Nahum 2 Study Notes: The Fall and Plunder of Nineveh
An attacker advances on Nineveh as the LORD restores the glory of His people. Chariots storm the city, its defenders falter, its treasures are carried off, and the lions' den of the oppressor is left empty because the LORD of Hosts has set Himself against it.
General
True or False: In 2:3-7 Nineveh's palace stands firm and its people are kept safe from exile.
Answer: False
This is false. Nahum describes the attackers with red shields and scarlet uniforms, and chariots flashing and racing through the streets like lightning (2:3-4). Nobles are summoned and stumble as they hurry to the wall, where a covering shield goes up (2:5). The gates by the river are thrown wide, the palace collapses, and the city is sentenced to be carried off into exile while its servant women moan and beat their breasts (2:6-7). Nothing Nineveh has can stop the attack. Chariots and horses cannot save anyone when the LORD has decided the outcome (Psalm 20:7; Proverbs 21:31).
- Nahum 2:5-7 (BSB)“He summons his nobles; they stumble as they advance. They race to its wall; the protective shield is set in place. The river gates are thrown open and the palace collapses. It is decreed that the city be exiled and carried away; her maidservants moan like doves, and beat upon their breasts.”Nobles stumble in the rush to the wall, the gates by the river give way, the palace falls, and the city is decreed for exile.
- Psalm 20:7 (BSB)“Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”Reliance on chariots and horses is contrasted with trust in the LORD, the true source of security.
- Proverbs 21:31 (BSB)“A horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory is of the LORD.”Horses may be made ready for battle, but victory belongs to the LORD, as Nineveh's failed defense shows.
Theological
True or False: In 2:3-7 Nineveh's palace withstands the assault and its people are spared from exile.
Answer: False
This is false. The attacking army appears in red and scarlet, its chariots flashing and darting through the plazas (2:3-4). Nobles are summoned, stumbling in their haste to the wall as a covering shield goes up (2:5); the gates by the river open, the palace collapses, and the city is decreed for exile with its maidservants lamenting (2:6-7). The collapse illustrates a consistent biblical theme: military strength is no security against the LORD's decree, since victory belongs to Him (Psalm 20:7; Proverbs 21:31).
- Nahum 2:5-7 (BSB)“He summons his nobles; they stumble as they advance. They race to its wall; the protective shield is set in place. The river gates are thrown open and the palace collapses. It is decreed that the city be exiled and carried away; her maidservants moan like doves, and beat upon their breasts.”Nobles stumble in the rush to the wall, the gates by the river give way, the palace falls, and the city is decreed for exile.
- Psalm 20:7 (BSB)“Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”Reliance on chariots and horses is contrasted with trust in the LORD, the true source of security.
- Proverbs 21:31 (BSB)“A horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory is of the LORD.”Horses may be made ready for battle, but victory belongs to the LORD, as Nineveh's failed defense shows.
General
According to 2:2, what is the reason behind the attack on Nineveh?
Answer: The LORD is restoring the glory of His people who were ruined
Chapter 2 opens with an attacker, one who scatters, advancing against Nineveh. The city is told to guard its stronghold, keep watch on the road and gather its strength (2:1). Then 2:2 gives the reason, beginning with for: the LORD is bringing back the glory of Jacob and Israel, His people, whom destroyers had laid waste like a vine with its branches ruined. Nineveh's fall and the restoration of God's people go together. God had said that once He finished His work against Zion and Jerusalem, He would punish the proud king of Assyria (Isaiah 10:12), and the prophets promise that He will restore His people and rebuild what was ruined (Amos 9:14).
- Nahum 2:1-2 (BSB)“One who scatters advances against you, O Nineveh. Guard the fortress! Watch the road! Brace yourselves! Summon all your strength! For the LORD will restore the splendor of Jacob like the splendor of Israel, though destroyers have laid them waste and ruined the branches of their vine.”Nineveh is told to prepare for the attacker, because God is restoring His people's splendor after destroyers ruined them.
- Isaiah 10:12 (BSB)“So when the Lord has completed all His work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, He will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for the fruit of his arrogant heart and the proud look in his eyes.”Once God finished His work against Zion, He would call Assyria's proud king to account, so Assyria's day of judgment was set by Him.
