Nahum Chapter 3

Nineveh, the Wicked City

A. The Sin Within Nineveh

1. (Nahum 3:1–4) The violence and immorality in Nineveh.

“Woe to the bloody city!
It is all full of lies and robbery;
The prey departeth not;
The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the prancing horses, and of the jumping chariots.
The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear; and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses.
Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts.”

a. “Woe to the bloody city!” Nahum begins with a prophetic cry of distress against Nineveh. The word “woe” signals divine judgment. This was not merely a corrupt city, it was drenched in blood, a reference to the ruthless violence and oppression committed especially in warfare. Nahum’s vision gives a vivid scene of the city’s daily life, filled with the sound of the whip striking beasts of burden, the rattling wheels of war chariots, galloping horses, and clattering chariots. It was a city always on the move, not with peace and life, but with conquest, slavery, and murder. Its victims never departed, meaning the oppression never ceased. Assyria did not simply rule other nations, it crushed them.

i. The Assyrian rulers were notorious for their brutality and even gloried in it. Archaeological discoveries confirm this. Inscriptions and monuments found in Assyria boast of horrific acts committed against their enemies:
– “I cut off their heads and formed them into pillars.”
– “Bubo, son of Buba, I flayed in the city of Arbela and I spread his skin upon the city wall.”
– “I flayed all the chief men who had revolted, and I covered the pillar with their skins.”
– “3,000 captives I burned with fire.”
– “Their corpses I formed into pillars.”
– “From some I cut off their hands and their fingers, and from others I cut off their noses, their ears, and their fingers; of many I put out their eyes.”
These boasts reveal that Assyria was not only violent, but proud of its cruelty.

b. “Who sells nations through her harlotries.” The wickedness of Nineveh was not limited to physical violence. The Lord describes the city as a harlot, seductive and deceptive, practicing spiritual prostitution. Her “whoredoms” speak of idolatry, alliances, political manipulation, and religious corruption. She did not merely fall into sin herself; she caused other nations to stumble with her, seducing them into idolatry, sorcery, and allegiance to false gods for political gain. She “sells nations” and “families” through sorceries, meaning she used occult practices, manipulation, and deception to enslave entire peoples.

i. Excavations from Mesopotamia confirm widespread occult practices. Thousands of tablets have been found containing spells, sorcery rituals, and incantations. Nineveh was not only a military empire, it was a center of witchcraft and demonic superstition. Their power was not only by the sword, but through spiritual darkness. This is why God calls her the “mistress of witchcrafts.” She influenced nations physically and spiritually.

2. (Nahum 3:5–7) The Wicked City is Humbled

“Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts;
and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face,
and I will shew the nations thy nakedness,
and the kingdoms thy shame.
And I will cast abominable filth upon thee,
and make thee vile,
and will set thee as a gazingstock.
And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say,
Nineveh is laid waste:
who will bemoan her?
whence shall I seek comforters for thee?”

a. “Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts.” This phrase is the most terrifying statement any nation or person can hear. God Himself declares open opposition to Nineveh. He spoke the same words earlier in Nahum 2:13, where the focus was on her military downfall. Here the emphasis shifts from defeat to disgrace. This is not just God breaking their strength, but God shattering their pride. When God sets Himself against someone, no army, no fortress, no wealth can save them. Pride had lifted Nineveh high, but now the LORD of hosts would personally abase her.

i. This agrees with the principle taught in 1 Peter 5:5, “Be clothed with humility, for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.” When a person or nation exalts themselves, they place themselves in opposition to God. Nineveh was not only brutal, she was arrogant. She trusted in her walls, her armies, her horses, her sorceries. Therefore God resisted her. It is always better to humble oneself under the mighty hand of God and receive grace than to challenge God and receive judgment.

b. “I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.” This is language of public humiliation. To lift a skirt over the face is imagery of exposing someone’s nakedness in front of all. God is portraying Nineveh as a shameless harlot who will now have her sin exposed publicly. Nations that once feared her will now see her dishonor. This is divine justice. She exposed others through violence and seduction, now she herself will be exposed before kings and peoples.

c. “And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock.” God declares that He will take the very filth, the idolatry, and abominations Nineveh delighted in, and throw it back upon her. The word “abominable filth” refers to something detestable, revolting, ceremonially unclean. It is the same word used for idols. God will make Nineveh contemptible and disgraceful. She would no longer be admired or feared, but mocked and avoided. To be a “gazingstock” means an object of astonishment and horror, something people stare at with shock and revulsion.

i. The Hebrew word translated “vile” (nabel) speaks of being made foolish, weak, and despised. God is saying Nineveh would be stripped of all pride, all glory, and all dignity. The very city that once stood proud and unstoppable would become a ruined spectacle. Kings would not mourn for her. God even asks, “Whence shall I seek comforters for thee?” There will be no mourners, no allies, no pity. Her fall would be so deserved that no one would comfort her.

