Nahum

1
Nahum

• Group 2
• Gandhi, Houser, Hastings

2
Who was Nahum?

• Nahumiah means Yahweh comforts
• The name Nahum means consoler
• This name is unique to the Old Testament
• It was traditionally thought that both Nehemiah
  and St. Luke made references to Nahum, though
  these notions seem to be incorrect

3
Where was he from?

• Nahum is said to be a man of Elkosh, and
  Elkoshite
• There is some dispute as to the location of
  Elkosh.
• Three possible locations
• -Elcesi Galilee
• -Al Qush Somwhere near modern Mosul in Iraq
  (Claims to a tomb of Nahum here)
• -Beit Jibrin The outskirts of Jerusalem
• Capernaum Naum and Nahum (Early Scholars)
• Before Jerome, scholars regarded Elkosh as
  patronymic

• The Lion Hunt of Ashurbanipal

4
Dating of the Text

• From date markers within the text, the text is
  believed to be dated between ca. 662 BC and ca.
  612 BC
• In 661 Ashurbanipal of Assyria captured No-Amon,
  or modern-day Thebes
• In 612, Nineveh fell to Cyaxeres of Medes, in
  league with Babylon and Scythia
• The text speaks of the impending doom of Nineveh,
  so it may have been written during the campaign
• Not likely after 609, as this was the date of the
  defeat and death of Josiah, King of Judah when
  Israel was defeated
• This period is the twilight of the Assyrian Empire

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So, where are we?
6
Nineveh

• Currently under the mounds of Kuyunjik and Nebi
  Yunus in Mosul
• Situated on the banks of the Tigris
• Major City of the Late Assyrian Empire
• Staging point for Assyrian attacks on Israel and
  Judah
• Nemesis to Babylon
• Assyria ultimately destroyed in 609

7
Message of the Text

• Message is of utter destruction of Nineveh
• God who is faithful has not abandoned Judah
• God will execute vengeance against Nineveh
• Divine Justice

8
Message Continued

• Similar to treatment of Egyptians in Exodus 1-15
• Will bring joy and liberation to Gods people
  (Cf. Song of Miriam)
• Symbolic meaning of Assyria?

9
Literary Characteristics

• High level of literary skill
• Exhibited in assonance, alliteration, repetition,
  metaphors, and an acrostic (Aleph-Kaph)
• Notoriously Difficult Text (The Pindar of
  Hebrew)
• Uncommon vocabulary, ill-preserved text, pronoun
  difficulties

10
Textual Redaction

• Possibility of redaction regarded as dubious, and
  maintained most notably by O. Happel in the early
  20th Century
• Happel Exilic or Post-Exilic Redaction
• Chapters 2 and 3 exhibit similarities of
  authorship and period
• Chapter 1 bears the possibility of having been
  edited at a later date
• Incomplete acrostic
• Text seems oddly arranged in the end of the
  Chapter 1
• Wellhausen opposed Happels position, noting that
  what seemed to be two texts are actually one text
  in two parts, made distinct by the presence of
  the uncompleted acrostic
• Happel is likewise opposed by Gunkel

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Outline (Cf. NJBC)

• I. Title - Superscription (11)
• II. Theophany of the Divine Avenger (12-8)
• III.Oracles of Hope (19-21) (RSV 19-15)
• IV. The Fall of Nineveh (22-14) (RSV 21-13)
• V. Final Destruction of Nineveh (31-19)

12
Title

• 11 An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of
  the vision of Nahum of Elkosh.
• Genre oracle (massaburden) against a foreign
  nation
• This implies salvation for Israel
• Only prophetic text explicitly identified as a
  book
• Like Isaiah, Amos, and Habbakuk, Nahum is
  introduced as a vision

13
Yahweh the Divine Avenger

• 12-3a The LORD is a jealous God and avenging,
  the LORD is avenging and wrathful the LORD takes
  vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for
  his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger and of
  great might, and the LORD will by no means clear
  the guilty.

