The Pulpit Commentary — Nahum — Section 4

EXPOSITION. his irresistwle pou,er by thfl 0011Uol which hs CHAPTER I. exercises Oller the material world. Vera. 1-15.-Part I. THE JuoGMENT Ver. 2.-God is jealous, and the Lord UPON NINEVEH DECREED BY Goo. revengeth ; better, JehmJah i-i a jealous and avenging God, as Exod. xx. 5; l.Jeut. iv. 24 • Ver. 1.-§ 1. The heading of the book. Josh. xxiv. 19. The threefold repetition of The book has a double title, the first giving the name of Jehovah and the attribute the object of the prophecy, which other- "avenging" gives e. wonderful force to this wise would not be evident ; the second, its sublime description of the Divine che.racter. author, added to give confidence in its God is here called j~alous ((117\.,.,.~,, Septua- contents. The burden; massa (Hab. i. 1)-o. ~nt) e.ntbropopathicctlly, as ready to defend term generally used of a weighty, threaten- his honour against all who oppose him, as ing propheoy (Isa. xiii. l ), though translated One who loves I.tie people~nd punishes their by the LXX. l\11µµ,a. here, and elsewhere 8pa.- oppressors. Is furious; literally, master of "" e.ud p11µ.a.. Some prefer to render it" utter- fury, as Gen. x.xxvii. 19, " master of ance," or "oracle." The word is capn.ble of dreams." The Lord is full of WTath (comp. either meaning. It almost always (except, Prov. xxii. 24 ; x.xix. 22). The word med perha.ps, in Zech. xii. 1) introduces a threat ~lies e. permanent feeling, like the Greek of judgment. Of Nineveh. The denuncia- µ:;,v,s. He reserveth wrath. The Hebrew tion of this city is the object of the pro- is simply '' wa.tchina," "observina" O for phecy. The effect of Jonah's preaching punishment. • Septu~g-:int, lfa(po,v a.v'Tos bad been only temporary; the reformation TOOS JxBpoos av'Tov. "himself cutting off his was partial and superficial; and now God's enemies;" Vulgate, irascens ipse inimicis long-suffering was wearied out, and the ejus. God withholds his hand for a time, time of punishment was to come. (For an but does--•not forget. All this description account of Nineveh, see note on Jonah i. of God's attributes is intended to show that 2.) • Some critics have deemed oue part of the destruction of Assyria is his doing, and t?e title an interpolation; but the connec- that its accomplishment is certain. t10n of the two portions is obvious and Ver. 3.-Slow to anger (Exod. miv. 6, without the former we should not kno~ the 7). Nahum seems to take up tlle words of object of the prophet's denunciation till Jonah (iv. 2) or Joel (ii. 13). God is lon"'- eh. ii. 8. The book of the vision. This is suffering, not from weakness, but because he the second title, in apposition with the is great in power, and can punish when he former, and defining it more closely ns the will. Will not at a.11 acqnit the wicked; book in which was written the prophecy literally, holding pure will not hold pure; of Ne.hum. It is oiilled e. " vision," because i.e.~~ will not treaLthe guilty 11,8 innocent. w_hat the prophet foretold was presented to 'A8o,wv [Alex., a.Bwov] ov,c ,.a.,~u .. (Septua- h!s mentiil sight, and stood plainly before gint); Mu11dans non jaciet innocenlem ( comp. him (comp. Isii. i. 1). The Elkoshite; i.e. Exod. xx. 7; x:niv. 7). The Lord bath his native of Elkosh, for which, see Introduc- way, etc. The prophet grounds his descrip- tion,§ II. tion of the majesty and might of God upon the revelation at the Exodus and atSinai(see Vera. 2-6.-§ 2. The prophet descn"b6a Exod. xix. 16-18; Ps. xviii.; xcvii.). The the inflexible justice of God, a11d illustrates olouds l\re the dust of his feet. Large and NAHUM. B  THE BOOK OF NAHUM. [cH, I, 1-16,