Chapter One

1. Superscription of the prophetic book. 2-6. Depiction of the divine attributes of Jehovah: righteousness and wrath (2-3), then omnipotence (4-6), as introduction and foundation for the subsequent discourse. 7-14. Consequences appearing as a conclusion from the indicated attributes of God: for the pious (7), and for the impious and hostile to God (8-10), more particularly—God’s determination concerning the complete ruin of the Assyrians (11-14). 15. Salvation and peace of the Jews.

Nahum 1:1. Prophecy concerning Nineveh; the book of the visions of Nahum the Elkoshite. The meaning of the first word of the superscription: Heb. massa here as in other prophetic books (Hab 1:1; Zech 9:1; Zech 12:1; Mal 1:1) and others is rendered differently by ancient translations and at the same time interpreted differently by ancient and modern commentators. LXX render this word here and in Hab 1:1; Zech 9:1; Zech 12:1; Mal 1:1 by the word: lemma, reception, receiving, and in a similar sense it is understood by blessed Theodoret: “by vision of the mind and transition from everything human, the prophet called prophecy (lemma)”. On the contrary, the Targum renders massa through Chald. mattaya or mattoya—burden; likewise in the Vulgate massa is constantly rendered by the Lat. word onus, weight, burden, and blessed Jerome considered only this translation to be the exact correspondence of Heb. massa, which, according to him, “is used at the beginning only when something seems important, full of labor and burdens” (Commentary on the Prophet Habakkuk, Russian translation vol. 14, p. 130), that is, contains an indication of the threats contained in the prophecy. Luther’s German translation renders massa through Last, burden, and many commentators (Reinke, Keil, Kurtz, Prof. P. V. Tikhomirov and others) understand the word in question in the sense indicated by blessed Jerome. On the contrary, other modern commentators (Hupfeld, Delitzsch, Kleinert, Prof. I. S. Yakimov) understand it in the general sense: “utterance” (prophetic). However both the literal meaning of Heb. massa and its almost universal use in the Bible precisely in the sense of: burden, load, predispose in favor of Jerome’s translation. And if we pay attention specifically to the use of this term in prophetic writings, we will see that by the name massa, for example in the Prophet Isaiah, is denoted a special kind of prophecy—namely terrible prophecies foretelling disasters and ruin chiefly to foreign peoples (Isa 13:1; Isa 15:1; Isa 17:1; Isa 21:1; Isa 21:11; Isa 23:1; and others). In view of the general content known to us of the book of the Prophet Nahum announcing the ruin of Nineveh (with all Assyria), this meaning “terrible prophecy”, “the burden of the prophetic word” (concerning Nineveh) should be accepted, all the more as the indication of such meaning of massa may give v. 8, grammatically closely joining to the first part of the superscription (see a more detailed investigation of massa in the book of Prof. P. V. Tikhomirov, the Prophet Malachi. Holy Trinity Lavra 1903, p. 139-152. Cf. at Simashkevich, Cit. work, p. 107-113). The second part of the superscription “the book of the visions of Nahum the Elkoshite” indicates the divinely-inspired writer of the book—the Prophet Nahum—and the very source of his prophetic word—vision, Heb. ḥazon, that is, mysterious inspiration of the content from God’s Spirit. “The grace of the Holy Spirit,” says in explanation of this blessed Theodoret, “acting differently in wonderful prophets, arranged that some saw something, as the God-wise Isaiah, Micah, Daniel, Ezekiel and Zechariah; and to others through voice was communicated what was akin to the Spirit, and to them it seemed they heard someone speaking with them, other prophets prophesied in inspiration, and what was pleasing to the Spirit, he proclaimed through their tongue. For the prophetic grace, suddenly encompassing their mind and separating them from everything human, made them capable of becoming vessels and servants for the utterance of prophetic words.” The word “book” standing in the superscription R. Abarbanel interpreted in the sense of indicating that the Prophet Nahum, having not preached personally in Nineveh (as did the Prophet Jonah), sent his prophetic book there. But simpler and more naturally to see here testimony to the fact that the prophetic utterances of Nahum, by God’s command, were recorded by him in a book: this is known also of other prophets (Isa 8:1; Isa 30:8; Jer 30:2; Jer 36:2; Jer 51:60; Dan 7:1; Dan 12:4-9; Hab 2:2-3), who recorded their prophecies not only for future generations (Isa 30:8), but also for broader circulation among contemporaries (Jer 36:1-6). Thus, the expression “book” presupposes the existence of the prophetic utterances of Nahum in the present form long before the closing of the canon of sacred books.

