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BOOK OF NAHUM

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Originally appearing in Volume V19, Page 153 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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BOOK OF See also:NAHUM .—The See also:original heading of Nahum's prophecy is contained in the second See also:part of the superscription: " [The book of] the See also:vision of Nahum the Elkoshite " (cf. the similar headings in See also:Isaiah, See also:Obadiah and See also:Habakkuk). The first part (" See also:Oracle concerning See also:Nineveh ") is a See also:late editorial insertion, but correctly describes the See also:main contents of the little book. Contents of the Book. (I) Chapters i. and ii.—The prophecy against Nineveh in its See also:present See also:form really begins with See also:chap. ii. 1, followed immediately by v. 3, and readily falls into three parts, viz. (a) ii. 1, 3-io; (b) ii. 11-13; and (c) iii. Here (a) describes in See also:language of considerable descriptive See also:power the See also:assault on Nineveh ' See also:Jonah's See also:grave has been located similarly in Nineveh itself. the See also:city is mentioned by name in ii. 8 (9 Heb. See also:text)—its See also:capture and See also:sack; (b) contains an oracle of Yahweh directed against the See also:king of See also:Assyria (" Behold, I am against thee, saith the See also:Lord of Hosts," v.

13) ; (c) again gives a vivid picture of See also:

war and desolation which are to overtake and humiliate Nineveh, as they have already overtaken No-Amon (i.e. See also:Egyptian See also:Thebes, vv. 8-1o); the See also:defence is pictured as futile and the ruin See also:complete. The See also:absence of distinctly religious See also:motive from these chapters is remarkable; the divine name occurs only in the zepeated refrain, " Behold, I am against thee, saith the Lord of Hosts," ii. 13, iii. 5. They See also:express little more than merely human indignation at the oppression of the See also:world-power, and picture with undisguised See also:satisfaction the See also:storm of war which overwhelms the imperial city. (2) See also:Chapter is forms the exordium to the prophecy of See also:doom against Nineveh in the book as it lies before us. Its See also:tone is exalted, and a See also:fine picture is given of Yahweh appearing in See also:judgment: " The Lord (Yahweh) is a jealous See also:God and avengeth; the Lord avengeth and is full of wrath." The effects of the divine anger on the See also:physical universe are forcibly described (vv. 3-6); on the other See also:hand, God cares for those " that put their See also:trust in Him " (v. 7), but overwhelms His enemies (vv. 8-12a) ; in the following verses (12b-15) the joyful See also:news is conveyed to See also:Judah of the fall of the oppressor:—" Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth See also:good tidings, that publisheth See also:peace!

Keep thy feasts, 0 Judah, perform thy vows; for the wicked one shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off " (v. 15). Regarding chap. i. and ii. 2(=i. and ii. 1, 3, Heb. text) there has been much discussion in See also:

recent years. It was See also:long ago noticed that traces of an alphabetic See also:acrostic survive in this See also:section of the book; throughout the whole of chap. i. there is no reference to Nineveh, though in some of the verses (8-12a, 14) the enemies of Yahweh are addressed, who have usually been identified with the See also:people or city of Nineveh; in vv. 12b, 13 and (certainly) v. 15 (=ii. r Heb.) Judah appears to be addressed. The text of i. 1-15, ii. 1-2 has been reconstructed by H. Gunkel and G.

Bickell so as to form a complete alphabetic See also:

psalm with contents of an eschatological See also:character, and is regarded by them as a later addition to the book. It may be a " generalizing supplement " prefixed by the editor, possibly because the original introduction to the oracle had been mutilated. It is generally held by See also:critical scholars that i. 1-8, 13, 15, and ii. 2 certainly do not proceed from Nahum; i. 9-12 may, however, belong to the See also:prophet. The phenomena are conflicting and a completely satisfactory See also:solution seems to be impossible. Date of Nahum's Oracle.—The date of the See also:composition of Nahum's prophecy must See also:lie between 607-606, when Nineveh was captured and destroyed by the Babylonians and See also:Medea, and the capture of Thebes (No-Amon) which is alluded to in iii., 8-1o. This was effected for the second See also:time and most completely by See also:Assur-bani-See also:pal in 663 or 662 B.C. The tone of the prophecy suggests, on the one hand, that the fall of Nineveh is imminent, while, on the other, the reference to Thebes suggests that the disaster that had befallen it was still freshly remembered. On the whole a date somewhat near 6o6 is more probable. It is noteworthy that no reference is made to the restoration of the See also:northern See also:kingdom of See also:Israel, or the return of its exiles.

The See also:

poetry of the book is of a high See also:order.

End of Article: BOOK OF NAHUM

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