The Prophets · Old Testament
Nahum 2
Nahum 2: the attacker at the gate and the lions' den emptied
General context
One who dashes in pieces has come up before the city's face, and it is told to keep the munition, watch the way and fortify its power. Verse 2 explains that the Lord has turned away the excellency of Jacob as of Israel because emptiers emptied them and marred their vine branches. The attackers' shields are red, their men in scarlet, their chariots like torches in the day of preparation, and fir trees are shaken. Chariots rage in the streets and run like lightning. The defender recounts his worthies, who stumble and hurry to the wall as the defence is prepared. The gates of the rivers open and the palace dissolves. Huzzab is led captive, her maids leading her with the voice of doves, beating their breasts. Nineveh, of old like a pool of water, sees its people flee; "Stand, stand" is cried, but none looks back. The command comes to take spoil of silver and gold without end. The city is empty, void and waste; hearts melt, knees knock, faces gather blackness. A question asks where the dwelling of the lions is, where the old lion and whelps walked unafraid and the lion tore prey for his lionesses and filled his dens. The Lord of hosts answers that he is against her: chariots burned, young lions devoured by the sword, prey cut off, and the voice of her messengers heard no more.
Cited passages: Nahum 2:1, Nahum 2:2, Nahum 2:3, Nahum 2:4, Nahum 2:5, Nahum 2:6, Nahum 2:7, Nahum 2:8, Nahum 2:9, Nahum 2:10, Nahum 2:11, Nahum 2:12, Nahum 2:13
Nahum 2 (KJV)
1He that dasheth in pieces is come up before thy face: keep the munition, watch the way, make thy loins strong, fortify thy power mightily.
2For the Lord hath turned away the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel: for the emptiers have emptied them out, and marred their vine branches.
3The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are in scarlet: the chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of his preparation, and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken.
4The chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall justle one against another in the broad ways: they shall seem like torches, they shall run like the lightnings.
5He shall recount his worthies: they shall stumble in their walk; they shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defence shall be prepared.
6The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved.
7And Huzzab shall be led away captive, she shall be brought up, and her maids shall lead her as with the voice of doves, tabering upon their breasts.
8But Nineveh is of old like a pool of water: yet they shall flee away. Stand, stand, shall they cry; but none shall look back.
9Take ye the spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold: for there is none end of the store and glory out of all the pleasant furniture.
10She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness.
11Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feedingplace of the young lions, where the lion, even the old lion, walked, and the lion’s whelp, and none made them afraid?
12The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his holes with prey, and his dens with ravin.
13Behold, I am against thee, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions: and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard.
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Historical context
The attacker is described only as "He that dasheth in pieces"; no nation or commander is named, and the red shields and scarlet men are given without identification. Nineveh is named in verse 8. Verse 2 is the chapter's one explanation, linking the assault to what "the emptiers" did to Jacob and Israel, and it does not say when that emptying happened. "Huzzab" in verse 7 is printed as a name, led away captive with her maids; the text does not say who or what Huzzab is. The "gates of the rivers" and the dissolving palace are stated without saying which rivers. The lion questions of verses 11 and 12 use the lion for the city and its rulers, and verse 13 replaces the image with the Lord's plain first-person word, "Behold, I am against thee, saith the Lord of hosts," the same phrase repeated in 3:5. The messengers whose voice will cease are not identified. No dates are given, and the chapter narrates in future and present tenses without saying whether the fall has occurred.
Cited passages: Nahum 2:1, Nahum 2:3, Nahum 2:8, Nahum 2:2, Nahum 2:7, Nahum 2:6, Nahum 2:11, Nahum 2:12, Nahum 2:13, Nahum 3:5
Literary context
The chapter is a battle told in commands and sounds. Verse 1 gives four orders to the defender in a row, and verse 9 gives two to the looters. Between them the narration moves in short units: shields, chariots, worthies stumbling, gates opening, palace dissolving. Colour and light dominate the attack (red, scarlet, torches, lightning), and the fall is told in bodies (heart melts, knees smite, faces darken). "Stand, stand" against "none shall look back" catches the panic in a single line. The water image, a pool from of old, is drained into "empty, and void, and waste," three words in a row. Then the poem changes register into a riddle: where is the lions' den? The answer is not a location but the Lord speaking against her. Verse 2's aside about Jacob and Israel is the only place the chapter looks back to the sufferers on whose account this comes. Chapter 3 opens with woe on the bloody city.
Cited passages: Nahum 2:1, Nahum 2:9, Nahum 2:3, Nahum 2:4, Nahum 2:5, Nahum 2:6, Nahum 2:10, Nahum 2:8, Nahum 2:11, Nahum 2:13, Nahum 2:2, Nahum 3:1
Key moments
- The dasher in pieces (Nahum 2:1). An attacker is at the city's face, and it is told to fortify its power.
- Jacob's excellency turned (Nahum 2:2). The narrator ties the assault to what the emptiers did to Jacob and Israel.
- Chariots like torches (Nahum 2:4). Chariots rage in the streets and run like lightning.
- The palace dissolved (Nahum 2:6). The gates of the rivers open and the palace dissolves.
- Stand, stand (Nahum 2:8). Nineveh's people flee, and none looks back at the cry to stand.
- Where is the lions' den? (Nahum 2:11). A question asks where the lions walked with none to make them afraid.
- I am against thee (Nahum 2:13). The Lord of hosts declares himself against the city and cuts off her prey.
For reflection
The poem tells the defender to fortify its power and in the same chapter announces that the palace is dissolved. What is the effect of giving orders that the reader already knows will fail?
