Nahum And The Judgment To Come
Feature 4 – July/August 2025 – Grace & Truth Magazine
Nahum And The Judgment To Come
Some History
Nahum was one of the so-called “minor prophets,” and his book is part of what is also known as “The Book Of The Twelve.” We do not know much about this prophet beside his name and the place from which he came. Nahum’s name means “comfort” or “consolation,” and it is closely related to the name “Nehemiah,” which means “comfort of Yah.” Yah is a short form of Yahweh or Jehovah.
Nahum came from Elkosh, a town in Galilee in the northern part of Israel. Some Bible scholars say that this place is the Capernaum often referred to in the Gospels. However, it cannot be confirmed from the Bible that Elkosh was indeed the town of Capernaum, a name that means “village of comfort,” although this meaning fits well with Nahum’s name.
The religious leaders in the days of our Lord’s earthly ministry stated that no prophet ever came from Galilee, even though many people thought Jesus was from there (Jn. 7:40-52). Obviously, those leaders were mistaken, possibly intentionally considering that they “wanted to arrest Him” (v.44 ESV). The greatest Prophet ever, our Lord Jesus Christ, lived and ministered in Galilee, even though He was born in Bethlehem in Judah. His coming into the world fulfilled many prophecies (see Mt. 1–2; Lk. 1–2; Jn. 1–2).
Before Nahum wrote his book, God had sent the prophet Jonah from Galilee to Nineveh to proclaim God’s judgment over that great city. Jonah – his name being also spelled “Yonah,” meaning “dove” – was initially unwilling to obey and went the other direction. But Jonah experienced God’s gracious intervention shortly before he delivered his message to Nineveh.
We may recall from the book of Jonah that, in judgment for his disobedience, the prophet had been thrown into a raging sea from the ship on which he was traveling (Jon. 1). After that traumatic experience, Jonah miraculously survived in the belly of a great fish, sent by God to swallow him up. There, Jonah earnestly prayed to God (Jon. 2). Consequently, He directed that large fish to the shore to spit Jonah out, back onto dry land. Through these experiences God further prepared His prophet to go to Nineveh and proclaim God’s message to the Ninevites, as he had been instructed. The now willing prophet went around and through that vast city with his solemn message, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown” (3:4).
Amazingly, we read next, “the people of Nineveh believed in God. They called a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them. The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes” (vv.5-6). The people humbled themselves before God. The king had also issued a decree (vv.7-9), which concluded with the words, “Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish” (v.9). This surprising response implies that God was at work, because it is the goodness, or kindness, of God that leads people to repentance (Rom. 2:4).
The message God conveyed through Jonah to the Ninevites had a profound impact on the people. God then decided not to bring the calamity on them. “When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that He had said He would do to them, and He did not do it” (Jon. 3:10).
Jonah, however, was very much displeased with this change, and he became angry with God (4:1). The prophet complained in his prayer, saying that this – God’s grace and mercy, slowness in anger, abundance of love, and relenting of judgment – had been the reason for him not to want to go and preach to the Ninevites (v.2). Jonah had hoped that this great city would be destroyed because he saw these people as enemies. God, however, saw them as human beings who needed repentance and salvation.
Sadly, the following generations of the Ninevites did not heed God’s solemn message given through Jonah, as did the ones who immediately responded to God’s appeal. Ultimately, therefore, God caused this famous city to be destroyed in 612 BC by the Persians and Babylonians.
The matter of repentance represents an important principle because every generation has a God-given opportunity to repent and turn to Him. What about you today? Are you hardening yourself, or are you ready to repent? Repent and turn to Him now, while it is still the day of grace, for the opportunity may end at anytime.
Almost two centuries after Jonah’s visit to Nineveh, God announced through the prophet Zephaniah that great city’s coming fall (Zeph. 2:13-15). The graphic way in which Zephaniah presented his message makes the reader feel he is present at Nineveh during the time of its destruction. Zephaniah’s writing helps us to grasp the impact of this event in its prophetic dimension. Similar to this report, Jerusalem’s destruction in 70 AD is described in much detail in several passages of God’s Word, while also pointing to a future fulfillment according to prophecy. During His ministry on earth, the Lord Jesus often addressed His people in a solemn way, trying to reach their consciences that they might repent and truly turn to God.
