But we dont know where that was because it is not mentioned elsewhere in the. The lords anger against nineveh the lord is a jealous and avenging god. Apr 20, 20 the book of nahum is a book of stern warning to the peoples of nineveh of old, but its also, in a larger sense, a warning to the descendants of ancient assyria, many of whom now live in central europe. The book of nahum comes some one hundred years after the prophecy of jonah. His book is a message of destruction for nineveh, and that would have been a message of consolation for the nations she had oppressed. It can be assume that the book was written before 612 bc because that is when nineveh was destroyed and since nahum is predicting the destruction of nineveh that would be a safe assumption. Nineveh, and the assyrian empire, was at its height of power. It seems that nineveh has now fallen again into is severe sin and is being told again of certain judgment. Bible study guide book of nahum united church of god. Nahums singular focus on the impending judgment of nineveh offers a continuation of the. The book of nahum mentions the recent fall of noamon, or thebes, which occurred. The book of the prophet nahum is almost exclusively taken up with prophetic denunciations against nineveh.
The books of reference used for this study of the book of nahum were the bible, king james version, called the companion bible, publisher kregel. Nahum the almost forgotten book nahum one one small, almost forgotten book in the old testament is the book of nahum. In the prophets, a burden is a heavy message of weighty importance, heavy in the sense that it produces sorrow or grief. Book of nahum overview insight for living ministries. Theme nineveh and the assyrians will fall because of their wickedness. The book of nahum is a prophecy about the destruction of the city of nineveh, the capital of the ancient pagan assyrian empire. It was written in poetic form by the hebrew prophet, nahum, in the 7th century b. Nineveh was a city of violence, known for its brutal treatment of those it conquered. This makes this book a sequel to the book of jonah.
The little book of nahum is undated, but it clearly comes from about 612 b. It is the book of the vision of nahum the elkoshite. Nahum the book of nahum is gods message of the impending destruction of nineveh. Nahum can be identified as prophecy based on nahum 1.
Sometime around 760 bc, god sent jonah to nineveh to preach repentance and hope to the assyrian people, a message they heard and adoptedat least for a time. While the book of jonah records ninevehs reprieve, nahum predicts its. Book of nahum bible survey what are the major prophets and minor prophets. You will not have descendents to carry on your name. Nahum 1 commentary matthew henry commentary on the. As to when his words were written, it should be noted that the fall of nineveh to the babylonians in 612 bc, was seen in this book as a future event.
Literary analysis of the unity of nahum gordon college. Book about nineveh crossword clue answer crossword heaven. Strongs exhaustive concordance of the bible, numbered to the hebrew, chaldee, and greek, and english, coded to the strongs concordance numbers. One hundred years later, during the time of nahum, the assyrians had. Nahum prophesied, according to some, in the beginning of the reign of ahaz b. The noise of the whip, the noise of the rattling of the wheel, galloping horses and bounding chariots. Nahum 1 commentary matthew henry commentary on the whole. I will make a grave for you, because you are wicked. Nahum s singular focus on the impending judgment of nineveh offers a continuation of the story that began in jonah. Having been rescued from death in the sea and returned to dry land, jonah 2. It is, in my opinion, a story about nature, not the phenomena of the physical world but traits and qualities. Gods wrath against nineveh 2 the lord is a jealous and avenging god. Nahum is the seventh chronologically of the minor prophets, and he ministered during the reign of.
The lord takes vengeance on his foes and vents his wrath against his enemies. The book of nahum an oracle of judgment on nineveh introduction this is one of the three books of the old testament prophets that deals primarily with gentile powers rather than yhwhs covenant people. The central theme of the book of nahum is the overthrow of the greatest capital city of the ancient gentile world in the 7 th century bc. We are all, by nature, gods enemies, and we deserve his wrath. The bible journey nahum predicts the fall of nineveh. Nahum describes the siege and frenzied activity of nineveh s troops as they try in vain to halt the invaders. Donald grey barnhouse testified to the value of using scripture as a. Reading the chapter before looking at the notes, while working with the notes, and after finishing with the notes will give each researcher a powerful sense of the series of meanings within each chapter. The whole bible is about the grace of god ultimately revealed in jesus. Nahum was written after the assyrians sacked the egyptian city of thebes, or noamon nah 3.
Now thou hast to deal with the god of israel, the very and true god, the only god. All scripture is inspired by god and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for. Find out how you can be at peace with god for eternity as john macarthur shows you fifteen words that sum up the most powerful truth in all of scripture. Nahum is related to jonah who prophesied 150 years earlier against nineveh and experienced a great revival in the city. But every portion of scripture is indispensable, each has its own contribution to make. With this additional short summary of the book of nahum you can discover the people, places and stories detailed in this holy scripture.
