John Calvin Commentary Nahum 2:7

"And it is decreed: she is uncovered, she is carried away; and her handmaids moan as with the voice of doves, beating upon their breasts." — Nahum 2:7 (ASV)

There is some ambiguity in these words, and many interpreters think that הצב, estab, is the name of the queen. The queen, then, they say, whose name is הצב, estab, is drawn away into exile; she is commanded to ascend, so that she might migrate to a hostile land.

But this view is too strained; nor was there any reason to suppose the word to be a proper name, except for a desire to say something and the lack of any other more probable conjecture. But I regard the opinion of those who refer this to the state of the kingdom as more correct; and there is here, I have no doubt, a personification, which is evident if we pay attention to the meaning.

If anyone prefers to regard the queen as intended, it would still be better to take הצב, estab, in its proper and real meaning—namely, that the queen, previously hidden in her palace and, being so delicate, hardly able to move a step—was brought forth to the light; for גלה, gele, means to uncover, and also to cast out.

If we translate it as "was made manifest," the Prophet alludes to hiding places and means that the queen did not go out into the light, but was like delicate women who keep themselves within their rooms. But if we translate it as "Who is drawn forth into exile," it would be more suitable for one who was previously established in her dwelling.

The word comes from יצב, itsab, to stand; but it is here in Hophal, הוצב, eustab. It then signifies one who was previously fixed and firmly settled, that is, in her concealment; she is drawn, he says, into exile.

If then anyone chooses to refer this to the person of the queen, the most suitable meaning would be—that the queen, who previously sat in the midst of her pleasures, will be violently drawn into exile and carried away to another country. And it is probable that the Prophet speaks of the queen, because it immediately follows, Her handmaids lead her as with the voice of doves, and smite on their breasts; that is, her maids, who previously flattered her, will lament, and with sighing, tears, and mourning, will lead away their own mistress as a captive. Thus the context would harmonize.

But, as I have said, the opinion of those who think that the state of the kingdom is described here under the person of a woman seems right. She then, who previously stood or remained fixed, will be drawn into captivity; or she, who previously sat at leisure, will be discovered. That is, she will no longer lie hidden as until now in her retirement, but will be forced to come out.

And then, she shall ascend; that is, vanish away, for the verb is to be taken metaphorically here; she shall then vanish away, or be reduced to nothing. And as the Prophet sets a woman before us here, what follows agrees with this idea: her handmaids will weep and imitate the doves in their moaning. That is, the whole people will bewail the fate of the kingdom when things are so changed, as when handmaids lead forth their own mistress, who had previously been nourished in the greatest delicacies.

Now this accumulation of words was by no means in vain, for it was necessary to confirm, with many words, the faith of the Israelites and of the Jews concerning the near approach of the destruction of the city Nineveh, which would have otherwise been incredible. We can easily form a judgment of this by our own experience.

If anyone today were to speak of mighty kings whose splendor amazes the whole world—if anyone were to announce the ruin of the kingdom of one of them—it would seem like a fable. This then is the reason why the Prophet, by so many figures, sets forth an event that could have been expressed in few words, and confirms it by so many forms of speech, even those that are hyperbolical. He at length adds—