Nahum was led by God to describe the judgment that would come over Nineveh. The details imply object lessons and warnings to all who hear or read his message. His prophecy speaks to us in a solemn way and challenges each one to consider himself and everyone else from God’s perspective. His purpose was, and still is, that we might humble ourselves and repent. Some believe that such a response is only asked once in our lives in view of our conversion. However, this is a mistake, since even true believers may need to repent for matters that occur after their conversion. As an example of this point, read the Lord’s addresses to the seven churches in Revelation 2–3, in which He calls believers, even now, to repent.
The Prophetic Perspective Of Nahum’s Message And Lessons For Us Today
What happened to Nineveh in the past illustrates matters concerning the prophetic king of the north, as he will attack God’s earthly people in the future. After the rapture of the Church (1 Th. 4:14-18), God will restore Israel to the Promised Land, first in their unbelief, but many will believe (Rev. 6–7). The majority of Israel will choose to be under the rule of a powerful leader, the Antichrist, who will claim to be the Messiah (Dan. 9:26-27; Rev. 11–13). This counterfeit messiah will introduce idolatry to the point that he will have a statue of himself in the most holy place in the temple – today, still to be rebuilt – declaring himself to be God (2 Th. 2:3-4). More details about these developments are given in Daniel 9–12, whereas some successive events are described in Ezekiel 38–39.
From these and other passages we may learn important spiritual lessons, even though we know that their literal and prophetic meanings refer to days that are still future. These prophecies will be fulfilled after the rapture of the Church, which may take place at any time. In other words, Nahum shows God’s wonderful plans for His earthly people and for the nations, which will be fulfilled in the coming millennium of peace. The passages also speak to us and provide many practical lessons to help us judge ourselves in God’s light, and not to be self-righteous or proud.
The prophet Ezekiel was taken captive by the Babylonians several years after Daniel and his friends had been transported to Babylon. Ezekiel described the fall of Assyria and Nineveh, which was announced earlier by Nahum, as a warning to Pharaoh and to the people of Egypt. Nevertheless, God will pour out His judgment also over Jerusalem because His people rejected the warnings of His prophets, and particularly the ministry of their own Messiah, Yeshua Hamashiach. He came in grace to announce a message of peace as He faithfully served God and His people. Yet, Israel’s leaders at the time rejected Him and God’s message to them through Him (read, for example, Mt. 12), just as they had rejected God’s messages in the past. Nevertheless, Zephaniah predicted that God is going to have among these proud people a remnant of humble ones who will serve Him. They will take refuge in the name of the Lord (3:12-13), the King of Israel – the Lord who will be in their midst (v.15).
All this fits well with Nahum’s message, which he called “an oracle” and a “vision” (Nah. 1:1), terms Habakkuk also used. The name Nineveh is linked to Nimrod, whose name already occurs in the list of nations that developed after the flood of Noah’s lifetime (Gen. 10). Nimrod built several cities in the area of Mesopotamia, which means “between two rivers” – the Tigris and the Euphrates. Abram, meaning “exalted father,” was living there when the Lord, “the God of glory” (Acts 7:2), called him to leave that area and move to the land that God would show him. There, he would become the father of a great people (Gen. 12:1-2).
Nimrod’s name is related to a root word that means “to go down,” from which the meaning “rebel” is derived. After he had founded several cities in Mesopotamia, Nimrod moved northward to Assyria, where he founded Nineveh and several other great cities (10:9-11). A few centuries later, Nineveh became the capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire under Sennacherib (about 703 BC), the king who attacked Judah and besieged Jerusalem but did not take it (Isa. 36–39). Later, God allowed the Persians and Babylonians to take down Nineveh in 612 BC. After a few years, the Babylonians also attacked Jerusalem, which led to the first Babylonian captivity, when Daniel and his friends were taken and transported to Babylon (Dan. 1). Other sieges took place later, and Jerusalem was finally destroyed in 586 BC (read Ps. 137).
