Nahum 2
| Nahum 2 | |
|---|---|
|
Simplified plan of ancient Nineveh, showing city wall and location of gateways. | |
| Book | Book of Nahum |
| Bible part | Old Testament |
| Order in the Bible part | 34 |
| Category | Nevi'im |
Nahum 2 is the second chapter of the Book of Nahum in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible.[1][2] This book contains the prophecies spoken by the prophet Nahum, and is a part of the Book of the Twelve Minor Prophets.[3][4]
Text
- The original text is written in Hebrew.
- Some of the most ancient manuscripts containing this chapter are:
- In Hebrew:
- Masoretic Text
- Dead Sea Scrolls: 4QpNah, known as the "Nahum Commentary" (1st century BC)[5]
- In Greek:
- Septuagint (3rd century BC)
- In Hebrew:
- This chapter is divided into 13 verses.
Structure
This chapter can be grouped (with cross references to other parts of the Bible):
- Nahum 2:1-12 = The Destruction of Nineveh
- Nahum 2:13 = I Am Against You
Verse 1
New Revised Standard Version
- A shatterer has come up against you.
- Guard the ramparts; watch the road;
- gird your loins; collect all your strength[6]
- "Shatterer" (or "scatterer") is translated from the Hebrew word: מֵפִ֛יץ mê-p̄îts referring to the Medians and Babylonians who attacked Nineveh. Thus, this verse is addressed to Nineveh.[7] KJV renders the word: "He that dasheth in pieces."
Verse 6
- The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved.[8]
- "The gates of the rivers" (Hebrew: שערי הנהרות, sha-‘ă-rê han-nə-hā-rō-wṯ). Nineveh was situated on the east bank of the Tigris River, whose tributary, the Khosr, flowed through the city.[7] The fall of Nineveh predicted by Nahum took place in only a few years after this prophecy - in 612 B.C, followed by the final destruction of the Assyrian Empire in 609 B.C.
Verse 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?[9]
Fragments 3-4 Column 1 of Nahum Commentary (1st century BC) cites Nahum 2:11b, "Where the lion goes to enter, there also goes the whelp..." and provides the commentary,
"[This refers to Deme]trius, king of Greece, who sought to enter Jerusalem through the counsel of the Flattery-Seekers; [but it never fell into the] power of the kings of Greece from Antiochus until the appearance of the rulers of the kittim...."[10]
According to Larry R. Helyer (as well as to many other scholars), Demetrius in this text is Demetrius III Eucaerus (95-88 BCE), the Seleucid king who defeated Alexander Jannaeus in battle, but was forced to withdraw back to Syria. Accordingly, by "the Flattery-Seekers", the Pharisees were probably meant.[11] Furthermore, “Antiochus” is conventionally identified as Antiochus IV, and the “Kittim” as the Romans.[12]
- Dwelling of the lions: "Lion" is a natural symbol of Assyria, and is used as the chief national emblem. Nergal, the war god, has a winged lion with a man's face as his emblem. See the figure in Rawlinson, 'Anc. Mon.,' 1:173, who adds (p. 308) that the lion is accepted as a true type of the people, blood, ravin, and robbery being their characteristics in the mind of the prophet; thus, the "dwelling of the lions" refers to the great city of Nineveh.[13]
Verse 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.[14]
- "Lord of hosts" (Hebrew: יהוה צבאות, Yah-weh tsə-ḇā-’ō-wṯ). Although the Babylonians conquered the city of Nineveh, they were only God's instruments. Nineveh's greatest foe was the Lord of hosts Himself.[15]
See also
- Other related Bible parts: Matthew 26, Revelation 13
References
- ↑ Halley, Henry H. Halley's Bible Handbook: an abbreviated Bible commentary. 23rd edition. Zondervan Publishing House. 1962.
- ↑ Holman Illustrated Bible Handbook. Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. 2012.
- ↑ J. D. Davis. 1960. A Dictionary of The Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House.
- ↑ Therodore Hiebert, et.al. 1996. The New Intrepreter's Bible: Volume: VII. Nashville: Abingdon.
- ↑ VanderKam, James C., The Dead Sea Scrolls Today, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1994. pp. 10-11.
- ↑ Nahum 2:1
- 1 2 Michael D. Coogan, Marc Z. Brettler, Carol A. Newsom, Pheme Perkins (Editors). The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha: New Revised Standard Version. 3rd edition. 2001. ISBN 978-0195284850. pp. 1338
- ↑ Nahum 2:6
- ↑ Nahum 2:11
- ↑ Translation by E.M. Cook in Michael Wise, Martin Abegg Jr, & Edward Cook, eds. (1996). The Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation. HarperSanFrancisco. p. 217.
- ↑ Larry R. Helyer, Exploring Jewish Literature of the Second Temple Period. InterVarsity Press, 2002 ISBN 0830826785
- ↑ Berrin, Shani L. The Pesher Nahum scroll from Qumran : an exegetical study of 4Q169. Studies on the texts of the desert of Judah; v. 53. Brill, Leiden. 2004. ISBN 90-04-12484-5.
- ↑ The Pulpit Commentary, edited by H.D.M. Spence and Joseph S. Exell, 1890.
- ↑ Nahum 2:13
- ↑ Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald B. Allen, H. Wayne House (Editors). The Nelson Study Bible. New King James Version. Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN. 1997. pp. 1515-1517. ISBN 978-0840715999
External links
 |
Wikisource has original text related to this article: |
 |
Look up Nahum in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
- Unique Pictures Of Nahum Tomb By Kobi Arami
- Jewish translations:
- Nachum – Nahum (Judaica Press) translation [with Rashi's commentary] at Chabad.org
- Christian translations:
- Online Bible at GospelHall.org (ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English)
- BibleGateway
- Nahum – King James Version
-
Nahum public domain audiobook at LibriVox Various versions