Nahum Chapter 3 — The Fall of Nineveh
This chapter describes the inevitable and violent destruction of Nineveh as a result of its cruelty and corruption, concluding with a proclamation that no one will mourn its collapse.
1Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and robbery—no end to the prey.
2The noise of the whip, the noise of the rattling of wheels, prancing horses, and bounding chariots,
3the horseman charging, and the flashing sword, the glittering spear, and a multitude of slain, and a great heap of corpses, and there is no end of the bodies. They stumble on their bodies
4because of the multitude of the prostitution of the alluring prostitute, the mistress of witchcraft, who sells nations through her prostitution, and families through her witchcraft.
5“Behold, I am against you,” says the LORD of Armies, “and I will lift your skirts over your face. I will show the nations your nakedness, and the kingdoms your shame.
6I will throw abominable filth on you and make you vile, and will make you a spectacle.
7It will happen that all those who look at you will flee from you, and say, ‘Nineveh is laid waste! Who will mourn for her?’ Where will I seek comforters for you?”
8Are you better than No-Amon,*or, Thebes who was situated among the rivers,†or, Nile who had the waters around her, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was of the sea?
9Cush and Egypt were her boundless strength. Put and Libya were her helpers.
10Yet was she carried away. She went into captivity. Her young children also were dashed in pieces at the head of all the streets, and they cast lots for her honorable men, and all her great men were bound in chains.
11You also will be drunken. You will be hidden. You also will seek a stronghold because of the enemy.
12All your fortresses will be like fig trees with the first-ripe figs. If they are shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater.
13Behold, your troops among you are women. The gates of your land are set wide open to your enemies. The fire has devoured your bars.
14Draw water for the siege. Strengthen your fortresses. Go into the clay, and tread the mortar. Make the brick kiln strong.
15There the fire will devour you. The sword will cut you off. It will devour you like the grasshopper. Multiply like grasshoppers. Multiply like the locust.
16You have increased your merchants more than the stars of the skies. The grasshopper strips and flees away.
17Your guards are like the locusts, and your officials like the swarms of locusts, which settle on the walls on a cold day, but when the sun appears, they flee away, and their place is not known where they are.
18Your shepherds slumber, king of Assyria. Your nobles lie down. Your people are scattered on the mountains, and there is no one to gather them.
19There is no healing your wound, for your injury is fatal. All who hear the report of you clap their hands over you, for who hasn’t felt your endless cruelty?
WEB Translation
Notable Verses
Nahum 3:1
“Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and robbery—no end to the prey.”
It establishes the moral reason for the city's destruction based on its history of violence.
Nahum 3:7
“It will happen that all those who look at you will flee from you, and say, ‘Nineveh is laid waste! Who will mourn for her?’ Where will I seek comforters for you?”
It highlights the total isolation and lack of sympathy the empire would face during its ruin.
Nahum 3:19
“There is no healing your wound, for your injury is fatal. All who hear the report of you clap their hands over you, for who hasn’t felt your endless cruelty?”
It signifies the finality of the judgment and the relief of the nations oppressed by Nineveh.
Chapter Summary
Nahum 3 presents a vivid final indictment of Nineveh, labeling it a city defined by violence, lies, and plunder. The text depicts the chaos of battle, including rattling wheels, charging horsemen, and piles of casualties. The prophet explains that Nineveh's downfall is a divine judgment for its exploitation of other nations and its reliance on deception. The chapter draws a historical parallel to the fall of the Egyptian city No-Amon (Thebes), suggesting that if such a powerful city could fall, Nineveh is equally vulnerable. Despite its fortresses and numerous merchants, the city's defenses are described as failing like overripe figs, and its leaders are compared to locusts that flee when the sun rises. The book concludes by noting that the wound of Nineveh is fatal and that all who hear of its ruin will rejoice, as the city's cruelty had affected everyone.
Frequently Asked Questions
The text describes Nineveh as a city full of lies and robbery. This refers to the historical reputation of the Assyrian Empire for extreme military violence and the exploitation of conquered nations.
No-Amon refers to the Egyptian city of Thebes, which was a powerful capital situated along the Nile. Nahum uses its previous conquest by the Assyrians as proof that even the strongest cities can be defeated.
The chapter compares the guards and officials to locusts that settle on walls during the cold but disappear once the sun rises. This imagery suggests that when the heat of battle comes, the leadership will vanish and abandon the city.
Study Note
The comparison to locusts in verses 15-17 utilizes several different Hebrew terms for swarming insects to emphasize the scale of the impending devastation.
Related Chapters
Jonah Chapter 3
Provides a contrast where Nineveh previously repented under the preaching of Jonah.
Isaiah Chapter 10
Contains other prophecies regarding the judgment of the Assyrian empire for its pride.
Zephaniah Chapter 2
Includes additional prophetic warnings about the desolation of Nineveh and Assyria.
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