Notice the crisp, short phrases in Nahum 3. What is he describing? Why is Nahum using this type of writing style? It is as if Nahum is deliberately crafting this passage for effect. His prose is constructed to convey impact to the reader or audience. To borrow a modern image, it is like the staccato outburst of a gunfire. “Woe” statements or pronouncement of judgment/wrath and destruction on Nineveh is taking place in this chapter. The verse(s) in this oracle are punctuated and deliberate in cadence and impact. Blood, lies, plunder victims, whips, horse, chariots, cavalry, swords, spear, casualties...BANG, BANG, BANG like blows or strikes of punishment being delivered. They evoke the nature of the battle scene that they are portraying. According to the Expositors Commentary (Longman et al) these verse end with guttural consonants in their original Hebrew, that when expressed audibly are staccato and jarring like the “crack of whips” and “jolting chariots” that they are describing. We must keep in mind that Assyria was a brutal regime known for diplomatic misdealing, extreme heavy-handed tactics and torture such as flaying people alive, dismembering and impaling them as shown in the reliefs below.
Nahum is describing in vivid artistic prose the downfall and destruction of Nineveh from four vantage points in time. The actual battle (v. 2-4), looking ahead to God’s opposition against them (v. 5-12), siege and battle (v. 14-17), and looking into the past in defeat (v. 18-19). Their downfall is directly attributed to being a harlot or whore or all because of the wanton lust of a harlot, a mistress of sorcery's, prostitution, and witchcraft are vividly outlined in punctuated phrases in verse 4 and 5. Their idolatry (often paralleled in scripture as prostitution; or cheating and turning to another god), pride and arrogance would be an integral part of their demise too.
The Lord declares that He is against them. He will lift their skirt over their face and show the nations their nakedness and kingdoms their shame meaning that the Lord will return violence with violence, shame with shame. By the measure you do unto others the same will be done unto you. We truly see the spiritually depraved condition of Nineveh in this chapter. The Assyrians in the past had lied to other nations and broke their promises and destroyed them similar to Hitler and Chamberlain in WWII. They systematically slaughtered people without regards to age or sex. These are the types of things that would be visited back on the Assyrians.
The staccato cadence seems to ease and lessen slightly in verse 7-19 but the impact still remains in these verses. The once invincible Assyria is compared to Thebes who was once greater that Assyria but had succumbed to Assyria in 663 B.C. to become pretty much a footnote in history. Nineveh will suffer a similar fate. Even though Assyria is commanded to prepare for the coming siege (v. 14-16) but it will be to no avail as they will be destroyed. The remainder of the chapter is an address to the Assyrian leader(s) and basically looks like a funeral dirge and amounts to a “how the mighty have fallen” statement.
Johnson, Elliot E., John Walvoord. "The Reasons For God’s Judgment on Nineveh" Bible Knowledge Commentary Old Testament: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Bible Knowledge). Acambaro: Victor, 1985. 1502-1504. Print.
Longman, Tremper, and David Garland. "The Fall Of Nineveh." Daniel-Malachi (Expositor's Bible Commentary, The). New Rev ed. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2009. 589-600. Print.
Wiersbe, Warren. "God Is Just: Nineveh Will Fall" Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament: The Prophets (Bible Knowledge). Acambaro: Victor, 2003. 408-409. Print.
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