a
furious and passionate man, who has no rule over his spirit. The Lord's
revenging is repeated for the confirmation of it; yea, it is a third time
observed, as follows; which some of the Jewish writers think has respect to the
three times the king of Assyria carried the people of Israel captive, and for
which the Lord would be revenged on him, and punish him:
the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries; on all his
adversaries; particularly the Assyrians are here meant, who were both the
enemies of him and of his people. The Targum explains it,
"that
hate his people:'
vengeance
belongs to the Lord, and he will repay it sooner or later; if not immediately,
he will hereafter; for it follows:
and he reserveth wrath for his enemies: and them for
that; if not in this world, yet in the world to come; he lays it up among his
treasures, and brings it forth at his pleasure. The word "wrath" is
not in the text; it is not said what he reserves for the enemies of himself and
church; it is inconceivable and inexpressible.
Nahum 1:3 3 The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, And will not at all
acquit the wicked. The Lord has His
way In the whirlwind and in the storm, And the clouds are the dust of
His feet.
YLT
3Jehovah [is] slow to anger,
and great in power, And Jehovah doth not entirely acquit, In a hurricane and in
a tempest [is] His way, And a cloud [is] the dust of His feet.
The Lord is slow to
anger,.... He is not in haste to execute it; he takes time for it, and
gives men space for repentance. Nineveh had had a proof of this when it
repented at the preaching of Jonah, upon which the Lord deferred the execution
of his wrath; but lest they should presume upon this, and conclude the Lord
would always bear with them, though they had returned to their former
impieties; they are let to know, that this his forbearance was not owing to
want of power or will in him to punish: since he is
great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked; he is able to
execute the wrath he threatens, and will by no means clear the guilty, or let
them go free and unpunished; though he moves slowly, as he may seem in the
execution of his judgments, yet they shall surely be brought on his enemies,
and be fully accomplished:
the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the
clouds are the dust of his feet; he spoke to Job out of
the whirlwind; he descended on Mount Sinai in a storm and tempest; and the
clouds are his chariots; in which he rides swiftly; and which, for their
appearance and number, are like the dust raised by a multitude of horsemen
riding full speed, The wrath of God may be compared to a whirlwind, and a
storm, which is sometimes hastily and suddenly executed upon men: respect seems
to be had to the armies of the Medes and Chaldeans against the Assyrians; who,
as the Babylonians against the Jews, came up as clouds, and their chariots as
the whirlwind, Jeremiah 4:13; and
the figures beautifully describe the numbers of them, the force with which they
came; and in an elegant manner represent the vast quantity of dust raised by an
army in full march; at the head of which was the Lord himself, ordering,
directing, and succeeding, before whom none can stand.
Nahum 1:4 4 He
rebukes the sea and makes it dry, And dries up all the rivers. Bashan and
Carmel wither, And the flower of Lebanon wilts.
YLT
4He is pushing against a
sea, and drieth it up, Yea, all the floods He hath made dry, Languishing [are]
Bashan and Carmel, Yea, the flower of Lebanon [is] languishing.
He rebuketh the sea, and
maketh it dry,.... As he did the Red sea, when the children of Israel passed
through it as on dry land; which shows his power and sovereignty over it; that
it is at his command, as a servant at his master's; and since the wind and sea
obey him, what is it he cannot do? see Isaiah 50:2;
and drieth up all the rivers; that is, he can do it if
he will; he divided the waters of Jordan, through the midst of which the
Israelites passed on dry ground; and will dry up the river Euphrates, to make
way for the kings of the east; and as for Tigris, on the banks of which the
city of Nineveh stood, of which the inhabitants boasted, and in which they
trusted for their security, he could dry up, and make way for the enemy to
enter in; or make that their enemy, and overflow them with it, as he did; see Nahum 1:8. By the
"sea" and "rivers" may be meant the whole Assyrian empire,
and many nations and people, as Jarchi and Abarbinel interpret it, of whom it
consisted; see Jeremiah 51:36;
Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon
languisheth; when the Lord restrains the heavens from giving rain, then
Bashan, famous for its fat pastures and fruitful meadows, and Carmel for its
rich grain fields, and Lebanon for its tall shadowy cedars, these, and the
glory of all, wither and fade away, being parched and dried up for want of
moisture. These were places in the land of Israel, but may be put for like
flourishing and fruitful hills and countries in the land of Assyria, which
should become desolate; see Psalm 107:33.
