CHAP. III.
Heuvy chargés and denunciations against Nineveh, 1\—'7. The desolation of No in Egypt, a warning to Nineveh to expect similar calamities, 8—10. Further predictions of her ruin, and of the inefficacy of all methods to pre-went it, 11—19.
a EZ. xxii. 2 3.
weg. Zeph, Hi
> full of lies and robbery; the prey
M4. x lit, 24. Hos.
| c fi. 9,4 Judg.v- of the rattling of the wheels, and of the
ob xxxix. ov25.18-ix-5- oransing horses, and of the jumping | chariots.
3 The horseman lifteth up both the
a
V.11—193. The kings of Assyria had Jong been terrible, powerful, and cruel to their neighbours, like lions to the beasts of the forest, or of the pasture. Their successful wars enriched and advanced their families, and supported them in the most luxurious and magnificent manner. But what was become of this lion’s den? Of Nineveh that mighty city? The Lord, being against the wickedness of their kings, would certainly consume their power, destroy their posterity, spoil them of their prey; and silence the voice of their ambassadors, whom they sent to insult, menace, and exact upon the conquered nations ; or to blaspheme God and revile his people, as Rabshakeh had done. And then the nations would rejoice at their fall,
(Marg. Ref.) ' PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS.; —— Ee
What delight have men in every age taken in dashing others in pieces, though by exposing themselves to similar destruction!—-The event of the cruel contests of proud mortals, for power, renown, or wealth, is entirely ordered by the just and holy God; who sometimes employs them to correct his people, and at. other times to execute ven-eance on oppressors and murderers. ‘The consideration of the horrors and miseries of war should make us thankful for the blessings of peace, and excite us to pray for the continuance of them. Yet we ought always to be prepared for troubles, for we know not how soon they may arrive. We shculd then be careful not to contract habits of effeminacy, delicacy, or self-indulgence ; for these disqualify men for enduring hardship, and render poverty or captivity doubly terrible. We ought also to beware of covetousness, ostentation, and magnificence: for what will treasures or glory do for us, in the seasons -of extreme
NAHU M.
OE *to the * bloody city! it és all
| (Marg. Ref.). | B.C, 716. t bright sword and the glittering spear :* Bcb-fomey tte and there ts a multitude of slain, and a ning of the great number of.carcases ; ¢ and there 2s aban. ™ none end of their corpses: they stumble“ x. sas-s: upon their corpses. | se eee 4 Because of the multitude of the ~
whoredoms of the well-favoured harlot,
¢ the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth® 3a /5-'7-nations through her whoredoms, and: mmspo.” families through her witchcrafts ;. feat. xxili. @5. 5 Behold, I am against thee, saith ® ser. sim eo:
the Lorp of hosts; * and I will discover zai. es Ae. thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shevw } Job i. $1. a. the nations thy nakedness, and the king- %7Jam. doms thy shame. - Sit ee
F
be iP PP
6 And © I will cast abominable filth,
upon thee, and ‘make thee vile, and 4a. "y!O3 * will set thee as a gazing-stock. ie. we 7 And it shall come to pass, ! that all Inde 7
they that look upon thee shall flee from’ sx. it, tev. thee, and say, ™ Nineveh is laid waste : mB. 5 10. Jer. "who will bemoan her? whence shall I , xr, 1 seek comforters for thee ? ay. & Lam. iy
distress, or in the day of wrath? Yet in making such. acquisitions for themselves or their families, hobw mahy — lose their souls !—We should use power or prosperity with gentleness and moderation: for selfishness, arrogance, -and inhumanity expose -men to the wrath of » and the hatred of their neighbours also.—If the Lord is against any persons or nations, they must soon be rendered miserable, and sink inte silence and darkness. Lepus then come to him upon his mercy-seat, that, having peace with him through our Lord Jesus Christ, we may’ know that he is for us, and that all things shall work together for oug everlasting good.
- NOTES. é :
CHAP. III. V. 1. ‘ They are still increasing their ‘ conquests by ruin and oppression, till it will come to ‘ their own turn to be spoiled and conquered.’ (Low?tb.)
