NAHUM THE ELKOSHITE (NAHUM 1:1) · TWO KINGDOMS

Nahum. “The burden of Nineveh”: the LORD's judgment on the bloody city, and good tidings for Judah.

SCRIPTURE CALLS

Prophet

ERA

Two kingdoms 930–586 BC

IN THE DAYS OF

No ruler named beside him

BOOK

Nahum

HOW THE WORD CAME

The book calls itself both “The burden of Nineveh” and “The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite”.

THE CALL

How the word came

  • The book calls itself both “The burden of Nineveh” and “The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite”. Nahum 1:1

THE MESSAGE

The word in its main themes

The LORD who is slow to anger, and avenges

“The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked”

Nahum 1:3 (KJV) →

“The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.”

Nahum 1:7 (KJV) →

Good tidings to Judah

“Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace!”

Nahum 1:15 (KJV) →

The fall of Nineveh

“Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery”

Nahum 3:1 (KJV) →

“Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her?”

Nahum 3:7 (KJV) →

Like No

THE WORD TO …

To whom the word was spoken

TO NINEVEH

“Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts”

Nahum 2:13 (KJV) →

TO JUDAH

“O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee”

Nahum 1:15 (KJV) →

TO THE KING OF ASSYRIA

“Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria: thy nobles shall dwell in the dust”

Nahum 3:18 (KJV) →

THE BOOK

The book of Nahum

  • 1 Heading Nahum 1:1
  • 2 The LORD who avenges; comfort for Judah Nahum 1:2–15
  • 3 The siege and fall of the city Nahum 2:1–13
  • 4 Woe to the bloody city Nahum 3:1–19

HOW THE STORY ENDS

Scripture says, tradition says

SCRIPTURE SAYS

  • From the textScripture says nothing of Nahum outside the first verse of his book. Nahum 1:1

TRADITION SAYS

  • A grave at Alkush (Alqosh), near Mosul, “is shown as that of Nahum”.[3] Who says so: A local tradition near Mosul, reported by S. R. Driver (1891), Driver: it “cannot be traced back beyond the 16th cent.”

OPEN QUESTIONS

Where readers have differed

Between the fall of Thebes and the fall of Nineveh

S. R. Driver (1891); A. B. Davidson (1896); G. A. Smith (1898)

Nahum 3:8–10 speaks of No as already carried away. Driver takes No to be Thebes, captured by Ashurbanipal “shortly after 664”, and the latest limit to be Nineveh's fall, which he and Davidson dated about 607–606. Driver: “Within these limits it is impossible to fix the date more precisely.” Nahum 3:8–10 [3][46][45]

Soon after Sennacherib's defeat, under Hezekiah

C. F. Keil (1868), following Vitringa

Keil quotes Vitringa: “the date of Nahum must be fixed a very short time after Isaiah and Micah, and therefore in the reign of Hezekiah”.[10]

In Manasseh's reign

Seder Olam, a Jewish chronology ascribed by Jewish authorities to Rabbi Jose ben Halafta, as reported by the Jewish Encyclopedia (1905)

It places “those of Joel, Nahum, and Habakkuk in the reign of Manasseh.”[42]

IN SCRIPTURE

Every passage

CHAPTERS · 3

Nahum 1 Nahum 2 Nahum 3

PASSAGES · 1

Nahum 1:1–3:19

WHAT SCRIPTURE DOES NOT SAY

  • Scripture gives no call, no king and no date for Nahum, and nothing of his life.
  • Scripture does not record the fall of Nineveh.
  • The New Testament does not quote Nahum. Romans 10:15's “How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace” is closest in wording to Isaiah 52:7; Nahum 1:15 has a similar line.

