Nahum 2

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 attributed to the prophet Nahum, and is a part of the Book of the Twelve Minor Prophets.[3][4]

Nahum 2
← chapter 1 chapter 3 →
The whole Book of Nahum in Latin as a part of Codex Gigas, made around 13th century.
Book	Book of Nahum
Category	Nevi'im
Christian Bible part	Old Testament
Order in the Christian part	34

Text

The original text was written in Hebrew language. This chapter is divided into 13 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), Aleppo Codex (10th century), Codex Leningradensis (1008).[5]

Fragments cumulatively containing all verses of this chapter were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, including 4QpNah, known as the "Nahum Commentary" (1st century BCE) with extant verses 12-14;[6][7] 4Q82 (4QXII^g; 1st century BCE) with extant verses 9-11.[8][9][10] and Wadi Murabba'at MurXII with extant verses 1‑13 (verses 2-14 in Masoretic text).[8][11]

There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BC. Extant ancient manuscripts of the Septuagint version include Codex Vaticanus (B; ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^B; 4th century), Codex Sinaiticus (S; BHK: ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^S; 4th century), Codex Alexandrinus (A; ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^A; 5th century) and Codex Marchalianus (Q; ${\displaystyle {\mathfrak {G}}}$^Q; 6th century).[12] Some fragments containing parts of this chapter (a revision of the Septuagint) were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, i.e., Naḥal Ḥever (8ḤevXII^gr; 1st century CE) with extant verses 5‑10, 13‑14.[8][13]

Simplified plan of ancient Nineveh, showing city wall and location of gateways.

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[14]

• "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.[15] The King James Version renders the word: "He that dasheth in pieces."

Verse 6

The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved.[16]

• "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.[15] 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. Archelogical research unearthed evidence that the destruction of city is related to the flood, giving support to the belief that the attackers sneaked into Niniveh by opening the river gates and marching through the "flooded waterways", in fulfillment of Nahum's prophecy.[17]

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?[18]

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...."[19]

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.[20] Furthermore, “Antiochus” is conventionally identified as Antiochus IV, and the “Kittim” as the Romans.[21]

• Dwelling of the lions: refers to the great city of Nineveh. "Lion" is a natural symbol and chief national emblem of Assyria. Nergal, the war god, has a winged lion with a man's face as his emblem.[22][23]

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.[24]

• "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.[17]

See also

• Other related Bible parts: Matthew 26, Revelation 13

References

1. Collins 2014, p. 342–343.
2. Hayes 2015, 18. Judean Prophets: Micah, Zephaniah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Jeremiah.
3. Metzger, Bruce M., et al. The Oxford Companion to the Bible. New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.
4. Keck, Leander E. 1996. The New Interpreter's Bible: Volume: VII. Nashville: Abingdon.
5. Würthwein 1995, pp. 35-37.
6. VanderKam, James C., The Dead Sea Scrolls Today, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1994. pp. 10-11.
7. Fitzmyer 2008, p. 49.
8. Dead sea scrolls - Nahum
9. Ulrich, Eugene, ed. (2010). The Biblical Qumran Scrolls: Transcriptions and Textual Variants. Brill. pp. 616. ISBN 9789004181830. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
10. Fitzmyer 2008, p. 39.
11. Fitzmyer 2008, pp. 140-141.
12. Würthwein 1995, pp. 73-74.
13. Fitzmyer 2008, p. 127.
14. Nahum 2:1
15. 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
16. Nahum 2:6
17. 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
18. Nahum 2:11
19. 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.
20. Larry R. Helyer, Exploring Jewish Literature of the Second Temple Period. InterVarsity Press, 2002 ISBN 0830826785
21. 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.
22. See 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.
23. The Pulpit Commentary, edited by H.D.M. Spence and Joseph S. Exell, 1890.
24. Nahum 2:13

Sources

• Collins, John J. (2014). Introduction to the Hebrew Scriptures. Fortress Press. ISBN 9781451469233.
• Fitzmyer, Joseph A. (2008). A Guide to the Dead Sea Scrolls and Related Literature. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. ISBN 9780802862419.
• Hayes, Christine (2015). Introduction to the Bible. Yale University Press. ISBN 0300188277.
• Shepherd, Michael (2018). A Commentary on the Book of the Twelve: The Minor Prophets. Kregel Exegetical Library. Kregel Academic. ISBN 978-0825444593.
• Würthwein, Ernst (1995). The Text of the Old Testament. Translated by Rhodes, Erroll F. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans. ISBN 0-8028-0788-7. Retrieved January 26, 2019.

External links

• Unique Pictures Of Nahum Tomb By Kobi Arami

Jewish

• Nahum 2 Hebrew with Parallel English
• Nachum 2 Hebrew with Rashi's Commentary

Christian

• Nahum 2 English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate
• 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