The name “Nineveh” occurs 20 times in the Old Testament and is sometimes linked with Babel, which was founded by Nimrod before he built Nineveh. In Scripture, both Nimrod and Nineveh are associated with violence, whereas Babel was especially marked by corruption. These two features developed soon after the flood (Gen. 10–11), but they had existed already in the society in which Noah had lived before the flood (6:11). A few centuries after the flood, God called Abram from that environment of violence and corruption (Gen. 12). Similarly, God is calling people to leave those same two things and become associated with the Lord Jesus Christ. He was marked by humility and truth, and He invites us to follow Him, daily taking His yoke upon us and learning from Him (Mt. 11:28-30).
Nahum’s Message
Let us look further into Nahum’s message. First, he described God’s greatness as Judge, who maintains His rights as He deals with His adversaries. Even though He is slow to anger, He will act with them in a righteous way, having all power at His disposal. At the same time He acts in ways that are above any reproach (1:2-6), as He shows that He is good to those who take refuge in Him but eliminates His enemies (vv.7-8). God is “jealous and avenging” (v.2), which means that He will not compromise, just as He declared when making Himself known to Moses as YHWH, “I Am Who I Am” (Ex. 3:14). The LORD has all the power needed to maintain His rights and honor, and nothing and no one can interfere when He acts in vengeance (Nah. 1:4-6). Even so, He is good and compassionate with respect to those who put their trust in Him, as He knows those who do (v.7).
The last statement refers to the two-way relationship between God and His people. This relationship is something our God likes to see cultivated by all who serve Him, while putting their trust in Him. But those who oppose Him, for whatever reason, will face His fierce anger (v.9) and will not succeed (v.10). The prophet described how, from among God’s own people, a fierce opponent will arise whom God will surely eliminate (vv.11-14). The last verse corresponds with other verdicts God has pronounced concerning the coming Antichrist, as confirmed by the apostle Paul (2 Th. 2:8-9).
Nahum 1:7 is a beautiful reminder of who God is. The verse says: “The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who take refuge in Him.” I remember how my mother cherished that verse as she found the Lord’s help in difficult days. Today, this verse is still relevant for all believers who put their trust in Him, and so it will be after the rapture for all who will be exposed to the enemy’s wrath. These believers will find themselves in the center of the storm, but they will experience the Lord’s presence with them. It will be just like the middle of a hurricane, or cyclone – perfect calm exists within, while all around is in turmoil and agitation.
God Himself will eliminate the terrible idolatry that the Antichrist will introduce, as mentioned above (vv.13-14). He will do that through the One who will bring peace, and He will completely remove the Antichrist, just as He cut off Nineveh by the Babylonians and the Medes in 612 BC (v.15). This last verse beautifully describes the servants God has used – and still uses – to bring a message of peace. Today, this is the gospel of God’s grace, whereas in the context of Nahum’s message this refers to the good news about Nineveh’s destruction.
“The majesty of Jacob” and “the majesty of Israel” (2:2), implies a future, glorious rebuilding and restoration of Israel as a nation. The magnificent days of Solomon’s reign were a historical preview of this coming glory of Messiah’s millennial reign. In contrast, Nahum described Nineveh’s destruction as a serious warning to the believers, now and in the future, never to put their trust in human devices and strength. When we would do so, we are directly challenging our God (see v.13, 3:5). In a day to come, similar challenges will be made by the apostate church to which God will respond in justice (Rev. 17–18).
Nahum 3 describes how Jehovah of hosts will act in judgment, as He will deal with their violence (vv.1-3) and corruption (vv.4-7). Comparing this chapter with Revelation 17–18, we see striking parallels between Nineveh and the great Babylon of the future. Furthermore, the prophet Nahum compares the violence, fornications, sorceries and abominations (occult practices) that he denounced with other corrupt societies, such as those of Egypt, Ethiopia (Cush), Put and Libya (Nah. 3:8-9). Through their wickedness, they all exposed themselves to God’s dealings in judgment, which led to their removal (3:10-19).
This gives us liberty to link Nahum’s message in chapter 3 with God’s condemnation of Jerusalem and the religious systems of this world, described in Revelation 18. How solemn are these matters for us to consider. The flesh in us is not better than the flesh in the people described in Nahum 3, whether belonging to Nineveh, Babylon or Jerusalem, or to the other societies the prophet mentioned. What a contrast this is with the living hope we have (1 Pet. 1:1-3). Praise God!
By Alfred Bouter
My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
On Christ the solid Rock, I stand: All other ground is sinking sand, All other ground is sinking sand. —Edward Mote (1797–1874)