ii. History records this as literal. The Greek historian Diodorus Siculus wrote of Nineveh’s fall, “So great was the multitude of the slain that the flowing stream, mingled with their blood, changed its color for a considerable distance. They plundered the spoil of the city, an amount beyond counting.” The destruction was total. The city was burned, looted, and flooded. There was no recovery.

iii. Adam Clarke, writing before the ruins of Nineveh were even discovered in 1840, quoted earlier sources saying, “What probability was there that the capital city of a great kingdom… should be so utterly destroyed that its very location could scarcely be determined?” This shows how completely God fulfilled His word. Nineveh, once immense and powerful, disappeared so fully from history that scholars debated whether it ever truly existed. Only in the nineteenth century were its ruins unearthed near modern Mosul in Iraq. God’s judgment had been so severe that it erased Nineveh from human memory for centuries.

B. Nineveh Is Ripe for Judgment

1. (Nahum 3:8–11) Because God judged other cities, Nineveh is ripe for the same judgment.

“Art thou better than populous No,
that was situate among the rivers,
that had the waters round about it,
whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the sea?
Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite;
Put and Lubim were thy helpers.
Yet was she carried away,
she went into captivity:
her young children also were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets:
and they cast lots for her honourable men,
and all her great men were bound in chains.
Thou also shalt be drunken:
thou shalt be hid,
thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy.”

a. “Art thou better than populous No.” God asks Nineveh a piercing question through Nahum. “Do you think you are better than No Amon?” The Hebrew term “No Amon” refers to Thebes, the great capital of Upper Egypt. Thebes was wealthy, fortified, and surrounded by natural barriers. The Nile River and its canals were like walls around the city. Egypt and Ethiopia were its strength. Other nations, such as Put and the Libyans, were its allies. Yet despite its resources, Thebes was destroyed. And who destroyed Thebes? The Assyrians themselves. The very nation now being warned by Nahum. This is a direct, humiliating reminder. If Thebes, with all her strength, could not withstand judgment, how could Nineveh hope to escape?

i. In 663 B.C., the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal invaded Egypt and utterly devastated Thebes. Its temples were plundered, its people enslaved, and its children killed in the streets. Assyria knew this history well because they caused it. Nahum now turns this memory against them. God is saying, “You did this to others. It will be done to you.”

b. “Her young children also were dashed in pieces… they cast lots for her honourable men.” Nahum recalls the horrors that Assyria inflicted upon Thebes. Infants were murdered openly, noblemen were divided like property among conquerors, and leaders were chained and dragged away. The point is unmistakable. What the Assyrians did in their pride and cruelty will now fall upon their own heads. Their cruelty will return to them. Divine justice always balances the scales.

c. “Thou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid.” Nahum declares that Nineveh will become like a drunken man. This does not only mean intoxication with wine. In prophetic language, drunkenness often refers to staggering under the cup of God’s wrath. They will be disoriented, helpless, and unable to defend themselves. To be hidden means they will disappear from sight. Their city will no longer shine as the capital of an empire. It will fade into obscurity and ruin. They will run, hide, and desperately seek protection from the enemy. But none will be found.

d. We are like the Ninevites. The lesson is not only historical, it is deeply spiritual. We see nations fall, economies collapse, civilizations crumble. History is filled with examples of empires brought low by sin and pride. Yet mankind still believes disaster will never touch them. Nineveh saw the fall of Thebes, yet believed they were invincible. Modern people see judgment in Scripture and in history, yet imagine they are the exception. But God resists the proud. Pride is the path to destruction whether for a man, a nation, or an empire.

2. (Nahum 3:12–15) Because of her own weakness, Nineveh is ripe.

“All thy strong holds shall be like fig trees with the first ripe figs:
if they be shaken, they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater.
Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women:
the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies:
the fire shall devour thy bars.
Draw thee waters for the siege,
fortify thy strong holds:
go into clay, and tread the morter,
make strong the brickkiln.
There shall the fire devour thee;
the sword shall cut thee off,
it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm:
make thyself many as the cankerworm,
make thyself many as the locusts.”

a. “All thy strong holds shall be like fig trees with the first ripe figs.” The Lord declares that Nineveh’s defenses, which once seemed mighty and impenetrable, are no stronger than a fig tree weighed down with ripe fruit. When shaken, the figs drop easily into the eater’s mouth. In the same way, Nineveh’s fortresses would collapse with little resistance once God’s judgment shook them. What once seemed invincible would fall suddenly and effortlessly. This is a picture of false security. Men often build strongholds of pride, wealth, military power, or sin, imagining these things will protect them. Yet before the Lord, they are fragile and ready to fall at the slightest touch.

