Nahum

About Nahum

Nahum announces the coming fall of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, the cruel empire that had crushed Israel and terrorized Judah. About a century after Jonah's preaching led Nineveh to repent, the city had returned to violence, and Nahum declares that God will not let that evil stand forever. In the Bible's big story, Nahum shows that God rules over every nation, not just Israel, and that He is both a refuge for those who trust Him and a judge of the ruthless.

Written by

The book names Nahum of Elkosh as its author, a prophet we know almost nothing else about.

When

Nahum spoke sometime between the fall of Thebes in 663 BC, which he mentions, and the fall of Nineveh in 612 BC, which he predicts.

Themes

• God's judgment on cruelty
• God as a refuge in trouble
• The fall of proud empires
• Good news for the oppressed

Key verses

• Nahum 1:7The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of distress; He cares for those who trust in Him.
• Nahum 1:2-3The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging and full of wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on His foes and reserves wrath for His enemies. The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. His path is in the whirlwind and storm, and clouds are the dust beneath His feet.
• Nahum 1:15Look to the mountains— the feet of one who brings good news, who proclaims peace! Celebrate your feasts, O Judah; fulfill your vows. For the wicked will never again march through you; they will be utterly cut off.