- Amos 9:14 (BSB)“I will restore My people Israel from captivity; they will rebuild and inhabit the ruined cities. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.”God promises to restore His people Israel and rebuild what was ruined, the same restoring purpose named in Nahum 2:2.
Theological
What ground does 2:2 give for the assault on Nineveh?
Answer: The LORD is restoring the glory of His people who were ruined
After the summons to Nineveh to man its defenses against the advancing scatterer (2:1), 2:2 supplies the ground with a for-clause: the LORD is restoring the glory of Jacob and Israel, whom plunderers had devastated like a stripped vine. Judgment on the oppressor serves God's covenant purpose toward His own people. God had announced that, once His work against Zion was complete, He would punish the arrogant king of Assyria (Isaiah 10:12), and restoration of what was ruined is a recurring prophetic promise (Amos 9:14).
- Nahum 2:1-2 (BSB)“One who scatters advances against you, O Nineveh. Guard the fortress! Watch the road! Brace yourselves! Summon all your strength! For the LORD will restore the splendor of Jacob like the splendor of Israel, though destroyers have laid them waste and ruined the branches of their vine.”Nineveh is told to prepare for the attacker, because God is restoring His people's splendor after destroyers ruined them.
- Isaiah 10:12 (BSB)“So when the Lord has completed all His work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, He will say, “I will punish the king of Assyria for the fruit of his arrogant heart and the proud look in his eyes.”Once God finished His work against Zion, He would call Assyria's proud king to account, so Assyria's day of judgment was set by Him.
- Amos 9:14 (BSB)“I will restore My people Israel from captivity; they will rebuild and inhabit the ruined cities. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit.”God promises to restore His people Israel and rebuild what was ruined, the same restoring purpose named in Nahum 2:2.
General
What does the picture of the lions' den in 2:11-12 portray?
Answer: Nineveh, which grew rich by preying on others, now gone
Nahum asks where the lions' den is now, the place where lion, lioness and cubs roamed with nothing to scare them (2:11). The lion tore up prey to feed its young and stocked its lairs with its kills (2:12). The lion pictures Nineveh and its kings, who grew rich and secure by attacking other nations and carrying off their goods. The question where it is now treats the den as already empty. Jeremiah also describes the king of Assyria as a lion that devoured Israel (Jeremiah 50:17), and Proverbs warns that gain taken unjustly destroys those who grab it (Proverbs 1:19).
- Nahum 2:11-12 (BSB)“Where is the lions’ lair or the feeding ground of the young lions, where the lion and lioness prowled with their cubs, with nothing to frighten them away? The lion mauled enough for its cubs and strangled prey for the lioness. It filled its dens with the kill, and its lairs with mauled prey.”Nahum asks where the lions' den is now, the place once filled with prey for the lion and its young.
- Jeremiah 50:17 (BSB)“Israel is a scattered flock, chased away by lions. The first to devour him was the king of Assyria; the last to crush his bones was Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.””Jeremiah also pictures Assyria's king as a lion that devoured Israel.
- Proverbs 1:19 (BSB)“Such is the fate of all who are greedy, whose unjust gain takes the lives of its possessors.”Unjust gain destroys those who seize it, as Nineveh's wealth taken from others did not last.
Theological
What does the lions' den image of 2:11-12 depict?
Answer: Nineveh, which grew rich by preying on others, now gone
The taunt asks where the den is now, the place where lion, lioness and cubs prowled unafraid of anything (2:11), and where the lion filled its lairs with prey for its young (2:12). The image represents Nineveh and its rulers, who enriched themselves by preying on the nations; the question treats the den as already vacant. Jeremiah likewise depicts the king of Assyria as a lion devouring Israel (Jeremiah 50:17), and Proverbs states the general principle that ill-gotten gain consumes those who possess it (Proverbs 1:19).
- Nahum 2:11-12 (BSB)“Where is the lions’ lair or the feeding ground of the young lions, where the lion and lioness prowled with their cubs, with nothing to frighten them away? The lion mauled enough for its cubs and strangled prey for the lioness. It filled its dens with the kill, and its lairs with mauled prey.”Nahum asks where the lions' den is now, the place once filled with prey for the lion and its young.
