Nahum 3 Commentary

Nahum 3 laments the lost city of Nineveh and describes the reasons for her fall. The LORD will cause Nineveh to suffer shame and defeat because she has oppressed God's covenant people (Judah), causing them to live in fear. Nineveh will suffer the same fate that it inflicted upon the great Egyptian city, No-amon., Nineveh will suffer the same abuse it heaped on others through the LORD's intervention. She will fall and will never rise again. Nineveh's destruction will bring hope and comfort to the nations, especially the people of Judah who rely on the LORD for relief from their traumatic experiences. The chapter's outline is as follows:

1. Nahum pronounces judgment on Nineveh because of the ferocity of her wars and her wicked influence on other nations (vv. 1–4).
2. The LORD announces that He will expose Nineveh to cause her to experience shame and destruction (vv. 5–7).
3. Nahum draws a lesson from Assyria's history to predict the destruction of Nineveh (vv. 8–13).
4. Nahum describes Nineveh's final destruction and uses irony to urge her to prepare for the coming siege (vv. 14–19).