Dave Burnette's Commentary

Nahum Chapter 2

Written By: God through Inspiration
Penned By: Nahum
Date Penned: BC 663-654
Overview: To Pronounce God's Judgement on Assyria (c 1-3)
Theme: Nineveh's Judgment (c 1)
Message: The City will Fall (v 1-13)

Nahum: Chapter 2 Commentary
     

(2:1) This chapter predicts the events of 612 BC when the combined armies of the Babylonians and the Medes sacked the impregnable Nineveh.


(2:2) Assyria had plundered and crushed the Northern Kingdom and deported its people in 722C (2 Kings 17) Assyria had also attacked the Southern Kingdom and forced it to pay tribute.

(2:6) This reverence to the opening of river gates could refer to the enemy flowing into Nineveh like a flood of water or an actual flood of water. Some scholars suggest that dam gates, which have been found in archaeological excavations, were closed to dam up the river. When an enormous amount of water had accumulated the gates were opened, allowing the water to flood Nineveh.

(2:7) Huzzab is a reference to the queen of Nineveh. 

(2:12) The major source of the Assyrian economy was the plunder taken from other nations. The Assyrians had taken the food of innocent people to maintain their luxurious standard of living, depriving others to supply their excesses. Depriving innocent people to support the luxury of a few is a sin that angers Godd.As Christians we must stand firm against this common but evil practice.

(2:13) Cod had given the people of Nineveh a chance to repent, which they did after hearing Jonah but now had returned back to their sin and its consequences were destroying them. There is a point for the people, cities, and nations of no return. Assyria had crossed that point. We must warn others to repent while there is still time. 


Dave Burnette's Life Application


Today is the Day of Repentance

 Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter making an application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. Many applications can be made from each day's text. Today we continue in the book of Nahum with Chapter 2. In our text today we see that Nineveh failing to learn from its past and passing a point of repentance and facing judgement. In making application we see that we must repent while there is time for a time will come when it will to late to repent. Just as in the days of Noah, Nineveh, and today there is a time where the invitation to repent will end. How about you? Do you see that today is the day of repentance? Let us learn from our text today and the warning by Nahum to see that we are not guaranteed tomorrow and that today is the day of repentance. 

 

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Nahum 2

Nahum 2

 1He that dasheth in pieces is come up before thy face: keep the munition, watch the way, make thy loins strong, fortify thy power mightily.

 2For the LORD hath turned away the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel: for the emptiers have emptied them out, and marred their vine branches.

 3The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are in scarlet: the chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of his preparation, and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken.

 4The chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall justle one against another in the broad ways: they shall seem like torches, they shall run like the lightnings.

 5He shall recount his worthies: they shall stumble in their walk; they shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defence shall be prepared.

 6The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved.

 7And Huzzab shall be led away captive, she shall be brought up, and her maids shall lead her as with the voice of doves, tabering upon their breasts.

 8But Nineveh is of old like a pool of water: yet they shall flee away. Stand, stand, shall they cry; but none shall look back.

 9Take ye the spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold: for there is none end of the store and glory out of all the pleasant furniture.

 10She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness.

 11Where 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?

 12The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his holes with prey, and his dens with ravin.

 13Behold, 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.