Where is the den of the lions, and the feeding place of the young lions, where the lion and the lioness walked, the lion’s cubs, and no one made them afraid?
Parallel Translations
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Where is the den of the lions, and the feeding place of the young lions, where the lion and the lioness walked, the lion’s cubs, and no one made them afraid?
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Where 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?
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(2-12) Where is the den of the lions, which was the feeding-place of the young lions, where the lion and the lioness walked, and the lion's whelp, and none made them afraid?
Cross-references (11)
Passages linked to Nahum 2:11 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Isaiah 5:29 Their roaring will be like a lioness. They will roar like young lions. Yes, they shall roar, and seize their prey and carry it off, and there will be no one to deliver.
- Jeremiah 2:15 The young lions have roared at him and yelled. They have made his land waste. His cities are burned up, without inhabitant.
- Genesis 49:9 Judah is a lion’s cub. From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down, he crouched as a lion, as a lioness. Who will rouse him up?
- Job 4:10-11 The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, the teeth of the young lions, are broken. The old lion perishes for lack of prey. The cubs of the lioness are scattered abroad.
- Isaiah 31:4 For Yahweh says to me, “As the lion and the young lion growling over his prey, if a multitude of shepherds is called together against him, will not be dismayed at their voice, nor abase himself for their noise, so Yahweh of Armies will come down to fight on Mount Zion and on its heights.
- Jeremiah 4:7 A lion has gone up from his thicket, and a destroyer of nations. He is on his way. He has gone out from his place, to make your land desolate, that your cities be laid waste, without inhabitant.
- Jeremiah 50:17 “Israel is a hunted sheep. The lions have driven him away. First, the king of Assyria devoured him, and now at last Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has broken his bones.”
- Jeremiah 50:44 Behold, the enemy will come up like a lion from the pride of the Jordan against the strong habitation; for I will suddenly make them run away from it. Whoever is chosen, I will appoint him over it; for who is like me? Who will appoint me a time? Who is the shepherd who can stand before me?”
- Ezekiel 19:2-8 and say, ‘What was your mother? A lioness. She couched among lions, in the middle of the young lions she nourished her cubs. She brought up one of her cubs. He became a young lion. He learned to catch the prey. He devoured men. The nations also heard of him. He was taken in their pit; and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt. “ ‘Now when she saw that she had waited, and her hope was lost, then she took another of her cubs, and made him a young lion. He went up and down among the lions. He became a young lion. He learned to catch the prey. He devoured men. He knew their palaces, and laid waste their cities. The land was desolate, with its fullness, because of the noise of his roaring. Then the nations attacked him on every side from the provinces. They spread their net over him. He was taken in their pit.
- Nahum 3:1 Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and robbery. The prey doesn’t depart.
- Zephaniah 3:3 Her princes within her are roaring lions. Her judges are evening wolves. They leave nothing until the next day.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain Here the Prophet triumphs over the Assyrians, because they…
Here the Prophet triumphs over the Assyrians, because they thought that the city Nineveh was remote from every danger: as lions, who fear nothing, when they are in their dens, draw thither their prey in their claws or in their mouths: so also was the case with the Assyrians; thinking themselves safe, while Nineveh flourished, they took the greater liberty to commit plunders everywhere. For Nineveh was not only the receptacle of robbers but was also like a den of lions. And the Prophet more fully expresses the barbarous cruelty of the Assyrians by comparing them to lions, than if he had simply called them lions. We now then see what he means, when he says, Where is the place of lions? And he designedly speaks thus of the Assyrians: for no one ever thought that they could be touched by even the least injury; the fear of them had indeed so seized all men, that of themselves they submitted to the Assyrians. As then no one dared to oppose them, the Prophet says, Where? as though he had said that though all thought it incredible that Nineveh could be overthrown, it would yet thus happen. But he assumes the character of one expressing his astonishment, in order to intimate, that when the Lord should execute such a judgment, it would be a work of wonder, which would fill almost all with amazement. This question then proves that those are very foolish who form a judgment of God’s vengeance, of which the Prophet speaks, according to the appearance of things at the time; for the ruin of Nineveh and of that empire was to be the incomprehensible work of God, and which was to fill all minds with astonishment.