V. 2, 3-. * Vengeance is near thee; I'do already hear ‘ the noise of the Babylonian whips, in the hands of the ‘ charioteers, driving—furiously against thee.’ (Bp. Hail.) —‘* The flame of the sword, and the lightning of the ‘¢ spear, &c.”’ (Bp. Newcombe.)—The passage is peculiarly poetical. , :
V. 4—6. The idolatries and sorceriesof Nineveh, and that licentiousness with which they were attended; and the captivating methods, by which the Assyrians brought other nations to submit to their authority, or. to unite in their idolatries and iniquities, are here assigned as the reasons of the Lord’s determination to expose them to the greatest ~ ignominy and misery imaginable: in the samé maaner, as
‘they had utterly disregarded the welfare of whole nations,
and given them to be spoiled and ruined: witheut remorse. Israel and Judah especially had been thus treated by them,
—
|
B. G. 710s) = pili 2, 3.
8 © Art ° thou better than ° populous Or, nourthing. No, that was situate among the rivers,
eb. No-amon.
Jer. xlvi. 25,26.» that had the waters round about it, PIs xix. 5—10 whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the sea? wine’ 7 9 9 Ethiopia. and Egypt were her. + Geger.6. Pt strength, and it was infinite; * Pat and ay Lubim were t thy helpers. t lc tn thy bop 10 Yet was * she carried away, she "iy, aa,4.” went into captivity: * her young children
‘Ps exw, 9-also were dashed in pieces ° at the top of
Is. xiii. 16.,.Ho
zi. 16. am. all the streets: and they *.cast lots for alam. i. 19.iv.her honourable men, and all her great x Joe! i ii. s. Ob. Men were bound in chains. yi‘ie. mtr. $1 Thou also Y shalt be drunken: xix. %. ixii,.2 thou shalt be hid, * thou also shalt seek reas xe strength because of the enemy. qo io. Hes: x 12 All » thy strong holds shall be like Mic. vi. 17-fig-trees with the first-ripe figs: if they
8. Am. ix. Rervi—7-be shaken, they shall even fall into the a ii. a a
"mouth of the eater.
b Hair :. 10. Rev 13 Behold, c thy people in the midst
c ‘8, xix. 16. Jer. 437 ss, of thee are women: ¢ the gates of thy
16. 1821"-52-Jand shall be set wide open unto thine
‘V.7. ‘ If we seek for any mourners,—over departed ‘ Nineveh, none will be found, every one rejoictng over ‘ her destruction.’ (Lowth. ) (Marg. Ref.)
V. 8—11. Populous No; or, Nosammon. (Marg.) No-amnon, in Egypt, concerning the Situation of which learned men are not agreed,) seems to have been desolated in the manner here described,-a short time before this prophecy was delivered: some think that Senriacherib had just taken and destroyed it. It had been very populous, situated in a very fertile soil, and fortified by nature and art, in an almost impregnable manner. .As an Ethiopian then reigned over Egypt, the-immense forces of these two kingdoms were combined for its defence, together with the assistance of the Lybians and Mauritanians, and other
nations of Africa: yet was the city taken, and its inhabitants carried captive, after the most shocking cruelties had been exercised upon numbers of them, and even upon their infants; whilst their most honourable men were divided by lot among the conquerors as slaves, and sq led away in chains. —And were the inhabitants of Nineveh better than those of No, or more likely to be preserved from such a ruin? By no means: on the contrary, they would be infatuated with prosperity, or stupified by excess or calamity; they would hide themselves within their walls, and look out in vain for assistance against their besiegers.
V. 12. Fig-trees, &c. ‘The i image, though a common ‘ one, is very lively and expressive.’ (Bp. Newcombe.) ’
V. 14- Go, &c. That is, make bricks and prepare morter, im order to erect new fortifications, if possible to repel the enemy.
V. 15—17. ‘ Whilst thou art repairing the old forti- ‘ fications, or making new ones, the enemy shall set thy
CHAPTER Il.
