http://www.humanreligions.info/nahum.html
By Vexen Crabtree 2012
#bible #christianity #judaism #minor_prophets #old_testament
Jewish Tanakh
Title: NaḤum
Section: 8th book of Nevi'im - Trei Asar (The Twelve)
Protestant Bibles
Title: Nahum
Section: Minor Prophets
Catholic Bible
Title: Nahum
Section: Minor Prophets
Eastern Orthodox Bibles
Title: Nahum
Section: Minor Prophets
As in the book of Jonah, Nahum contains continued prophecies that the city of Nineveh is doomed, and that God is so great he can overthrow the wicked, and, Nineveh will be looted, and, that the people of Nineveh are wicked. How many more prophecies there were before Nineveh fell we do not know, but, all nations eventually fall so the prophets just have to wait for prophetic success and hope it occurs in their own lifetimes to enjoy the acclaim!
A few places in the Old Testament use a particular kind of structured poem which is simple and mechanical, with sections being denoted with letters of the Hebrew alphabet, often in order. This is sometimes called an abcedarius (ABCDarius), or an alphabetic acrostic. It is a most simple kind of Jewish word-play. It is used in a number of the Psalms, in Lamentations, Nahum and some other places in the Jewish scriptures.
#12 #bible #christianity #judaism #minor_prophets #old_testament
The 8th part of the Hebrew holy text the Nevi'im is called the Trei Asar (The Twelve), and from it the Christians extracted the 12 books of the Old Testament that are together known as the Minor Prophets, including Nahum. They are not chronological and they are collected together as 'minor' prophets simply because they are shorter than the 'major' prophets1. The Hebrews wrote a great number of religious texts; the reason that 12 in particular were selected is because religious scribes would create collections of 12 wherever possible, as it was considered a magical number2.
For more, see:
| KJV | YLT | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite. | Burden of Nineveh. The Book of the Vision of Nahum the Elkoshite. | Some comments on Nahum 1:7 are on God and Goodness: Can a Perfectly Benevolent God Exist?: 1. Verses in the Bible Say that God is Good (although they're contradicted by other verses) |
| 2 | God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies. | A God zealous and avenging `is' Jehovah, An avenger `is' Jehovah, and possessing fury. An avenger `is' Jehovah on His adversaries, And He is watching for His enemies. | |
| 3 | The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. | Jehovah `is' slow to anger, and great in power, And Jehovah doth not entirely acquit, In a hurricane and in a tempest `is' His way, And a cloud `is' the dust of His feet. | |
| 4 | He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth. | He is pushing against a sea, and drieth it up, Yea, all the floods He hath made dry, Languishing `are' Bashan and Carmel, Yea, the flower of Lebanon `is' languishing. | |
| 5 | The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein. | Mountains have shaken because of Him, And the hills have been melted; And lifted up `is' the earth at His presence, And the world and all dwelling in it. | |
| 6 | Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him. | Before His indignation who doth stand? And who riseth up in the heat of His anger? His fury hath been poured out like fire, And the rocks have been broken by Him. | |
| 7 | The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him. | Good `is' Jehovah for a strong place in a day of distress. And He knoweth those trusting in Him. | |
| 8 | But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies. | And with a flood passing over, An end He maketh of its place, And His enemies doth darkness pursue. | |
| 9 | What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time. | What do we devise against Jehovah? An end He is making, arise not twice doth distress. | |
| 10 | For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry. | For while princes `are' perplexed, And with their drink are drunken, They have been consumed as stubble fully dried. | |
| 11 | There is one come out of thee, that imagineth evil against the LORD, a wicked counsellor. | From thee hath come forth a deviser of evil Against Jehovah -- a worthless counsellor. | |
| 12 | Thus saith the LORD; Though they be quiet, and likewise many, yet thus shall they be cut down, when he shall pass through. Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more. | Thus said Jehovah: Though complete, and thus many, Yet thus they have been cut off, And he hath passed away. And I afflicted thee, I afflict thee no more. | |
| 13 | For now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder. | And now I break his rod from off thee, And thy bands I do draw away. | |
| 14 | And the LORD hath given a commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sown: out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven image and the molten image: I will make thy grave; for thou art vile. | And commanded concerning thee hath Jehovah, `No more of thy name doth spread abroad, From the house of thy gods I cut off graven and molten image, I appoint thy grave, for thou hast been vile. | |
| 15 | Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off. | Lo, on the mountains the feet of one proclaiming tidings, sounding peace! Celebrate, O Judah, thy festivals, complete thy vows, For add no more to pass over into thee doth the worthless, He hath been completely cut off! |
| KJV | YLT | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 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. | Come up hath a scatterer to thy face, Keep the bulwark, watch the way, Strengthen the loins, strengthen power mightily. | |
| 2 | 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. | For turned back hath Jehovah to the excellency of Jacob, As `to' the excellency of Israel, For emptied them out have emptiers, And their branches they have marred. | |
| 3 | 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. | The shield of his mighty ones is become red, Men of might `are in' scarlet, With fiery torches `is' the chariot in a day of his preparation, And the firs have been caused to tremble. | |
| 4 | 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. | In out-places shine do the chariots, They go to and fro in broad places, Their appearances `are' like torches, As lightnings they run. | |
| 5 | 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. | He doth remember his honourable ones, They stumble in their goings, They hasten `to' its wall, and prepared is the covering. | |
| 6 | The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved. | Gates of the rivers have been opened, And the palace is dissolved. | |