Nahum 1:5 5 The
mountains quake before Him, The hills melt, And the earth heaves[b] at His
presence, Yes, the world and all who dwell in it.
YLT
5Mountains have shaken
because of Him, And the hills have been melted; And lifted up [is] the earth at
His presence, And the world and all dwelling in it.
The mountains quake at
him, and the hills melt,.... As Sinai of old did, when the Lord descended on it, Exodus 19:18.
Mountains figuratively signify kings and princes; and hills large countries, as
Jarchi and Abarbinel observe, and the inhabitants of them; particularly the
kingdoms and nations belonging to the Assyrian empire, which would tremble and
quake, and their hearts melt with fear, when they should hear of the
destruction of Nineveh their chief city; and of the devastation made by the
enemy there and in other parts, under the direction of the Lord of hosts; his
power and providence succeeding him:
and the earth is burnt at his presence; either when
he withholds rain from it, and so it be comes parched and burnt up with the
heat of the sun; or when he rains fire and brimstone on it, as he did on Sodom
and Gomorrah; or consumes any part of it with thunder and lightning, as he
sometimes does; nay, if he but touch the mountains, they smoke; see Psalm 104:32;
yea, the world, and all that dwell therein; as in the
last day, at the general conflagration, when the world, and all the wicked
inhabitants of it, will be burnt up; see 2 Peter 3:10.
Nahum 1:6 6 Who
can stand before His indignation? And who can endure the fierceness of His
anger? His fury is poured out like fire, And the rocks are thrown down by Him.
YLT
6Before His indignation who
doth stand? And who riseth up in the heat of His anger? His fury hath been
poured out like fire, And the rocks have been broken by Him.
Who can stand before his
indignation?.... No creature whatever; no man nor body of men; not Nineveh,
and the inhabitants of it; nor the whole Assyrian empire:
and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? not the great
men of the earth; not kings or generals of armies; not kingdoms and nations,
ever so numerous and powerful; but all must be consumed by him, who is a
consuming fire; see Jeremiah 10:10;
his fury is poured out like fire; or like metal that is
melted by fire, and poured out by the force of it; or like fire of lightning
poured out of the heavens, which is quick, powerful, and penetrating, and there
is no resisting it:
and the rocks are thrown down by him; by the Lord,
by his wrath and fury; kingdoms that seemed as strong and immovable as rocks
and mountains are thrown down; as such have been by the force of fire bursting
from the midst of them, as Etna, Vesuvius, and others.
Nahum 1:7 7 The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows
those who trust in Him.
YLT
7Good [is] Jehovah for a
strong place in a day of distress. And He knoweth those trusting in Him.
The Lord is good,.... To
Israel, as the Targum adds; to Hezekiah and his, people, that betook themselves
to him, and put their trust in him; whom he defended and preserved from the
king of Assyria, to whom he was dreadful and terrible, destroying his army in
one night by an angel; and so delivered the king of Judah and the inhabitants
of Jerusalem from that terror that had seized them, and that danger they were
exposed unto; and so the Lord is good in himself, in the perfections of his
nature, in the works of his hands, in all his persons to his people, that fear
him, trust in him, and seek him, and wait for him, and on him:
a strong hold in the day of trouble; or, he is "good for
a strong hold"F23טוב יהוה למעוז "bonus Dominus ad
robur", Burkius; "bonus est Jehovah in arcem", Cocceius. ,
&c. it was a day of trouble, rebuke, and blasphemy, with Hezekiah and his
people, when they were besieged by the army of Sennacherib king of Assyria, and
had received from Rabshakeh by his orders a railing and reproaching letter; and
then the Lord was a strong hold to them, to whom they betook themselves, and he
protected and defended them. The whole time of this life is a time of trouble
to the saints, though it is but a day, a short time; in which they meet with
much from their own corrupt hearts, and the sin that dwells in them; from Satan
and his temptations; from carnal professors, their principles and practices;
and from a profane and persecuting world; and from the Lord himself, who
sometimes lays his afflicting hand upon them, and hides his face from them; and
yet he is their rock and their refuge, their strong tower and place of defence;
where they find safety and plenty in all their times of distress and want:
and he knoweth them that trust in him; in his word,
as the Targum; and they are such that know him, and are sensible of the vanity
of all other objects of trust; who betake themselves to him for shelter and
protection; lean and stay themselves upon him, and commit all unto him, and
expect all from him: these he knows, loves, and has the strongest affection
for; he approves of them, and commends their faith and confidence; he takes
notice of them, visits them, and makes himself known unto them, even in their
adversity; he owns and acknowledges them as his own, claims his right in them
now, and will confess them hereafter; and he takes care of them that they
perish not, whoever else do; see Psalm 1:6; he knows
the necessities of those that trust in him, as Jarchi; he knows them for their
good, takes care of them, provides for, them, and watches over them, as Kimchi.