Nahum 1:2. The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord is avenging and terrible in his wrath: the Lord takes vengeance on his enemies and vents his wrath against his adversaries. Nahum 1:3. The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; the Lord has his way in the whirlwind and storm, and clouds are the dust beneath his feet. Nahum 1:4. He rebukes the sea and makes it dry, and dries up all the rivers; Bashan and Carmel wither, and the bloom of Lebanon wilts. Nahum 1:5. The mountains quake before him, and the hills melt; the earth heaves before him, and the world and all that dwell therein. Nahum 1:6. Before his wrath who can stand? And who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath pours out like fire, and the rocks crumble before him. “The prophet begins his discourse with a majestic description of the attributes of Jehovah, God the avenger, who has pronounced through the prophet his terrible sentence upon the ungodly. The order of thoughts is as follows: God is Righteous (v. 2), consequently His sentence must necessarily come to pass; He is longsuffering (v. 3a), consequently His sentence, called forth by the extreme iniquities of Nineveh, is decisive; He is almighty (vv. 3b-6), consequently nothing can stand before His terrible wrath” (Simashkevich, p. 114-115). Depicting God’s Righteousness in the same spirit as it is depicted in the Pentateuch of Moses, the prophet borrows precisely from there the title of Jehovah as a jealous God, el-kanno, Gr. Θεος Ζηλωτης, Vulg.: Deus aemulator. The concept of jealousy, ascribed to God in the epithet kanno (in this form the word appears, besides Nah 1:2, only in Josh 24:19) or, by more customary use, kanna (Exod 20:5; Exod 34:14; Deut 4:24; Deut 5:9; Deut 6:15), has, evidently, a metaphorical sense, being borrowed from the realm of human conjugal relations—the jealousy of a husband toward a wife (Num 5:14-30). The applicability of this metaphor to God is understandable from the fact that the relations between Jehovah and His people in Holy Scripture are frequently depicted as conjugal relations (Isa 62:1 chap.; Ezek 16:1; Hos 1:1 — Hos 3:1 chap. and others), and the very Sinaitic covenant is presented under the image of marriage (Hos 2:19). And just as human conjugal jealousy is the reverse side of conjugal love, so God’s jealousy toward the people of God has two aspects: Jehovah is jealous for His honor and glory, precisely He alone, like a lawful husband, on the basis of the covenant, has the right to the exclusive love and fidelity of Israel and cannot allow the worship of other gods alongside Himself (Exod 34:14: Deut 4:24; Josh 24:19; Isa 42:8; Isa 59:17-18 and others), and in general does not tolerate and does not leave unpunished the transgressions of His own people (Josh 24:19); on the other hand, in His love for Israel He cannot allow that His chosen people suffer any kind of evil from other peoples or anyone else: Jehovah is jealous for the integrity of His land (Joel 2:18), for the well-being of His people (Deut 32:43; 2 Sam 19:31; Isa 37:32; Zech 1:14-15; Zech 8:2). In general, the title of God as “jealous one” denotes the energy of God’s being, God’s relation to man as a living God, punishing evil and protecting innocence and holiness; by this is indicated His distinction from pagan gods, incapable of any activity (see Exod 20:4-5; Deut 5:9). Such dual significance has this title in the mouth of the Prophet Nahum. In application to the Assyrians this title means the coming punishment of God upon them. “Since they,” says blessed Theodoret of the Assyrians, “having rushed upon Jerusalem with fury pronounced blasphemous words against the God of all; the prophet rightly calls them enemies and adversaries, and threatens them with destruction. Jealousy he calls the righteous wrath” (p. 7). And this thought is unfolded in powerful poetic images throughout the space of verses 2-6. The other aspect of the concept of God’s jealousy—the merciful, caring relation of Jehovah to the chosen people, to pious people, is indicated in v. 7. But the whole force of logical emphasis and the whole center of gravity of the thought expressed by the prophet in his introductory words is, without doubt, concentrated in the name Jehovah. This name, as is evident from Exod 3:14-15, denotes not only the eternal being of the true God but also the inviolability of the covenant made by Him with Israel, the absolute faithfulness of His oath-bound promises given to the patriarchs, and so forth. (Concerning the name “Jehovah” see the article by Prof. Priest A. Glagolev in the Theological Encyclopedia, vol. VI (SPB. 1905), p. 194-203). God is jealous and avenges the Assyrians precisely for the humiliation of His people, as God of the covenant with it, and just as unchangeable in essence is this covenant, so is His judgment over the Assyrians decisive and unchangeable. As God-jealous and as God of the covenant, Jehovah appears as the avenger for all who are hostile to His glory and to His covenant: Jehovah not passively only is angered and indignant at the enemies but actively avenges them, and therefore is called “God of vengeance” (Ps 93:1), and Himself retains the inalienable right of vengeance (Deut 32:35; Rom 12:19). Therefore the prophet thrice and with special force attributes to Him the epithet nokél, Gr. εκδικων, Lat. ulciscens. This threefold repetition of the epithet “avenger” in application to God need not be understood (with some commentators, including Professor M. Golubev) in the sense of indicating the coming threefold vengeance upon the Assyrians for threefold captivity of the people of God (whereby three captivities are arbitrarily indicated in 1 Chr 5:26; 2 Sam 15:29 and 2 Sam 17:6 or 2 Sam 18:9), still less in the sense of a pre-indication of the three persons of the Holy Trinity (opinion of Tarnovius). In reality, such a form of speech is easily explained by the properties of the Hebrew language, in which—judging from similar biblical cases (for example Isa 6:3; Jer 7:4; Jer 22:29)—threefold repetition of one and the same word expresses special intensification of its meaning or the superlative degree of the concept. In particular, in the three constituent parts of the verse in question a strict gradation of thought is maintained: first in the prophet’s presentation vengeance of Jehovah appears as merely a consequence or unfolding of His jealousy; then an indication is given of the character and manner of manifestation of God’s vengeance: God is called ba’al-hemah, possessor of wrath, Vulg. habens furorem—in the sense of a property belonging exclusively to Him (such is the meaning of Heb. ba’al in combination with various nouns, for example Exod 24:14; Gen 37:19 and many others); LXX: εκδικων Κυριος μετα θυμου, Slav. avenging Lord with rage; finally, the object or subject of God’s vengeance is named—His enemies. As conclusion and generalization of the whole discourse in v. 2 concerning God’s wrath and vengeance stands the final expression: netzar lo le-oyevav, he keeps wrath for his enemies, as though nourishing it in Himself (cf. Ps 102:9; Jer 6:5), restraining it until the time. “By enemies and adversaries we must understand the Assyrians, to whom the Lord long manifested His longsuffering, but afterwards He will take vengeance upon them with wrath and fury” (blessed Jerome, p. 257).