He says first, Where is the place of lions? The feminine gender is indeed here used; but all agree that the Prophet speaks of male lions. He then adds, the place of feeding for lions? כפרים, caphrim, mean young lions as we shall hereafter see; and אריות, ariut, are old lions. He afterwards adds, Where אריה, arie came: and then comes לביא, labia, which some render, lioness; but לביא, labia, properly means an old lion; the Prophet, no doubt, uses it in the next verse in the feminine gender for lionesses. I therefore do not deny, but that we may fitly render the terms here, lion and lioness; afterwards, and the whelp of lions, and none terrifying. He then adds, Seize did the lion (the word is אריה, arie) for his whelps to satiety, that is, sufficiently; and strangle did he for his lionesses, ללבאתיו, lalabatiu. Here no doubt the Prophet means lionesses; there would otherwise be no consistency in the passage. He afterwards says,
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Meaning, Nineveh, whose inhabitants were cruel like the Lions,…
Meaning, Nineveh, whose inhabitants were cruel like the Lions, and given to all oppression, and spared no violence or tyranny to provide for their wives and children.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Nah 2:11 Where [is] the dwelling of the lions,…
Nah 2:11 Where [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?
Ver. 11. Where is the dwelling of the lions, &c.] Where is Nineveh, once so terrible, now so despicable? Leoni mortuo vel mus insultat. A dead lion or a lively mouse! Once none dared look at it or mute against it, now each passenger can insult over it, inquire where it stood, and not be afraid to take this lion by the beard. "God poureth contempt upon princes, and weakeneth the strength of the mighty," Job 12:21, when once they turn tyrants, and exercise regiment without righteousness, as Mic 3:2-3. Such a mighty hunter, or devourer of men and nations, was Nimrod (the first founder of this Assyrian monarchy), and became a proverb against all tyrants and persecutors, Gen 10:9. Such a lion was Nero, 2Ti 4:17. Such a tiger Tiberius, of whom one saith, that he laid hold with his teeth on all the excellent spirits of his time; Domitian, who, not content with the blood of Christians, commanded all Jews that were of the stock of David to be sought out, and put to death; Diocletian, and the rest of the primitive persecutors; as also that man of sin, the whole pack of popes, successors to Boniface VIII (who came in like a fox, reigned like a lion, died like a dog), and to Benedict XII, who, when he died, had this epitaph made of him:
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“ Hic situs est Nero, laicis leo, vipera clero:
Devins a vero, turba repleta mere. ”
And the feedingplace of the young lions] Where the old ones provided prey for them till they could skill to do it for themselves; that which they would soon learn and practise, when once grown up. The Assyrian young princes were accustomed to rapine and cruelty from the first; being no better than young Tiberius, whom his tutor, Theodorus Gadareus, rightly characterized when he said, he was dirt kneaded with blood (πηλος αιματι πεφυραμενος); or than Nero the lion; of whom his father, Domitius, prophesied, that of himself and his wife, Agrippa (both notoriously naughty), no good man could be born. Mali corvi, malum ovum. The wicked ravens lay bad eggs. Of an ill breed, ne catulus quidem relinquendus, to leave not even a young dog behind, said the Romans, when they slew one of their tyrants together with his young son. It was Maximinus, if I mistake not.
Where the lion, even the old lion, walked] The courageous or hearty lion (named of Leo, a heart), walked and stalked with his whelps, and none made them afraid (Labi). But now his heart melteth, his knees knock together with fear and faintness, as Nah 2:10, his city Nineveh, that was not only spoliarium latronum, but spelunca leonum (Calv.), is how nowhere; it shall live by fame only, time shall triumph over it. God will "stain the pride of all glory, and bring into contempt all the honourable of the earth," Isa 23:9. So Ovid. (Metam. lib. 15):
“ Clara fuit Sparte, magnae viguere Mycenae,
Vile solum Sparte est, altae cecidere Mycenae.
Oedipodioniae quid sunt nisi nomina Thebae? &c. ”
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain This is the insulting or deriding speech of all…
This is the insulting or deriding speech of all that see and note it.
The dwelling of the lions; Nineveh, compared to a lion’s den.
