Nahum 1

The first of the three chapters of the Book of Nahum, this chapter introduces the title and theme of the entire book. Because no chapter precedes it, it opens with the superscription, and the judgment on Nineveh announced here continues in Nahum 2 with a concrete depiction of the city's fall.

Outline

• Verse 1 Superscription. It identifies the book as the burden of Nineveh and the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
• Verses 2–6 A portrait of the LORD as jealous and avenging. Before Him the sea and the rivers dry up, Bashan, Carmel, and Lebanon wither, and the mountains quake.
• Verses 7–8 The LORD is good and a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He destroys His enemies with an overrunning flood and darkness.
• Verses 9–11 Those who plot against the LORD will be consumed like dry stubble. One who imagines evil also appears.
• Verses 12–14 To Judah the LORD promises to break the yoke; to Nineveh He declares that its name will be cut off, its idols destroyed, and its grave prepared.
• Verse 15 The feet of one who brings good tidings are upon the mountains, and Judah is told to keep its solemn feasts and perform its vows.

Key Verses

• Nahum 1:3 "The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked." This echoes the declaration of God's character in Exodus 34:6–7.
• Nahum 1:7 "The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble." In the midst of the proclamation of judgment, the verse speaks of a God who knows those who trust in Him.
• Nahum 1:15 "Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace!" The destruction of the enemy is proclaimed as news of Judah's salvation.

People and Places

• Nahum: The prophet who delivered this book. The text identifies him only as an Elkoshite, and the exact location of Elkosh is unknown.
• Nineveh: The capital of the Assyrian Empire and the object of the judgment this book proclaims.
• Bashan, Carmel, and Lebanon: Used as bywords for fertile, lush land. The image of even these places withering portrays the majesty of God.
• Judah: The southern kingdom, then under Assyrian oppression, which receives the promise of deliverance.

Points for Reflection

• Some scholars detect partial traces in verses 2–8 of a poem following the order of the Hebrew alphabet (an acrostic).
• In the Hebrew Bible, verse 15 is numbered as 2:1. Korean Bibles follow the same verse division as English Bibles.
• Some interpreters identify the "one" in verse 11 with a particular Assyrian king, but the text does not name him.
• In the Book of Jonah, Nineveh repents and is spared disaster (Jonah 3:10), whereas Nahum proclaims the destruction of the same city. This contrast is frequently discussed as a pairing that leads readers to consider God's longsuffering and His justice together. Nineveh is generally held to have fallen in 612 BC.
• Verse 15 is nearly identical in wording to Isaiah 52:7. In Romans 10:14–15, Paul quotes these words of Isaiah in connection with the preaching of the gospel.