> [[nahum-00|← Previous]] | [[nahum-00|TOC]] | [[nahum-02|Next →]] --- # Nahum, Chapter 1 ## Chapter 1 1 Oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum of Elkosh. ^nahum-01-1 ### God’s Terrifying Appearance 2 A jealous and avenging God is the LORD, ^nahum-01-2 an avenger is the LORD, full of wrath; The LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries, and rages against his enemies; 3 The LORD is slow to anger, yet great in power; ^nahum-01-3 the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. In stormwind and tempest he comes, and clouds are the dust at his feet; 4 He roars at the sea and leaves it dry, ^nahum-01-4 and all the rivers he dries up. Laid low are Bashan and Carmel, and the bloom of Lebanon withers; 5 The mountains quake before him, ^nahum-01-5 and the hills dissolve; The earth is laid waste before him, the world and all who dwell in it. 6 Before his wrath, who can stand firm, ^nahum-01-6 and who can face his blazing anger? His fury is poured out like fire, and boulders break apart before him. 7 The LORD is good to those who wait for him, ^nahum-01-7 a refuge on the day of distress, Taking care of those who look to him for protection, 8 when the flood rages; ^nahum-01-8 He makes an end of his opponents, and pursues his enemies into darkness. ### Nineveh’s Judgment and Judah’s Restoration 9 What do you plot against the LORD, ^nahum-01-9 the one about to bring total destruction? No opponent rises a second time! 10 Like a thorny thicket, they are tangled, ^nahum-01-10 and like drunkards, they are drunk; like dry stubble, they are utterly consumed. 11 From you has come ^nahum-01-11 one plotting evil against the LORD, one giving sinister counsel. 12 Thus says the LORD: ^nahum-01-12 though fully intact and so numerous, they shall be mown down and disappear. Though I have humbled you, I will humble you no more. 13 Now I will break his yoke off of you, ^nahum-01-13 and tear off your bonds. 14 The LORD has commanded regarding you: ^nahum-01-14 no descendant will again bear your name; From the house of your gods I will abolish the carved and the molten image; I will make your grave a dung heap. \* (1:1) Oracle: (Heb. *Massa’*) a word used frequently to describe a prophetic statement against a foreign nation or occasionally Israel; it is used favorably for Israel in [Zec 12:1] and [Mal 1:1]. Nahum of Elkosh: Nahum means “comfort.” Elkosh is a clan or village of unknown location, perhaps in southern Judah. \* (1:2] – [8) A poem written in the style of the alphabetic psalms (cf. [Ps 9]; [25]; [111]; [119]) in which each verse unit begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The second half of the alphabet is not represented here. \* (1:2) A jealous…God: see note on ([[exodus-20|Ex 20]]:5]. \* (1:3] – [6) In stormwind: the power of God is often pictured by natural forces and cosmic disruption (([[exodus-19|Ex 19]]:9] – [25]; ([[psalm-18|Ps 18]]:8] – [16]; [104:1] – [9]). \* (1:4) Bashan, Carmel, and Lebanon were famous for their mountainous terrain and lush forests. \* (1:6] – [7) When God comes in judgment those who oppose God will be destroyed, and those who trust in God will be saved. \* (1:10) Thorns ([Is 34:13]), drunkenness ([Lam 4:21]; [Na 3:11]), and burning stubble ([Ob 18]) are all images of the judgment of God’s enemies. \* (1:11) From you…giving sinister counsel: addressed to Nineveh, the capital city of Sennacherib, king of Assyria, who besieged Jerusalem ca. 700 B.C. \* (1:12] – [13) They: the enemies of Judah. You: Judah. His yoke: the dominion of the Assyrian king over Judah. \* (1:14) You: the king of Assyria. a. (1:3) [Ex 34:6] – [7]; [Jl 2:13]. b. (1:6) [Is 30:27] – [28]; [Zep 1:15]. c. (1:13) [Is 9:4]; [10:27]. --- _New American Bible, revised edition_ (2010, 1991, 1986, 1970) Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. > [[nahum-00|← Previous]] | [[nahum-00|TOC]] | [[nahum-02|Next →]]