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Nahum Chapter
Three
Nahum 3
Chapter Contents
The sins and judgments of Nineveh. (1-7) Its utter
destruction. (8-19)
Commentary on Nahum 3:1-7
(Read Nahum 3:1-7)
When proud sinners are brought down
others should learn
not to lift themselves up. The fall of this great city should be a lesson to
private persons
who increase wealth by fraud and oppression. They are
preparing enemies for themselves; and if the Lord sees good to punish them in
this world
they will have none to pity them. Every man who seeks his own
prosperity
safety
and peace
should not only act in an upright
honourable
manner
but with kindness to all.
Commentary on Nahum 3:8-19
(Read Nahum 3:8-19)
Strong-holds
even the strongest
are no defence against
the judgments of God. They shall be unable to do any thing for themselves. The
Chaldeans and Medes would devour the land like canker-worms. The Assyrians also
would be eaten up by their own numerous hired troops
which seem to be meant by
the word rendered "merchants." Those that have done evil to their
neighbours
will find it come home to them. Nineveh
and many other cities
states
and empires
have been ruined
and should be a warning to us. Are we
better
except as there are some true Christians amongst us
who are a greater
security
and a stronger defence
than all the advantages of situation or
strength? When the Lord shows himself against a people
every thing they trust
in must fail
or prove a disadvantage; but he continues good to Israel. He is a
strong-hold for every believer in time of trouble
that cannot be stormed or
taken; and he knoweth those that trust in Him.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on Nahum》
Nahum 3
Verse 1
[1] Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and
robbery; the prey departeth not;
The prey — Extortion and rapine.
Verse 3
[3] The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the
glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain
and a great number of
carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their
corpses:
The horsemen — The Chaldeans and their
confederates.
Verse 4
[4] Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the
wellfavoured harlot
the mistress of witchcrafts
that selleth nations through
her whoredoms
and families through her witchcrafts.
The whoredom — The idolatries
which were
multiplied by the many people that served the Assyrian idols. And whoredoms
literally understood
did undoubtedly abound
where wealth
luxury
ease
and
long continuance of these were to be found.
Well-favoured — Glorious in their state and
government
and in the splendor of their idols
temples
and sacrifices.
Of witchcrafts — Bewitching policies; or it may be
taken for witchcrafts or necromances
which abounded among the Assyrians.
That selleth — That dispose of them as
imperiously
and absolutely as men do slaves.
And families — This may intimate the seducing of
some particular and eminent families to an hereditary service of the Assyrian
idols
or to witchcrafts
in which the devil imitated God's institution
in
taking a family to his service.
Verse 5
[5] Behold
I am against thee
saith the LORD of hosts; and
I will discover thy skirts upon thy face
and I will shew the nations thy
nakedness
and the kingdoms thy shame.
Discover — l will strip thee naked
and deal with thee as inhuman
soldiers deal with captive women.
Verse 7
[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?
Shall flee — With loathing and abhorrence.
Will bemoan — Whose bowels will be moved for
her that had no bowels for any one.
Verse 8
[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?
Thou — O Nineveh.
No — It is supposed this was what we now called Alexandria.
Art thou greater
stronger
and wiser? Yet all her power was broken
her riches
spoiled
and her glory buried in ruins.
Rampart — The defence of its walls on one side.
Her wall — A mighty
strong wall
built from the sea landward.
Verse 9
[9] Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength
and it was
infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers.
Her strength — Furnishing soldiers and warlike
assistance.
It was infinite — There was no end to their
confidence and warlike provisions.
Put — Or the Moors
who lie westward of Alexandria.
Lubim — The people that inhabited that which is now called
Cyrene.
Verse 11
[11] Thou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid
thou also
shalt seek strength because of the enemy.
Thou also — Thou shalt drink deep of the
bitter cup of God's displeasure.
Hid — Thou shalt hide thyself. O Nineveh
as well as
Alexandria.
Shalt seek — Shalt sue for
and intreat
assistance.
Verse 12
[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.
Ripe figs — Whose weight and ripeness will
bring them quickly to the ground.
Shaken — If but lightly touched.
Verse 13
[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.
Are women — Were very cowards.