• Verses 2-8 describe Yahweh coming in judgment
• Day of Yahweh genre
• Yahweh is an avenging God repeated three times
• Slow to anger but shows vengeance to enemies
• Same paradox found in Ex. 346-7

14
Yahweh the Divine Avenger Continued

• This opening section of the book is a Hebrew poem
  in acrostic style
• Acrostic each line begins with successive
  letters of the Hebrew alphabet
• This form is found in Psalm 119 (each section
  uses different letter)
• Also found in the city laments in Lamentations
• Since Nahum 12-8 only contains ten of the
  letters, most of the poem is probably lost.

15
Yahweh the Divine Avenger Continued

• 13b-8 His way is in whirlwind and storm, and
  the clouds are the dust of his feet. He rebukes
  the sea and makes it dry, he dries up all the
  rivers Bashan and Carmel wither, the bloom of
  Lebanon fades. The mountains quake before him,
  the hills melt the earth is laid waste before
  him, the world and all that dwell therein. Who
  can stand before his indignation? Who can endure
  the heat of his anger? His wrath is poured out
  like fire, and the rocks are broken asunder by
  him. The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of
  trouble he knows those who take refuge in him.
  But with an overflowing flood he will make a full
  end of his adversaries, and will pursue his
  enemies into darkness.

• The desert wind is used to signify Yahweh in
  battle
• Destruction of the cosmos seas dried up, Carmel
  withered, earthquake, rending of rocks
• Characteristic of Day of Yahweh
• This imagery is also found in Ugaritic Baal
  texts.

16
Oracles of Hope

• 19-15 What do you plot against the LORD? He
  will make a full end he will not take vengeance
  twice on his foes. Like entangled thorns they are
  consumed, like dry stubble. Did one not come out
  from you, who plotted evil against the LORD, and
  counseled villainy? Thus says the LORD, "Though
  they be strong and many, they will be cut off and
  pass away. Though I have afflicted you, I will
  afflict you no more. And now I will break his
  yoke from off you and will burst your bonds
  asunder." The LORD has given commandment about
  you "No more shall your name be perpetuated
  from the house of your gods I will cut off the
  graven image and the molten image. I will make
  your grave, for you are vile." Behold, on the
  mountains the feet of him who brings good
  tidings, who proclaims peace! Keep your feasts, O
  Judah, fulfil your vows, for never again shall
  the wicked come against you, he is utterly cut
  off.

• Dialogue form Yahweh addresses Nineveh and Judah
  in turn
• Verses 9-11 rebukes the plotting of Nineveh
• 112 uses the messenger formula to introduce a
  salvation oracle for Judah Assyrias yoke is
  broken
• 114 pronounces judgment on Nineveh and its gods
• 115 returns to salvation Celebrate feasts,
  because the wicked shall never come again

17
Oracles of Hope Continued

• 111 Did one not come out from you, who plotted
  evil against the LORD, and counseled villainy?

• The word for villainy is Belial
• This probably is derived from bl to swallow
• Death is seen as swallowing its victims
• Here, the swallower is probably Sennacherib or
  another king of Assyria
• In the New Testament, Belial will be one of the
  many names of Satan.

18
The Fall of Nineveh

• 21 describes the approaching army and mockingly
  warns Nineveh to prepare
• 22 speaks of the restoration of Israel
• This seems out of place here, but the destruction
  of Nineveh is being celebrated as Israels
  salvation.
• 23-5 gives vivid description of the battle, as
  the invaders assault the walls

• 21-5 The shatterer has come up against you.
  Man the ramparts watch the road gird your
  loins collect all your strength. (For the LORD
  is restoring the majesty of Jacob as the majesty
  of Israel, for plunderers have stripped them and
  ruined their branches.) The shield of his mighty
  men is red, his soldiers are clothed in scarlet.
  The chariots flash like flame when mustered in
  array the chargers prance. The chariots rage in
  the streets, they rush to and fro through the
  squares they gleam like torches, they dart like
  lightning. The officers are summoned, they
  stumble as they go, they hasten to the wall, the
  mantelet is set up.

