Nahum 2:1-13
1 He that dasheth in pieces is come up before thy face: keep the munition, watch the way, make thy loins strong, fortify thy power mightily.
2 For the LORD hath turned away the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel: for the emptiers have emptied them out, and marred their vine branches.
3 The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are in scarlet:a the chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of his preparation, and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken.
4 The chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall justle one against another in the broad ways: they shall seem like torches, they shall run like the lightnings.
5 He shall recount his worthies:b they shall stumble in their walk; they shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defence shall be prepared.
6 The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved.c
7 And Huzzabd shall be led away captive, she shall be brought up, and her maids shall lead her as with the voice of doves, tabering upon their breasts.
8 But Nineveh is of olde like a pool of water: yet they shall flee away. Stand, stand, shall they cry; but none shall look back.
9 Take ye the spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold: for there is none endf of the store and glory out of all the pleasant furniture.
10 She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness.
11 Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feedingplace of the young lions, where the lion, even the old lion, walked, and the lion's whelp, and none made them afraid?
12 The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his holes with prey, and his dens with ravin.
13 Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions: and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard.
Nahum 2:2. The excellency of Jacob. The Vulgate reads as the Hebrew, the pride of Jacob, and the pride of Israel, which the Lord punished by the Assyrians. Now the same just God comes to punish the pride of Assyria. This reading agrees with the next verse.
Nahum 2:9. Take ye the spoil. The arsenals of Hezekiah, the riches of Crœsus, the gold of Nineveh, were strong temptations to invasion. Let other splendid cities think of this.
REFLECTIONS.
The approach of the enemy, and the storming of Nineveh are described in this chapter, in all the severity of satire, and all the glow of oriental language. He dashes in pieces, and puts to the sword all he finds in his way. His shield is painted: he is clothed in scarlet, his chariots are illuminated, and the weapons glitter. He enters first by the gates, or mouth of the river, as Cyrus afterwards entered Babylon. Isaiah 13:14. He carries fear and terror to the palace, he storms Huzzab, a fortress deemed impregnable, and the queen of all their strength. He leads her, with her daughters, the minor cities into captivity. The women beat their breasts with cries and anguish, as they had once beat their tabrets with joy. The emptiers of other nations' treasuries are emptied themselves. All these impressive occurrences follow in order, and are finely painted. But the invader, so terrible in himself, had nevertheless no terror compared with a yet greater who spake with vengeance from above. Behold, I am against thee, saith the Lord of hosts. I will burn thy chariots in the smoke of mine anger; and the sword shall devour thy young lions or princes, ere they disturb the nations.
From the severity of language here used against Nineveh, let us learn to avoid her sins. She bewitched, intimidated and enticed other nations to her idolatries, abominations, and sin. Now other nations conspired, for God gave them a heart to do his will, and made her the eager object of their revenge. She had plundered nations from the Ganges to the Nile, and from the Nile to the Don. Now they assembled to fetch back their treasures. Let those who corrupt the morals of youth, and those who amass great fortunes by a constant trade of extortion, remember that the God who fought against Nineveh, is about to turn his sword to fight against them.