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Lions; tyrants and bloody warriors, as Pul, Tiglath-pileser, and Shalmaneser.
The feeding-place of the young lions; Nineveh.
Young lions; princes, the children of those tyrannical kings.
The old lion, the king of Assyria, walked in his pride, in safety, and his princes with his rapines about him, which none durst disturb.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain Here we have Nineveh's ruin, 1. Triumphed in by…
Here we have Nineveh's ruin, 1. Triumphed in by its neighbours, who now remember against it all the oppressions and abuse of power it had been guilty of in its pomp and prosperity (Nah 2:11, Nah 2:12): Where is the dwelling of the lions? It is gone; there appear no remnants, no footsteps, of it. Where is the feeding place of the young lions, where they glutted themselves with prey? The princes of Nineveh had been as lions, as beasts of prey; cruel tyrants are no better, nay, in this respect much worse - that, being men, humanity is expected from them; nay, if they were indeed lions, they would not prey upon those of their own kind. Savis inter se convenit ursae - Fierce bears agree together. But in the shape of men they had the cruelty of lions: they walked in Nineveh as a lion in the woods, and none made them afraid; every one stood in awe of them, and they were under no apprehensions of danger from any; though nobody loved them, every body feared them, and that was all they desired. Oderint, dum metuant - Let them hate, so that they do but fear. The king himself, as well as every prince, made it his business, by all the arts of violence and extortion, to enrich himself and raise his family; he did tear in pieces enough for his whelps (and no little would be enough for them) and he strangled for his lioness, killed all that came near him, and seized what they had for his children, for his wives and concubines, and filled his holes with prey and his dens with ravin, as lions are wont to do. Note, Many make it an excuse for their rapine and injustice that they have wives and children to provide for, whereas what is so got will never do them any good; those that fear the Lord, and get what they have honestly, shall not want a competency for themselves and theirs; verily they shall be fed, when the young lions, though dens and holes were filled with prey and ravin for them, shall lack, and suffer hunger, Psa 34:10. 2. It is avowed by the righteous Judge of heaven and earth; it is his doing, and let all the world take notice that it is so (Nah 2:13): Behold, I am against thee, saith the Lord of hosts. And what good can hosts do for her in her defence, when the Lord of hosts is against her for her destruction? The oppressors in Nineveh thought they only set their neighbours against them, who were not a match for them, and whom they could easily overpower; but it proved they set God against them, who is, and will be, the asserter of right and the avenger of wrong. God is against the princes of Nineveh, and then, (1.) These military preparations will stand them in no stead: I will burn their chariots in the smoke; he does not say in the fire, but, in contempt of them, the very smoke of God's indignation shall serve to burn their chariots; they shall be consumed as soon as the fire of his indignation is kindled, while as yet it does but smoke, and not flame out. Or, The drivers of the chariots shall be smothered and stifled with the smoke; then the chariots of their glory shall be the shame of their families, Isa 22:18. (2.) Their children, the hopes of their families, shall be cut off: The sword shall devour the young lions, whom they were so solicitous to provide for by oppression and extortion. Note, It is just with God to deprive those of their children, or (which is all one) of comfort in them, that take sinful courses to enrich them, and (as has been said of some) damn their souls to make their sons gentlemen. (3.) The wealth they have heaped up by fraud and violence shall neither be enjoyed by them nor employed for them: I will cut off thy prey from the earth; not only thou shalt not be the better for it, but no one else shall. Some understand it of the disabling of them for the future to prey upon their neighbours. (4.) Their agents abroad shall not have that respect from their neighbours and that influence upon them which sometimes they had had: The voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard, no more be heeded, which some think refers to Rabshakeh, one of Nineveh's messengers, that had blasphemed the living God, an iniquity which was remembered against Nineveh long after. Those are not worthy to be heard again that have once spoken reproachfully of God.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain Where is the dwelling of the lions?.... Of the…
Where is the dwelling of the lions?.... Of the kings of Assyria, comparable to lions for their strength, courage, and cruelty, tyranny, and oppression; such as Pul, Tiglathpileser, Shalmaneser, and Sennacherib. So the Targum,
"where are the habitations of kings?''