19
The Fall of Nineveh Continued

• 26-10 The river gates are opened, the palace is
  in dismay its mistress is stripped, she is
  carried off, her maidens lamenting, moaning like
  doves, and beating their breasts. Nin'eveh is
  like a pool whose waters run away. "Halt! Halt!"
  they cry but none turns back. Plunder the
  silver, plunder the gold! There is no end of
  treasure, or wealth of every precious thing.
  Desolate! Desolation and ruin! Hearts faint and
  knees tremble, anguish is on all loins, all faces
  grow pale!

• Describes the situation inside the city as the
  invaders flood in and the palace is shaken.
• 27 is obscure in Hebrew
• Mistress could be queen of Nineveh, but more
  likely the goddess Ishtar being carried off
• 29 describes plundering of citys wealth
• 210-Buqah umebuqah umebullaqah mounting
  chorus of woes
• One can hear the prophet spitting as he curses

20
The Fall of Nineveh Continued

• Ishtar was a Sumero-Babylonian goddess of love
  and fertility
• Usually portrayed as an evil, heartless woman who
  destroys her lovers
• She went into the underworld to retrieve her
  lover Tammuz, but returned unsuccessful

21
The Fall of Nineveh Continued

• 211-13 Where is the lions' den, the cave of the
  young lions, where the lion brought his prey,
  where his cubs were, with none to disturb? The
  lion tore enough for his whelps and strangled
  prey for his lionesses he filled his caves with
  prey and his dens with torn flesh. Behold, I am
  against you, says the LORD of hosts, and I will
  burn your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall
  devour your young lions I will cut off your prey
  from the earth, and the voice of your messengers
  shall no more be heard.

• Lions den extended metaphor for the Assyrian
  royal house
• Lion was a common Assyrian symbol, often
  associated with Ishtar
• Ashurbanipal was proud of his reputation as a
  lion hunter
• Assyria, the lion, plunders nations as his prey
• 213 pronounces judgment the lion hunter is now
  the hunted lion

22
The Final Destruction of Nineveh

• -Two Primary Divisions
• -Woe Oracle 3 1-7
• -Taunt Song 3 8-19

23
Woe Oracle

• -Accusative speech venting anger
• -Woe to the bloody city, all full of lies and
  booty, no end to the plunder!
• - Hebrew word for plunder here Tarep
  literally means to tear, referring to the way
  wild animals kill their prey. This is an
  allusion to the lion imagery of Ch. 211-12.

• 31 Woe to the bloody city, all full of lies and
  booty--no end to the plunder! The crack of the
  whip, and rumble of wheel, galloping horse and
  bounding chariot!

24
Woe to the Bloody City

• -The Assyrians were especially known among the
  nations for their cruelty.
• -Excerpt from the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal II
  describing his atrocities, listed on a monument
  commemorating the first 18 years of his reign
• -3,000 of their the people in the city of Tela
  warriors I put to the sword.Many captives from
  among them I burned with fire. From some I cut
  off their hands and fingers, and from others I
  cut off their noses, their ears, and their
  fingers, of many I put out the eyes. I made one
  pillar of the living, and another of heads, and I
  bound their heads to posts round about the city.
  Their young men and maidens I burned in the fire,
  the city I destroyed.

25
Sound and Imagery

• Nahum is known for his impressive, vivid use of
  sound and imagery to convey the downfall of
  Nineveh. Here we see a staccato style depiction
  of the siege.
• The rumble of the wheel the word used for
  rumbling is the same used for earthquake.

• 3 2-3 The crack of the whip, and the rumble of
  the wheel, galloping horse and bounding chariot!
  Horsemen charging, flashing sword and glittering
  spear, hosts of slain, heaps of corpses, dead
  bodies without end they stumble over dead
  bodies!

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Indictment against Nineveh

• 34 And all for the countless harlotries of the
  harlot, graceful and of deadly charms, who
  betrays nations with her harlotries, and peoples
  with her charms.
• This speaks of the seductiveness of Ninevehs
  alliances and the treachery by which she goes
  about conducting them who betrays (enslaves)
  nations with her harlotries, and peoples with her
  charm (witchcraft).

