John Calvin Commentary Nahum 2

The waster spoken of here by the Prophet, some consider him to have been Sennacherib, and others, Nebuchadnezzar. The verb עלה, ole, is also variously explained: it is often taken metaphorically in Hebrew for vanishing, as we say in French, Il s’en va en fumee; for smoke ascends, and this is the reason for the metaphor.

They then elicit this meaning — that a destroyer had ascended before the face of the chosen people, that is, openly, so that it was evidently God’s work that the Assyrians vanished, who had come to lay waste the whole land. Vanished, then, has the destroyer; and then before thy face, that is, manifestly, and before your eyes.

מצורה נצור, nutsur metsure, guard the fortress; that is, let everyone return to his own city and keep watch, as is usually done, for the country will be left without men.

And watch the way, that is, look out which way Sennacherib took in coming to assail the holy city; that way will now be free from enemies.

And then, keep firm or strengthen the loins, for חזק, chesek, sometimes means to keep firm — keep firm then or strengthen the loins, that you may not relax as before, but stand courageously, for there is no one who can terrify you.

And, lastly, fortify strength greatly, that is, do not doubt that you will hereafter be strong enough to retain your position, for that monarchy will be cut off, which has been an oppression to you.

But others take a different view and say — that the destroyer had ascended, that is, that Sennacherib had come. And what follows, they think, was intended to strike terror, as though the Prophet said, “Now while you are besieged, keep watch, and be careful to preserve your fortresses and strengthen all your strongholds; but all this will avail nothing.

— Why? Because God has taken away the pride of Jacob as he has the pride of Israel.” This is the second explanation. Others again think that the Prophet here addresses the Assyrians, and that Nebuchadnezzar is here called a waster, by whom the empire was removed, and Nineveh, as has often been stated, was destroyed.

According to these interpreters, the Prophet here denounces ruin on the Assyrians in this manner — “The destroyer now ascends before thy face.” The Assyrians might indeed have regarded such a threatening with disdain, when they were surrounded by many provinces and had cities well fortified. “It will not be,” he says, “according to your expectation; the waster will yet come” before thy face; “and however much you may now guard thy fortresses, watch thy ways, and carefully look around to close up every avenue against your enemies, you will yet effect nothing. Strengthen the loins as much as you please and increase your power, yet this will be useless and vain.”

If this view is approved, it will be in confirmation of what has been previously said — that God had now determined to destroy the city Nineveh and the empire possessed by the Assyrians. This meaning then is not unsuitable. But if we receive this view, something additional must also be stated, and that is — that God now designed to destroy Nineveh and its monarchy, because it had humbled his people, the kingdom of Judah, as well as the ten tribes, more than necessary. I cannot proceed further now.

Prayer:

Grant, Almighty God, that since we are daily chastised by your scourges, we may know that we are justly punished by you, and so examine our whole life, that with true and sincere confession we may humbly flee to your mercy, which is offered to us by your gospel in Christ our Lord. And since you also show us so many favors, may we not be ungrateful, and may no forgetfulness of your grace creep over us, but may we especially exercise ourselves throughout our whole life in the worship of your name and in giving thanks to you, and so offer to you, with our tongues, the sacrifices of praise, that our whole life may be consistent, and thus glorify your name on earth, that at length we may be gathered into your celestial kingdom through the same Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

[Exposition continues from previous day's lecture]

We said yesterday that some interpreters regard these words of the Prophet, Ascended has the destroyer before thy face, guard the fortress, as having a reference to Sennacherib; that is, that God had taken him away and made him disappear like mist. We also said that some elicit this meaning — that Sennacherib ascended into Judea and filled the whole country with terror, and that he had at length laid it wholly waste.

But I am disposed to take their view, who think that this is said of Nebuchadnezzar, the waster of Nineveh. As he had been raised up by God to overturn the tyranny of that city, the Prophet ridicules all the efforts and preparations made by the Ninevites (as is usual when a country is invaded) to oppose him. He therefore says, guard the fortress, watch the way, confirm the loins, and strengthen thy courage greatly. But these are ironical expressions, as though he said that whatever the Ninevites may contrive to defend themselves against the assault of their enemies will all be in vain.

What is now subjoined has been added, in my view, in reference to what had already taken place, that is, that God had taken away the pride of Jacob, as the pride of Israel. Some give this rendering, “God has made to return or to rest;” and they take גאון, gaun, in a good sense, as meaning courage or glory.