Nahum 1:3. The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; The expression “slow to anger” Heb. zarak appayim, properly: slow or delayed in anger, Vulg. patiens, LXX: μακροθυμος, is borrowed by the prophet from the Pentateuch (Exod 34:6; Num 14:18); is used also in other sacred books (Nehem 9:17; Ps 85:15; Ps 101:8, Ps 144:8; Joel 2:13). “He does not immediately and instantaneously impose punishment, but preserving great longsuffering. You Ninevites are witnesses to this, having resorted to repentance and found salvation for yourselves, but again having given yourselves over to even greater vices, and having not yet borne punishment for them. But he who for so long bears human transgressions also knows how to impose punishment on the unrepentant” (blessed Theodoret, p. 7). God’s longsuffering is by no means a sign of weakness of Jehovah—He, on the contrary, “is great in strength”: “He could in an instant destroy the ungodly, if He so wished, because He possesses the greatest power; but He restrains punishment for the chief reason of giving time for repentance” (blessed Jerome). Then all the more irresistible is His judgment over the unrepentant (cf. Exod 34:6-7): “he who for so long bears human transgressions also knows how to impose punishment on the unrepentant. For thus the prophet expressed this, saying: those who cleanse will not cleanse, that is, those whose transgressions are worthy of punishment He will not free from punishment” (blessed Theodoret). After general statements concerning God’s judgment on sinners in general, the prophet moves to the depiction of judgment specifically upon the Assyrians, but for now depicts this judgment in verses 3b-6 in general and familiar to other sacred Old Testament writers images of natural phenomena as a manifestation of the punishing activity of God appearing in the world (cf. Exod 19:1; Judg 5:1; Ps 17:1; Ps 49:1; Ps 67:1; Ps 96:1). As in other biblical depictions of theophany, and here is brought forward the punishing activity of Divine omnipotence: the victorious journey of Jehovah is accompanied by destructive phenomena of nature: storm and whirlwind, clouds and mist attend the fearful manifestation of God (v. 3b), before the face of God the sea dries up and rivers fail, the vegetation withers and bleaches (v. 4), mountains, hills and all the earth convulse (v. 5), even the rocks split apart, and nothing can stand before the fire of God’s wrath (v. 6). The depiction is of such strength, majesty and beauty as can be found only among the God-inspired poets of Scripture! What then are the particulars of this artistic picture?

