The book of Nachum (Nahum) dramatically portrays God overwhelming Assyria to relieve His oppressed people. It was certainly a harsh message for Israel’s enemies, but for the people of Y’hudah, it was a message of hope. The little prophecy of Nachum, while it is written by a Hebrew against the capital of a Gentile world power (Nineveh), is not a nationalistic treatise, but a denunciation of rampant militarism and tyranny, especially as it affects God’s people. Although God uses pagans to punish His people’s apostasy and sin, the tool itself is also liable to punishment.

The main theme of the book is the impending judgment of Nineveh by the Lord (1:1, 8; 2:8–13; 3:7–19) by which He would deliver His people (1:12–15; cp. vv. 7–8). Adonai would pay back Nineveh and the Assyrians in the same way they had mistreated their enemies. Since they were known for scattering their captives in brutal death marches, the Lord would send a scatterer (2:1) to disperse the Assyrians in retaliation for their cruelty (3:18–19; cp. 3:10). Since the Assyrians delighted in shedding blood and piling up the corpses of their foes, He would transform Nineveh into a city of blood with piles of its own corpses (3:1–3).

1 ¹ This is a prophecy about Ninveh, the book of the vision of Nachum the Elkoshi: ² Adonai is a jealous and vengeful God. Adonai avenges; He knows how to be angry. Adonai takes vengeance on His foes and stores up wrath for His enemies.

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

³ Adonai is slow to anger, but great in power; and He does not leave the guilty unpunished. Adonai’s path is in the whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet.

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 (Exodus 34:7).

⁴ He rebukes the sea and leaves it dry; He dries up all the rivers. Bashan and the Karmel languish; the flower of the L’vanon withers.

Bashan and the Karmel languish (and even the flower of L’vanon (Lebanon) because of a severe drought, parching the most fertile lands in Isra’el (Isaiah 33:9) – from the east, Bashan in Transjordan, to the northwest borders of the storm god Ba’al’s home territory near Mount Carmel and the Lebanon mountains.

⁵ The mountains quake before Him, and the hills dissolve; the earth collapses in His presence, the world and everyone living in it. ⁶ Who can withstand His fury? Who can endure His fierce anger?  His wrath is poured out like fire, the rocks broken to pieces before him. ⁷ Adonai is good, a stronghold in time of trouble; He takes care of those who take refuge in him. ⁸ But with an overwhelming flood, He will make an end of [Ninveh’s] place, and darkness will pursue His enemies.

When He punishes, no one can withstand Him. Yet He takes care of those who take refuge in him. His judgment would sweep like an overflowing flood through Assyria, destroying Nineveh, her capital.

⁹ What are you planning against Adonai? He is making an end [of it]; trouble will not arise a second time. ¹⁰ For like men drunk with liquor, they will be burned up like tangled thorns, like straw completely dry. ¹¹ Out of you, [Ninveh,] He came, one who plots evil against Adonai, who counsels wickedness.

These words are addressed to the Assyrians. God was about to destroy them. The one who plotted evil against the Lord would fall. This probably refers to Sennacherib or to the insolent Rabshakeh.^[1]

¹² Here is what Adonai says: “Though they be many and strong, they will be cut down, they will pass; and though I have made you suffer, I will make you suffer no more. ¹³ Now I will break His yoke from your necks and snap the chains that bind you. ¹⁴ Adonai gave this order concerning you: you will have no descendants to bear your name; from the house of your god I will cut off carved image and cast metal image; I will prepare your grave, because you are worthless.” [2]

Though the Assyrians are currently safe, they will be cut down. Though Isra’el had been afflicted, it will be afflicted no more, for God will break off the Assyrians’ yoke from His people. Next, the Lord addresses the Assyrian king directly. His name would be forgotten, his idol-temple would be pillaged, and the Lord would prepare his grave, because he was worthless.

In your household, you might find tensions rising, possibly due to conflicts or unmet expectations, as in the strained relationships described in Nachum 1. To address this, initiate a family meeting focused on reconciliation. Use this time to openly discuss grievances, listen actively to one another, and pray together for healing. By fostering an environment where communication and forgiveness are prioritized, you can transform your home into a safe haven that reflects God’s love and grace.

In our next post, we will continue to learn about the Prophecy of Nachum (Nahum).

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^[1] William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 1138.

^[2] Nahum 1:1-14.