The sense, according to these, would be — that God, having routed the army of Sennacherib, or destroyed the Assyrians, would make the ancient glory of his people to return, for both kingdoms had fallen. They then understand this to have been said respecting the restoration of the whole people; and they who translate, “he will make to rest,” think that continual peace is here promised to the Israelites, as well as to the Jews.

But, on the contrary, it appears to me that the Prophet shows that it was the ripened time for the destruction of the city Nineveh, for God had now humbled his people. He had then taken away the pride of Jacob, as the pride of Israel; that is, God, having first corrected the pride of Israel, had also applied the same remedy to Judah. Thus the whole people were humbled and had left off their extreme height, for גאון, gaun, for the most part, is taken in a bad sense, for haughtiness or pride.

This then is the reason why God now declares that the ruin of Nineveh was near at hand; it was so because the Jews and the Israelites had been sufficiently brought down. This sense is the most suitable.

And then for the same purpose is the next clause — that the emptiers had emptied, that is, that robbers had pillaged them and left nothing remaining for them. There is a passage in Isaiah which corresponds with this, where it is said — that when the Lord had completed his work on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, he would then turn his vengeance against the Assyrians (Isaiah 10:12).

But why were they not sooner destroyed? Because the Lord designed to employ them for the purpose of chastising the Jews. Until the whole work of God was completed, that is, until he had so corrected their pride as wholly to cast it down, it was not his purpose to destroy the Ninevites; but they were at length visited with destruction. The same thing our Prophet now teaches us here — that Nebuchadnezzar would come to demolish Nineveh when the Lord had taken away the haughtiness of his people.

What follows, Ανδ τηεψ ηαςε δεστροψεδ τηειρ σηοοτσ, or their branches, I take metaphorically, because the Israelites, as to outward appearances, had been pulled up by the roots. For before the eyes of their enemies they were reduced to nothing, and their very roots were torn up, so that they perceived nothing left.

The Lord indeed always preserved a hidden remnant, but this was done beyond the perceptions of men. But what the Prophet says metaphorically of the ruined branches is to be understood of what was apparent.

The Prophet describes here how dreadful the Chaldeans would be when prepared against the Assyrians. He says, The shield of his brave men is made red. Some think that their shields were painted red so that blood might not appear, and that the soldiers wore red garments so that they might not be frightened if they were wounded; history records this of the Lacedemonians.

But as the customs of these nations are not well known to us, it is enough for us to know that their warlike appearance is described here, as if he had said that the Chaldeans would come against Nineveh with violent and terrible power. Hence he says that the men of his strength would be clad in scarlet; he no doubt refers to the color of their dress.

Some interpret this as referring to the Assyrians and say that their shame is indicated here; but this is too strained. The Prophet, I have no doubt, describes the Chaldeans here and shows that they would be so armed that even their very appearance would put their enemies, that is, the Assyrians, to flight.

For the same purpose he afterwards adds, With fire of torches, or lamps, is the chariot in the day of his expedition. The word פלדות, peladut, occurs nowhere else; and the Jews think that the letters are inverted, and that it should be לפידות, as this word is afterwards used by the Prophet in the next verse and in the same sense. It is certainly evident from the context that the Prophet means either torches or lamps. His chariot then is with the fire of lamps; that is, his chariots drive so impetuously that they appear as flames of fire when wheels roll with such velocity.

And the fir-trees, he says, are terrible shaken. Some translate this as “are inebriated” or “stunned;” and they apply this to the Assyrians—that their great men (whom they think are here compared to fir-trees, or are metaphorically designated by them) were stunned through amazement. Then the principal men among the Assyrians shall be astonished, for the very sight of their enemies would render them, as it were, lifeless; for the verb רעל, rol, is taken by some in the sense of infecting with poison, or of stupefying.

But the opinion of those who think that fir-trees are to be taken for lances is more correct, though they do not sufficiently express the meaning of the Prophet. For he means, I have no doubt, that the concussion among the lances would be such that it would be like that of fir-trees tossed here and there in the forest. For lances, we know, are made of fir-trees because it is a light and flexible wood, as when anyone says in our language, les lances branslent. The lances then trembled, or shook in the hands of the soldiers, as fir-trees shake. Thus we see that the Prophet here continues to describe the terrible appearance of the Chaldeans. Let us go on—

He continues with the same subject: that they will be furious in the streets; that is, they will be so turbulent, as though they were out of their minds. Just as furious men are accustomed to be, who are impulsively carried away beyond all reason and moderation, so will they also become mad in their tumult.

He then says, They shall hasten. The verb is derived from the hips, for one who hastens shakes the hips and moves them with a quick motion. And if it is permissible to coin a word, it is ‘they shall hip’; Ils remueront les hanches. This is what the Prophet meant.

Then, Their appearance shall be as lamps. He refers here to the chariots. They will then be like lamps; that is, they will dazzle the eyes of beholders with their brightness. All these things are intended to portray what is terrifying. He also says, as lightning they shall run here and there.

In short, he implies that the impetuosity of the Chaldeans would be so violent as to surpass what is commonly witnessed among humans, and that it would be, as it were, a type of fury and madness sent down from above. Thus, they were to be like lightning and flames of fire, so that they might exceed everything human.

But these figures of speech, though hyperbolical, were not used without reason, for we can easily conjecture how great the security of the city Nineveh was then, and how incredible the event of its ruin was.

That monarchy was then preeminent over every other in the whole world, and no one could have thought that it could ever be attacked. Since it was then difficult to persuade the Jews that ruin was near for the Assyrians, it was necessary for the Prophet to accumulate these various expressions, by which he portrays the power of God in the destruction of the Assyrians.

Some interpreters also explain this as referring to the Chaldeans: The king of Babylon then will remember his mighty men; that is, he will recount his forces and whatever strength he has under his power. He will gather all this to wage war against Nineveh and the Assyrians. Others think that there is a transposition of words here (which is too strained), “Mighty men will remember,” as if it were a change in number.

But I take the words of the Prophet simply as they are — that he will remember mighty men; but this, as I think, refers to the Assyrians. He then, that is, either the king of Nineveh or the people, will remember the mighty men; that is, he will gather his forces from every quarter and will omit nothing that could aid in defense, as is usually done in great danger and in extreme situations. For they were then known as warlike men; and everyone who had any skill, everyone who was endowed with courage, everyone who was trained in arms — all these were mustered so that they could provide help.

So then the Prophet says that such would be the dread in the land of Assyria that they would gather whatever force they had to defend themselves against their enemies. The king then shall remember his mighty men; that is, he will muster all the reinforcements within his reach.

Then he says, They shall stumble in their march; that is, the mighty men, when gathered, will tremble and stumble like the blind. This will be caused by fear, so that like astounded men, they will move to and fro and have no certain footing. The Prophet then declares two things here: that the Assyrians would be diligent in gathering forces to repel the assault of their enemies — but that they would still achieve nothing, for trembling would seize the minds of all, so that mighty men would stumble in their marches.

They shall stumble, and then it is said, they shall hasten to its wall; that is, they will ascend the wall. And it is added, Prepared shall be the covering, as is usual in defending cities. Some apply this to the Chaldeans: prepared shall be the covering; that is, when they come to the wall. It was indeed usual, as is well known from histories, for those who approached a wall to defend themselves either with turrets or hurdles. But the Prophet, I doubt not, intimates that the Assyrians would come with great trembling to meet their enemies, but without any success. However they might defend themselves, their enemies would still prevail. He therefore adds—

By the gates of the rivers, the Prophet means that part of the city which was most fortified by the river Tigris; for the Tigris flowed close by the city. As, then, the Tigris was like the strongest defense (for we know it was a very rapid river), the Prophet ridicules the confidence of the Ninevites, who thought that the access of enemies could be entirely prevented in that part where the Tigris flowed. The gates then of the rivers are opened; that is, your river will not prevent your enemies from breaking through and penetrating into your city.

We therefore see that the Prophet removes all the obstacles that might have seemed capable of keeping enemies away; and He did this not so much for Nineveh's sake as for the sake of His chosen people, so that the Israelites and Jews might know that that city was no less in God's power than any other; for God can pass through rivers no less easily than He can go along the plain, where there is no obstacle.

We now see why the Prophet says that the gates of the rivers were opened: and then he adds, The palace is dissolved; that is, there will be no impediment to prevent the enemies' approach, for all the fortresses will melt away by themselves, as though they were walls of paper, and the stones as though they were water. He afterwards adds—