Nahum 3

or injurious dealings, against Jacob, and the pride against Israel; i. e. he will requite the injuries and oppressions which Sennacherib and Shalmaneser, tho kings of Assyria, have exercised upon Judah and Israel. Tliis interpretation agrees better with the seppe of the text, than that which most translators follow, and suits very well with the Hebrew idiom. Compare Joel iii. 19. Habak. ii. 8. 17. Obad. vcr. 10. where the second of two substantives is taken in the same sense by our translators., For the emptiers have emptied them out, and marred their - vine-branches.] The Assyrian conquerors have plundered them of all their wealth, and bereaved them of their children, often compared in Scripture to branches. (See particularly, Gen. xlix. 22. compared with Deut. xxxiii. 17.) Vcr. 3. The shield of his mighty men is red, the valiant men are in scarlet.] This may be understood cither of the colour of their shields and clothes when they were made, or of their being died in blood afterward. (Compare Isa. lxiii. 2.) • The chariots shall be with flaming torcJtes in the day of his preparation.] Or, Like flaming torches. (See the following verse.) The Hebrew particles betk and caph, as they are alike in figure, so they are often in signification. (See Noldius, p. 162.) Thus those words of Isaiah, xlviii. 10. might be best translated, I have refined thee, but not as silver; i. e. riot’with “so fierce a fire. And the fir-trees * shall be terribly shaken.] The spears and lances made of fir, and which were so long and large, that they looked like so many trees. See the Argument of the foregoing chapter. Vcr. 1. rrOE to the bloody city, &c] Where princes and great men shed innocent blood to enrich themselves with the spoils of the slain. (Compare Ezek. xxii. 2, 3. xxiv. 6—9.) Tlie prey departeth not.] They are still increasing their conquests by ruin and oppression, till it will come to their own turn to be spoiled and conquered. (Compare Isa. xxxiii. 1.) *

Nahum 3:2

TJie noise of a whip, &c. See ii. 3, 4. and compare Jer. xlvii. 3.

Nahum 3:4

The chariots shall rage in the streets. They shall drive furiously against one another; as it follows. Tliey shall seem like torches, they shall ran like the light* nings.] They shall resemble flames or lightning in their swiftness, and their wheels continually striking fire out of the stones and pavements of the streets. (See iii. 2.) Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the well-favoured harlot, &c] Great cities are often called harlots, upon the account of those vices which prevail in them, and infect others by their example. (See Isa. xxiii. 16.) Tlie mistress of witchcrafts.] The arts of luxury which are encouraged in such places are called witchcrafts, because they have a sort of charm in them to draw others aside. (Compare Isa. xlvii. 9. Rev. xviii. 23.) Tliat selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts.] That makes whole nations a prey to their enemies, by teaching them the arts of softijess and effeminacy, and so rendering them weak and defenceless. Families are equivalent to kingdoms. (See the note upon Jer. i. 15. and compare Amos iii. 2. Zech. xiv. 18.)

Nahum 3:5

He shall recount his worthies: [but. they shall stumble iii their walk.] The king of Nineveh shall muster together his choicest troops;’ but they shall be disordered, and give way, or be discomfited, as they march against the enemy. Tliey shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defence shall be prepared.] On, the other side, the besiegers shall make their regular approaches towards the walls of Nineveh, and prepare their defences against the assaults of the besieged. Ver. G. The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved.] Or, melt. At length the enemies shall possess themselves of all the avenues towards’the several streams of the river Tigris, and so become masters of the city. This shall make the heart of the king and all his court to melt for fear, and quite lose all their courage. To this serisd the Chaldee paraphrase explains the latter part of the verse. Vcr. 7. Huzzab shall be led away captive, she shall be brought up.] Rather, removed, ortaken away. (Compare Jcr. xlviii. 15. Psal. cii. 24.) By Huzzab, the Chaldee understands the queen of Nineveh: but the word may probably mean Nineveh itself; the word denoting a strong or impregnable fortress. Her maids shall lead her as with the voice of doves, &c] Nineveh is described as a great princess carried captive with her maids of honour attending her, and bewailing her’s and their condition, with beating their breasts, and other expressions of lamentation; denoting the lesser cities under their jurisdiction, that should be sharers witli her in the same calamity. So Babylon is represented as a tender and delicate lady, undergoing the hardships of a captivity. Isa. xlviii. 1. 5. 7, 8. As with the voice of doves.] Birds remarkable for their melancholy note. (Compare Isa. xxxviii. 14. lix. 11.) i I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, &c] I will send thee into captivity naked and bare. (See Isa. xx. 4. 8. xlvii. 2, 3. Jer. xiii. 22. Micah i. 11.)* Thus will I expose thy shame to the world; which was a punishment often inflicted upon harlots. (See the note upon Ezek. xvi. 37.) *

