4. The fjenuineness of this prophecy has never been called in question. The words in the inscription, X-l iT'3'^5, have been subjected to su.spicion by some on the ground that, as the proper commencement of the writing follows, they are probably a later addition ;
but, as Htivemick remarks, there is nothing unfit in the arrangement which makes the announcement of the subject precede the annoimcement of the author, and therefore nothing improbable in the supposition that both parts of the inscription came from the same pen — that of the author.
5. Style. — As a poet, Nahum occupies a high place in the first rank of Hebrew literature. In proof of this it is only neces.sary to refer to the opening verses of his prophecy (i, 2-6), and to the magnificent descrii)tion of the siege and destruction of Nineveh in chap. ii. I lis style is clear and uninvolvcd, though pregnant and for- cible ; his diction sonorous and rhythmical, the words re-echoing to the sense (comp. ii, 4 ; iii, 3). According to Eichhorn, the most striking characteristic of his style is the power of representing several phases of an idea in the briefest sentences, as in his descrii)tion of (Jod, the conquest of Nineveh, and the destruction of No Ammon. " The variety in his manner of presenting ideas discov- ers much poetic talent in the prophet. The reader of taste and sensibility will be affected by the entire struct- ure of the poem, by the agreeable manner in which the ideas are brought forward, by the flexibility of the ex- pressions, the roundness of his tuni.s the exquisite out- line of his figures, by the strength and delicacy, and the expression of sympathy and greatness, which diffuse themselves over the whole subject."
Some words and forms of words are almost peculiar to Nahum; as, for example, 'T7^"<t' f^r "^^^'P' '" '? 3> occurs only besides in Job ix, 17; X")? for Nijr, in i, 2, is found only in Josh, xxiv, 19; nsiizn, ii, 9 [10]. is only found in Job xxiii, 3, and not in the same sense ; "iil^, in iii, 2, is only found in Jndg. v, 22 ; piniD and
brn, ii, 3 [4], aw, ii, 7 [8], n|?!i3 and n;?!irT;,'ii, lo
[11], C'lTi^, iii, 17, and T\T^3, iii, 19, do not occur elsewhere. The unusual form of the pronominal suflix in n==xb-a, ii, 13 [14], VdE; for ^±t\ iii, 18, are pe- culiar to Nahum ; ^''S^, iii, 5, is also fonnd in 1 Kings vii, 36 ; "^SiS, iii, 17, occurs besides only in Amos vii, 1 ; and the foreign word "'DSV, •"» !"> i" the slightly dif- ferent form "pEip, is found oidy in Jer. ii, 27.
6. Conjirmatioii hij History. — We should expect a prophecy so entirely occupied with the overthrow of Nineveh to admit of frequent and useful illustration from the recent literature of the Assyrian monuments. Aiul our expectation is not disappointed. One of Nahum's latest commentators. Dr. Otto Strauss, has made large use of this newly-opened source in his work, published in 1853, Niihumi de Nino Viitivinium explimrif, ex As- syriix Monumtntis illustrarit, etc. His prolegomena, especially in the chapters " De rebus Assyriorum" and " De indole Yaticinii," are full of new and valuable mat- ter; and in his commentary he fre(iuently quotes and applies to the elucidation of the text the writings of Botta. Layard, Kawlinson, and Bonomi, and thus fully vindicates the truth of a remark made by the last- named author that in the sculptures of Khorsabad and Nimrfid "we jxissess an authentic contemporary com- mentary upon the prophecies." See also A'ance Smith, Prophecies relating to Xinereh (Lond. 1857); Brcitenei- chcr, Ninere inid Xahiim (^lunich, 1861). The ])re- dictions of the prophet have been remarkably fulfilled. Tiie city of Nineveh was destroyed about 607 or 606 B.C., or about a century- after the prophecy of Nahum was uttered. The recent researches of Dr. Layard in the ruins of Nineveh throw a striking light u])on the prophecy of Nahum, denouncing, nearly 2500 years ago, the fall of Nineveh. We can but glance at a few of these, and compare them with the words of the pro|)het. The "recently uncovered pavement at the gateway, marked with the rots of the chariot wheels," tallies ex- actly with Nail, iii, 2. where the prophetic vision pre- seiUs the man of (iod. rapt into future times, "the noise of the whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels,
NAHUM
831
NAIGOX
and of the prancing horses, and of the bounding war- chariots." The '• ivory ornaments, the metal bowls, vases, and saucers, most beautifully embossed and en- graved, denoting by the style of scidpture a very ad- vanced stage of civilization," tally with the prophet's description of the " store and glory of the pleasant fur- niture" (Nah. ii, 9). The "buried city and its orna- mental remnants, fragile with rust," and their destina- tion in their mutilated condition to the museums of modern nations, recall Nahum iii, 6 and i, 14: "I will cast my tilth upon thee ;" " I will make thy grave ; I will set thee as a gazing-stock." See Nineveh.
