Nahum announces judgment on Nineveh. This godless city would be conquered and destroyed. About 150 years earlier, it had been spared God’s judgment because it had repented in response to Jonah’s preaching. But the change of heart did not last. Now, her downfall was inevitable.

The Messenger

The prophet Nahum came from Elkosh. The location of this city is no longer known today; some speak of a Galilean city, others of a Judean one. It is possible to narrow down the date of Nahum’s prophecy: On the one hand, it must have been after the conquest of No-Amon (Thebes) by the Assyrians (663 BC), as this event is mentioned as a historical fact in Nahum 3:8-10, and on the other hand, before the destruction of Nineveh by the Medes and Babylonians (612 BC), as this is what the prophet announces. Nahum uses impressive and powerful language.

The message

The Jews feared the Assyrians, who were very successful militarily and far more powerful than themselves. However, Nahum makes it clear that the fall of Nineveh – the capital of the Assyrian empire – was a divine decision. Nahum speaks almost exclusively about the fall of Nineveh. In Chapter 1, the judgment on Nineveh is announced; in Chapter 2, the execution is shown; and in Chapter 3, the cause is presented.

The comparison with the prophet Jonah is interesting. Jonah emphasizes the goodness of God (Jon. 4:2b) and accordingly concludes his book with an account of God’s mercy towards Nineveh (Jon. 4:11). Nahum, on the other hand, mentions that God by no means considers the guilty party blameless (Nah. 1:3) and ends his prophecy with a reference to the judgment of Nineveh (Nah. 3:19). This shows that God does not allow His grace to be abused. Since the city of Nineveh has returned to its sins, it must also experience judgment.

Glimpses from the prophecy of Nahum

“It shall come to pass that all who look upon you will flee from you and say, ‘Nineveh is laid waste! Who will bemoan her?’… Where shall I seek comforters for you? … You also will seek refuge from the enemy.” (Nah. 3:7, 11)

Let us first take a brief look at the development of the Assyrian empire and its capital, Nineveh:

• Around 800 BC, Jonah preached repentance in Nineveh.
• 734 BC: Under Tiglath-Pileser, the Assyrians led Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh into captivity.
• 722 BC: Under Salmanassar and Sargon, the population of the northern kingdom is abducted.
• 701 BC: Sennacherib attacks Judah but is forced to withdraw without having achieved anything.
• 663 BC: Assurpanibal defeats an Egyptian uprising and destroys the Egyptian city of No-Amon.
• 627 BC: Assurpanibal dies. The power of the Assyrian empire rapidly disintegrates.
• 612 BC: Nineveh was conquered and destroyed by the Babylonian Nabopolassar and the Mede Kyaxes.

In 614 BC, Nineveh was attacked by the Babylonians and the Medes. This was followed by a two-year siege (cf. 3:14). Initially, Nineveh withstood the pressure. The Tigris and its tributaries, which flowed around and through the city, certainly contributed to this: they formed a natural obstacle for enemy troops and brought plenty of drinking water to the encircled city. However, the Assyrians themselves had proven a few years earlier that rivers do not offer reliable protection by conquering the “river city” of No-Amon (3:8 ff.). At the city of Nineveh, which was like a pond of water (2:9), the rivers even became a disaster: the year 612 BC brought a devastating flood (cf. 1:8). The masses of water washed out the fortifications (cf. 3:13) and entered the city through the floodgates opened by the enemy – right up to the royal palace (cf. 2:7). Finally, the enemy troops succeeded in entering this large, rich and rapacious “city of blood” (1:12; 2:10; 3:1) and wreaked havoc there (3:3). Nineveh was set on fire (3:13, 15) and so completely devastated that this proud city became a camp for wild animals (Zeph. 2:13-15).

In these days of distress, there was no comfort for the unbelieving Ninevites (3:7). They had to seek refuge from the enemy (3:11) – but could find no real refuge. For God’s people, it was and is very different. Nahum means “comforter,” and he comforts the people by presenting God as their refuge: “The LORD is good, He is a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows those who trust in Him” (1:7).

It is precisely in crises that the difference between the believer and the unbeliever becomes particularly clear. The unbeliever sinks into his misery without comfort or support: “The eyes of the wicked shall fail, and every refuge is lost to them, and their hope is the exhalation of the soul” (Job 11:20). The believer, however, is comforted by God in tribulation and has an impregnable fortress and refuge in Him. “I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God; in Him will I trust” (Ps. 91:2).

We, children of God, have a refuge. But do we use it? Do we go to God in our need? If we allow this verse to motivate us to take refuge in Him, we will have learned an important lesson. Then, this “unknown” little prophet would have given us a helpful impulse for our life of faith.