The oracle concerning Nineveh opens with a powerful hymn describing the LORD as jealous, avenging, wrathful toward adversaries yet slow to anger, controlling whirlwind, storm, sea, and mountains that quake at His presence—a stronghold in trouble for those who trust Him. The message alternates between threatening Assyria with complete destruction and comforting Judah with deliverance from their oppressor's yoke, for Nineveh's own counselor of wickedness (probably Sennacherib) plotted against the LORD. The chapter closes with the herald's feet on the mountains bringing good tidings of peace, urging Judah to keep her feasts and perform her vows since the wicked one will never again pass through.
Read Nahum Chapter 1 Summary
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Position in Book
God's CharacterChapters 1
God is jealous, avenging, slow to anger but will punish.
Nineveh's FallChapters 2
Reasons for JudgmentChapters 3
Bible Bites
An entire book about one city
The book of Nahum has only three chapters, and every single one focuses exclusively on the destruction of Nineveh. Unlike Jonah, who preached Nineveh's repentance, Nahum prophesied its complete and final fall around 612 BC as God's judgment for their wickedness.
Nahum