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these are the words, either of the prophet, or of the people that had seen this city in its glory, and now see it in its ruins; and so desolate and waste, as that it could scarcely be said where it once stood:
and the feedingplace of the young lions? the sons of the kings of Assyria, the princes of the blood, and who were of the same blood, temper, and disposition of their ancestors, and were born, brought up, and educated, in Nineveh the royal city. So the Targum,
"and the dwelling houses of the princes,''
or governors:
where the lion, even the old lion, walked: not Nebuchadnezzar, as Jerom, who entered into Nineveh the den of those lions, or seat of the Assyrians, and took it, and walked about in it, as the conqueror and possessor of it; but rather Nimrod, that old lion and tyrant, if he was the first founder of this city, as some say; though it does not seem so much to design any particular person, but the kings of Assyria in general, even the most cruel and savage, as the old lion is. So the Targum in the plural number,
"whither the kings went;''
and the lion's whelp, and none made them afraid: there were none to resist their power, curb their insolence, and put a stop to their cruelty and oppression; or make them afraid of pursuing such methods. The Targum is,
"there they leave their children, even as a lion that continues in hunting with confidence, and there is none that terrifies.''
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Of the lions - Tyrants and bloody warriors.
Of the lions - Tyrants and bloody warriors.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 11. Where is the dwelling of the lions]…
Verse 11. Where is the dwelling of the lions] Nineveh, the habitation of bold, strong, and ferocious men.
The feeding place of the young lions] Whither her victorious and rapacious generals frequently returned to consume the produce of their success. Here they walked at large, and none made them afraid. Wheresoever they turned their arms they were victors; and all nations were afraid of them.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Nah 2:11-13. Where is the dwelling of the lions…
Nah 2:11-13. Where is the dwelling of the lions — Where is the lion-like courage and strength, which formerly characterized the king of Nineveh and his people? What is become of the stately palaces of the king and princes of Nineveh? who, like so many lions, cruel, violent, and irresistible, knew no other law than their pride and ambition; preying upon their own people, and the neighbouring countries, and filling their houses with the spoils they took from them, as the lions fill their dens with their prey. I will burn her chariots in the smoke — Or, even unto smoke. The LXX. read, και εκκαυσω εν καπνω πληθος σου, I will burn thy multitude in the smoke. Some again render the clause, I will burn thy seat, or thy habitation, observing, that the simile taken from lions is continued; and therefore that the word chariots is quite improper here; the expression referring to the den or habitation of lions, which he threatens to suffocate with fire and smoke in their subterraneous caverns. The sword shall devour thy young lions — Shall destroy thy young people, and the most vigorous of thy soldiers. I will cut off thy prey from the earth — I will prevent thy spoiling any country any more. And the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard — Thou shalt no more send ambassadors with thy orders to distant countries, either to encourage thine allies or to terrify thine enemies.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the…
Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feeding place of the young lions? - Great indeed must be the desolation, which should call forth the wonder of the prophet of God. He asks “where is it?” For so utterly was Nineveh to be effaced, that its place should scarcely be known, and now is known by the ruins which have been buried, and are dug up. The messengers of her king had asked, “Where are the gods of Hamath and of Arpad? of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?” 2Ki 18:34. And now of her it is asked, “Where is Nineveh?” It had “destroyed utterly all lands,” and now itself is utterly destroyed. The lion dwelt, fed, walked there, up and down, at will; all was spacious and secure; he terrified all, and none terrified him; he tore, strangled, laid up, as he willed, booty in store; but when he had filled it to the full, he filled up also the measure of his iniquities, and his sentence came from God. Nineveh had set at nought all human power, and destroyed it; now, therefore, God appears in His own Person.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Lions. The kings of Assyria had plundered various nations,…
Lions. The kings of Assyria had plundered various nations, (Haydock) and had brought the spoils to Ninive. But all shall be lost. (Worthington) --- These princes followed no law but their own will. --- The lion, Nabopolassar, or his son: though it seems rather to relate to the Assyrian monarchs. (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain dwelling of . . . lions--Nineveh, the seat of…
dwelling of . . . lions--Nineveh, the seat of empire of the rapacious and destructive warriors of various ranks, typified by the "lions," "young lions," "old lion" (or lioness [MAURER]), "the lion's whelp." The image is peculiarly appropriate, as lions of every form, winged, and sometimes with the head of a man, are frequent in the Assyrian sepulchres. It was as full of spoils of all nations as a lion's den is of remains of its prey. The question, "Where," &c., implies that Jehovah "would make an utter end of the place," so that its very site could not be found (Nah 1:8). It is a question expressing wonder, so incredible did it then seem.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain THE PROPHET’S EXULTATION OVER THE FALL OF NINEVEH, Nah_2:11-13.
