Nahum 3:7 Ulasan

This chapter goes on with the burden of Nineveh, and concludes it. I. The sins of that great city are charged upon it, murder (Nah 3:1), whoredom and witchcraft (Nah 3:4), and a general extent of wickedness (Nah 3:19). II. Judgments are here threatened against it, blood for blood (Nah 3:2, Nah 3:3), and shame for shameful sins (Nah 3:5-7). III. Instances are given of the like desolations brought upon other places for the like sins (Nah 3:8-11). IV. The overthrow of all those things which they depended upon, and put confidence in, is foretold (Nah 3:12-19).

INTRODUCTION TO NAHUM 3 In this chapter is contained the prophecy of the destruction of Nineveh, and with it the whole Assyrian empire; the causes of which, besides those before mentioned, were the murders, lies, and robberies it was full of, Nah 3:1 for which it should be swiftly and cruelly destroyed, Nah 3:2 as also its whoredoms and witchcrafts, or idolatry, by which nations and families were seduced, Nah 3:4 and hence she should be treated as a harlot, her nakedness exposed, and she cast out with contempt, and mocked at by all, Nah 3:5 and all those things she placed her confidence in are shown to be of no avail; as her situation and fortresses, as she might learn from the case of No Amon, Nah 3:8 nor the number of her inhabitants, which were weak as women; nor even her merchants, captains, nobles, and king himself, Nah 3:13 nor the people she was in alliance with, who would now mock at her, her case being irrecoverable and incurable, Nah 3:19.

And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee,.... As something loathsome and abominable, not fit to be come near unto, or touched; and as astonished and amazed at an object so forlorn and miserable, and lest they should partake of the same punishment: and say, Nineveh is laid waste; utterly destroyed; its walls broke down, its houses demolished, its substance plundered, and its inhabitants killed, or carried captive; who could have thought it, when it was once so stately, rich, and powerful? but so it is indeed! who will bemoan her? there are none left in her to do it; and as for others, her neighbours, whom she has oppressed and cruelly used, these will laugh and rejoice, instead of lamenting her case: whence shall I seek comforters for thee? none from among her inhabitants, being destroyed, or carried into a foreign land; and none from among the nations round about, who will rather deride and insult than pity and comfort; so wretched and miserable would her case be!

(Verse 7) And it shall come to pass, that whoever sees you will flee from you, and say: Nineveh is laid waste; who will mourn for her? In Hebrew, there is no 'head', but we have added it to make the meaning clearer. Finally, Symmachus interpreted it as follows: And whoever sees you will depart from you and say: Nineveh is dispersed, who will mourn with her? Moreover, the Seventy: And it shall come to pass, that whoever sees you will descend from you and say: Wretched Nineveh, who will lament for her? Where shall I find a consolation fitting for her? ** Whoever sees the ruins of Nineveh, and sets it up as an example for all, will be filled with awe and wonder, and will say: Nineveh is destroyed, who will shake their head at you? That is, who will grieve for you, who will be your comforter? As long as you were powerful, like a cruel mistress, you had no pity for the old ((or old men)) or the little ones: you did not look upon the small ones: you did not prepare a companion for your mourning, because you did not want to have a partner in ruling. But whoever despises these earthly things, and looks down on the evil deeds of the witchcraft of Nineveh, and is not ensnared by its false beauty when they see all its ugliness within, and begins to hate what others love, they will flee and reject it, or as it is said in the Septuagint, they will descend. For as long as we honor earthly things, and think them to be lofty, we are like those who were once on the summit of pride, and we admire the beauty of Nineveh. But when we consider its nature, and despise all earthly goods as lowly, subjecting ourselves to the power of God's hand, then we will have mercy on the Ninevites, and we will judge all earthly goods as worthy of lamentation, and we will say: Wretched Nineveh, how many are ensnared by your snares, how many are bound by your chains! Who do you think will break free from you and descend from your pride, and judge you as miserable? But when he says, 'Who, do you think, is the faithful and prudent steward?' (Matthew 24:45)? And, 'Who is wise and will understand these things?' (Hosea 14:10)? And, 'Who shall ascend into the mountain of the Lord?' (Psalm 23:3)? Who, then, will lament over Nineveh? Who will be found, who, burdened with this tabernacle, will say with Paul, 'Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from the body of this death?' (Romans 7:24)? We see every day, if death comes close to someone and they realize that they are being taken away from this world due to fever, injury, or any kind of illness, they panic, tremble, and cling to the embrace of the beautiful prostitute, barely able to be pulled away from her body. But what follows: Where can I find consolation, or a consoler for you, who can tune the chord? It is yet spoken in the persona of the one who will rebound or descend from Nineveh, and say: Miserable Nineveh, who will mourn for her? Discussing the confusion of this age, in which nothing can please anyone forever: but what pleased displeases, and what displeased, pleases again. Who, therefore, can be found as such a consoler? And (so to speak) a lyric writer and a harpist who can bring its dissonant strings into one harmony, and make the vocal sound praise to God? What we have explained, which is to bring together a chord, or one bringing together a chord, is called in Greek, ἁρμόσαι χορδὴν, but we have not found it in Hebrew, nor in the translations of others, but instead the beginning of another speech: Are you better than Amon who dwells in rivers? Therefore, it seems to me that it should be more closely connected with the following.