The books title is taken from the prophet of gods oracle against nineveh, the capital of assyria. The spiritual whoredom of assyria is defined by their devising evil against jehovah nahum 1. This summary of the book of nahum will help with many different forms of bible study. An oracle of judgment is a means of grace to the listening believer heb. Nineveh is compared to thebes, the egyptian city that assyria itself had destroyed in 663 bc. Todays passage records what happened the second time the word of the lord came to jonah regarding nineveh. Horsemen charging, swords flashing, spears gleaming, many slain, a mass of corpses, and countless dead bodies they stumble over the dead bodies. The judgment of nineveh and the comfort of judah both reveal the sovereignty, righteousness, and grace of yahweh. The book would then have been written in jerusalem, where nahum would have witnessed the invasion of sennacherib and the destruction of his host 2 kings 19. The book of nahum is prophecy concerning the city of nineveh and reveals a powerful message about gods care for his elect. The book of nahum deals with not only the doom of nineveh at the hands of a just judge ch. Nahum 3 nasb ninevehs complete ruin woe to the bible.
Throughout the book nahums prophecies deal with ninevehs doom. Nahum is the seventh chronologically of the minor prophets, and he ministered during the reign of hezekiah. The lord told jonah to go to the foreign city of nineveh and call its people to repentance. Nahum is an early contemporary of habakkuk, zephaniah, and jeremiah. Nineveh is very much a characterdriven book, there is a plot but the focus is mainly on katya and the deserted estate nineveh which is very much a character in itself. Nahum 1, new international version niv the bible app. Obadiah edom jonah nineveh nahum nineveh the author of the book is nahum the elkoshite 1. This is one manifestation of gods goodness to humanity. Very little is known about nahum himself and his name only occurs here in the entire old.
It was likely written before the babylonians took over nineveh in 612 b. You have maybe read books about the fall of rome, or berlin, or saigon, but the fall of nineveh was far greater than any city i can think of because of the suddenness and completeness of its destruction. Chapters two and three describe the fall of nineveh, which later took place in 612 bc. The subject of nahums prophecy is the approaching complete and final destruction of nineveh, the capital of the great and at. The text of nahum provides additional clues regarding gods anger with the ninevites. Both prophets speak gods word regarding the city of nineveh. The book of the prophet nahum is almost exclusively taken up with prophetic denunciations against. Why did god judge nineveh so harshly in the book of nahum. This little book has only three chapters and 47 verses. Again, nahum tells nineveh to prepare itself for the attack.
The scholarly consensus is that the book of vision was written at the time of the fall of nineveh 3 at the hands of the medes and babylonians in 612 bc 4 5. Jan 02, 2020 book of nahum bible survey what are the major prophets and minor prophets. Ninevehs complete ruin woe to the bloody city, completely full of lies and pillage. The book of nahum is a book of stern warning to the peoples of nineveh of old, but its also, in a larger sense, a warning to the descendants of ancient assyria, many of whom now live in central europe. The unity of nahum 47 23 of the destiny of earths peoples. The burden of nineveh was what the prophet plainly foresaw, for it was his vision, and what he left upon record it is the book of the vision, that, when he was gone, the event might be compared with the prediction and might. The burden is the curse that god will cause to happen to nineveh. The poor prophet by whom the word of the lord is here delivered.
Together they illustrate gods way of dealing with nations. Do we ever reach a point that we cannot be forgiven nahum 3. Nahum is one of three prophets who have prophesies against other nations. The date of the book is, therefore, between 667 and 612 bc. Some identify it with capernaum which means the village of nahum, while others place it. Unlike most of the minor prophets, who wrote to people living in judah and israel, nahum was written to the gentiles of nineveh. The assyrians were notorious for amputating hands and feet, gouging. Transcribed and edited by david sielaff, august 20. Nahums singular focus on the impending judgment of nineveh offers a. The scholarly consensus is that the book of vision was written at the time of the fall of nineveh 3. The book of nahum is one that is neglected because it is so obscure, and so small that it is seldom read and much less frequently understood. He reminds us of noah, whose name also means rest or comfort.
About a hundred years before, at jonahs preaching, the ninevites repented, and were spared, yet, soon after, they became worse than ever. In a variety of ways, the prophecy of nahum brings home the gospel and carries along. Nahums singular focus on the impending judgment of nineveh offers a continuation of the story that began in jonah. And thats another whole study to see how the assyrians migrated to europe. Jan 02, 2020 the text of nahum provides additional clues regarding gods anger with the ninevites. It might help to think of nahum as a followup to the book of jonah. Even though nahum does not explicitly call nineveh to repent, repentance is always in order even if hope is not explicit cf. The book of nahum is about the fall of the great city of nineveh. Even though nahum does not explicitly call nineveh to repent. It was a book of a vision, and therefore likely to be quite misunderstood. Feb 21, 2012 the book of nahum is prophecy concerning the city of nineveh and reveals a powerful message about gods care for his elect.
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