THE PROPHET’S EXULTATION OVER THE FALL OF NINEVEH, Nah_2:11-13.
11. The prophet rejoices because the wicked city, the oppressor of Judah, is no more.
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Where is the dwelling of the lions — He very aptly likens Nineveh to a den of lions. The point of comparison is the cruelty and rapacity of her kings and warriors. Like lions they went about, seeking whom they might devour, and with the plunder they filled their den; “and there was none that moved the wing, or that opened the mouth, or chirped” (Isa_10:14). The cruelty and lust of the Assyrian conquerors is further described in Nah_2:12; but the end has come. 13. Jehovah can endure the outrages no longer. The lions, their den, and the plunder heaped up there will be destroyed.
Burn her chariots in the smoke — Burn the chariots so that they will go up in smoke. LXX. and Peshitto have the pronoun of the second person, “thy,” and this is preferable; they also read “multitude” in the place of “chariots,” which involves the transposition of two consonants; but in this case the Hebrew is preferable. A slight change would give “thy den,” which would be very appropriate in this connection.
Thy prey — The magnificence, splendor, and glory made possible by the prey taken in military expeditions.
The voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard — The power of the empire having vanished, no more messengers will be sent to the subdued nations to issue orders or demand tribute (Eze_19:9). For more than two centuries had the Hebrews suffered much from the Assyrian armies.
No wonder that with the doom of the world power so near the prophet breaks into a song of triumph.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 11–13. The prophet’s exultation over the downfall of Nineveh
11–13. The prophet’s exultation over the downfall of Nineveh
11. Where is the dwelling] the den.
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the old lion] Perhaps, the lioness.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (11-13) The figure of the lion appears so frequently…
(11-13) The figure of the lion appears so frequently on the Assyrian monuments that we may perhaps suppose it to have been a national scutcheon. The metaphor of the ravening beast is well illustrated by the Assyrian records, wherein the most frequent theme is the levying of gold, silver, brass, oxen, &c., from tributary cities. The “messengers” of Nah_2:13 are royal heralds and delegates, subordinate agents in this business of extortion.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain The prophet asks, as if in consternation at the…
The prophet asks, as if in consternation at the complete collapse of the great city Where is the site of Nineveh? Where is the dwelling (den) of the lions? The lion is a natural symbol of Assyria, both from that animal"s cruel, predatory; ravenous habits, and from its use as the chief national emblem. Nergal, the war god, has a winged lion with a man"s face as his emblem. See the figure in Rawlinson, "Anc. Mon.," 1:173, who adds (p. 308) that the lion is accepted as a true type of the people, blood, ravin, and robbery being their characteristics in the mind of the prophet. The feeding place of the young lions may mean the subject lands whence they took their prey. And the old lion; rather, the lioness. The lion is designated by different names, which may, perhaps, refer to the various satraps and chieftains of the Assyrian kingdom. There are the full-grown male lion, the lioness, the young lion able to seek its own food, and the whelp too young to find its own living. Instead of" the lioness." the LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac, reading differently, give, taueiselyein , ut ingrederetur, "that the lion"s whelp should enter there." And none made them afraid. They lived in perfect security, without fear or care, irresistible in might. (Lev_26:6 Mic_4:4 Zep_3:13)
Vers. 11-13. The parable of the lion"s den.
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I THE DESCRIPTION OF THE SEN.
1. Its site. Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian empire.
(1) Old, extending over centuries at least.
(2) Capacious, having caves in it for its prey, and room in it for the lion, lionesses, and lion"s whelps to walk about.
(3) Strong. surrounded on two sides by water and seemingly impregnable a secure retreat, in which its inhabiting wild beasts felt themselves safe.
