This chapter describes the impending doom of Nineveh; it’s time for them to prepare for the upcoming onslaught. There’s nowhere to hide from God’s judgement, there’s nothing they can do to stop God from pouring out His wrath against them.
An attacker is seen as advancing against Nineveh, and Nineveh is told to guard the fortress, watch the road, brace themselves, and marshal all their strength! Nahum 2:1.
Nineveh finally fell when Nabopolassar gathered a group of armies together, from the Medes, Babylonians, and the Scythians. It was he who went against the city in 612 B.C.
Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, in their commentary, say the following.
‘Although applicable to another situation, Jeremiah’s understanding that God was the Executioner and that the armies of men were merely his instruments certainly sheds light upon the similar situation here. Jamieson also identified God as the Breaker, and the armies as his ‘battle-axe,’ Jeremiah 51:20-21.’
Notice the hope for Jacob, God is going to restore Jacob’s splendour, like the splendour of Israel, despite the destroyers who have come and laid them waste and ruined their vines, Nahum 1:2 / Psalms 80:8-16 / Isaiah 5:1-7.
Keil, in his commentary, says the following concerning Jacob and Israel, Nahum 1:2.
‘Both names stand here for the whole of Israel (of the twelve tribes); and as Cyril has shown, the distinction is this: Jacob is the natural name which the people inherited from their forefather, and Israel the spiritual name which they received from God.’
Notice also how Nahum writes as though it’s already happened; in other words, God is as good as His Word. The fall of Nineveh was significant because it meant that the Northern Kingdom of Israel, which was in Assyrian captivity, would soon be freed.
This is not good news for the Assyrians; they are going to reap what they sowed, Galatians 6:7. All the cruelty and havoc they created among other nations was going to happen to them. The shields of those who were to slaughter them were red from the blood they had shed in other battles and the people they had killed, Nahum 2:3.
The metal on the chariots was brightly polished in order to reflect the sun, which would blind the enemy. Nahum 2:3. These chariots would have had blades sticking out of their wheels, which meant they would run through the streets of the city, causing destruction and slaughter, Nahum 2:4.
Nineveh is going to be taken by surprise, which causes them to stumble, Nahum 2:5. The joint armies of Medo-Persians and Babylonians went straight for the walls of the capital city, Nahum 2:5. We can imagine enormous battering rams being set up against the huge walls.
The river gates of the city were diverted so that they could get to the walls, Nahum 2:6, and the water pressure would be so great that it could burst a hole in the city wall. No wonder the ‘female slaves moan like doves and beat their breasts’, Nahum 2:7. The KJV says ‘that Huzzab will be led away captive.’
Smith, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The probability that the goddess of Nineveh is referred to here is certainly greater than that it is the queen. The latter played no conspicuous part in Assyrian history, but the goddess occupied a very large part in the minds of Assyrian monarchs. If it is the goddess, the maidens are probably the female devotees of Ishtar (the sacred prostitutes).’
They are now sowing what they have reaped for years. They now realise that it’s futile to rely on their strength; the city walls have fallen, and with it went their security.
Coffman, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Nineveh was like a pool of water fed by many streams, in that her citizens came from every land, being drawn to the city, not for patriotic or benign purposes, but solely for commercial greed and the pursuit of wealth. None of the peoples, or at least very few of them, felt any loyalty whatever to the city.’
Although it’s not been proven, there are those who believe that a great rainstorm happened two months before, which actually washed away a huge portion of the city’s wall, Nahum 1:8. If this did happen, then this would give us one possibility of how Nabopolassar managed to take the city.
God had just told them exactly how the city would fall, the river gates would fall open, and the city would collapse, and as a result, the victorious army would take the spoils of war.
Even though those in command would cry out orders to their soldiers, to stand and fight, no one would, no one would even look back, as they were too busy running away in order to save themselves from being murdered, Nahum 2:8.
All the items which the Assyrians plundered from other nations were now being taken away from them, Nahum 2:9 / Psalm 39:6. Notice their hearts melt, their knees give way, their bodies tremble, and every face grows pale, Nahum 2:10. This is sheer terror. They were truly reaping what they had sown, Galatians 6:7.
When Nineveh was finally destroyed, we know that a few of the Assyrian soldiers fled to Carchemish. It was there in 609 B.C. that the Babylonians made a final attack against the Assyrians and the Egyptians, who fought together. After the Babylonians defeated them both, this brought an end to their alliance and the end of the Assyrian empire.
Just as Rome had the sign of the eagle, Assyria had the sign of a lion, Nahum 2:11.
Johnson, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Assyrian kings prided themselves on their ability to kill lions in lion hunts. And the kings likened their own ferocity and fearlessness to that of lions. For example, Sennacherib boasted of his military fury by saying, ‘Like a lion I raged.’ Lions were frequently pictured in Assyrian reliefs and decorations.’
They thought their source of power was in their chariots, but with them gone, they will have no power, Nahum 2:11. When the Assyrians went out against other nations, they would bring back the captives to the people who would taunt them, scoff at them, and make a laughingstock out of them, Nahum 2:12.
God is against them and promises to burn their chariots and kill their young lions, Nahum 1:13. The young lions are the children, Nahum 2:13, and they will be devoured; there will be no prey on earth, Nahum 2:13 / Nahum 2:1, which means there will be no food for them.
Dalglish, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The lion’s den, the cave, represents Nineveh; the predatory raids suggested the multiplied spoils seized from the conquered nations; the abundant prey stored in the lair suggests the insatiability of Assyria; the lion and whelps point to Assyria’s nobles and citizens.’
Nineveh has fallen, the Assyrians have fallen, and so, the Assyrians are certainly going to feel the effect; there would be a feeling of hopelessness and helplessness. This is exactly how they made other nations feel, but now it’s time for them to reap what they have sown, Galatians 6:7 / Matthew 26:52.
Although Nineveh had received mercy from God in the past in the days of Jonah, Jonah 4:1-11, the time for receiving more mercy from God was over for the Assyrians. They continued to practice evil wherever they went, and now it was time for judgment; it was time for them to be on the receiving end of God’s wrath.
As Christians, we need to remind ourselves of the mercy we received from God, and we must be quick to show that mercy to others, especially to those who hurt us, Luke 6:36-42.
When we sin, we must do what the Ninevites did in the days of Jonah: we must repent, Jonah 3:6-10; we must confess our sins to God, otherwise, no forgiveness will be granted to us, 1 John 1:9.