Nahum 1 Study Notes

1:2-8 On this victory hymn to the Lord, see Introduction.

1:2 Like a jealous (or zealous) husband, the Lord would tolerate no rivals for Israel’s affection, whether other so-called gods (Ex 34:14-16) or foreign nations and their kings.

1:3 That God was slow to anger but great in power indicates his wrath was not that of a hot-tempered tyrant. Neither was his compassion based on his inability to defeat those who oppressed his people. By no means would he leave the guilty unpunished, whether of his own people or their enemies (Ex 34:7).

1:4 Bashan and Carmel wither (and even the flower of Lebanon) because of a severe drought, parching the most fertile lands in Palestine (Is 33:9)—from the east, Bashan in Transjordan, to the northwest borders of the storm god Baal’s home territory near Mount Carmel and the Lebanon mountains. Actually the Lord alone controlled the storm, rain, and fertility (drying up the sea and all the rivers). Bashan was famous for its lush pasturelands (Jr 50:19), fine cattle (Dt 32:14), and rich forests (Is 2:13; Ezk 27:6), and Carmel (lit “garden-land”) was known for its verdant vegetation (Jr 50:19; Am 1:2). Both were withered by God’s judgment.

1:5 Verse 5 compares the terrifying power of the Lord’s anger to the experience of earthquakes and volcanoes that shake the earth. Other passages that speak of God’s judgment in terms of earthquakes are Is 24:18-20; 29:6; Jr 10:10, Ezk 26:18; Jl 3:16. Earthquakes are also associated more generally with God’s presence and activity, as at Sinai and at Calvary (signifying the end of the old covenant?). “Earthquakes reminded men and women then as well as now that the only fixed ground is God himself. Not even the earth is ultimately stable. They also point to the fact that one day God will shake down all human kingdoms with the appearing of Christ in Glory (Zch 14:4-5)” (Dictionary of Biblical Imagery).

1:6 Verse 6 provides a “so then” to the whole. If the Lord is a God of vengeance against his enemies, and if he is greater even than his creation, then Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his burning anger? The obvious answer is “No one.” His wrath is like fire that is poured out and is so hot that it shatters the rocks.

1:7 Verse 7 is the first clue to the primary message the prophet has for Judah. By somewhat indirect means, Nahum is telling Judah to take refuge in their God who is good and a stronghold for his people but a terrible enemy to those who oppose him. Take refuge is one of the many expressions the OT has for faith.

1:8 Neo-Assyrian kings often claimed that they overpowered their enemies like a flood, and Neo-Assyrian treaties often cursed disloyal vassals with a flood. God would provide the opposite of refuge for Nineveh.

1:9 The verse seems to begin with a question, literally, “What are you [plural] plotting against the Lord?” It is asked of the Assyrians. It is the Lord who will bring about the complete destruction of any strategy to oppose him.

1:10 As fire consumes thorns and stubble, and as drunkards consume beer, so the Lord’s enemies will be consumed.

1:11 The one who plots evil against the Lord, and is a wicked counselor may be any Assyrian ruler (cp. v. 15, same Hb word “wicked”) or even the demonic spirit that energizes him (Dn 10:13,20-21; contrast Messiah as Wonderful Counselor, Is 9:6). Sennacherib had plotted evil, but his objective to destroy Jerusalem (ca 701 BC) was thwarted (2Kg 19:20-28,32-34).

1:12 Strong and numerous mean that a formidable army is in view, but the Lord delights in overcoming vast armies, either through the agency of Israel or on his own (cp. Jdg 7:2; 1Sm 17:45-47). You in the last two lines refers to Judah. Richard Patterson (Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah) has observed “however much God might have used the Assyrians to chastise his people, such would no longer be the case.”

1:13 The imagery of the yoke and shackles is very similar to what is found in Jr 30:8, but there it is in a divine promise of release from Babylonian subjugation.

1:14 Whereas “you” and “your” in v. 13 are feminine singular referring to Judah, you and your in v. 14 are consistently masculine singular referring to Nineveh or its king. The first judgment is that the king’s dynasty would end, and his reputation would be lost after his death (cp. Is 56:5; 66:22). Alan Millard points out that the fear of dying without a namesake was very real in the ancient world, “for that would mean he would be forgotten . . . Moreover, in pagan societies there would be no one to perform the rites that would allow his spirit to rest peacefully in the next world. The names of Assyrian noblemen who fell out of favor were erased from their monuments, and even the names of discredited kings and gods were chipped from carvings in Egypt” (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary). The second judgment is that his idols and images would be removed from the temple (Zch 13:2), so that the Assyrian gods would no longer be worshiped and would be angry with him in the afterlife. The statement also implies the Lord’s superiority over the Assyrian gods, from whom kingship was thought to be bestowed. The third judgment may involve not only the king’s death, but also the desecration of his grave.

1:15 John Oswalt (The Book of Isaiah Chapters 40-66, commenting on the parallel image in Is 52:7) describes the scene portrayed as “a besieged city breathlessly awaiting the news of the outcome of a decisive conflict. If the news is victory, they are delivered; if the news is defeat, all is lost. Suddenly, on a distant hill a runner is seen. What is the news? As he comes nearer it can be seen that he is waving a victory palm and not so much running as dancing. The Lord has won! Let the singing begin!”