2. Its occupants. The lions above referred to.
(1) The old lion the King of Assyria,
(2) The lionesses the queens and concubines of the reigning prince.
(3) The lion"s whelps, or young lions his sons, princes, nobles, and warriors.
3. Its prey. The spoils of the nations Syria, Phoenicia, Philistia, Israel, Judah, and even Egypt had felt the might of Assyria and contributed to swell the ravin she had stored in her cities.
II THE DESTRUCTION OF THE DEN.
1. Its certainty. According to Nahum, Jehovah was against Nineveh, and that was enough to secure its overthrow. "The face of the Lord is against them that do evil," etc. (Psa_34:16) Besides, his uttered threatening, "I will burn her chariots i.e. all her military armament in the smoke," rendered her doom inevitable. The word of Jehovah can as little fail in threatening as in promise.
2. Its celerity. So little difficult would be the task to Jehovah, that he would not need fire, but only smoke, to consume the power of Nineveh. "In short, the prophet shows that Nineveh would be, as it were in a moment, reduced to nothing, as soon as it pleased God to avenge its wickedness" (Calvin).
3. Its completeness.
(1) Her warriors should be destroyed: "The sword shall de, our thy young lions.
(2) Her spoliations should cease: "I will cut off thy prey from the earth.
(3) Her emissaries should be silent: "The voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard," exacting tribute from the nations thou hast conquered. Learn:
1. That Jehovah is against sin in nations no less than in individuals.
2. That national wickedness is the certain prelude to national ruin.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary 1892 · Public Domain Nah_2:11. Where] is the site on which the mighty…
CRITICAL NOTES.
Nah_2:11. Where] is the site on which the mighty city once stood? Its warriors crushed the nations like lions in their lust and power. “To fill up the picture, the epithets applied to the lions are grouped together according to the difference of sex and age” [Keil].
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Nah_2:12.] Description of tyranny and predatory lust of Assyrian kings.
Nah_2:13.] The destruction is certain I against thee; God has proclaimed, and will fulfil it. Her war-chariots, i.e. the whole apparatus of war [Calvin], will be consumed like smoke; imperial might shall no longer prey upon the nations, and emissaries, with the king’s commands or exacting tribute, shall be seen no more (Eze_19:9).
HOMILETICS
NINEVEH EFFACED.—Nah_2:11-13
The Prophet, beholding the destruction in spirit as having already taken place, looks round for the site on which the mighty city once stood, and sees it no more. This is the meaning of the question in Nah_2:11. He describes it as the dwelling-place of lions. The point of comparison is the predatory lust of its rulers and their warriors, who crushed the nations like lions, plundering their treasures, and bringing them together in Nineveh [Keil].
I. Its site was obliterated. “Where is the dwelling of the lions,” &c. Great must be the desolation to call forth such an expression. Where indeed is the proud city? Its place was unknown for ages, and is only just discovered by the ruins which have been dug up. It was secure, the dwelling of the lions; spacious walked; and wealthy, the feeding-place of the young lions; but its battlements were destroyed and its glory departed. The dust of Nineveh is a witness for the truth of God, and a warning to the nations of the earth. “Assyria lies buried there with all its people; round about are their graves, all of them are slain and fallen by the sword; they have made their graves deep there below.”
II. Its rulers were overcome. Over 500 years this great city of God (cf. Jon_1:3; Jon_3:2) was, under its powerful rulers, the terror of Western Asia. Dynasty after dynasty had transmitted its dreaded name to age after age.
1. Its rulers were strong. Like lions in power and purpose, bent on plunder and mischief. They were greedy, ravenous beasts, which could never be satisfied (Isa_66:11).
2. Its rulers were a terror to others. They tore others, and were not touched themselves. Exempt from fear, they were a dread to surrounding peoples, “and none made them afraid.” But the Lord of hosts was against them, and raised up one stronger than they. “The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant.”
III. Its resources were destroyed. Nah_2:13 expresses her complete destruction.
1. Its military defences were destroyed. “I will burn her chariots in the smoke.” Their chariots remarkable for speed and lightness, their horses noted for fierceness and power, were fuel for the fire. All their warlike preparations vanished into smoke, and not a brand was plucked from the burning.