The gates — The strong frontiers.
Wide open — Either through fear or treachery.
Thy bars — With which the gates were shut and strengthened.
Verse 14
[14] Draw thee waters for the siege
fortify thy strong
holds: go into clay
and tread the morter
make strong the brickkiln.
Draw thee waters — Fill all thy
cisterns
and draw the waters into the ditches.
Tread the mortar — Set thy brick-makers
on work to prepare store of materials for thy fortifications.
Verse 15
[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.
There — In the very fortresses.
Eat thee — As easily as the canker-worm eats the green herb.
Many — They are innumerable; be thou so if thou canst; all
will be to no purpose.
Verse 16
[16] Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of
heaven: the cankerworm spoileth
and flieth away.
The canker-worm spoileth — So these are like the
canker-worms
which spoil wherever they come
and when no more is to be gotten
flee away.
Verse 17
[17] Thy crowned are as the locusts
and thy captains as the
great grasshoppers
which camp in the hedges in the cold day
but when the sun
ariseth they flee away
and their place is not known where they are.
Thy crowned — Thy confederate kings and
princes.
Captains — Commanders and officers are for number
like locusts
and grasshoppers; but 'tis all for shew
not for help.
In the cool day — While the season suits them.
The sun — When trouble
war
and danger
like the parching sun
scald them.
Is not known — Thou shalt never know where to
find them.
Verse 18
[18] Thy shepherds slumber
O king of Assyria: thy nobles shall
dwell in the dust: thy people is scattered upon the mountains
and no man
gathereth them.
Thy shepherds — Thy rulers and counsellors.
Slumber — Are remiss
heartless
or dead.
No man gathereth — No one will concern
himself to preserve thy dispersed ones.
Verse 19
[19] There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is
grievous: all that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hands over thee: for
upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?
Shall clap the hands — Insulting and
rejoicing.
Thy wickedness — Thy tyranny
pride
oppression
and cruelty; treading down and trampling upon them.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on Nahum》
03 Chapter 3
Verses 1-19
Verse 10
Yet was she carried away
she went into captivity.
Environments
These were certainly close environments; but whence had they come?
From still closer ones
like those of pride and enervating habits among a
luxurious people; from neglect of the higher demands of the spiritual life;
from living too much on the lower plane
which prophets in all ages have warned
against. It did not require miraculous power then to discern what causes would
be sure to produce disintegration of a city or nation. It does not require any
superhuman gift to-day. Every clear seeing mind knows that dissipation will
make nations and individuals weak and easily overcome. Certain courses will
tend to strengthen and fortify; opposite courses will produce final disaster.
There is no power enduring and sufficient but the power of the Spirit; and if
this be neglected there remains
of course
nothing with which to repel
invasions. This is true of a single individual
or of many united. Not the
force from without
but the weakness within
should cause apprehension. We have
often seen good work done in overcoming environments. Hard
crushing
discouraging environments do not hinder brave spirits. There have been crises
in the world’s history when the massed power of dauntless spirit has finally
swept away seemingly immovable environment. It is not in the nature of our
surroundings to hold us caged for ever
or even for this life. There are no
chains for the free spirit. Let us beware of the chains of pride
resentment
envy
of criticism and complaint
and break those that we can break. (Mrs. E. M.
Hickok.)
Which camp in the hedges in the cold day.
Locusts affected by the cold
Paxton and others have remarked that there is much difficulty in
this passage; but to anyone who has attentively watched the habits of the
locusts it is not only plain
but very striking. In the evenings
as soon as
the air became cool
at Aheih
they literally camped in the hedges and loose
stone walls
covering them over like a swarm of bees settled on a bush. There
they remained until the next day’s sun waxed warm
when they again commenced to
march. One of the days on which they were passing was quite cool
and the
locusts scarcely moved at all from their camps
and multitudes remained
actually stationary until the next morning. Those that did march crept along
very heavily
as if cramped and stiff; but in a hot day they hurried forward in
a very earnest
lively manner. It is an aggravation of the calamity if the
weather continues cool; for then they prolong their stay
and do far more
damage. (Thomson’s “Land and Book.”)
──《The Biblical Illustrator》