Nahum 2:1-7
Nahum 2:1
(KJB)
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.
Now the focus switches from Judah to Nineveh.
The prophecy now tells those in Nineveh that the one who breaks or dashes
in pieces both kingdoms and individual people has now come face to face with
you. Now the Lord says to them keep
the munitions which are the strongholds where they would make a defense against
certain areas. These are the
ramparts built for defense. Then
they are told to watch the way, which is to watch the ways the enemy could
approach the city and they should strengthen any weak areas.
Then they are told to make their loins strong, that is, they are to put
on body protecting armor along with sharp swords to make an offense or defense
if needed. Then they are to
increase their power either by increasing the size of the army or making more
artillery. Do what you can to make
sure that you strengthen yourself.
Of course, all of these suggestions are made in almost a taunting manner because
no matter how strong Assyria gets, they will still never be able to defeat God
once he has decreed their total destruction.
Nahum 2:2
(KJB)
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.
Once again God will restore the wealth and glory that was
Israel when they were in their land.
The word “excellency” carries with it the meaning of “pride or
arrogance.” Now that Israel was in the
clutches of the king of Assyria, they have suffered to the point they went from
prideful to humility. Both Jacob
and Israel, which is Judah and Israel, will now be restored since the Assyrians
have plundered everything the northern ten tribes had and in Judah they were
forced to pay high tributes and the armies came in and took whatever they
wanted. Jacob is Judah because the
Messianic line will come through Judah when they are returned to the land in 517
B.C. from Babylon. Concerning the
vine branches, it is not speaking of the actual vines but is a metaphor for the
children of Israel that were slaughtered or forced into slavery.
The word “marred” carries with it the meaning of “perish or destroyed.”
They no doubt destroyed all the vineyards and fruit bearing vines as they
emptied out Israel, but the more important theme in view is that the children of
Israel were under the yoke of Assyria.
Nahum 2:3
(KJB)
The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men
are in scarlet: the chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of his
preparation, and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken.
Here God speaks about the enemies which are going to come
against Assyria. The Medes and
Babylonians will form an alliance and defeat Assyria at the battle of Carchemish
in 605 B.C. They will come with
flaming torches to burn the city and they will cut down the fir trees and use
them as weapons of war such as battering rams or spears. Red was the favorite
color of the Babylonians and the Medes.
They will come with chariots against Assyria.
The chariot was a feared weapon because the wheels were sometimes dressed
with protruding metal spikes which would destroy another chariot and kill the
people who were driving them.
Nahum 2:4
(KJB)
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.
The streets of Nineveh will be overrun with chariots.
Not only those chariots of the Assyrians, but the Medes and Babylonians
will get their chariots within the walls of the city.
A horse can run about 30-35 mph (48-56 kmh) which means the chariots will
be swift within the city walls.
There will be so many that they will justle against each other.
Justle means “push, drive, or force.”
This means that the Mede-Babylonian chariots will begin to force the
Assyrian chariots into destruction.
The chariots will look like torches as the metal on them will reflect light and
they will be as swift as lightning especially if they had more than one horse
pulling the chariot.
Nahum 2:5
(KJB)
He shall recount his worthies: they shall stumble in
their walk; they shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defence shall be
prepared.
Since there will be so much raging of chariots in the
streets, the infantry as well will be in a state of confusion and panic since so
many things will be happening at once.
The king will then call in his counselors and mighty men to discuss what
could be done to stop the siege and turn the battle in their favor.
Yet, they will stumble because wisdom will not come and they will not be
able to produce a plan since their day of judgment has come.
They will do what they can in defense of the city simply because they
will be unable to create an offense.
No matter how prepared they are to defend, it will fail even though the
walls of Nineveh were about 100 feet high (30m) which would make them the height
of a ten story building.
Nahum 2:6
(KJB)
The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace
shall be dissolved.
The Babylonians and Medes used the rivers to help flood
the city and even if the floods were not too high, they would impede the
movement of troops and chariots to the walls of the city but history records
that there was rushing waters inside the city which helped in the destruction.
The river was probably the Tigris River.
The palace of the king was also destined for destruction and would
probably be burned to the ground since it speaks of dissolving.
Nahum 2:7
(KJB)
And Huzzab 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.