2. Their offspring were cut off. “The sword shall devour thy young lions.” The flower of youth, their hope for the future, was cut down. The whole race of oppressors was taken away. God in justice may cut off those whom we seek to enrich, and for whom we are so anxious to provide.
3. Their wealth was taken away. “I will cut off thy prey from the earth.” The immense booty they had gathered by fraud and violence was robbed by the enemy.
4. Their agents were no longer seen. “The voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard.” Emissaries exacting tribute or conveying the edicts of the king; heralds and delegates travelling the provinces; messengers, uttering blasphemy and publishing victory, “should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel.” God had hushed them to silence, and the stillness of death prevailed.
IV. Its destiny was sealed. “Behold, I come,” are words which seal and confirm the threat. God had endured long, but came at last. The city was captured and destroyed. Its ruins have never been revived, and Moslem tribes rear their hamlets on its barren stones. “Desolation meets desolation,” says Layard; “a feeling of awe succeeds to wonder, for there is nothing to relieve the mind; to lead to hope, or to tell of what has gone by. These high mounds of Assyria made a deeper impression upon me, gave rise to more serious thought and more earnest reflection, than either the temples of Baalbec or the theatres of Ionia.”
Conquerors proud, to seal her doom,
Swept her to ruin’s all-engulfing tomb.
Long ages past, and turf o’ergrew the walls,
And silence reigned in Ninus’ buried halls.
HOMILETIC HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS
Nah_2:11-12. The lions. Oppression is brutish conduct. It turns palaces into dens, and princes into lions. “As a roaring lion and a raging bear; so is a wicked ruler over the poor people.” Unrighteous gain is a risky bargain. “The robbery of the wicked shall destroy them.”
Nah_2:13. God against the sinner.
1. God is declared to be against him. “Behold,” &c.
2. God has power to fulfil his threats. “The Lord of Hosts.”
3. The results will be unmistakeable if the opposition continues. Seek to be reconciled to God. From the whole chapter we may learn—
1. God’ s hand in destructive warfare. The wealth and haughty bearing of Nineveh drew forth the conquering army. The passions and efforts of men were concerned, but they only performed the pleasure of the Most High.
2. The vanity of human greatness. Heaps of gold and silver are not real possessions. A royal palace and an imperial throne will crumble into dust. “Empty and void and waste,” may be inscribed on every earthly glory.
“They are but beggars that can count their wealth” [Shakespeare].
The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary (gen. ed. Joseph S. Exell; Funk & Wagnalls, c. 1892) — public domain (pre-1929). A full-Bible homiletical/sermon-outline anthology covering 65 of 66 books (2 John is absent from the source module). Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 General Information:
General Information:
In these verses, Nahum speaks of the people of Nineveh as if they were a group of lions, and of the city Nineveh as if it were their den. The metaphor speaks of the way in which the Assyrians would conquer other people and take their possessions as their own as if they were lions hunting prey and bringing the dead animals back to their den. (See: Metaphor)
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Where now is the lions' den ... afraid of nothing?
Nahum uses this rhetorical question to mock Nineveh, which has been destroyed. AT: "The lions' den is nowhere to be found ... afraid of nothing." or "Look at what has become of the lions' den ... afraid of nothing!" (See: Rhetorical Question)
he strangled victims
"he choked victims." This is probably a reference to the way that lions usually kill their prey, by biting its throat. AT: "he killed his victims" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
filled his cave with victims, his dens with torn carcasses
These two phrases are saying the same thing in different ways. The verb may be supplied for the second phrase. AT: "filled his cave with victims, and filled his dens with torn carcasses" (See: Parallelism and Ellipsis)
translationWords
lions
fear
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 2:11-13 Following the description of Nineveh’s fall (2:1-10), Nahum…
2:11-13 Following the description of Nineveh’s fall (2:1-10), Nahum inserts the first of three taunt songs (see also 3:8-13, 14-19; this was a common form in the ancient Near East). In biting satire, he compares Nineveh to a lion’s den. King Sennacherib and other Assyrian kings had compared themselves to lions, even decorating their palaces with artistic representations of lions and of themselves on lion hunts. However, with God as its enemy, Nineveh would no longer be the lair of an invincible predator.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.