The ancients formerly had their γνωστηρας
and μυνητας,
"notores"F24Dannhaver, apud Burkium in loc. Vid. Turnebi
Adversar. l. 29. c. 36. , such as knew them, and were their patrons and
defenders; as when a Roman citizen was condemned to be whipped or crucified in
a province where he was not known, and claimed the Roman privileges, such
persons were his witnesses and advocates; and thus the Lord is represented as
one that knows his people, and is their patron and advocate. The goodness of
God expressed in this text is set off with a foil by the terribleness of his
wrath and vengeance against his enemies.
Nahum 1:8 8 But
with an overflowing flood He will make an utter end of its place,
And darkness will pursue His enemies.
YLT
8And with a flood passing
over, An end He maketh of its place, And His enemies doth darkness pursue.
But with an overrunning
flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof,.... Of
Nineveh, against whom this prophecy was, and upon whom it lay as a burden, Nahum 1:1; and now
though the Lord was good to them that trust in him, and a strong hold to them
in a time of trouble; yet he was determined to destroy their enemies the
Assyrians, and Nineveh their chief city; and that by the means of a powerful
army, which, like a flood or inundation of water breaking in, overruns and
carries all before it; and very fitly may the Medes and Babylonians, who joined
together in an expedition against Nineveh, be compared to such a flood for
their number and force; since, as the historian tellsF25Diodor.
Sicul. l. 2. p. 111. Ed. Rhodum. us, they were no less than four hundred
thousand men: though this may be literally understood; for as the same writerF26Ibid.
p. 113, 114. observes,
"there
was an oracle received by the Ninevites from their ancestors, that Nineveh
could never be taken by any, unless the river (on which it stood) first became
an enemy to it; and so it was, that, in the third year of the siege, the river,
being swelled with continual rains, overflowed part of the city, and broke down
the wall for the space of two and half miles; hence the king concluded the
oracle was fulfilled, and gave up all hopes of safety; and through the breach
of the wall the enemy entered, and took the city;'
and
an "utter end" was made of it, and of the place of it, insomuch that
historians and geographers disagree about it; some say it was situated upon the
river Euphrates, others upon the river Tigris, which is the most correct; some
say on the east of that river, others on the west; some will have it to be
above the river Lycus, and others below it; so true is that of LucianF1 επισκοπ. sive,
"contemplantes", in fine. , that Nineveh is now entirely lost, and no
traces of it remain; nor can one easily say where it once was; and travellers
in general, both ancient and modern, agree that it lies wholly in ruins, and is
a heap of rubbish. Benjamin TudelensisF2Itinerarium, p. 62. , who
travelled into these parts in the twelfth century, relates, that between
Almozal or Mosul, and Nineveh, is only a bridge, and it (Nineveh) is a waste;
but there are villages, and many towers. Haitho, an ArmenianF3Apud
Bochart Phaleg. l. 4. c. 20. p. 255. , who wrote more than a hundred years
after the former, says,
"this
city (Nineveh) at present is wholly destroyed; but, by what yet appears in it,
it may be firmly believed that it was one of the greatest cities in the world.'
Monsieur
ThevenotF4Travels, par. 1. B. 1. c. 11. p. 52. , who was upon the
spot in the last century, observes,
"on
the other side of the river (Tigris from that on which Mosul stands) at the end
of the bridge begins the place, where, in ancient times, stood the famous city
of Nineveh. --There is nothing of it, (adds he) now to be seen, but some
hillocks, which (they say) are its foundations, the houses being underneath;
and these reach a good way below the city of Mosul:'
and darkness shall pursue his enemies; the enemies
of God and his people, who would make such a devastation of Nineveh; even he
would cause all manner of calamities, often signified in Scripture by darkness,
to follow and overtake them; so that they should be brought into the most
uncomfortable and distressed condition imaginable.