• 2 Kings 1831 Do not listen to Hezekiah for
  thus says the king of Assyria Make your peace
  with me and come out to me then every one of you
  will eat of his own vine, and every one of his
  own fig tree, and every one of you will drink the
  water of his own cistern.

27
Indictment Continued

• Harlot is another possible reference to the
  fertility goddess Ishtar
• Metaphor of the prostitute commonly applied to
  pagan, immoral cities Isaiah 47 against the
  Babylonians and Chaldeans, Revelation 17-18 on
  the whore of Babylon.

28
Future Humiliation of Nineveh

• 35-7 Behold, I am against you, says the LORD
  of hosts, and will lift up your skirts over your
  face and I will let nations look on your
  nakedness and kingdoms on your shame. I will
  throw filth at you and treat you with contempt,
  and make you a gazingstock. And all who look on
  you will shrink from you and say, Wasted is
  Nineveh who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek
  comforters for her?

• First Person used Yahweh directly announces
  Ninevehs punishment, guaranteeing the certainty
  of its fulfillment

29
Humiliation Continued

• This section starts off a series of sufferings
  that Nineveh will endure, sufferings which she
  has inflicted on many countless nations. The
  humiliation that the harlot suffers by being
  stripped naked is a possible allusion to the way
  captives of war were made to endure the
  humiliation of being paraded naked in Nineveh.
• 37 contains a rhetorical question, a pattern
  seen continued at the beginning of 38 and
  concluding at the end of the book at the end of
  319. The answers are obviously no and none.

• 37-9 And all who look on you will shrink from
  you and say, Wasted is Nin'eveh who will bemoan
  her? whence shall I seek comforters for her? Are
  you better than Thebes that sat by the Nile, with
  water around her, her rampart a sea, and water
  her wall? Ethiopia was her strength, Egypt too,
  and that without limit Put and the Libyans were
  her helpers.

30
Taunt Song

• Are you better than Thebes? Again we are
  reminded of the sufferings that Assyria has
  inflicted on other nations. The records of
  Ashurbanipal describe the campaign against
  Thebes, including boasts of flaying alive those
  who would not acknowledge his dominion.
• The murder of the infants described in 310 was
  common practice among conquering nations done to
  exterminate the future population of their
  captives.

• 310 Yet she was carried away, she went into
  captivity her little ones were dashed in pieces
  at the head of every street for her honored men
  lots were cast, and all her great men were bound
  in chains.

31
Insults Against Nineveh

• Series of pejorative insults/comparisons 12-13,
  15
• Series of taunts implying the futility of
  resisting Yahwehs judgment in 14-15.

• 12 All your fortresses are like fig trees with
  first-ripe figs -- if shaken they fall into the
  mouth of the eater. 13 Behold, your troops are
  women in your midst. The gates of your land are
  wide open to your foes fire has devoured your
  bars. 14 Draw water for the siege, strengthen
  your forts go into the clay, tread the mortar,
  take hold of the brick mold! 15 There will the
  fire devour you, the sword will cut you off. It
  will devour you like the locust. Multiply
  yourselves like the locust, multiply like the
  grasshopper!

32
Aftermath in Nineveh

• 318 Your shepherds are asleep, O king of
  Assyria your nobles slumber. Your people are
  scattered on the mountains with none to gather
  them.

• Ninevehs merchants and officials abandon her,
  she is without a shepherd (318). The people of
  Nineveh are scattered, and everyone who has
  suffered at her hands rejoices at her defeat.

33
The Burning Question

• Nahum appears
• in Year II
• in the Eighteenth Week of Ordinary Time
• on Friday.
• ?

34
Conclusions

• Nahum deals with Yahweh as the Divine Judge and
  Avenger
• Nahum is a unique book in terms of its message,
  style, and content
• Unlike other books in the Old Testament, Nahum is
  properly concerned not with the Hebrews, but with
  the wrath of God against Nineveh and all who
  oppose Yahweh

35
The End