Nahum 1:3. in the whirlwind and storm is the way of the Lord, the cloud is the dust beneath his feet. “Whenever the descent of God to earth is recounted in Scripture, the manifestation of Him in one place or another on earth, mention is made at the same time of the trembling and quaking into which nature then enters. At the descent of God upon Mount Sinai ‘there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast (Exod 19:16); the whole mountain smoked... and out of it came smoke, as out of a furnace, and the whole mountain shook exceedingly’ (v. 18). From accounts of other cases of God’s manifestation one also sees that these manifestations were accompanied by one kind or another of upheaval in nature” (Prof. M. Z. Skabalanovitch. The First Chapter of the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel. Essay on Explanation. Mariupol. 1904, p. 112). These phenomena of nature are embraced by the concept of “storm”, taken in the broad sense of upheaval in all parts of nature (cf. Ps 49:4). And the Prophet Nahum contemplates the journey of the appearing Jehovah in judgment precisely in such phenomena: “in the whirlwind and in the storm”, Heb. besuffah uvissarah, LXX: εν σοντελεια και εν συσσεισμψ, Vulg. in tempestate et turbine; “the cloud is the dust beneath his feet”—anan—avak raglav: all these phenomena, absolutely obeying the mighty word of God as their Master (Ps 9:6-7; Jer 10:13; Jer 51:16; Job 38:22-25). This majestic image of almighty Jehovah was known to the Hebrews from the time of Sinaitic legislation (Exod 19:16; Deut 5:22) and constantly appears in the sacred writers when depicting the manifestation of Jehovah for judgment upon sinners (Ps 17:10-11; Ps 16:3-4; Isa 19:1 sq.; Dan 7:13 sq.; Joel 2:2; Zeph 1:15 and others). “Most appropriately the prophet to the way added also dust: he wishes to say by this that he will now show no more longsuffering but will subject them to destruction, encompassing them on all sides with a cloud of calamities” (blessed Theodoret, p. 8).

Nahum 1:4. He rebukes the sea and makes it dry, and dries up all the rivers; Bashan and Carmel wither, and the bloom of Lebanon wilts. New manifestations of God’s omnipotence—first in relation to the sea and rivers (cf. Isa 50:2). “If He wishes, He can in an instant turn all the water in the sea and rivers into nothing, and can do this in a moment. As proof of this the prophet presented what has already been accomplished” (blessed Theodoret), that is, the prophet’s mind was presented with great moments of miraculous help to Israel—at its passage through the Red Sea (Exod 14:21; Ps 105:9), and later—through the Jordan (Josh 3:13; Josh 5:1; Ps 113:3). But from the fearful journey of God’s omnipotence not only the sea and rivers dry up, but all that constitutes the wealth and glory of the land—the promised land, everything that is best and strongest, beautiful and most fertile in it, and this for the biblical Hebrew was bound up with the conception of the now called localities of Palestine: Bashan on its east, Carmel on its west and Lebanon on its north. Bashan, Heb. bashan (Num 21:33; Josh 13:29-32; Mic 7:14 and many others) Gr. and Slav. Basanitis, Basanitida—a region in the eastern land beyond the Jordan to the north of the stream Yarmuk, once the region of the mighty king Og (Num 21:1; Deut 1:4) was famous for excellent pastures, high unshakeable oaks and willows, tall, strong horned cattle (Isa 2:13; Ezek 27:6; Deut 32:14; Amos 4:1; Ps 21:13); now a completely barren region, known as el-Battin or Ard-el Besenia (Onomast. 17:5, 224). Concerning Carmel, the majestic mountain on the boundary of Issachar and Asher tribes, which because of the beauty of its vegetation (it appeared as a continuous garden, hence in its name—from Heb.: “garden of God”) entered into a proverb (Song 7:6), now djebel-Karmal, see note to 1 Sam 18:19. Commentary on the Bible, vol. II, p. 453. The snow-white Lebanon, Heb. lebnanon (“white from snows” cf. Jer 18:14) to the north of Palestine was also, thanks to the abundance of water and springs (Song 4:15), famous for its luxuriant vegetation (Hos 14:6-8), especially high cedars, fragrant cypress and myrtles (Ps 28:5; Song 3:14; Song 5:15); now djebel-Libnain (Onomast. 640). The mention by the prophet of precisely these localities serves as indirect proof that he lived, acted and wrote his prophetic book precisely in Judea, not in Assyria, whose localities, except only Nineveh, are directly not reflected in the images of speech used by the prophet; although, by the remark of blessed Jerome, “metaphorically through Bashan, Carmel and Lebanon, fertile land and mountains covered with vegetation, is indicated the devastation of Assyria—that it, having once been mighty and flourishing and ruling over numerous peoples, will be destroyed as a result of God’s wrath” (p. 290). It is evident that in v. 4, as in the whole series of verses 3-6, there is still general, typical, as it were, abstract depiction of God’s judgment, not concrete and detailed foretelling of it.

