Nahum 1:7

Context

The Book of Nahum records the prophecy of Nahum the Elkoshite concerning the coming destruction of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. The name "Nahum" is generally understood to mean "comfort." Nahum 3:8 refers to the fall of No-amon (Thebes) in Egypt as a past event, and Nineveh fell in 612 BC. The prophecy is therefore usually dated to the period between these two events. By that time Judah had long suffered under Assyrian oppression.

Nahum 1:2–8 is a poem celebrating God's jealousy, vengeance, and wrath. Scholars hold that this passage partially preserves traces of an acrostic (alphabetic poem), in which successive lines begin with the letters of the Hebrew alphabet in order. Verse 7 stands between surrounding verses that depict divine wrath and declares who God is to those who rely on him: "The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him." Verse 8 immediately returns to the scene of God making an end of his enemies "with an overrunning flood."

Interpretation

• Historical reading: This reading treats the verse as comfort given to Judah while it was afflicted by Assyria. In this view, God's goodness is revealed through his judgment of the oppressor.
• Theological reading: This reading notes that the phrase "slow to anger" in Nahum 1:3 recalls Exodus 34:6–7. It understands the verse as a confession that God's justice and his goodness do not conflict. The passage is often read alongside the Book of Jonah, which also concerns Nineveh but emphasizes God's mercy.
• Devotional reading: This reading takes the expression "a strong hold in the day of trouble" as an invitation to take refuge in God amid personal hardship. In the Christian preaching tradition, this refuge is sometimes linked to the protection found in Christ.

Questions of Application

• Quotation out of context: The verse is frequently quoted in isolation as a word of comfort. Some point out that it should be read together with its surrounding context, which is a declaration of judgment against God's enemies.
• Translation: The Korean Revised Version renders the key terms as sanseong ("fortress") and uiroehaneun ja ("those who rely"). Because the Hebrew words carry the meanings "stronghold, refuge" and "to seek refuge, to take shelter," respectively, the wording varies somewhat among translations. The verb "to know" in "he knoweth" is often explained as carrying a relational sense that goes beyond mere awareness to include caring for and acknowledging.
• Textual division: Scholars have proposed differing readings of how the end of verse 7 connects with the beginning of verse 8.

Related Passages

• Exodus 34:6
• Jonah 4:2
• Psalm 46:1–3
• Psalm 91:1–2