THE LORD IS ANGRY WITH NINEVEH

1 The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

2 God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.

3 The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

4 He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth.

5 The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.

6 Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.

7 The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.

8 But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies.

9 What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.

10 For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.

11 There is one come out of thee, that imagineth evil against the LORD, a wicked counsellor.

12 Thus saith the LORD; Though they be quiet, and likewise many, yet thus shall they be cut down, when he shall pass through. Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more.

13 For now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder.

14 And the LORD hath given a commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sown: out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven image and the molten image: I will make thy grave; for thou art vile.

15 Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.

1 The burden of Nineueh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

2 God is ielous, and the Lord reuengeth: the Lord reuengeth, and is furious, the Lord wil take vengeance on his aduersaries, and he reserueth wrath for his enemies.

3 The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlewind, and in the storme, and the clouds are the dust of his feete.

4 He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it drie, and drieth vp all the riuers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the floure of Lebanon languisheth.

5 The mountaines quake at him, and the hilles melt, and the earth is burnt at his presence, yea the world and all that dwell therein.

6 Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fiercenesse of his anger? his furie is powred out like fire, and the rocks are throwen downe by him.

7 The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble, & he knoweth them that trust in him.

8 But with an ouer-running flood he will make an vtter ende of the place thereof, and darkenesse shall pursue his enemies.

9 What doe ye imagine against the Lord ? he will make an vtter ende: affliction shall not rise vp the second time.

10 For while they be folden together as thornes, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be deuoured as stubble fully drie.

11 There is one come out of thee, that imagineth euill against the Lord: a wicked counseller.

12 Thus saith the Lord, Though they be quiet, and likewise many, yet thus shall they be cut downe, when he shall passe through: though I haue afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more.

13 For now will I breake his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder.

14 And the Lord hath giuen a commandement concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sowen: out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the grauen image, and the molten image, I wil make thy graue, for thou art vile.

15 Behold vpon the mountaines the feete of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace. O Iudah keepe thy solemne feasts, performe thy vowes: for the wicked shall no more passe through thee, he is vtterly cut off.

I == Zeph 2:13

 

II == Ex 20:5 ; 34:14 ; Deut 4:24 ; 32:35

 

 

III == Ex 34:6-7 ; Job 9:4

 

 

 

IV == Ps 106:9 ; Isa 33:9 ; 50:2 ; Matt 8:26

 

V == Judg 5:5 ; Ps 68:8 ; 97:5 ; Mic 1:4 ; 2nd Peter 3:10

 

VI == Mal 3:2 ; Rev 16:1

 

 

VII == 1st Chr 16:34 ; Ps 1:6 ; 100:5 ; Jer 33:11 ; Lam 3:25 ; 2nd Tim 2:19

VIII == Dan 9:26 ; 11:10 , 22 , 40

 

IX == 1st Sam 3:12 ; Ps 2:1

 

X == 2nd Sam 23:6-7 ; Nah 3:11 ; Mal 4:1

 

XI == 2nd Kings 19:22-23

 

 

XII == 2nd Kings 19:35 , 37 ; Isa 8:8 ; Dan 11:10

 

 

XIII == Jer 2:20 ; 30:8

 

 

 

 

 

XV == Isa 52:7

1 Oracle about Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum of Elkosh.

2 A jealous and avenging God is the LORD, an avenger is the LORD, and angry; The LORD brings vengeance on his adversaries, and lays up wrath for his enemies;

3 The LORD is slow to anger, yet great in power, and the LORD never leaves the guilty unpunished. In hurricane and tempest is his path, and clouds are the dust at his feet;

4 He rebukes the sea and leaves it dry, and all the rivers he dries up. Withered are Bashan and Carmel, and the bloom of Lebanon fades;

5 The mountains quake before him, and the hills dissolve; The earth is laid waste before him, the world and all who dwell in it.

6 Before his wrath, who can stand firm, and who can face his blazing anger? His fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are rent asunder before him.

7 The LORD is good, a refuge on the day of distress; He takes care of those who have recourse to him,

8 when the flood rages; He makes an end of his opponents, and his enemies he pursues with darkness.

9 What are you imputing to the LORD? It is he who will make an end! The enemy shall not rise a second time;

10 As when a tangle of thornbushes is set aflame, like dry stubble, they shall be utterly consumed.

12 For, says the LORD, be they ever so many and so vigorous, still they shall be mown down and disappear. Though I have humbled you, I will humble you no more.

13 Now will I break his yoke from off you, and burst asunder your bonds.

11 From you he came who devised evil against the LORD, the scoundrel planner.

14 The LORD has commanded regarding you: no descendant shall come to bear your name; From your temple I will abolish the carved and the molten image; I will make your grave a mockery.

v 1. Ninevah was founded by Nimrod and the armies were notoriously cruel. In their own writings they tell of cutting off people’s hands, beheading victims and making a pillar of heads outside the city, cutting a hole in a king’s jaw,  tying him up to a dog kennel, and many mutilations of the living before their corpses were stacked.
Over a century before, Jonah had preached a message of repentance, but they had returned to such wickedness that Nahum preaches total destruction. His name means comfort, and his message would bring comfort to Judah, that Ninevah in Assyria would finally fall. The fall came about a generation after his message.

v 2. God is slow to anger, but these people harmed His people and mocked Him. Three times in this verse He promises to bring vengeance upon Ninevah.

3-6. God controls the forces of nature, so no nation can stand before Him. In the days of Hezekiah, Sennacherib challenged God and lost 185,000 men one night.

v 7,8. God is good to those who trust Him, but Ninevah would be destroyed by a flood of armies and the flooding Tigris and Khosr, washing away walls to let Babylon in.

v 9-11. In plotting to destroy Jerusalem, Sennacherib was plotting against the Lord. The city felt safe and was drunken and confused when Babylon attacked.

 

v 12-13. “Quiet and likewise many” means “:strong and many”. There are dozen’s of Assyrian records with this approximate wording. Nahum used it to show that though their entire nation joined as one against the Lord, yet He would overcome them.

 

v 14,. Ninevah had desecrated other’s temples, now hers would be destroyed and the whole city brought to the grave, so totally that Alexander the Great went near the site without knowing it was there. In contrast, her destruction would signal peace for Israel. Paul applies the words, Rom. 10:15, to the Gospel of Christ and salvation.