Nahum 1:5. The mountains quake before him, and the hills melt; the earth heaves before him, and the world and all that dwell therein. Nahum 1:6. Before his wrath who can stand? And who can endure the heat of his anger? His wrath pours out like fire, and the rocks crumble before him. To the indicated manifestations of God’s wrath the prophet adds (v. 5) a new one: from the action of God’s wrath the mountains and hills come into convulsion, shake in their foundation, and all the world with its inhabitants (images very usual both in poetic and prophetic sacred books of the Old Testament (Ps 17:8; Ps 96:4-6; Amos 8:8; Mic 1:4 and many others). In v. 6 a conclusion is drawn from what has been said in the three preceding verses (3-5), and the prophet uses interrogative form of speech in place of categorical negation: “no one can stand before the fury and wrath of almighty God, no one can endure the all-consuming fire of God’s judgment.” Depictions of God’s judgment in the form of all-consuming flame (Gen 19:24; Num 11:1-3; Num 16:35; 2 Sam 1:10; Job 1:16), as well as the naming of God as fire consuming (Deut 4:24) were very familiar to Israel. Therefore from the depiction of God’s wrath itself flowed the inevitability of the future ruin of Assyria, ungodly and presumptuous, by its transgressions exceeding the measure of God’s longsuffering and calling forth the action of God’s judgment. “If those exalted in their power and thinking of themselves as possessing the strength of stone, He crushes and grinds without difficulty; who is able to withstand the punishment sent by Him?” (blessed Theodoret, p. 8).

Nahum 1:7. Good is the Lord, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. Here is indicated the goodness of Jehovah and His mercy toward the pious seeking protection in Him, which on the one hand testifies that God’s wrath has a moral foundation and ethical character, and is by no means a blind destructive force, and on the other hand brings out a sharp contrast with God’s goodness and mercy, the impending irresistible judgment of God upon the ungodly Assyrians. These two aspects, God’s wrath and mercy, Assyria and Judea, are presented to the prophet in the whole content of his book. In the highest degree beautiful and majestic is the transition in v. 7 from the depiction of the wrath of the almighty and all-righteous Jehovah to the depiction of His goodness; it acts upon the reader’s soul irresistibly, producing in him the impression of a kind of blessed breeze of cool freshness after the spectacle of a great destructive storm (1 Sam 19:11-12. See Commentary on the Bible vol. II, 485-486), arousing firm hope in God’s help and protection (see Ps 30:1-4; Ps 90:1-4). But the prophet, “having shown how well-disposed Jehovah is toward those who bear the punishments imposed upon them and do not pronounce anything against God, again leads the discourse to the punishment of the ungodly” (blessed Theodoret, p. 9).