SOURCES

Where this page comes from

  • L. C. L. Brenton (tr.), The Septuagint Version of the Old Testament, translated into English (1844), Jeremiah in the Greek order: chs. 34:2 (Heb. 27:2, no verse 1), 35:1 (Heb. 28:1), 36:24 (Heb. 29:24), 46:1–18 (Heb. 39, verses 4–13 absent); read in the site's Brenton text (data/text/lxxe).
  • L. C. L. Brenton (tr.), The Septuagint Version of the Old Testament and Apocrypha (1851), the opening sentence of Lamentations (checked against the 1879 Bagster scan).
  • S. R. Driver, An Introduction to the Literature of the Old Testament (1891), pp. 239–240 (Jer 10:11), 248, 253–254 (the Greek text of Jeremiah), 298–299 (Obadiah), 314–315 (Nahum), 317–319 (Habakkuk, Zephaniah), 432–435 (Lamentations).
  • C. F. Keil, tr. D. Patrick, The Prophecies of Jeremiah, vol. 1 (Keil and Delitzsch) (1874), Introduction, pp. 31–35 (the Greek text; Graf 1862 quoted); scan of the 1880 printing.
  • C. F. Keil, tr. J. Kennedy, The Prophecies of Jeremiah, vol. 2, with The Lamentations (Keil and Delitzsch) (1874), Introduction to Lamentations, pp. 349–350.
  • C. F. Keil, tr. D. Patrick, The Prophecies of Jeremiah (Keil and Delitzsch) (1874), note on Jer 25:11 (read on Bible Hub).
  • C. F. Keil, tr. D. Patrick, The Prophecies of Jeremiah (Keil and Delitzsch) (1874), note on Jer 27:1 (read on Bible Hub).
  • C. F. Keil, tr. M. G. Easton, Biblical Commentary on the Book of Daniel (Keil and Delitzsch) (1872), note on Dan 9:2, reporting Ewald (read on Bible Hub).
  • C. F. Keil, tr. J. Martin, The Twelve Minor Prophets (Keil and Delitzsch) (1868), Introduction to Obadiah (read on Bible Hub).
  • C. F. Keil, tr. J. Martin, The Twelve Minor Prophets (Keil and Delitzsch) (1868), Introduction to Nahum, quoting Vitringa (read on Bible Hub).
  • C. F. Keil, tr. J. Martin, The Twelve Minor Prophets (Keil and Delitzsch) (1868), Introduction to Habakkuk (read on Bible Hub).
  • C. F. Keil, tr. J. Martin, The Twelve Minor Prophets (Keil and Delitzsch) (1868), Introduction to Zephaniah (read on Bible Hub).
  • G. C. Workman, The Text of Jeremiah (1889), pp. 117–118, 222–223.
  • A. W. Streane, The Double Text of Jeremiah (1896), p. 13.
  • A. W. Streane, The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah, together with the Lamentations (Cambridge Bible) (1881), p. 172 (note on 25:11).
  • A. W. Streane, Jeremiah and Lamentations (Cambridge Bible, revised edition) (1913), note on Jer 27:1 (read on Bible Hub).
  • A. W. Streane, Jeremiah and Lamentations (Cambridge Bible, revised edition) (1913), introductory note to Jer 39, reporting Giesebrecht, Duhm and Cornill (read on Bible Hub).
  • A. S. Peake, Jeremiah and Lamentations, vol. 2 (The Century Bible) (1910), p. 13 (note on 25:11).
  • M. Faulhaber, "Jeremias", Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 8 (1910), the text of the book; the tradition of his death (online text).
  • M. G. Easton, Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897), entry "Jeremiah, Book of" (read on Bible Hub).
  • C. von Orelli, "Jeremiah", International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia (1915), his death (online text; not checked against a scan of the printed edition; read on Bible Hub).
  • R. S. Hess, Review of E. Tov, The Text-Critical Use of the Septuagint in Biblical Research, 3rd ed. (2015), Denver Journal (facts only) (2017), on 4QJer b and 4QJer d and the shorter Greek edition.
  • C. J. Ellicott (ed.), A Bible Commentary for English Readers (c. 1878–1884), note on Jer 25:11 (read on Bible Hub).
  • C. J. Ellicott (ed.), A Bible Commentary for English Readers (c. 1878–1884), note on Jer 27:1 (read on Bible Hub).
