Nahum 2
1 He that dasheth in pieces is come up before thy face: keep the munition, watch the way, make thy loins strong, fortify thy power mightily.
2 For the LORD hath turned away the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel: for the emptiers have emptied them out, and marred their vine branches.
3 The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are in scarlet: the chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of his preparation, and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken.
4 The chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall justle one against another in the broad ways: they shall seem like torches, they shall run like the lightnings.
5 He shall recount his worthies: they shall stumble in their walk; they shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defence shall be prepared.
6 The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved.
7 And Huzzab shall be led away captive, she shall be brought up, and her maids shall lead her as with the voice of doves, tabering upon their breasts.
8 But Nineveh is of old like a pool of water: yet they shall flee away. Stand, stand, shall they cry; but none shall look back.
9 Take ye the spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold: for there is none end of the store and glory out of all the pleasant furniture.
10 She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness.
11 Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feedingplace of the young lions, where the lion, even the old lion, walked, and the lion's whelp, and none made them afraid?
12 The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his holes with prey, and his dens with ravin.
13 Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions: and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard.
World Behind This Chapter
Explore the people, places, language, history, and material world connected to Nahum 2.
Does Nahum 2 describe the actual fall of Nineveh in 612 BCE?
The chapter’s imagery fits an ancient city under assault, and Nineveh did fall in 612 BCE. Yet the poem names no attacking coalition and compresses battle into stylized scenes, so scholars debate whether it anticipates the fall, celebrates it, or was shaped after it.
What were Nineveh’s “river gates”?
Nineveh was crossed by the Khosr River and bordered by the Tigris, with canals and hydraulic works serving the city. The phrase may refer to literal water-related gates, flood defenses, or poetic imagery; no single identification commands agreement.
Why does the chapter end with lions?
Assyrian kings repeatedly used lion imagery in royal art and ideology. Nahum recasts Nineveh as a lion’s den emptied of prey, turning a symbol of imperial strength into a closing taunt.
Sources to ExploreCurated research paths for this chapter 3
Maps & Timeline1
- The Ancient City of NinevehUNESCO World Heritage Centre
Overview of Nineveh’s archaeological mounds, city walls, gates, palaces, temples, and position beside the Tigris. This geographical and architectural context helps readers visualize Nahum’s references to river defenses, breached gates, royal buildings, chariots, and a once-crowded imperial city.
Language & Literature1
- Nahum 2: Texts in ConversationIntertextual Bible
Collects connections involving approaching messengers, shattered defenses, red shields, rushing chariots, opened river gates, melting hearts, plundered wealth, lion imagery, and the reversal of Assyria’s former violence.
Artifacts & Manuscripts1
- Assyrian Siege of a Fortified CityThe Metropolitan Museum of Art
Visible Neo-Assyrian palace relief from Nineveh showing soldiers climbing ladders while archers attack a fortified city. Although it portrays Assyrian conquest rather than Nineveh’s defeat, it illustrates the siege tactics, shields, walls, and organized military violence reversed against Assyria in Nahum 2.
WORTH A CLOSER LOOK
Read the chronicle that records Nineveh’s fall
British Museum tablet BM 21901 records the Babylonian-Median campaign and the capture of Nineveh in 612 BCE. The linked page provides an open English translation of the surviving lines; the tablet remains an independent Mesopotamian account, not a commentary on Nahum.
View the object
Public Discussion
Your display name and comment can be seen by anyone visiting this chapter. Do not include private or sensitive information. Read the Community Guidelines.
You must be logged in to post a comment.