Nahum 1:8. But with an overflowing flood he will make a complete end of its place, and will pursue his enemies into darkness. Nahum 1:9. What do you plot against the Lord? He will make a complete end; distress will not rise up a second time. Nahum 1:10. For they are entangled in thorns, drunk as drunkards; they are consumed like dry stubble. According to v. 8, “those daring against the Lord He will give over to final ruin and unceasing darkness; for by flood and completion the prophet called final ruin” (blessed Theodoret, p. 9). Overflowing of waters, inundation in biblical writers is the usual image of invasion of enemies upon a land and their destructive actions in it (Judg 6:1-5; Isa 8:7-8; Isa 27:12; Isa 28:17; Isa 30:30; Dan 9:21; Dan 11:10 sq.). Such precisely is the destruction the Prophet Nahum proclaims to Nineveh, foretelling the disappearance of its very place, Heb. mekoma (feminine suffix here ordinarily refers to the name Ninwe, Nineveh in v. 1) see in the Vulgate translation: consummationem faciet ioci ejus. However blessed Jerome himself indicates another rendering of this word by ancient translations, saying: “the word tasota, which we translated as ‘place’, all divided into two words, so that some rendered the preposition apo, that is, from, a coma through standing up. Thus, Aquila says: apo antistamenom, that is, from standing up, LXX: standing up, Theodotion: against him standing up, fifth edition: from standing up against him. Only Symmachus alone, in agreement with our translation, says: and after the passing of the flood he will put an end to its place” (p. 264). In any case—the discourse is about a flood of calamities destined to put an end to the existence and misdeeds of Nineveh on earth. At the same time some (A. Keith, Prof. M. Golubev) in the words of v. 8 saw an indication of the very manner of destruction of Nineveh—by means of the flooding of the Tigris, of which Diodorus Siculus testifies (lib. II, 61-83). But in the prophet the expression about the flood (Heb. shetef), as in many biblical places, has a metaphorical sense, which is evident, in particular, from the second half of the verse: “and his enemies he pursues into darkness”: the metaphorical sense of the latter words is beyond doubt (cf. Wis 18:4).

Nahum 1:9. What do you plot against the Lord? He will make a complete end; distress will not rise up a second time. In v. 9 the prophet, addressing now to the Assyrians, asks, what is their opinion of the power of Jehovah? It is evident that the prophet had in view the occasion when the Assyrians, becoming intoxicated with their victories and forgetting that they themselves—were nothing more than a simple instrument of the punishing hand of God (Exod 10:15), dared—in the person of Sennacherib—to mock at Jerusalem and the power of Jehovah (2 Sam 18:29-35; Exod 36:18-20). Then, in the second half of the verse, the prophet turns again to the Jews and consoles them, that the distress caused to their land by the invasion of Assyrian army with Sennacherib at its head (2 Sam 19:1; Isa 37:1) shall not occur again in view of the impending final ruin of Assyria (cf. vv. 11-12).

Nahum 1:10. For they are entangled in thorns, drunk as drunkards; they are consumed like dry stubble. It grounds what was said in v. 9 about the coming ruin of Assyria and its inhabitants. Here it is said that this ruin is inevitable because of the deep moral corruption of the population of Assyria; this corruption is expressed by the prophet in twofold comparison of the Assyrians: 1) to thorns entangled among themselves—symbol of the closeness of the Assyrians in enmity against the people of God and their haughty self-confidence in their own strength (cf. Num 33:55; Isa 27:4; Ezek 2:6; Ezek 28:24); 2) to drunken drunkards (on Assyrian monuments depictions of feasts are frequent). These two vices of the Assyrians should lead to the fact that their fearsome kingdom should in the end perish, similar to quickly and without trace destroyed by the impetus straw. “As dry straw is easily destroyed by fire, and grass growing near walls, and especially that entangling itself with prickly plants, and prevents them from blooming, and itself withers in time, so you, having destroyed the kingdoms of others, will be both deprived of kingdoms and given over to destruction” (blessed Theodoret). “It is entirely just that the numerous army of theirs (Assyrians) is compared to a feast of drunkards, and the feast itself is likened not to roses, not to lilies, not to flowers, but to thorns entangling among themselves, which are always given to fire and, like always dry straw, burn in weak flame” (blessed Jerome, p. 268). The enmity of Assyria against all peoples, including the Hebrews, is known historically. No less known is the addiction of the Assyrians to drunkenness: according to the testimony of Diodorus Siculus, the Persians succeeded in dealing a mortal blow to Nineveh only because the king of it, confident in his state power, indulged with his magnates in feasts and drunkenness. Those commentators are therefore right who consider the words of the prophet in v. 10 to have been literally fulfilled in the tragic end of Nineveh.

