Nahum 3

Woe to the city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder, never without victims! The crack of whips, the clatter of wheels, galloping horses and jolting chariots! Nahum 3:1-2

Boice comments: “When Nahum calls Nineveh a ‘city of blood,’ his words are a massive understatement. In all the ancient world, no single city had matched the Assyrian capital for its calculated cruelty.” [1] Many atrocities are pictured in Nineveh’s inscriptions. As mentioned, they stretched the skins of their enemies on the city walls; they impaled their prisoners on stakes; they cut off limbs; they burned thousands alive in the fire; they cut off fingers, noses, ears, and put out the eyes of their enemies. They beheaded many and hung their heads around the city. [2] Pfeiffer says, “Nineveh was founded and maintained on murder, bloodshed, and constant warfare…truce-breaking was all too common. Extortion and violence were the order of the day…The later history of Assyria is one of almost uninterrupted warfare.” [3]

Pett brings all this up to the present, saying: “This could describe many of our modern cities today, their lives a constant pretense and show, their wealth built on the poverty of others. Why should their inhabitants escape the fate of Nineveh?” [4]

Amazingly, the prophet could clearly see and perceive all this. He could even hear the whips cracking, the chariot wheels clattering, and the horses galloping in this future battle. It is like an eyewitness account of the city’s destruction. Guthrie says, “These verses are a superlative example of Nahum’s powers of description, and form one of the most vivid battle scenes in Hebrew literature.” [5] We have to conclude that Nahum has some of the clearest prophecies in all of Scripture.

“Charging cavalry, flashing swords and glittering spears! Many casualties, piles of dead, bodies without number, people stumbling over the corpses – all because of the wanton lust of a prostitute, alluring, the mistress of sorceries, who enslaved nations by her prostitution and peoples by her witchcraft” (3:3-4). “Archaeologists have confirmed that the people of Nineveh practiced witchcraft…Hundreds of sorcery incantations have been brought to light.” [6] Nahum continues with his very accurate prophetic description. There will be swords, spears, and piles of the dead. People will even be stumbling over dead bodies.

Utley says, “The Assyrian king, Shalmaneser III, boasted of erecting a pyramid of chopped-off heads in front of an enemy’s city. Other Assyrian kings stacked corpses like cord wood by the gates of defeated cities.’ What they did to others has now come home to them.” [7]

The shedding of innocent blood was a serious matter as we see in many Scriptures (Deut. 19:11-13; 2 Ki. 21:16; 24:4; Psa. 106:38; Prov. 6:16-17; Isa. 59:7). The shedding of blood brings a curse upon the ground (Gen. 4:9-12). With much innocent bloodshed in the US, we can understand why we are now beginning to have problems with our farming.

Nineveh abounded with idols. Phillips says, “And gross immorality always accompanies idolatry.” [8] The lure of sexual immorality was no doubt one of the big reasons why idolatry flourished throughout the ancient world and even in Israel. Wiersbe says, “People become like the god that they worship (Psa. 115:8), for what we believe determines how we behave.” [9] Numerous were the ancient temples that offered sacred prostitutes for their worship. Ishtar was the patroness of sex. “She had offered occult practices, sexual perversion, false religion, political favor and indecent wealth in a poor and struggling world.” [10]

“‘I am against you,’ declares the LORD Almighty. ‘I will lift your skirts over your face. I will show the nations your nakedness and the kingdoms your shame. I will pelt you with filth, I will treat you with contempt and make you a spectacle’” (3:5-6). Nahum is repeating the curse he had first mentioned in 2:13. What can a person or nation do when the Almighty God is against them?

We seem to have some ancient punishments mentioned here. Clarke says, “It was an ancient, though not a laudable custom, to strip prostitutes naked, or throw their clothes over their heads, and expose them to public view, and public execration. This verse alludes to such a custom.” [11]

God does declare that he will bring all secret things into judgment (Eccl. 12:14). We see that prostitutes or those caught in adultery in the Bible were sometimes treated this way (Jer. 13: 22, 26; Ezek. 16:36-37; Hos. 2:3, 8-9). However, in Assyria’s custom this was often the method of treating female captives. [12]

Clarke further describes their shameful practices: “They put such women in the pillory as a gazing-stock; and then, children and others threw mud, dirt, and filth of all kinds at them.” [13] Nineveh was about to become a gazing-stock for all of the nations.