Nahum 1:9 9 What
do you conspire against the Lord? He will
make an utter end of it. Affliction will not rise up a second time.
YLT
9What do we devise against
Jehovah? An end He is making, arise not twice doth distress.
What do ye imagine against
the Lord?.... O ye Ninevites or Assyrians; do you think you can frustrate
the designs of the Lord, resist his power, and hinder him from executing what
he has threatened and has determined to do? or what mischief is it you devise
against his people, which is the same as against himself? can you believe that
you shall prosper and succeed, and your schemes be carried into execution, when
he, the all wise and all powerful Being, opposes you?
he will make an utter end; of you, as before
declared, and will save his people; which may be depended on will certainly be
the case:
affliction shall not rise up the second time; either this
should be the last effort the Assyrians would make upon the Jews, which they
made under Sennacherib, and this the last time they would afflict them; or
rather their own destruction should be so complete that there would be no need
to repeat the stroke, or give another blow; the business would be done at once.
This seems to contradict a notion of some historians and chronologers, who
suppose that Nineveh was destroyed at two different times, and by different
persons of the same nations; and so the whole Assyrian empire was twice ruined,
which is not likely in itself, and seems contrary to this passage; for though
some ascribe it to Arbaces the Mede, and Belesis the Babylonian as Diodorus
SiculusF5Bibliothec. l. 2. p. 110,111. ; and others to Cyaxares the
Mede as HerodotusF6L. 1. sive Clio, c. 106. , and to Nebuchadnezzar
the first, or Nabopolassar the Babylonian in a later period; so TobitF7Tobit 14:15. says
it was taken by Nebuchadnezzar and Ahasuerus, the same with the Cyaxares of
Herodotus; yet all seem to agree that it was taken by the conjunct forces of
the Medes and Babylonians; and there are some things similarF8See
the Universal History, vol. 4. c. 8. sect. 5. & vol. 5. p. 22. Margin,
& Nicolai Abrami Pharus Vet. Test. l. 6. c. 19. p. 165. in all these
accounts, which show that there was but one destruction of Nineveh, and of the
Assyrian empire.
Nahum 1:10 10 For
while tangled like thorns, And while drunken like drunkards, They
shall be devoured like stubble fully dried.
YLT
10For while princes [are]
perplexed, And with their drink are drunken, They have been consumed as stubble
fully dried.
For while they be
folden together as thorns,.... Like them, useless
and unprofitable, harmful and pernicious, fit only for burning, and, being
bundled together, are prepared for it; and which is not only expressive of the
bad qualities of the Ninevites, and of the danger they were in, and what they
deserved; but of the certainty of their ruin, no more being able to save
themselves from it, than a bundle of thorns from the devouring fire:
and while they are drunken as drunkards; dead drunk,
no more able to help themselves than a drunken man that is fallen; or who were
as easily thrown down as a drunken man is with the least touch; though there is
no need to have recourse to a figurative sense, since the Ninevites were
actually drunk when they were attacked by their enemy, as the historian relatesF9Diodor.
Sicul. l. 2. p. 112. ; that the king of Assyria being elated with his fortune,
and thinking himself secure, feasted his army, and gave them large quantities
of wine; and while the whole army were indulging themselves, the enemy, having
notice of their negligence and drunkenness by deserters, fell upon them
unawares in the night, when disordered and unprepared, and made a great
slaughter among them, and forced the rest into the city, and in a little time
took it:
they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry; as easily,
and as inevitably and irrecoverably.
Nahum 1:11 11 From
you comes forth one Who plots evil against the Lord, A wicked counselor.
YLT
11From thee hath come forth a
deviser of evil Against Jehovah -- a worthless counsellor.