- Jeremiah 50:17 (BSB)“Israel is a scattered flock, chased away by lions. The first to devour him was the king of Assyria; the last to crush his bones was Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.””Jeremiah also pictures Assyria's king as a lion that devoured Israel.
- Proverbs 1:19 (BSB)“Such is the fate of all who are greedy, whose unjust gain takes the lives of its possessors.”Unjust gain destroys those who seize it, as Nineveh's wealth taken from others did not last.
General
According to 2:13, what is the deepest reason Nineveh cannot survive?
Answer: The LORD of Hosts Himself has set Himself against her
Chapter 2 ends with the LORD Himself speaking. The LORD of Hosts, meaning the LORD who commands the armies of heaven, declares that He is against Nineveh (2:13). He will burn its chariots, the sword will destroy its young lions, its hunting for prey will be cut off, and its envoys' voices will fall silent. The attacking army is only the means; the real reason Nineveh falls is that God has turned against it. God rules over all nations: He had sworn to break Assyria and no one could stop Him (Isaiah 14:24-27), He frustrates what nations plan (Psalm 33:10-11), and no one can hold back His hand (Daniel 4:35).
- Nahum 2:13 (BSB)““Behold, I am against you,” declares the LORD of Hosts. “I will reduce your chariots to cinders, and the sword will devour your young lions. I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voices of your messengers will no longer be heard.””The LORD of Hosts declares He is against Nineveh and will destroy its chariots, its young lions and its prey.
- Isaiah 14:24-27 (BSB)“The LORD of Hosts has sworn: “Surely, as I have planned, so will it be; as I have purposed, so will it stand. I will break Assyria in My land; I will trample him on My mountain. His yoke will be taken off My people, and his burden removed from their shoulders.” This is the plan devised for the whole earth, and this is the hand stretched out over all the nations. The LORD of Hosts has purposed, and who can thwart Him? His hand is outstretched, so who can turn it back?”The LORD of Hosts swore to break Assyria, and His purpose for the nations cannot be thwarted.
- Psalm 33:10-11 (BSB)“The LORD frustrates the plans of the nations; He thwarts the devices of the peoples. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the purposes of His heart to all generations.”God overturns what the nations scheme, while His own purpose endures forever.
- Daniel 4:35 (BSB)“All the peoples of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth. There is no one who can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’””No one can hold back God's hand among earth's peoples, as Nineveh's fall shows.
Theological
According to 2:13, what is the ultimate cause of Nineveh's fall?
Answer: The LORD of Hosts Himself has set Himself against her
The chapter climaxes in a first-person oracle of the LORD of Hosts: He is against Nineveh and will burn its chariots, let the sword devour its young lions, cut off its prey and silence its messengers (2:13). The human attacker is merely the instrument; the decisive cause is the LORD's own opposition. Here God's sovereignty over the nations is explicit. He had sworn to break Assyria by a purpose none can annul (Isaiah 14:24-27), He frustrates what the nations devise (Psalm 33:10-11), and none can hold back His hand (Daniel 4:35).
- Nahum 2:13 (BSB)““Behold, I am against you,” declares the LORD of Hosts. “I will reduce your chariots to cinders, and the sword will devour your young lions. I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voices of your messengers will no longer be heard.””The LORD of Hosts declares He is against Nineveh and will destroy its chariots, its young lions and its prey.
- Isaiah 14:24-27 (BSB)“The LORD of Hosts has sworn: “Surely, as I have planned, so will it be; as I have purposed, so will it stand. I will break Assyria in My land; I will trample him on My mountain. His yoke will be taken off My people, and his burden removed from their shoulders.” This is the plan devised for the whole earth, and this is the hand stretched out over all the nations. The LORD of Hosts has purposed, and who can thwart Him? His hand is outstretched, so who can turn it back?”The LORD of Hosts swore to break Assyria, and His purpose for the nations cannot be thwarted.
