Meet the Minor Prophets (Part Seven)
Nahum
The book of Nahum could be called the sequel to the book of Jonah. Its central event, the fall of Nineveh, takes place in 616 BC, about a century and a half after the ministry of Jonah, in whose time the great capital of Assyria was spared Yahwah's wrath due to its inhabitants' humble repentance. This time, as Nahum relates in impassioned lyric poetry, she would be humbled and left "empty, desolate, and waste" (PP) Nahum 2:10.
Little is known about Nahum the prophet besides his name (a shortened form of Nehemiah meaning "comfort" or "consolation") and his hometown, Elkosh. Details about him are so scarce that no one is certain even where Elkosh is, although it may be the same as the well-known New Testament town, Capernaum ("the village of Nahum"). However, since Nahum and Nehemiah were common names in Israel, we cannot by sure Capernaum was named after the prophet. If not, then he probably lived somewhere in Judah; the southern town of Beth Gabra, modern Beit-Jebrin, 15 kilometers east of Gath, has been suggested as a likely site.
The three-chapter book begins, "The burden of Nineveh" (PP) Nahum 1:1, and throughout his prophecy, the prophet speaks directly to Assyrians. The first chapter introduces these foreigners to the might and majesty of Israel's Elohim, who has sent Nahum with a message of woe. The date of this message has been debated, but since (PP) Nahum 3:8-10 speaks of the destruction of Thebes (663 BC) as a historic fact, most modern scholars date the book between 660 and 630 BC, late in Manasseh's reign or early in Josiah's.
What makes this prophecy of Nineveh's complete destruction so incredible is the fact of Nineveh's size, strength, and duration (it had been founded in the time of Nimrod (PP) Genesis 10:11. It was thought to be indestructible, having been constantly fortified and expanded through the riches brought in by both conquest and trade. Sennacherib himself claimed that the walls of his city were 60 feet thick and 100 feet high. At its largest, its metropolitan population may have been upwards of a million inhabitants.
Unlike many of the other Minor Prophets, the book contains no outright Messianic prophecies, dealing as it does strictly with the downfall of Nineveh. However, it does contain the well-known exclamation, (PP) Nahum 1:15, an echo of (PP) Isaiah 40:9 and (PP) Isaiah 52:7. While Yahwah Messiah did indeed proclaim good news - the gospel –
to Judah, this verse specifically refers to the "good tidings" of the fall of Judah's longtime nemesis, Assyria.
Nahum
The book of Nahum could be called the sequel to the book of Jonah. Its central event, the fall of Nineveh, takes place in 616 BC, about a century and a half after the ministry of Jonah, in whose time the great capital of Assyria was spared Yahwah's wrath due to its inhabitants' humble repentance. This time, as Nahum relates in impassioned lyric poetry, she would be humbled and left "empty, desolate, and waste" (PP) Nahum 2:10.
Little is known about Nahum the prophet besides his name (a shortened form of Nehemiah meaning "comfort" or "consolation") and his hometown, Elkosh. Details about him are so scarce that no one is certain even where Elkosh is, although it may be the same as the well-known New Testament town, Capernaum ("the village of Nahum"). However, since Nahum and Nehemiah were common names in Israel, we cannot by sure Capernaum was named after the prophet. If not, then he probably lived somewhere in Judah; the southern town of Beth Gabra, modern Beit-Jebrin, 15 kilometers east of Gath, has been suggested as a likely site.
The three-chapter book begins, "The burden of Nineveh" (PP) Nahum 1:1, and throughout his prophecy, the prophet speaks directly to Assyrians. The first chapter introduces these foreigners to the might and majesty of Israel's Elohim, who has sent Nahum with a message of woe. The date of this message has been debated, but since (PP) Nahum 3:8-10 speaks of the destruction of Thebes (663 BC) as a historic fact, most modern scholars date the book between 660 and 630 BC, late in Manasseh's reign or early in Josiah's.
What makes this prophecy of Nineveh's complete destruction so incredible is the fact of Nineveh's size, strength, and duration (it had been founded in the time of Nimrod (PP) Genesis 10:11. It was thought to be indestructible, having been constantly fortified and expanded through the riches brought in by both conquest and trade. Sennacherib himself claimed that the walls of his city were 60 feet thick and 100 feet high. At its largest, its metropolitan population may have been upwards of a million inhabitants.
Unlike many of the other Minor Prophets, the book contains no outright Messianic prophecies, dealing as it does strictly with the downfall of Nineveh. However, it does contain the well-known exclamation, (PP) Nahum 1:15, an echo of (PP) Isaiah 40:9 and (PP) Isaiah 52:7. While Yahwah Messiah did indeed proclaim good news - the gospel –
to Judah, this verse specifically refers to the "good tidings" of the fall of Judah's longtime nemesis, Assyria.
Meet the Minor Prophets (Part Seven)
Nahum
The book of Nahum could be called the sequel to the book of Jonah. Its central event, the fall of Nineveh, takes place in 616 BC, about a century and a half after the ministry of Jonah, in whose time the great capital of Assyria was spared Yahwah's wrath due to its inhabitants' humble repentance. This time, as Nahum relates in impassioned lyric poetry, she would be humbled and left "empty, desolate, and waste" (PP) Nahum 2:10.
Little is known about Nahum the prophet besides his name (a shortened form of Nehemiah meaning "comfort" or "consolation") and his hometown, Elkosh. Details about him are so scarce that no one is certain even where Elkosh is, although it may be the same as the well-known New Testament town, Capernaum ("the village of Nahum"). However, since Nahum and Nehemiah were common names in Israel, we cannot by sure Capernaum was named after the prophet. If not, then he probably lived somewhere in Judah; the southern town of Beth Gabra, modern Beit-Jebrin, 15 kilometers east of Gath, has been suggested as a likely site.
The three-chapter book begins, "The burden of Nineveh" (PP) Nahum 1:1, and throughout his prophecy, the prophet speaks directly to Assyrians. The first chapter introduces these foreigners to the might and majesty of Israel's Elohim, who has sent Nahum with a message of woe. The date of this message has been debated, but since (PP) Nahum 3:8-10 speaks of the destruction of Thebes (663 BC) as a historic fact, most modern scholars date the book between 660 and 630 BC, late in Manasseh's reign or early in Josiah's.
What makes this prophecy of Nineveh's complete destruction so incredible is the fact of Nineveh's size, strength, and duration (it had been founded in the time of Nimrod (PP) Genesis 10:11. It was thought to be indestructible, having been constantly fortified and expanded through the riches brought in by both conquest and trade. Sennacherib himself claimed that the walls of his city were 60 feet thick and 100 feet high. At its largest, its metropolitan population may have been upwards of a million inhabitants.
Unlike many of the other Minor Prophets, the book contains no outright Messianic prophecies, dealing as it does strictly with the downfall of Nineveh. However, it does contain the well-known exclamation, (PP) Nahum 1:15, an echo of (PP) Isaiah 40:9 and (PP) Isaiah 52:7. While Yahwah Messiah did indeed proclaim good news - the gospel –
to Judah, this verse specifically refers to the "good tidings" of the fall of Judah's longtime nemesis, Assyria.
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