The prophet denounces a wo against Nineveh for her perfidy and violence. He musters up before our eyes the number of her chariots and cavalry; points to her burnished arms, and to the great and unrelenting slaughter which she spreads around her, Nah 3:1-3. Because Nineveh is a city wholly given up to the grossest superstition, and is an instructress of other nations in her abominable rites, therefore she shall come to a most ignominious and unpitied end, Nah 3:3-7. Her final ruin shall be similar to that of No, a famous city of Egypt, Nah 3:8-11. The prophet then beautifully describes the great ease with which the strong holds of Nineveh should be taken, Nah 3:12, and her judicial pusillanimity during the siege, Nah 3:13; declares that all her preparation, her numbers, opulence, and chieftains, would be of no avail in the day of the Lord's vengeance, Nah 3:14-17; and that her tributaries would desert her, Nah 3:18. The whole concludes with stating the incurableness of her malady, and the dreadful destruction consequently awaiting her; and with introducing the nations which she had oppressed as exulting at her fall, Nah 3:19.

Who will bemoan her? - In such cases, who pities the delinquent? She has been the occasion of ruin to multitudes, and now she is deservedly exposed and punished. And so it should be thought concerning Nineveh.

REPETITION OF NINEVEH'S DOOM, WITH NEW FEATURES; THE CAUSE IS HER TYRANNY, RAPINE, AND CRUELTY: NO-AMMON'S FORTIFICATIONS DID NOT SAVE HER; IT IS VAIN, THEREFORE, FOR NINEVEH TO THINK HER DEFENSES WILL SECURE HER AGAINST GOD'S SENTENCE. (Nah. 3:1-19) the bloody city!--literally, "city of blood," namely, shed by Nineveh; just so now her own blood is to be shed. robbery--violence [MAURER]. Extortion [GROTIUS]. the prey departeth not--Nineveh never ceases to live by rapine. Or, the Hebrew verb is transitive, "she (Nineveh) does not make the prey depart"; she ceases not to plunder.

all . . . that look upon thee--when thou hast been made "a gazing stock" (Nah 3:6). shall flee from thee--as a thing horrible to look upon. Compare "standing afar off," Rev 18:10. whence shall I seek comforters for thee?--Compare Isa 51:19, which Nahum had before his mind.

Nineveh's Sins and Inevitable Destruction - Nahum 3 The announcement of the destruction awaiting Nineveh is confirmed by the proof, that this imperial city has brought this fate upon itself by its sins and crimes (Nah 3:1-7), and will no more be able to avert it than the Egyptian No-amon was (Nah 3:8-13), but that, in spite of all its resources, it will be brought to a terrible end (Nah 3:14-19).