Nahum 3:6-16

6 And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile , and will set thee as a gazingstock.
7 And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say , Nineveh is laid waste : who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?
8 Art thou better than populous * No, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the sea?
9 Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite * ; Put and Lubim were thy helpers.
10 Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity: her young children also were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets: and they cast lots for her honourable men , and all her great men were bound in chains.
11 Thou also shalt be drunken : thou shalt be hid , thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy .
12 All thy strong holds shall be like fig trees with the firstripe figs: if they be shaken , they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater .
13 Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies : the fire shall devour thy bars.
14 Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter, make strong the brickkiln.
15 There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off , it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm: make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts.
16 Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth , and flieth away .

Nahum 3:6-16 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO NAHUM 3

In this chapter is contained the prophecy of the destruction of Nineveh, and with it the whole Assyrian empire; the causes of which, besides those before mentioned, were the murders, lies, and robberies it was full of, Na 3:1 for which it should be swiftly and cruelly destroyed, Na 3:2,3 as also its whoredoms and witchcrafts, or idolatry, by which nations and families were seduced, Na 3:4 and hence she should be treated as a harlot, her nakedness exposed, and she cast out with contempt, and mocked at by all, Na 3:5-7 and all those things she placed her confidence in are shown to be of no avail; as her situation and fortresses, as she might learn from the case of No Amon, Na 3:8-12 nor the number of her inhabitants, which were weak as women; nor even her merchants, captains, nobles, and king himself, Na 3:13-18 nor the people she was in alliance with, who would now mock at her, her case being irrecoverable and incurable, Na 3:19.

Footnotes 3

  • [a]. populous...: or, nourishing, etc: Heb. No Amon
  • [b]. thy helpers: Heb. in thy help
  • [c]. spoileth: or, spreadeth himself
The King James Version is in the public domain.