Nahum 3:6

J will cast abominable filth upon thee, &c. I will deprive thee of all thine ornaments, and will cover thee with shame and reproach, and make a public example of thee. Such was the usage that common prostitutes met with. (See Ezek. xxiii. 25, 26.)

Nahum 3:7

All that look upon thee shall flee from thee. As being atfrighted at the sight of thy dismal condition. Wlxo will bemoanher? whence shall I seek comforters for her?] An allusion to the lamentations used at funerals, and performed by persons hired for that purpose. (Seethe notes upon Jer. ix. 17, 18. Ezek. xxviii. 2.) The words imply, that if we seek for any mourners to perform this office over departing Nineveh, none will be found to do it; every one rejoicing over her destruction.

Nahum 3:8

But [or, surely. Nineveh is of old as a pool of waters: yet they shall flee away.] The’words may be translated, The waters of Nineveh are as a pool of waters; i.,e. as the city is well watered by being situated upon the river Tigris, so it is vastly populous. A multitude is elsewhere compared to many waters. (SceJer. Ii, 13. Rev. xvii.l. 15.) But they shall all flee for fear of the enemy, and run away like water. (Compare Psal. Iviii. 7.) The sense in the LXX. of Dr. Grabe’s edition runs very clear, if it can be reconciled with the original, Nineveh is like a pool of water; waters are her wall, or defence.. Stand, stand, shall they cry, &c] When the commanders bid them stand to their arms, none shall turn back to make head against the enemy, but shall shift for themselves as fast as they can. (See ver. 10. iii. 17*) Art thou better than populous No?] Which was sacked, and its inhabitants made captives, as it follows. The Hebrew reads, No Ammon; the same city which is called Hammon No, Ezek. xxx. 15. and Ammon Minnu, Jer. xlvi. 25. where our English reads, the multitude of No, as it does render it populous No here; though the place probably took its name from Ham, the founder of the Egyptian kingdom, (thence called the land of Ham, PsaL cvi. 22.) who was worshipped there under the name of Jupiter Hammon: accordingly the LXX. render it Diospolis, upon that place of Jeremiah: it was likewise called Tliebes by Homer, who describes it as famous for its hundred gates. Tliat was situate among the rivers, &c] Which was defended by the river Nile on the one side, and the Red Sea cm the other, as by so many walls and ramparts.

Nahum 3:9

Take the spoil of silver, &c. The enemy may easily plunder the city of all its riches and costly furniture, for there is none to make any resistance. Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength.] Dr. Prideaux’s Scripture History, under the fifteenth of Hezckiah, with great reason supposes this calamity to have been* brought upon No by Sennacherib, about three years before he besieged Jerusalem, in the time of Hezckiah. At that time Sevechus, the son of Sabaccon, or So, mentioned t 2 Kings xvii. 4. was king both of Egypt and Ethiopia; so they arc mentioned here as confederates, and Isaiah foretells that they should be vanquished by Sargon, or Sennacherib: Isa. xx. 4. Whereas the destruction of No, foretold by Jeremiah, xlvi. 25. and Ezekiel, xxx. 14. was, after this, brought to pass by Nebuchadnezzar. Put and Lubim were thy helpers.] Put, or Phut, is rendered Libya by our translators, Ezek. xxx. 5. and the Libyans, Jer. xlvi. 9. but this text proves that they were a distinct people. Phut probably denotes Mauritania. (See Bochart’s Phaleg. lib. iv. cap. 33.)