There is one come
out of thee,.... That is, out of Nineveh, as the Targum explains it; meaning
Sennacherib, who had his royal seat and palace there; or Rabshakeh that was
sent from hence by him with a railing and blaspheming letter to the king of
Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. This is said to be at the present time
of writing this prophecy, though it was after it, because of the certainty of
it, as is usual in prophetic language; unless it can be thought that this
prophecy was delivered out exactly at the time when Sennacherib had entered
Judea, and was before the walls of Jerusalem; but not yet discomfited, as after
predicted:
that imagineth evil against the Lord; against the
people of the Lord, as the Targum; formed a scheme to invade the land of Judea,
take the fenced cities thereof, and seize upon Jerusalem the metropolis of the
nation, and carry the king, princes, and all the people captive as Shalmaneser
his father had carried away the ten tribes:
a wicked counsellor; or "a counsellor of
Belial"F11יועץ בליעל
"consulens", Belijahai, Montanus; "consiliarius Belijaal",
Burkius. ; who, by Rabshakeh, advised Israel not to regard their king, nor
trust in their God but surrender themselves up to him, 2 Kings 18:29.
Nahum 1:12 12 Thus
says the Lord: “Though they are safe, and likewise many, Yet in this
manner they will be cut down When he passes through. Though I have afflicted
you, I will afflict you no more;
YLT
12Thus said Jehovah: Though
complete, and thus many, Yet thus they have been cut off, And he hath passed
away. And I afflicted thee, I afflict thee no more.
Thus saith the Lord,
though they be quiet, and likewise many,.... The Assyrian army
under Sennacherib before Jerusalem, though they were quiet and secure and
thought themselves out of all danger; not at all fearing that the besieged
would sally out against them they being so numerous, and therefore betook
themselves to sleep and rest:
yet thus shall they be cut down; or "shorn"F12נגוזו "tonsi", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
; as the wool is shorn off the back of a sheep with sheers; or grass or corn is
mowed with a scythe; or else as the hair of a man's head and beard are shaved
with a razor; which sometimes was done, not only in a way of ignominy and
contempt, as David's servants were served by Hanun, 2 Samuel 10:4; but
as a token of servitude; hence those words of the poetF13 επειτα δητα δουλος ων κομην εχεις
Aristophanes in Avibus, p. 584. ,
"after
thou art a servant, dost thou let thy hair grow?'
upon
which it is observedF14Scholia Graec. in ib. , that it belongs to
freemen to let the hair grow; and so the philosopher saysF15Aristotel.
Rhetor. l. 1. c. 9. , to let the hair grow, or to nourish it, is commendable
with a Lacedemonian, for it is a sign of liberty; for it is not for him who
lets his hair grow to do any servile work; and it was usual with conquerors to
shave the conquered, and such as were carried captivesF16"Tonsa
comas imo Barathri claudere recessu", Claudian in Ruffin. l. 1. prope
finem. Vid. Barthium in ib. , which some think is referred to in Deuteronomy 32:42;
and render the latter clause of that verse,
"and
there shall be captivity, by reason of the head of nakedness of the enemy;'
that
is, there should be captives whose heads should be made bare, or shaved by the
enemy the conquerorF17Lydius de Re Militari, l. 6. c. 6. p. 237. ;
hence the king of Assyria, when a conqueror, is compared to a sharp razor, that
should shave the head, and feet, and beard, even all sorts of people, Isaiah 7:20; but
now he and his army should be shaved themselves; that is, conquered, slain, or
taken captives, and become slaves, and treated with contempt; all which may be
taken into the sense of this phrase, and serve to illustrate it:
when he shall pass through; when the angel should
pass through the camp of the Assyrians, then were they cut down by him in great
numbers, a hundred and fourscore and five thousand slain at once, 2 Kings 19:35;
though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more: or "any
longer"F18לא עוד
"non ultra", Pagninus, Montanus; "non amplius", Junius
& Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius. ; though the Lord had afflicted the
people of the Jews by the Assyrian king, the rod of his anger, again and again,
yet after this he would afflict them no more by him; for otherwise they were
afflicted afterwards, yet not by the Assyrians, but by the Babylonians,
Syrians, and Romans, Some understand this, as before, of the Ninevites and
Assyrians, that should be utterly destroyed at once, and their affliction
should not be a second time; see Nahum 1:9; so
Abarbinel: or, "I will not hear thee any more"F19לא אענך עוד
"non exaudiam te amplius", Burkius. ; as he did formerly, when they
repented at the preaching of Jonah.
Nahum 1:13 13 For
now I will break off his yoke from you, And burst your bonds apart.”
