Nahum 3

Nahum 3:1-19 . REPETITION OF NINEVEH'S DOOM, WITH NEW FEATURES; THE CAUSE IS HER TYRANNY, RAPINE, AND CRUELTY: NO-AMMON'S FORTIFICATIONS DID NOT SAVE HER; IT IS VAIN, THEREFORE, FOR NINEVEH TO THINK HER DEFENSES WILL SECURE HER AGAINST GOD'S SENTENCE.

1. the bloody city!--literally, "city of blood," namely, shed by Nineveh; just so now her own blood is to be shed.
robbery--violence [MAURER]. Extortion [GROTIUS].
the prey departeth not--Nineveh never ceases to live by rapine. Or, the Hebrew verb is transitive, "she (Nineveh) does not make the prey depart"; she ceases not to plunder.

2. The reader is transported into the midst of the fight (compare Jeremiah 47:3 ). The "noise of the whips" urging on the horses (in the chariots) is heard, and of "the rattling of the wheels" of war chariots, and the "horses" are seen "prancing," and the "chariots jumping," &c.

3. horseman--distinct from "the horses" (in the chariots, Nahum 3:2 ).
lifteth up--denoting readiness for fight [EWALD]. GESENIUS translates, "lifteth up (literally, 'makes to ascend') his horse." Similarly MAURER, "makes his horse to rise up on his hind feet." Vulgate translates, "ascending," that is, making his horse to advance up to the assault. This last is perhaps better than English Version.
the bright sword and the glittering spear--literally, "the glitter of the sword and the flash of the spear!" This, as well as the translation, "the horseman advancing up," more graphically presents the battle scene to the eye.
they stumble upon their corpses--The Medo-Babylonian enemy stumble upon the Assyrian corpses.

4. Because of the multitude of the whoredoms--This assigns the reason for Nineveh's destruction.
of the well-favoured harlot--As Assyria was not a worshipper of the true God, "whoredoms" cannot mean, as in the case of Israel, apostasy to the worship of false gods; but, her harlot-like artifices whereby she allured neighboring states so as to subject them to herself. As the unwary are allured by the "well-favored harlot's" looks, so Israel, Judah (for example, under Ahaz, who, calling to his aid Tiglath-pileser, was made tributary by him, 2 Kings 16:7-10 ), and other nations, were tempted by the plausible professions of Assyria, and by the lure of commerce ( Revelation 18:2 Revelation 18:3 ), to trust her.
witchcrafts--( Isaiah 47:9 Isaiah 47:12 ). Alluding to the love incantations whereby harlots tried to dement and ensnare youths; answering to the subtle machinations whereby Assyria attracted nations to her.
selleth--deprives of their liberty; as slaves used to be sold: and in other property also sale was a usual mode of transfer. MAURER understands it of depriving nations of their freedom, and literally selling them as slaves to distant peoples ( Joel 3:2 Joel 3:3 Joel 3:6-8 ). But elsewhere there is no evidence that the Assyrians did this.
families--peoples.

5. I will discover thy skirts upon thy face--that is, discover thy nakedness by throwing up thy skirts upon thy face (the greatest possible insult), pulling them up as as high as thy head ( Jeremiah 13:22 Ezekiel 16:37-41 ). I will treat thee not as a matron, but as a harlot whose shame is exposed; her gaudy finery being lifted up off her ( Isaiah 47:2 Isaiah 47:3 ). So Nineveh shall be stripped of all her glory and defenses on which she prides herself.

6. cast abominable filth upon thee--as infamous harlots used to be treated.
gazing stock--exposed to public ignominy as a warning to others ( Ezekiel 28:17 ).

7. all . . . that look upon thee--when thou hast been made "a gazing stock" ( Nahum 3:6 ).
shall flee from thee--as a thing horrible to look upon. Compare "standing afar off," Revelation 18:10 .
whence shall I seek comforters for thee?--Compare Isaiah 51:19 , which Nahum had before his mind.