  • C. J. Ellicott (ed.), A Bible Commentary for English Readers (c. 1878–1884), note on Jer 40:1 (read on Bible Hub).
  • C. J. Ellicott (ed.), A Bible Commentary for English Readers (c. 1878–1884), note on Matt 27:9 (read on Bible Hub).
  • H. D. M. Spence and J. S. Exell (eds.), The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1897), note on Jer 25:11 (read on Bible Hub).
  • H. D. M. Spence and J. S. Exell (eds.), The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1897), note on Jer 40:1 (read on Bible Hub).
  • H. D. M. Spence and J. S. Exell (eds.), The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1897), note on Zech 1:12 (read on Bible Hub).
  • John Gill, An Exposition of the Old Testament (1748–1763), note on Jer 27:1 (read on Bible Hub).
  • John Gill, An Exposition of the New Testament (1746–1748), note on Matt 27:9 (read on Bible Hub).
  • Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826), note on Matt 27:9 (read on Bible Hub).
  • R. Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and D. Brown, A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Whole Bible (1871), note on Matt 27:9, quoting John Lightfoot's Horae Hebraicae (read on Bible Hub).
  • Augustine, tr. S. D. F. Salmond, The Harmony of the Gospels (NPNF First Series, vol. 6) (1888), 3.7.29–31.
  • M. B. Riddle (ed.), Editor's note to Augustine, Harmony of the Gospels 3.7 (NPNF First Series, vol. 6) (1888), note 1344 in the CCEL text.
  • M. L. Rodkinson (tr.), New Edition of the Babylonian Talmud: Tract Baba Bathra (1902), pp. 44–45 (Baba Bathra 14b–15a: the order of the prophets; who wrote which books).
  • I. H. Hall (tr.), "The Lives of the Prophets", Journal of the Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis 7 (1887), pp. 36–37 (Jeremiah), from a Syriac manuscript ascribed to Epiphanius of Cyprus.
  • Tertullian, tr. S. Thelwall, Scorpiace (ANF vol. 3) (1885), ch. 8.
  • Jerome, tr. W. H. Fremantle, Against Jovinianus (NPNF Second Series, vol. 6) (1893), 2.37.
  • J. Rendel Harris, The Rest of the Words of Baruch: A Christian Apocalypse of the Year 136 A.D. (1889), pp. 21, 24.
  • E. G. Hirsch, V. Ryssel, S. Schechter and L. Ginzberg, "Jeremiah", Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. 7 (1904), biblical data; in rabbinical literature (Seder Olam 26); the Christian legend.
  • M. Seligsohn, "Seder 'Olam Rabbah", Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. 11 (1905), authorship; the dates it gives the prophets.
  • Jewish Encyclopedia, "Hezekiah", Jewish Encyclopedia, vol. 6 (1904), §2 (Zephaniah's ancestor; Ibn Ezra and Abravanel).
  • Origen, tr. F. Crombie, A Letter to Africanus (ANF vol. 4) (1885), sections 7–8.
  • G. A. Smith, The Book of the Twelve Prophets, vol. 2 (The Expositor's Bible) (1898), pp. 41, 47 (Zephaniah), 78, 85 (Nahum), 167, 171 (Obadiah), 193 (Zechariah's seventy years).
  • A. B. Davidson, The Books of Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah (Cambridge Bible) (1896), pp. 12–13 (Elkosh; date of Nahum), 45–46, 49, 53 (Habakkuk), 96–97 (Zephaniah).
  • E. B. Pusey, The Minor Prophets, with a Commentary (first published 1860–77; London printing of 1883) (1883), Introduction to Obadiah, pp. 227–229.
  • C. J. Gadd, The Fall of Nineveh: the newly discovered Babylonian Chronicle, No. 21,901, in the British Museum (1923), pp. 15–16, 40–41 (reverse, lines 38–45).
  • D. D. Luckenbill, Ancient Records of Assyria and Babylonia, vol. 2 (1927), §§776–778, pp. 295–296 (the Rassam Cylinder on Ni', Thebes).
  • T. Witton Davies, in R. H. Charles (ed.), The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament, vol. 1 (1913), pp. 655–656 (Bel and the Dragon: date; verses 33–39).

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