YLT
13And now I break his rod
from off thee, And thy bands I do draw away.
For now will I break his
yoke from off thee,.... The Assyrian yoke from off the Jews, who had been obliged to
pay tribute, or send presents to the king of Assyria, from the times of Ahaz;
and were in bondage, while shut up and besieged by his army, and the country
all around laid under contribution; from all which they were delivered when his
army was in that dreadful manner destroyed:
and will burst thy bonds in sunder; and set thee entirely
free from the bondage of the enemy, and all fear of it; a type of that freedom
from the yoke of sin, Satan, and the law, which the people of God have by Jesus
Christ.
Nahum 1:14 14 The
Lord has given a command concerning you: “Your name shall be perpetuated
no longer. Out of the house of your gods I will cut off the carved image and
the molded image. I will dig your grave, For you are vile.”
YLT
14And commanded concerning
thee hath Jehovah, `No more of thy name doth spread abroad, From the house of
thy gods I cut off graven and molten image, I appoint thy grave, for thou hast
been vile.
And the Lord hath given a
commandment concerning thee,.... This is directed to Sennacherib king of
Assyria, as the Targum expresses it; and so Jarchi and Kimchi; and signifies
the decree of God concerning him, what he had determined to do with him, and
how things would be ordered in Providence towards him, agreeably to his design
and resolution:
that no more of thy
name be sown; which is not to be understood that he should have no son and
heir to succeed him; for Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead, 2 Kings 19:37; and
after him, according to Ptolemy's canon, Saosduchinus and Chyniladanus but the
memory of his name should no be spread in the earth; or the fame of it, with
any marks of honour and glory, but of shame and disgrace. So the Targum,
"neither
shall be any memory of thy name any more:'
out of the house of thy gods will I cut of the graven image and
the molten image; called "the house of Nisroch his god", 2 Kings 19:37;
where he was slain; and some say that after that it ceased to be a place of
worship, being polluted with his blood. JosephusF20Antiqu. l. 10. c.
1. sect. 5. calls it his own temple, where he usually worshipped, for which he
had a peculiar regard, and for his god Nisroch; but who this deity was is not
certain. Selden saysF21De Dis Syris, Syntagm. 2. c. 10. p. 329. , he
knew nothing, nor had read anything of him, but what is mentioned in the
Scripture. Some of the Jewish writersF23Vid. Jarchi in Isaiam, c.
37, 38. take it to be a plank of Noah's ark; and Mr. BasnageF24In
Calmet's Dictionary, in the word "Samaritans". is of opinion that it
is Janus represented by Noah's ark, who had two faces, before and behind; a fit
emblem of Noah, who saw two worlds, one before, and another after the flood.
Some say Dagon the god of the Philistines is meant, which is not likely; See
Gill on Isaiah 37:38; but,
be he who he will, there were other idols besides him, both graven and molten,
in this temple, as is here expressed; very probably here stood an image of
Belus or Pul, the first Assyrian monarch, and who; was deified; and perhaps
Adrammelech the god of the Sepharvites was another, since one of Sennacherib's
sons bore this name; and it was usual with the Assyrians, Chaldeans, and
Babylonians, to give the names of their gods to their princes, or insert them
in theirs: here also might be the Assyrian Venus, Derceto, Semiramis, and
others: fishes also were worshipped by the Assyrians, in honour of Derceto; and
doves in remembrance of Semiramis, said to be nourished by one in her infancy,
and turned into one at her death; hence those creatures became sacred in
Assyria, and were not suffered to be touched and killed, as Philo observed at
Askelon; See Gill on Hosea 11:11; and
LucianF25De Dea Syria. at Hieropolis in Syria; where, he says, of
all birds, they think the dove most holy; so that they count it very unlawful
to touch them; and if by chance they do, they reckon themselves unclean that
whole day; hence you may see them frequently in their houses conversing
familiarly with them, generally feeding on the ground, without any fear; and he
also saysF26In Jupiter Tragoedus. the Assyrians sacrifice to a dove,
and which he must have known, since he himself was an Assyrian, as he tells us;
but, whatever these graven and molten images were, it is here predicted they
should be utterly demolished. The sense is, that whereas Sennacherib's empire
should be destroyed, and his capital taken, the temple where he worshipped
would be defaced, and all his gods he gloried of, all his images, both graven
and molten, would be cut to pieces, falling into the conqueror's hands, as was
usual in such cases; these would not be able to defend him or his, or secure
them from the vengeance of God, whom he had blasphemed:
I will make thy grave, for thou art vile: the Targum
is,
"there
will I put thy grave;'
that
is, in the house of thy god, as Aben Ezra, Jarchi, Kimchi, and Ben Melech,
interpret it; where he was slain by two of his sons, as before observed; and
this judgment came upon him by the will of God, because he was a loose vile
creature; because he had vilified the true God, and reproached him, as unable
to deliver Hezekiah and his people out of his hands. The Targum paraphrases it,
"because
this is easy before me;'
what
the Lord could easily do, make his idol temple his grave; or, however, take
away his life, and lay his honour in the dust: or it may be rendered, "I
will put upon thy grave that thou art vile"F1אשים קברך כי
קלות. ; he, who thought to have a superb monument
over his grave, and an epitaph inscribed on it to his immortal honour, as kings
used to have; this shall be the sepulchral inscription,
"here
lies a vile, wicked, and contemptible man;'
so
Abarbinel. There was a statue of this king in an Egyptian temple, as HerodotusF2 εστ' εμε τις ορεων, ευσεβησ εστω.
