NahumChapter 2

Nahum Chapter 2: Meaning

Nahum paints a vivid picture of soldiers attacking Nineveh and the great city falling apart.

Summary

Nahum chapter 2 describes the attack on Nineveh in great detail. An enemy army is coming, shields flash, chariots race through the streets, soldiers stumble over each other trying to reach the walls. The city is in total chaos. The river gates are opened and water floods in. The palace shakes and crumbles.

The treasures of the city are stolen away. Gold and silver are taken. The people of Nineveh run, crying out in fear. Their hearts sink and their knees shake. Nineveh goes from being rich and powerful to being empty and ruined.

God declares that He is against Nineveh. He will burn their chariots in smoke and remove everything they were proud of. Nineveh used to be like a den full of lions, fierce and feared by everyone. But God asks: where are the lions now? The great empire that terrorized other nations has been brought down.

Historical Context

Nahum wrote this as a prediction of what would happen to Nineveh. In 612 BC, it all came true. A group of armies, including the Babylonians and the Medes, attacked the city. Historical records even show that floodwaters helped break down the city's defenses, exactly what Nahum described when he wrote about the river gates being opened.

For the nations that Assyria had conquered and hurt, this was the best news they could hear. The empire that had seemed unstoppable was gone. God's word came true in detail.