self many as the canker-worm: * make
enemies: the fire shall devour ° thy bars, ¢ ® evi. 1." 14 f Draw thee waters for the siege,‘ ?°h xxxil. 9, 8 fortify thy strong-holds: go into clay, 3 and tread the mortar, make strong the ® 1 8% 924 brick-kiln. ae ee 15 There " shall the fire devour thee ; "i213: '* “?™ the sword shall. cut thee off, ‘ it shall eat’ ’'**"* thee up like the.canker-worm: make ake es thyself many as the locusts. s 16 Thou hast multiplied thy merchants - l above the stars of heaven: the canker.! Gena Pace worm + spoileth, and flieth away. 5“: Or, “ipreaetih 17 Thy ™.crowned a7 as the locust’s, mer. Met. and thy captains as the great grashoppers, which camp in the hedges .in the. cold. . day, du¢ when the sun ariseth they flee - away, and their place is not known where‘ they are. 18 Thy "shepherds iiiciitien °O king. Ivis 9) 10. “der. of Assyria: thy § nobles shall dwell ine der “ie. ze.
n Ex. xv. 16, Pee
a Ce,
the dust: thy people is. scattered UPON: , xxii. 98, a9,
Or, va fant ones.
the mountains, and no man gathereth Is. xivii. 1.Rev.
them. ; . P 1 ings a 17:
Ps. will, 14.
siks on fire. —The srord of thine enemies, eho shall
¢
‘ be as numerous and destructive as locusts, or canker-- “ worms, shall destroy thee.’—*‘ As the locusts destroy the: ‘¢ é c
fruits of the earth, and fly away to another place; so-shall thy soldiers pillage all the wealth thou hast gained‘by traffick, and then leave thee.’ (Low/h.)—Nineveh,,.
by commerce, becamie extremely populous: but the number | of her traders, when the city was besieged, would consume her provisions as caterpillars waste the land. « Perhaps mercenary soldiers are meant, who, having devoured the produce of the country, fled! or deserted to the enemy, when their help was wanted.
Even their tributary kings, or most honourable captains, would resemble locusts that remove when the sun grows hot; for they would: abide with the Ninevites whilst danger was distant, but would be gone when the enemy approached.—‘ The tributary princes ‘ deserted Nineveh, in the day of her distress.’ (Herodotus.) § Diodorus Siculus, speaking of the siege in which ‘ Nineveh fell, says, When the enemy shut up the king in the city, many nations revolted, each going over to. the besiegers for the sake of their liberty ; ; that the king dispatched messengers to. all his subjects, requiring forces from them to assist him; and that he thought himself able to endure a siege, and remained in expectation of the armies, which were to be raised throughout the empire ; relying on an oracle, that the city could not be taken, till the river became its enemy.’ (Bp.
New-combe.)
V. 18. The rulers of Assyria were become supine, self-indulgent, and negligent, or they would be disheartened and debased ; and they would be slain. and left upon the ground: while the people were scattered as lost sheep, without any to seek after them.
wn
Cn 2 ee . . ) i.
iB. C.710.
9—11. xxxvil. .
25.
B.C.710. , ater, xxx 13> «dQ There is Ino * healing of thy tee 3h bruise: thy wound is grievous: all that 2 ids ielbseting. Hear ‘the bruit of thee * shall clap
¥ Jer. x. 22. 3 Job xxvii. 03. Is. xiv. 8, &c. Lam. il. 15. Bz. xxv. 6. Rev. xviii. 20..V. 19. Upon, &c. Nineveh had corrupted, or oppressed, by her wickedness all the surrounding nations, continually during many ages: therefore all the nations would rejoice at her fall_—The obsolete word bruit signifies report.—The entire desolation of Nineveh is, in this prophecy, most expressly and particularly foretold: yet no event can be imagined more improbable, at the time when Nahum wrote, than this was.
The entire desolation of London, so that none could decide where this great metropolis was:situated, would not be considered by us as more improbable, than the desolations of Nineveh must have appeared at that day; when it was the greatest, and most populous and powerful, city in the known world.
Yet, when conquered by the kings of Babylon, who transferred the seat of empire to the city which they had built for their own glory, Nineveh was deserted by its inhabitants and left to moulder into ruins; and within two hundred years after the coming of Christ, no trace remained of this vast capital of the Assyrian empire! And.
now, it is not agreed, either among learned men or travellers, or the inhabitants of those regions, where Nineveh stood! Some even place it on the Euphrates. But
of those who agree that it stood on the Tigris, some place.
it on one side, some on the other, of that river; and others higher up and some nearer the sea, by many miles. I do not say, that these discordant opinions are alike probable ; for, most well informed and competent judges would perhaps nearly agree, except as to the exact spot where the
city stood: yet the very circumstance, of so many discordant opinions, is the completest proof imaginable, that the prediction has been most wonderfully accomplished; and that it was delivered by the inspiration of that God, ** known unto whom are all his works, from the beginning “¢ of the world.”
PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS. a y _ Very flourishing cities are often full of lies and robbery, of fraud and injustice ; and in general they are contaminated
NAHUM.
-the immediate causes of their ruin: and every con
the hands over thee: for ‘ upon whom #1, 4% hath not thy wickedne’s passed conti- te, ar, =f nually ? ae
with blood, shed in massacres, persecutions, oppression of dependent provinces, or iniquitous war: and by these means the prey is accumulated, and departeth not till the Lord constrains them to make restitution: but he will recompense the crimes of such cities and kingdoms, and pour out the bleod of those who are lavish of the blood of others. —Too often they resemble well-favoured harlots ; and disseminate far and wide their impiety, infidelity, licentiousness, and vice; and the nations are corrupted by their: example, or enslaved to support their grandeur and luxury, or to gratify their avarice and ambition.
The Lord will . surely express his abhorrence of such politicks and practices; and will turn the glory of such cities into shame, and make them vile, and as a gazing stock to others. - Thus Nineveh, Babylon, Tyre, and many others have been reduced and ruined, that they might be a warning to us; even as No was to Nineveh.
And what better are we, than these ancient cities or kingdoms ?. except as there is. a remnant of true Christians among us, who are a greater security ard a stronger rampart to us, than all our advantages of situation ; than our fleets, armies, or allies, even though our strength should appear to be infinite.
In these respects we are not superior to the cities and. empires, that have been mentioned: and the multitude of the nation are equally wicked, amid vastly superior advantages for being holy.—When the Lord shews himself against a people, their enemies have an easy victory, and power ‘to -destroy their children, or enslave their nobles and-honowrable men. . Then their strong-holds are taken upon the first assault; their valiant soldiers become as women ; their efforts are unsuccessful, their confederates treacherous, their or tobe
nce must fail, till their wounds become grievous and incurable ; and all, on whom their wickedness hath passed continually, will rejoice and exult at their fall. Thus will it at length happen to all the enemies of God: but he continues good to Israel, 2 Strong-hold in every time of trouble, which cannot be stormed and taken; and ‘* he knoweth them that ‘s trust in him.”
f _— | | THE . . \
_.. BOOK or HABAKKUK. ’
The absurd and contradictory legends of the Jewish writers, concerning this prophet, are not worthy of notice, except as they shew how little dependence can be placed on such witnesses. Some pretend that he was the son of the Shunamitish woman, whom Elisha restored to life! While others, (especially the apocryphal book of Bel and the Dragon,) introduce him as feeding Daniel in the den of lions, just before the return of the Jews from Babylon.
It is, however, plain that he prophesied efore the captivity, and probably, about the close of, Josiah’s reign, and the beginning of Jehoiakim’s, being contemporary with Jeremiah—‘* Habakkuk stands high in the class of the ‘ Hebrew poets. The beautiful connexion between the parts of this prophecy; its diction, imagery, : 6 spirit, and-sublimity, cannot: be too much admired.’ (Bp. Newcombe.) He ts repeatedly quoted, as an inspired writer in the New Testament: (Comp. i. 5. with Acts xjii: 40, 4). and il. 3, 4. with ’ Rom. i. 17. Gal. iii. 11.
Heb. x. 37, 38:) and his predictions of the deoastations made by: the Chaldeans, and the judgments to be inflicted on them, are generally considered as including the temporary success and final ruin of the oppressors. and corrupters of the Christian church, and the final and universal prevalence of true religion throughout the earth.—‘ Nahum foretold the © destruction of the “Assyrians, who carried the ten tribes captive;—Habakkuk foretells the © judgments that should come on the Chaldeans, who completed the captivity of the remaining tribes.’ (Lowth.)—TZhe prophet begins with complaints of the wickedness of his people, and then proceeds to predict the Chaldean invasion and its terrible effects.
He bewatls the successful wickedness of: the invaders; gives encouragement to God’s people, and denounces judgments on his enemies: and he concludes with celebrating, in the highest strains of sublime poctry, the ancient wonders that ' the Lord had wrought for Israel, in order to excite confidence and joy in him, in the prospect of approaching calamities. . :
*
| B. C. 609.