Euterpe, sive l. 2. c. 141. relates, according, as many think, with this
inscription on it,
"whosoever
looks on me, let him be religious;'
though
I rather think it was a statue of Sethon the priest of Vulcan, and last king of
Egypt. Here ends the first chapter in some Hebrew copies, and in the Syriac and
Arabic versions, and in Aben Ezra.
Nahum 1:15 15 Behold,
on the mountains The feet of him who brings good tidings, Who proclaims peace! O
Judah, keep your appointed feasts, Perform your vows. For the wicked one shall
no more pass through you; He is utterly cut off.
YLT
15Lo, on the mountains the
feet of one proclaiming tidings, sounding peace! Celebrate, O Judah, thy
festivals, complete thy vows, For add no more to pass over into thee doth the
worthless, He hath been completely cut off!
Behold upon the mountains,.... Of the
land of Israel, as the Targum; or those about Jerusalem:
the feet of him that bringeth good tidings; see how they
come one after another with the news of the havoc and slaughter made in the
army of Sennacherib by an angel in one night; of his flight, and of the dealt,
of him by the hands of his two sons; and, after that, of the destruction of
Nineveh, and of the whole Assyrian empire; all which were good tidings to the
Jews, to whom the Assyrians were implacable enemies, and whose power the Jews
dreaded; and therefore it must be good news to them to hear of their defeat and
ruin, and the messengers that brought it must be welcome to them:
that publisheth peace; to the Jewish nation,
who might from hence hope for peaceable and prosperous times: like expressions
with these are used in Isaiah 52:7 on
account of the return of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity; and are
applied by the apostle to Gospel times and Gospel preachers, Romans 10:15 as
these may also, and express the good tidings of victory obtained by Christ over
sin, Satan, the world, hell and death; and of salvation wrought out, and peace
made by him; it being usual for the prophets abruptly and at once to rise from
temporal to spiritual and eternal things, particularly to what concern the
Messiah, and the Gospel dispensation; See Gill on Isaiah 52:7,
O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts; of the passover,
pentecost, and tabernacles; which had been interrupted or omitted through the
invasion of the land, and the siege of Jerusalem, by the enemy; but now, he
being gone and slain, they had full liberty, and were at leisure to attend
these solemnities:
perform thy vows; which they had made when in distress, when
the enemy was in their land, and before their city; promising what they would
do, if it pleased God to deliver them out of his hands, and now they were
delivered; and therefore it was incumbent on them to make good their promises,
and especially to offer up their thanksgivings to God for such a mercy; see Psalm 50:14,
for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut
off; or Belial, the counsellor of Belial, as in Nahum 1:11 the king
of Assyria; who, though he had passed through their land, had invaded it, and
made devastation in it, should do so no more; being dead, cut off in a judicial
way, through the just judgment of God, suffering his sons to take away his life
while in the midst of his idolatrous worship; and this may reach, not only to
him, and his seed after him, being wholly cut off, but to the whole Assyrian
empire, who should none of them ever give any further trouble to Judah.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)