b. “Thy people in the midst of thee are women.” This is not an insult against women. Instead, in ancient warfare, it means the soldiers and leaders of Nineveh would lose all courage and strength. They would become fearful, defenseless, and unable to stand in battle. The mighty warriors of Assyria, once known for terror and cruelty, would melt in fear and collapse from within.

c. “The gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars.” Nineveh’s massive gates, designed to protect the empire, would be left wide open, either from internal collapse or overwhelming invasion. The bars, those strong beams of iron and bronze that sealed the gates, would be burned and broken. Archaeologists have uncovered large layers of ash in the ruins of Nineveh, confirming that the city was destroyed by fire during its fall around 612 B.C. The walls did not save them, the gates did not stop the enemy. When the Lord is against a city, no defense remains.

d. “Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds.” Nahum speaks with biting irony. He tells Nineveh to go ahead and prepare for the incoming siege. Store up water, strengthen your defenses, make bricks, repair your walls. Do everything within human power to resist. Yet every effort would fail. Once God has declared judgment, no strategy, no strength, no preparation can stop it. The prophet is not giving them hope, he is mocking their false confidence.

e. “There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off; it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm.” Fire and sword, destruction within and without, would consume Nineveh completely. The image of the cankerworm or locust is used to describe how fast and thoroughly the city would be devoured. Just as a swarm of insects can strip a field bare in hours, so the invading armies would strip Nineveh of wealth, people, and glory.

f. “Make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts.” God sarcastically challenges them to multiply their soldiers and workers like swarming insects. Bring forth as many as you can. Fill the city with troops. It will change nothing. No matter how numerous they are, they will fall. Numbers cannot save a nation when God has decreed its judgment.

3. (Nahum 3:16–19) Because her leaders are weak, Nineveh is ripe for judgment.

“Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven:
the cankerworm spoileth, and fleeth away.
Thy crowned are as the locusts,
and thy captains as the great grasshoppers,
which camp in the hedges in the cold day,
but when the sun ariseth they flee away,
and their place is not known where they are.
Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria:
thy nobles shall dwell in the dust:
thy people is scattered upon the mountains,
and no man gathereth them.
There is no healing of thy bruise;
thy wound is grievous:
all that hear the bruit of thee
shall clap the hands over thee:
for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?”

a. “Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven.” Nineveh was overflowing with wealth, commerce, influence, and international trade. Merchants filled the streets like stars in the sky. Yet Nahum says these merchants would vanish like locusts, appearing in abundance and then flying away after devouring everything. This shows the emptiness of trusting in economic strength. Wealth, trade, and prosperity cannot defend a nation against the judgment of God.

b. “Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy captains as the great grasshoppers.” The leaders of Assyria, those crowned with authority, and the captains of their armies are compared to locusts sitting in hedges during the cold, inactive and motionless. But as soon as the sun rises and heat comes, they fly away, abandoning their post. This is an image of cowardice and unreliability. When danger comes, Nineveh’s leaders will not stand their ground. They will flee, just as locusts vanish when the sun rises. Those who once appeared powerful will disappear, leaving the people without leadership.

c. “Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria.” Shepherds were supposed to protect, lead, and care for the people. Here, they are asleep. They are indifferent in the face of danger. The nobles rest in the dust, either dead or powerless. The people are scattered in the mountains, with no one to gather them. This is the total collapse of government, military, spiritual, and social leadership. An empire that once ruled nations is now leaderless, broken, and scattered.

d. “There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous.” God declares that Nineveh’s injury is fatal. There will be no recovery, no rebuilding, no second chance. The wound is incurable. The judgment of God has fallen, and there is no remedy. This is the end of Assyria. When God says a nation will fall, its destruction is final.

e. “All that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hands over thee.” The word “bruit” means report or news. When the nations hear that Nineveh has fallen, they will clap their hands in joy and relief. No one mourns for Nineveh. No one comforts her. The world rejoices because the rod of tyranny has been broken. Nahum asks, “For upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?” In other words, who has not suffered from Assyria’s cruelty? They oppressed Israel, Judah, Egypt, Babylon, Elam, Arabia, Phoenicia, Philistia. Their violence was known everywhere. Now their judgment is celebrated everywhere.

i. Psalm 73 gives the same lesson. Asaph struggled when he saw the wicked prospering, until he said, “Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end. Surely Thou didst set them in slippery places: Thou castedst them down into destruction. How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors” (Psalm 73:17–19). The end of the wicked is sudden and unavoidable when God’s time of judgment comes.

ii. Nahum teaches believers to trust in the justice of God. We do not need to envy the wicked or take vengeance into our own hands. God is faithful, His judgments are true. He sees every act of cruelty, every injustice, and He will repay in His timing. Assyria was powerful, violent, and feared, yet it crumbled in a moment when God said, “I am against thee.”