Nahum 1:11. From you there came forth one plotting evil against the Lord, one counseling worthlessness. Here, as in v. 9, the prophet has in mind the historical fact that once from Assyria and Nineveh the king Sennacherib with terrible multitudes went forth against those who worship Jehovah—the Jews—with the goal of complete subjugation and even destruction of them, and together with evil and God-opposing intent destruction of the theocratic kingdom of God on earth (cf. 2 Sam 18:27-32; 2 Sam 19:25-23; Isa 26:12-17). This constant enmity of Assyria and its kings toward the people of God, toward the Kingdom of God, against God’s saving plans, made the Assyrians appear as servants of Satan, God’s adversary, and this idea is expressed by the prophet here in v. 11 and below in v. 15 (Heb. 2:1) by using the term Beliyya’al, ungodly, wickedness and the like. Both in abstract and in concrete sense the word this in the Old Testament always denotes behavior, acts contrary to God-given law and God-ordained order of life, and together people of such godless disposition (Deut 13:14; Judg 19:22; 1 Sam 2:12; 1 Sam 21:10 and others). Later toward the times of the New Testament this word, in its Greek form Βελιαλ or Βελιαρ (2 Cor 6:15) became therefore one of the proper names of Satan (see in the book of Prof. Priest A. Glagolev. Old Testament Biblical Teaching about Angels. 1900, p. 619-622). If the prophet uses such a strong expression in relation to Assyria, then he understands, probably, not only Sennacherib alone and generally not one defined person, one defined moment of the Assyrians’ hostile attitude toward Judea, but includes all the sum of evil, depravity and malice against the Kingdom of God demonstrated by the Assyrians throughout the time of Assyria’s existence as a world power. In vv. 12-14 the prophet expresses the last sentence of God’s judgment upon the fate of Assyria, its population and its gods.

Nahum 1:12. Thus says the Lord: Though they be complete and many, even so they shall be cut down and pass away; With the words “thus says the Lord” the prophet expresses the whole importance, inviolability and strictness of the following determination of God concerning Assyria. The Assyrians now enjoy complete well-being, are very strong, secure, numerous, so that seemed completely invincible in the eyes of others (Nah 2:12-13; Heb. 13-14; Isa 10:24) and themselves considered themselves inaccessible to any danger (Zeph 2:15). But “however mighty the Assyrians are and however much their strength increases through all peoples, yet they will be cut through their destruction by an Angel. For as numerous hairs cannot stand against sharp scissors, so numerous enemies of God will easily be destroyed, and Assur will vanish “and cease to exist”... (blessed Jerome p. 268-269). In the Hebrew text the discourse of God’s punishment over the Assyrians has special expressiveness: “they will be cut down”, properly: shorn (shamefully—like sheep), shaved, Heb. nagozzu. As the Assyrian army during its campaigns in Judea produced terrible devastations there and therefore resembled in its effect a razor shaving clean not only hairs on head and legs but also on beards (Isa 7:20; 2 Sam 16:7-8), the taking of which, according to Eastern concepts, was a sign of mockery (2 Sam 10:4-5), so a similar fate—complete shame and utter destruction—awaits Assyria itself. The reading of the first half of v. 12 in the LXX is different, and it is this that blessed Theodoret has in mind when he remarks to v. 12: “the multitude of waters the prophet calls the Babylonians who marched against Nineveh, who, like waters, divided into detachments, approached the siege of the city” (p. 10).

Nahum 1:12. Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no more. From the announcement of complete ruin of Assyria (v. 12a) the prophet’s thought—by contrast—turns to the deliverance of Judea and Jerusalem; “though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no more.” “By this,” explains blessed Jerome (p. 269), “is given not a promise of permanent security but a promise of security only for the time and against those enemies who then besieged them.” The Jews had already been destined for captivity in Babylon (Isa 6:39), and this determination had to remain in force. But temporary cessation of their calamities, termination of Assyrian violence was possible, and this promises to the Jews the prophet in God’s name, and the promised deliverance of them from the slave yoke of the Assyrians is denoted by the usual for biblical writers images of expression “break the yoke”, “rend the bonds” (cf. Lev 26:13; Isa 10:27; Jer 2:20; Jer 5:5; Jer 28:2; Jer 30:8 and others).