“All who see you will flee from you and say, ‘Nineveh is in ruins – who will mourn for her?’ Where can I find anyone to comfort you?” (3:7). Historical records indicate that thousands of people fled Nineveh. So many of the people and leaders fled that they were able to found a new, temporary capital at Haran. That capital did not last. No one had time to mourn since all were escaping for their lives.

Thebes, An Early Picture Of Nineveh’s Fall

Are you better than Thebes, situated on the Nile, with water around her? The river was her defense, the waters her wall. Nahum 3:8

Thebes, or No-Amon in the Hebrew, was also a great city. It was the capital city of southern Egypt. Phillips says, “The might of all Egypt and Ethiopia was concentrated at Thebes.” [14] Like Nineveh, Thebes was also located around water. Thebes was a greatly fortified city. “The important Greek poet Homer spoke of it as having one hundred gates.” [15] Not only was it greatly fortified, but Thebes had many friends and allies, while Nineveh had none that were faithful. Thebes was the great capital city of the Pharaohs of the Eighteenth to the Twentieth Dynasties. [16] Nevertheless, the Assyrians under Ashurbanipal captured and destroyed the city in 663 BC.

The ruins of Thebes with all its gigantic monuments are a prime tourist attraction in Egypt today. Thebes was Egypt’s great religious center honoring the solar god Amon. The city was home to some of the world’s greatest monuments honoring the dead, the living, and the divine.

Like Nineveh, the overthrow of Thebes was also foretold in Scripture (Jer. 46:25 and Ezek. 30:14-16). Thebes, like Nineveh, was also weakened by idolatry. The Egyptians had all kinds of gods, including cows, cats, and crocodiles. [17]

“Cush and Egypt were her boundless strength; Put and Libya were among her allies. Yet she was taken captive and went into exile. Her infants were dashed to pieces at every street corner. Lots were cast for her nobles, and all her great men were put in chains” (3:9-10). We remember that it was customary for the Assyrians to remove and replace populations of captured nations. Since babies and small children could not travel well, they were simply murdered, and that in a very cruel manner. Leaders were humiliated and chained together like animals. Many times, rings or hooks were put in their noses. In 2 Chronicles 33:1, captured King Manasseh was treated in just this fashion by the Babylonians.

“You too will become drunk; you will go into hiding and seek refuge from the enemy” (3:11). Nahum, with his unique gift of prophecy, could see that Nineveh would follow the path of Thebes. She would be destroyed, and her people would go into hiding. However, Nineveh would never be a tourist site. Nineveh would be buried in the dust and lost for the many centuries to come.

Pictures Of Weakness

All your fortresses are like fig trees with their first ripe fruit; when they are shaken, the figs fall into the mouth of the eater. Look at your troops – they are all weaklings. The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire has consumed the bars of your gates.” Nahum 3:12-13

Clarke says, “the first-ripe figs, when at full maturity, fell from the tree with the least shake; and so, at the first shake or consternation, all the fortresses of Nineveh were abandoned.” [18] All this reminds us of Isaiah’s description of the day of the Lord: “Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. Because of this, all hands will go limp, every heart will melt with fear. Terror will seize them, pain and anguish will grip them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at each other, their faces aflame” (Isa. 13:6-8). A similar thing would one day happen to mighty Babylon. “Babylon’s warriors have stopped fighting; they remain in their strongholds. Their strength is exhausted; they have become weaklings. Her dwellings are set on fire; the bars of her gates are broken” (Jer. 51:30).

“Draw water for the siege, strengthen your defenses! Work the clay, tread the mortar, repair the brickwork!” (3:14). A good water supply was an absolute necessity for a long siege. We sense that Nineveh is almost in a panic mode with their preparations. We also sense that their defense efforts are much too late.

Clarke describes the manner of making bricks. He says, “They dug up the clay, kneaded it properly by treading, mixed it with straw or coarse grass, molded the bricks, and dried them in the sun… They are compact and very hard, but wholly soluble in water.” [19] It was the water, floods of it, that would bring down a large section of the wall and allow access to the enemy.

