Nah — Capítulo 2

2:1 Although Nineveh’s defenders might fully prepare to protect the city with ramparts . . . roads . . . defenses, and forces, their efforts were doomed to failure (1:1-14).

2:2 The vine symbolizes God’s blessing his people (Isa 27:2-6), while the stripped vine reflects God’s previous chastisement of them (Isa 5:1-7). The children of Israel were in a sad state compared to the days of the great kings David and Solomon, but God promised to restore the splendor of his people.

2:4 Chariots were virtually unstoppable in battle because of their maneuverability and power.

2:5 The Assyrian king overcomes the initial shock of Nineveh’s being attacked and shouts to his officers. He and the city have been caught off guard and they rush to the walls to thwart the siege. • to set up their defenses (literally the covering is prepared): The meaning of the Hebrew term here is uncertain. Covering probably refers to something the attackers or the defenders used to protect themselves from armaments hurled through the air.

2:6 The rush to defend (2:5) comes too late; the defenses are already breached. • Nineveh was served by a reservoir formed by a double dam on the Khosr River, a tributary of the Tigris that flowed through the city. The reservoir was augmented by a series of flood gates. The Greek historian Diodorus reported that during this time torrential rains had already swelled the city’s river system. By first closing, then opening the flood gates, Nineveh’s attackers released the pent-up water as a battering ram against the city walls.

2:7 Because Nineveh’s exile had been decreed by God, it would certainly happen. • To beat their breasts was a common sign of mourning (see, e.g., Luke 18:13).

2:8 The people would run away as fast as water flows from a breached reservoir (see study note on 2:6).

2:9 The vast, uncounted wealth of other nations poured into the Assyrian capital as trade, tribute, and spoils, but it was gone in an instant. Ruthless aggression and wickedness may succeed temporarily, but ultimately they will be destroyed (Prov 13:22; Obad 1:15; Luke 12:16-20).

2:10 plundered, empty, and ruined: The Hebrew here is alliterated for effect: buqah umbuqah umbullaqah. The effect might be translated into English as “devastated, despoiled, and destroyed.”

2:11-13 Following the description of Nineveh’s fall (2:1-10), Nahum inserts the first of three taunt songs (see also 3:8-13, 14-19; this was a common form in the ancient Near East). In biting satire, he compares Nineveh to a lion’s den. King Sennacherib and other Assyrian kings had compared themselves to lions, even decorating their palaces with artistic representations of lions and of themselves on lion hunts. However, with God as its enemy, Nineveh would no longer be the lair of an invincible predator.

2:13 Examples of the voices of Assyria’s proud messengers are found in 2 Kgs 18:19–19:13.