Nahum 1:11. From you there came forth one plotting evil against the Lord, one counseling worthlessness. The ruin of Assyria here is identified with the ruin of its reigning house, inasmuch as the king is the representative of all the people. Besides, with the ruin of the Assyrian state here is connected the ruin of the worship of the gods of Assyria, as, according to the views of antiquity and especially of the East, the cessation of a people’s independent national existence meant the decline of the power of its god (cf. Isa 36:18). The prophet as it were says to Assyria: “in your ruin will also participate your man-made gods, whom you will hide in the earth and bury as in graves, so they do not become plunder of enemies” (blessed Theodoret, p. 10). The fierce sentence of God’s judgment applies, evidently, to all the Assyrians, who in their unanimous enmity toward Jehovah and His people appear here as one man, the personification of all the people—Assur (cf. Amos 2:2). The last cause of Assur’s ruin—known to God who tests all things—the worthlessness of Assur: Heb. ki hallota, you are found light, worthless (on the scales of God’s justice—as later Babylon—Dan 5:27). In similar manner it is rendered in the Vulgate: quia inhonoratus es. In the text of the LXX accepted stands the expression: οτι ταχεις, Slav. yako skori, by the just remark of blessed Jerome (p. 270), having no definite sense, unless one refers it to the word raglej, oi ποδες feet of the following verse (15, according to Heb. vol. 2:1). It is evident that LXX read: kallot and took it for the adjective kal light, swift. The reading of the massoretic text in this verse deserves full preference over the reading of the LXX. In some manuscripts of the latter (22, 36, 51, 238, 95, 114, 185, in Holmes) stands—οτι ητιμωθης, which represents a periphrasis of Hebrew ki kallota.

Nahum 1:15. Behold, upon the mountains the feet of him who brings good tidings, who announces peace! Celebrate, O Judah, your festivals; fulfill your vows. For nevermore shall the wicked pass through you; he is utterly cut off. In the Hebrew text v. 15 is assigned to the II chapter as its introduction, as also in the Syriac translation Peshitta. On the contrary, in the LXX, in the Vulgate and in the Chaldaic Targum it closes chapter 1. There can be arguments in favor of one or the other division, but with either division the significance of this verse is preserved as a transition from the general announcement of Assyria’s ruin to detailed and concrete notification about this subject, to the discourse of the fulfillment of God’s sentence: the first consequence of Assyria’s and Nineveh’s condemnation is the political and religious freedom of Judea, to which the prophet now turns. He in spirit sees the appearance upon the mountains of the Jews of the herald, Heb. mebasser, LXX: ευαγγελιζομενου, Vulg. evangelizantis, with joyful news of peace opening for Judea with the impending humiliation and subsequent ruin of Assyria. Now Judea can and must entirely devote herself to the fulfillment of her religious duties, which were previously hindered by the oppression of Assyrian dominion: she must testify to Jehovah her joy and thanksgiving to Jehovah in festivals in His honor (which indeed were all the most important festivals of the ancient Jewish ecclesiastical year), and equally fully fulfill the vows given to Him in a time of Assyrian tribulations. “The wicked”, Heb. beliya’al, Vulg. Belial—servant of Belial (cf. v. 11), the king of Assyria with his army, will no longer carry out its destructive journeys through Judea—their ruin is decided and carried out. “But you,” says the prophet, “having heard of the overthrow of enemies, celebrate the festivals ordained by God, and bring the customary sacrifices; because final ruin was endured by the one who many times marched against you, and will not take up again intentions to destroy and devastate you” (blessed Theodoret, p. 11). The prophet’s speech in v. 15a (Heb. 2:1) exactly similar to the words of the Prophet Isaiah (Isa 52:7), having most directly historical sense, contains in itself also the foretaste of the blessings of peace and salvation in New Testament times; in such sense both prophets’ words are applied by the holy Apostle Paul (Rom 10:15), to the preaching in the world of the evangelical teaching. * * * Notes The word searah (with the letter sin) appears in the Bible, besides Nah 1:3, only one time: in Job 9:17. Much more frequently is used the word identical with it in meaning and consonant with it searah (with the letter samekh). In cod. 1, 17, 23, 29, 7:2, 93, 96, 126, 150, 154 and some others in Kennicott’s edition in the book of the Prophet Nahum stands this latter word.