- Psalm 33:10-11 (BSB)“The LORD frustrates the plans of the nations; He thwarts the devices of the peoples. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the purposes of His heart to all generations.”God overturns what the nations scheme, while His own purpose endures forever.
- Daniel 4:35 (BSB)“All the peoples of the earth are counted as nothing, and He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth. There is no one who can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’””No one can hold back God's hand among earth's peoples, as Nineveh's fall shows.
General
What happens to Nineveh's great wealth in 2:8-10?
Answer: Her silver and gold are seized and the city is left empty
Nineveh had been like a full pond, but now it drains away, and though people cry out to stop, nobody returns (2:8). The attackers call out to plunder the silver and the gold, and the treasure seems endless (2:9). The city is emptied and laid waste, and its people are overcome with fear (2:10). The nation that grew rich by plundering others is now plundered itself. Assyria's king had boasted of taking the treasures of nations (Isaiah 10:13-14), and the prophets warn that the destroyer will himself be destroyed (Isaiah 33:1) and that those who plunder many nations will be plundered (Habakkuk 2:8).
- Nahum 2:9-10 (BSB)““Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold!” There is no end to the treasure, an abundance of every precious thing. She is emptied! Yes, she is desolate and laid waste! Hearts melt, knees knock, bodies tremble, and every face grows pale!”The attackers plunder Nineveh's vast treasure, leaving the city empty and its people trembling.
- Isaiah 10:13-14 (BSB)“For he says: ‘By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, for I am clever. I have removed the boundaries of nations and plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued their rulers. My hand reached as into a nest to seize the wealth of the nations. Like one gathering abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth. No wing fluttered, no beak opened or chirped.’””The king of Assyria boasts of plundering the treasures of nations, the very wealth now taken from Nineveh.
- Isaiah 33:1 (BSB)“Woe to you, O destroyer never destroyed, O traitor never betrayed! When you have finished destroying, you will be destroyed. When you have finished betraying, you will be betrayed.”The destroyer and betrayer will in turn be destroyed and betrayed, the reversal Nineveh experiences.
- Habakkuk 2:8 (BSB)“Because you have plundered many nations, the remnant of the people will plunder you—because of your bloodshed against man and your violence against the land, the city, and all their dwellers.”Habakkuk states the same principle about another plundering nation: those who plunder many will themselves be plundered.
Theological
What becomes of Nineveh's accumulated wealth in 2:8-10?
Answer: Her silver and gold are seized and the city is left empty
Nineveh, long like a full pool, is draining away, and its fleeing people do not turn back at the cry to halt (2:8). The attackers take the silver and gold of a seemingly endless treasure (2:9), and the city is emptied, desolate and gripped with terror (2:10). The judgment is fittingly measured: the empire that boasted of seizing the wealth of nations (Isaiah 10:13-14) suffers the reversal announced for every destroyer (Isaiah 33:1), the same principle Habakkuk applies to another plundering power (Habakkuk 2:8).
- Nahum 2:9-10 (BSB)““Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold!” There is no end to the treasure, an abundance of every precious thing. She is emptied! Yes, she is desolate and laid waste! Hearts melt, knees knock, bodies tremble, and every face grows pale!”The attackers plunder Nineveh's vast treasure, leaving the city empty and its people trembling.
- Isaiah 10:13-14 (BSB)“For he says: ‘By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, for I am clever. I have removed the boundaries of nations and plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued their rulers. My hand reached as into a nest to seize the wealth of the nations. Like one gathering abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth. No wing fluttered, no beak opened or chirped.’””The king of Assyria boasts of plundering the treasures of nations, the very wealth now taken from Nineveh.
- Isaiah 33:1 (BSB)“Woe to you, O destroyer never destroyed, O traitor never betrayed! When you have finished destroying, you will be destroyed. When you have finished betraying, you will be betrayed.”The destroyer and betrayer will in turn be destroyed and betrayed, the reversal Nineveh experiences.
- Habakkuk 2:8 (BSB)“Because you have plundered many nations, the remnant of the people will plunder you—because of your bloodshed against man and your violence against the land, the city, and all their dwellers.”Habakkuk states the same principle about another plundering nation: those who plunder many will themselves be plundered.