“There the fire will consume you; the sword will cut you down – they will devour you like a swarm of locusts. Multiply like grasshoppers, multiply like locusts!” (3:15). There is much historical evidence that Nineveh was completely burned. We spoke earlier about how the king and his companions constructed a funeral pyre and burned themselves to death. Really, the whole city was burned. Guzik notes: “The excavators of Nineveh have remarked on the large deposits of ash, which are evidence of a gigantic conflagration.” [20] Feinberg adds, “Ancient historians indicate that Nineveh was destroyed by fire, and modern findings confirm it.” [21] Phillips remarks, “God always rewards apostasy with catastrophe.” [22] Nineveh’s many enemies would act like a swarm of locusts and devour everything before them.

“You have increased the number of your merchants till they are more numerous than the stars in the sky, but like locusts they strip the land and then fly away” (3:16). Nineveh was astride a great caravan route with the Tigris River giving access to the sea. The wealth of nations flowed through her and also the merchants flocked to the city. [23] Unfortunately, the merchants were most interested in fleeing with their wealth and not in defending the city. “So the men who were attracted to Nineveh by self-interest will take flight in every direction, when her evil day comes.” [24]

“Your guards are like locusts, your officials like swarms of locusts that settle in the walls on a cold day – but when the sun appears they fly away, and no one knows where” (3:17). It seems that Nahum could not get the picture of locusts out of his mind. Now he calls the guards locusts. They cling to the walls like locusts might do on a cold day. Then when they have the opportunity, they flee away from their posts. Utley says, “Grasshoppers are immobile in cold weather, and this was a striking metaphor for Nahum’s purposes.” [25]

“King of Assyria, your shepherds slumber; your nobles lie down to rest. Your people are scattered on the mountains with no one to gather them. Nothing can heal you; your wound is fatal. All who hear the news about you clap their hands at your fall, for who has not felt your endless cruelty?” (3:18-19). Nineveh was such a wicked city that with her fall people everywhere clapped their hands in glee. There was no hope for the city, just as there would be no hope for wicked cities in the future. As Psalm 73:19 says, “How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!” It is said of him in Psalm 9:5, “You have rebuked the nations and destroyed the wicked; you have blotted out their name for ever and ever.”

In all his actions God’s name is to be praised. While God destroys the wicked, he saves and protects the obedient, whether it be nations or individuals. May we learn that lesson well in the story of Nineveh.

Footnotes

1. Boice, The Minor Prophets, Vol. 2, p. 381.

2. Ibid., pp. 381-382.

3. Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 867.

4. Pett, Pett’s Commentary on the Bible, Commentary on Nahum, vs. 3:1-3.

5. Guthrie, et. al., The New Bible Commentary: Revised, p. 765.

6. Boice, The Minor Prophets, Vol. 2, p. 382.

7. Utley, Free Bible Commentary, Nahum, v. 3:3.

8. Phillips, Exploring The Minor Prophets, p. 195.

9. Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, OT, p. 1466.

10. Pett, Pett’s Commentary on the Bible, Commentary on Nahum, v. 3:4.

11. Clarke, The Adam Clarke Commentary, Commentary on Nahum, v. 3:5.

12. Quoted in Coffman, Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible, Commentary on Nahum, v. 3:5.

13. Clarke, The Adam Clarke Commentary, Commentary on Nahum, v. 3:6.

14. Phillips, Exploring The Minor Prophets, p. 196.

15. Pfeiffer & Harrison, The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 868.

16. Feinberg, The Minor Prophets, p. 199.

17. Phillips, Exploring The Minor Prophets, p. 196.

18. Clarke, The Adam Clarke Commentary, Commentary on Nahum, v. 3:12.

19. Ibid., v. 3:14.

20. Quoted in Guzik, Enduring Word Bible Commentary, Nahum, vs. 3:12-15.

21. Feinberg, The Minor Prophets, p. 201.

22. Phillips, Exploring The Minor Prophets, p. 199.

23. Ibid., p.198.

24. Guthrie, et. al., The New Bible Commentary: Revised, p. 766.

25. Utley, Free Bible Commentary, Nahum, v. 3:17.