7. Commentaries.— The following are the special ex- egetical helps on this prophecy alone: Theophylact, Commentaria (in 0pp. vol. iv) ; Julian of Toledo, Com- mentarius (in the Bibl. Max. Patr. vol. xii) ; Biblian- der. Exegesis (Tigur. 1534, 8vo) ; Luther, Enarratio (in 02^}- iv, 475 ; also in German, ed. Agricola, 1555) ; De la Huerga, Commeniarias (Lugd. 1558, 1561, 8vo) ; Chy- triBus, Explicatio (Viteberg. 1565, 8vo; also in 0pp. ii, 341); Selnecker, Auslegung [includ. Jon. and Hab.] (Leips. 1567, 4to) ; Pintus, Commentai-ius [includ. Dan. and Lam.] (Corimb. 1582 ; Colon. 1582, 8vo ; Yen. 1583, 4to; Autun, 1595,8vo; also in 0pp.); Drusius, Lerfiowes [includ. Hab. etc.] (Lugd. 1595, 8vo) ; Gesner, Expositio (Vitemb. 1604, 8vo); Crocius, Commentarius (Brem. 1620, 1627, 12mo) ; Tarnovius, Commentarius (Rost. 1623, 4to) ; De Quiros, Commentarii [includ. Mai.] (His- pali, 1623, fol. ; Lugd. 1623, 4to) ; Ursinus, Hypomne- viata [includ. Obad.] (Francf. 1652, 8vo) ; Hafenreffer, Commentarius [includ. Hab.] (Stuttg. 1663, 4to) ; Abar- banel, Commentarius, ed. Sprecher (Helmst. 1703, 4to) ; Aben-Ezra, Comment. (Heb. and Lat., ed. Lund, Upsal. 1705, 4to ; Lat. only, ed. Stenhagen, Upsal. 1705, 8vo) ; Van Hoeke, Explicatio [includ. Ave other minor proph.] (Ludg. Bat. 1709, 4to ; also in Germ., Frkf. and Lpz. 1710, 4t()) ; WiM, Meditatioiies (Francf. 1712, 4to); Kalinsky, Observationes (Vratislav, 1748, 4to) ; Lessing, Observa- iiones [includ. Jon.] (Chemnitz, 1780, 8vo) ; Conz, Erkldrung (in Stiiudlin's Beitrdge, Stuttg. 1786, p. 72 sq. ) ; Ao-rell, Observationes (Upsal. 1788, 4to) ; Wahl, Ueherset:.. (in his Magazin [Halle, 1790], iii, 62 sq.) ; Grimm, Erkldrung (Dilsseld. 1790, 8vo; Greve, Inter- pretaiio [includ. Hab.] (Amst. 1793, 4to); Svanborg, Notm (Upsal. 1806, 4to); Frahn, Curm (Rost. 1807, 4to); Neumann, Anmerk. (Bresl. 1808, 8vo) ; Middeldorpf, Uebersetz., with Anmerk. by (Jurlitt (Hamb. 1808, 8vo) ; Kreenan, Expositio (Hardev. 1808, 4to) ; Bjorn, Vatic. Nah. [includ. Lara.] (Hafn. 1814, 8vo); i\i9.ii,Erldut. (Lpz. 1820, 8vo); Schroder, Ilarfenkldnge [includ. Joel and Hab.] (Hildesh. 1827, 8vo); RosenmliUer, Scholia (Lips. 1827, 8vo); Philippson, Uebers. [includ. Hos. etc.] (Halle, 1828, 8vo) ; Holemann, Illustratio (Lips. 1842, 8vo) ; Edwards, Notes (in the Biblioth. Sacra, 1848, p. 551 sq.) ; Strauss, Nineve, etc. (in Lat., Lps. 1853; in Germ. ib. 1858, 8vo); Breiteneicher, Nineve unci Nah. (Munich, 1861, 8vo) ; Reinke, Aelt. Version. (Munich, 1867, 8vo). See Prophets, Minor.