| 7 | 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. | And it is established -- she hath removed, She hath been brought up, And her handmaids are leading as the voice of doves, Tabering on their hearts. | |
| 8 | But Nineveh is of old like a pool of water: yet they shall flee away. Stand, stand, shall they cry; but none shall look back. | And Nineveh `is' as a pool of waters, From of old it `is' -- and they are fleeing! `Stand ye, stand;' and none is turning! | |
| 9 | Take ye the spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold: for there is none end of the store and glory out of all the pleasant furniture. | Seize ye silver, seize ye gold, And there is no end to the prepared things, `To' the abundance of all desirable vessels. | |
| 10 | She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness. | She is empty, yea, emptiness and waste, And the heart hath melted, And the knees have smitten together, And great pain `is' in all loins, And the faces of all of them have gathered paleness. | |
| 11 | Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feedingplace of the young lions, where the lion, even the old lion, walked, and the lion's whelp, and none made them afraid? | Where `is' the habitation of lionesses? And a feeding-place it `is' for young lions Where walked hath a lion, an old lion, A lion's whelp, and there is none troubling. | |
| 12 | The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his holes with prey, and his dens with ravin. | The lion is tearing parts `for' his whelps, And is strangling for his lionesses, And he doth fill `with' prey his holes, And his habitations `with' rapine. | |
| 13 | Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions: and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard. | Lo, I `am' against thee, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, And I have burned in smoke its chariot, And thy young lions consume doth a sword, And I have cut off from the land thy prey, And not heard any more is the voice of thy messengers! |
| KJV | YLT | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not; | Wo `to' the city of blood, She is all with lies -- burglary -- full, Prey doth not depart. | |
| 2 | The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots. | The sound of a whip, And the sound of the rattling of a wheel, And of a prancing horse, and of a bounding chariot, Of a horseman mounting. | |
| 3 | The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses: | And the flame of a sword, and the lightning of a spear, And the abundance of the wounded, And the weight of carcases, Yea, there is no end to the bodies, They stumble over their bodies. | |
| 4 | Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts. | Because of the abundance of the fornications of an harlot, The goodness of the grace of the lady of witchcrafts, Who is selling nations by her fornications, And families by her witchcrafts. | |
| 5 | Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame. | Lo, I `am' against thee, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts, And have removed thy skirts before thy face, And have shewed nations thy nakedness, And kingdoms thy shame, | |
| 6 | And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock. | And I have cast upon thee abominations, And dishonoured thee, and made thee as a sight. | |
| 7 | And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee? | And it hath come to pass, Each of thy beholders fleeth from thee, And hath said: `Spoiled is Nineveh, Who doth bemoan for her?' Whence do I seek comforters for thee? | |
| 8 | Art thou better than populous No, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the sea? | Art thou better than No-Ammon, That is dwelling among brooks? Waters she hath round about her, Whose bulwark `is' the sea, waters her wall. | |
| 9 | Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers. | Cush her might, and Egypt, and there is no end. Put and Lubim have been for thy help. | |
| 10 | Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity: her young children also were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets: and they cast lots for her honourable men, and all her great men were bound in chains. | Even she doth become an exile, She hath gone into captivity, Even her sucklings are dashed to pieces At the top of all out-places, And for her honoured ones they cast a lot, And all her great ones have been bound in fetters. | |
| 11 | Thou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid, thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy. | Even thou art drunken, thou art hidden, Even thou dost seek a strong place, because of an enemy. | |
| 12 | All thy strong holds shall be like fig trees with the firstripe figs: if they be shaken, they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater. | All thy fortresses `are' fig-trees with first-fruits, If they are shaken, They have fallen into the mouth of the eater. | |
| 13 | Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars. | Lo, thy people `are' women in thy midst, To thine enemies thoroughly opened Have been the gates of thy land, Consumed hath fire thy bars. | |
| 14 | Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter, make strong the brickkiln. | Waters of a siege draw for thyself, Strengthen thy fortresses, Enter into mire, and tread on clay, Make strong a brick-kiln. | |
| 15 | There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm: make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts. | There consume thee doth a fire, Cut thee off doth a sword, It doth consume thee as a cankerworm! Make thyself heavy as the cankerworm, Make thyself heavy as the locust. | |
| 16 | Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and fleeth away. | Multiply thy merchants above the stars of the heavens, The cankerworm hath stripped off, and doth flee away. | |
| 17 | Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are. | Thy crowned ones `are' as a locust, And thy princes as great grasshoppers, That encamp in hedges in a day of cold, The sun hath risen, and it doth flee away, And not known is its place where they are. | |
| 18 | Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria: thy nobles shall dwell in the dust: thy people is scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them. | Slumbered have thy friends, king of Asshur, Rest do thine honourable ones, Scattered have been thy people on the mountains, And there is none gathering. | |
| 19 | There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hands over thee: for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually? | There is no weakening of thy destruction, Grievous `is' thy smiting, All hearing thy fame have clapped the hand at thee, For over whom did not thy wickedness pass continually? |