Old Testament · Prophecy

Nahum 1

The Fall of Nineveh

A century after Jonah, Nineveh's reprieve runs out. Nahum's vivid poetry declares that evil empires do not last forever.

King James Version BSB KJV

1The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

2God 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.

3The 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.

4He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth.

5The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.

6Who 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.

7The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.

8But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies.

9What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.

10For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.

11There is one come out of thee, that imagineth evil against the LORD, a wicked counsellor.

12Thus 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.

13For now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder.

14And 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.

15Behold 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.

Understand This

Nahum 1, explained

What Nahum 1 is saying

Nahum opens with a theophanic hymn declaring the LORD as a jealous, avenging God whose power is manifest in storm, earthquake, and flood. The oracle shifts to pronounce doom on Nineveh while promising deliverance for Judah. A messenger of good news announces peace for God's people.

The background behind it

Written shortly before Nineveh's fall in 612 BC, Nahum of Elkosh prophesied during the waning years of the Assyrian Empire. The oracle presupposes Judah's long suffering under Assyrian domination and the memory of the earlier reprieve Jonah's preaching had granted Nineveh.

Themes running underneath

The chapter develops a theology of divine retribution rooted in the Hebrew concept of qin'ah (jealousy/zeal). God's patience (slow to anger) does not negate His justice. The acrostic hymn structure in verses 2-8 draws on ancient Near Eastern theophanic traditions.

Why it still matters

Nahum forces engagement with the uncomfortable reality of divine judgment against systemic evil. The tension between God's patience and His justice remains a vital theological framework for understanding how God deals with oppressive powers.

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Scripture text: King James Version — public domain.