Nahum 3:13-19

Nahum 3:13 (KJB)

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.

 

Now the army which was once considered invincible was now filled with women who chose to fight but the fact is they were unprepared since they did not have training in warfare.  The gates of the city were normally opened for business in a time of peace but when the city was threatened, those gates were closed and huge bars were placed across the doors so it was almost impossible to open them.  Now the situation will change because the city gates will be thrown wide open because the bars that secured the doors would now be consumed by fire thus leaving the gates wide open for a frontal assault.

 

Nahum 3:14 (KJB)

Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter, make strong the brickkiln.

 

Now the prophet turns to a sarcastic homily.  He tells them to draw water from the river but it would not be for drinking, it would be to place in front of the strongholds in hopes to build water puddles which would slow down the chariots.  Then Nahum tells them that they should begin to fortify the strongholds and they would do this by making clay and then burning it in the brickkiln to strengthen it so they may strengthen any breaches in the wall thus fortifying the wall and making it difficult for the Chaldeans to ascend the wall.

 

Nahum 3:15 (KJB)

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.

 

They shall be devoured by fire no matter how they attempt to strengthen the walls and they shall meet their fate by the end of the sword.  To be eaten up means to be totally consumed just as the cankerworm eats the green herbs and plants, the Ninevites will be consumed in similar fashion.  They may try to reinforce the city with as many warriors as they can and even if they succeed in placing thousands more in defense, even if it was as many as a plague of locusts, they will go down in ignominious defeat.

 

Nahum 3:16 (KJB)

Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and flieth away.

 

Nineveh was also a place of great commerce as there were many merchants who bought, sold, and traded within the confines of the city.  When Assyria conquered a nation and the nation did not show any rebellion, the merchants of those territories were permitted to do business in Nineveh, so many merchants had done business there.  This could also refer to the nobles who owned businesses and made much money in trade.  Here is another woe pronounced upon Nineveh that all the businesses will be destroyed as a cankerworm destroys plants.  Once businesses are extracted from any economy, the economy is destroyed because business is the catalyst for a healthy economy but all business will cease in Nineveh as they are taken away to Babylon or extracted from the empire.

 

Nahum 3:17 (KJB)

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.

 

It is speaking of the crowned which would be the princes and the military leaders whose actions imitate those of the locusts and grasshoppers.  These insects camp in the hedges when there is cold so they can keep warm as they can and at this time they are inactive in the cold.  When the sun rises and it begins to get warm, then the grasshoppers and locusts begin to become active but in this case instead of attacking a field of trees or plants, they fly away, that is, they flee to a different part of the country and no one knows where they have gone or where they have landed since they congregate in bushes in the night.  The leaders of Nineveh will be in the same boat because instead of staying to fight, they will attempt to leave the city to escape the sword and no one will know where they escaped to, at least that is what they hope.

 

Nahum 3:18 (KJB)

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.

 

The shepherds are the ones who should be vigilant in overseeing the defense of the city and should be executing an exit plan are as if they are asleep and no such things are taking place.  The nobles shall dwell in the dust, that is, they will all be killed by the sword and the common people will escape the city if possible and head to the mountainous regions and no one will go after them to re-gather them to come back to the city.  They will become nomads until they can settle in a different place.  The troubles that Nineveh will face will not allow anyone to go after the displaced people since the destruction will be swift upon the city and its leaders.

 

Nahum 3:19 (KJB)

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?

 

Nahum ends up his prophecy quite abruptly and states there will be no healing of thy bruise.  Normally a bruise is not deadly but in this case it is.  The bruise will be brought on by the Chaldeans and it will increase in strength and eventually lead to the death of Nineveh.  He also states the wound is grievous.  The word “grievous” carries with it the meaning of “weakness” as the wound will weaken them.  As the bruise makes them sicker and the wound makes them weaker, it is an expression that their doom is sure.  All those who hear the bruit shall clap their hands in rejoicing.  “Bruit” is from a French word which means “rumor, report, noise, or sound.”  So all those who will hear the report that Nineveh has fallen will rejoice.  This is because the wickedness of Assyria had affected the nations around it and it was a continual persecution of all nations she came in contact with.  She was the bully of the Middle East and received back what she had done to other nations and people groups.

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