Nahum 3:10

She is empty; and the heart melteth. The inhabitants have no heart nor courage to defend themselves, (see iii. 13.) but leave the city to be plundered and laid waste by the enemy. • Tlie knees smite together, &c] Expressions of much fear, and terrible apprehensions of the approaching evils. (Compare Jer. xxx. 6. Dan. v. 6. Joel ii. 6.) Vcr. 11, 12. Where is the dwelling of the lion, and feeding-place of the young lions?’ &c] What is become of the stately palaces of tho king and princes of Nineveh, who like so many lions preyed upon the neighbouring countries, and enriched their city with spoils they took from others? (Compare Jobiv. 10, 11. Psal. xxxiv. 10. Ezek. xix. 2. 7.) The lion — strangled for his lionesses, &c] The lions provide food for the females, till their young ones are able to shift for themselves. Verl 13. I will burn their chariots in the smoke.] They shall be destroyed in the fire which consumes the city. (See iii. 15.) Tlie sivord shall devour the young lions, &c] See ver. 12. And the voice’of thy messengers shall no more be heard.] Thou shalt no more send ambassadors to distant countries, either to encourage thine allies, or to terrify thine enemies. (See Isa. xviii. 2.) They cast lots for her honourable men.] The conquerors used to cast lots what captives should come to each man’s share. (See Joel iii. 3. Obad. ver. 11.)..

Nahum 3:11

Thou shall be drunken. See i. 10. Thou shall be hid, thou also shalt seek strength, because of the enemy.] Or, Thou shalt repair to thy fortress, because of the enemy. Thou shalt not dare to shew thyself to the enemy, but shalt betake thyself to thy munitions (secli. 1.) and places of strength. (Compare ver. 13. 17.)

Nahum 3:12

All thy strong holds shall be like fig-trees with the first ripe figs, &c. As figs drop off when they are ripe, so shall thy strong holds fall into the enemy’s hands, upon the first assault.

Nahum 3:13

The gates of thy land shall be set wide openunto thine enemies, &c. The several passages by which the enemy may invade thee shall be left defenceless: (see ii. 1.) so that they may easily set on fire thy fortifications.

Nahum 3:14

Draw the waters for the siege. In order to maintain the siege. Go into the clay, and tread the mortar, make strong [or repair] the brick-kiln.] In order to repair the breaches of thy walls, or make new ones within, if the old ones should be taken by the enemy. In those coim tries they used brick instead of stone. (See Gen. xi. 3.)

Nahum 3:15

Tliere the fire shall devour thee. Whilst thou art repairing the old fortifications, or making new ones, the enemy shall set thy works on fire. The -particle sjtam, there, may signify then. (SccNoldius, p. 767.) It shall eat thee up like the canker-ivorm,] The sword of thine enemies, who shall be as numerous and destructive as locusts, or canker-worms, shall destroy thee. (See Joel i.4.) Make thyself many as the canker-worm, &c] Though thou multiply thine armies, like locusts or caterpillars, yet the enemy shall destroy them.

Nahum 3:16

The canker-worm spoileth and flieth away. As the locusts destroy the fruits of the earth, and fly away to another place, so shall thy soldiers pillage all the wealth thou hast gained by traffic, and then leave thee. •Ver. 17. Thy crowned are as the locusts, &c] The word Minnazaraik may be literally rendered tM Nazarites: that title is given to persons remarkable for their youth and beauty, (Lam. iv. 7. see the note upon Amos ii. 11.) and so may not improperly^ applied to the officers in the Ninevitcs’ army: these the prophqt compares to locusts and grasshoppers, both for their number, (see ver. 15.) and for another quality, that they shun the heat of battle, just as the grasshoppers do the heat of the sun. Tliy captains.] The Hebrew word is Taphsirox Tiphsar, as it is read Jer. Ii. 27. which some suppose to be derived from the Persian word Satrapas, the letters being transposed, i

Nahum 3:18

Tliy shepherds slumber, king of Assyria: thy