Naum 3:11

11 And thou shalt be drunken, and shalt be overlooked; and thou shalt seek for thyself strength because of enemies.

Naum 3:11 Meaning and Commentary

Nahum 3:11

Thou also shalt be drunken
This is said to Nineveh, whose turn would be next to drink of the cup of the wrath of God, and be inebriated with it, so that they should not know where they were, or what they did; and be as unable to guide and help themselves as a drunken man. So the Targum,

``thou also shalt be like to a drunken man;''

this was literally true of Nineveh when taken; see ( Nahum 1:10 ) : thou shalt be hid;
or, "thou shall be", as if thou wast not; as Nineveh is at this day, "hid" from the sight of men, not to be seen any more. So the Targum,

``thou shall be swallowed up or destroyed.''

The Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and Arabic versions, render it "despised"; or the meaning is, she should "hide herself" ^F23; or be lurking about through shame, as drunken, or through fear of her enemies: thou also shall seek strength because of the enemy;
seek to others to help them against the enemy, not being able with their own strength to face them: or, seek strength "of the enemy" ^F24; beg their lives of him, and their bread; pray for quarter, and desire to be taken under his protection; to so low and mean a state and condition should Nineveh and its inhabitants be reduced, who had given laws to all about them, and had been a terror to them.

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FOOTNOTES:

F23 (hmlen) "latitans", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "abscondes te", Vatablus; "eris abscondita", Burkius.
F24 (bywam) (ex ecyrwn) , Sept.; "ab hoste", Montanus, Calvin, Drusius, Grotius, Cocceius.

Naum 3:11 In-Context

9 And Ethiopia is her strength, and Egypt; and there was no limit of the flight ; and the Libyans became her helpers.

10 Yet she shall go as a prisoner into captivity, and they shall dash her infants against the ground at the top of all her ways: and they shall cast lots upon all her glorious , and all her nobles shall be bound in chains.

11 And thou shalt be drunken, and shalt be overlooked; and thou shalt seek for thyself strength because of enemies.

12 All thy strong-holds are as fig-trees having watchers: if they be shaken, they shall fall into the mouth of the eater.

13 Behold, thy people within thee are as women: the gates of thy land shall surely be opened to thine enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars.