John Calvin Commentary Nahum 3:18

"Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria; thy nobles are at rest; thy people are scattered upon the mountains, and there is none to gather them." — Nahum 3:18 (ASV)

He confirms the preceding verse and says that there would be no counsel nor wisdom in the leading men: for the shepherds of the king of Assyria were his counselors, in whose wisdom he trusted, as we know that kings usually depend on their counselors: for they think that there is enough prudence in them, and therefore they commit to them the care of the whole people.

But the Prophet ridicules the confidence of the king of Assyria, because the shepherds would not have enough vigilance to take care of themselves, the people, and the whole kingdom. He speaks in the past tense, either to show the certainty of the prediction or because the change of tenses is common in Hebrew.

Lie still, he says, your mighty men shall; that is, they will remain idle and will not be able to sally out against their enemies to stop their progress. They shall then lie still.

Then he says, Scattered are your people; פוש, push, does not mean "to scatter." Therefore, I do not doubt that there is a change of letter: that ש, schin, is put for ץ, tsaddi. I am surprised that some derive the verb from פוש, push, when, on the contrary, it is from פוף, puts, and the change of these two letters is common in Hebrew.

Your people then are dispersed on the mountains, and there is no one to assemble them.

By these words, the Prophet means that the scattering of the whole kingdom would be such that there would be no hope of restoration: There will then be none to assemble them.

He had said before that the chiefs or mighty men would be still. Though it would be necessary to go out to check the progress of their enemies, yet he says, They shall idly lie down: He refers here to their sloth.

But the people, who should be quiet at home, being weak and feeble, shall be dispersed on the mountains, and no one will be there to gather them.