The Pulpit Commentary — Nahum — Section 33

ernptiers," ,:.e. the Assyriens, "have emptied out" the Israelites, and " marred their ,ine branches." They had done eo by their devastation and depopulation of the northern kingdom (2 Kinge :tvii. 6), and by their repeated inV&Bions of the southern (Isa. x. 5-11; 2 Chron. xxxii. 1). Now the time wM come when they themselves should be emptied (vcr. 10) and their branches marred (Ezek. xxxl. 12). Jehovah had employe,l the Assyrian as the rod of his anger to punish Israel a.ud Judah; but he had nc\'cr concealed his purpose, when this was done, "to punish the fruit of the stout heart of the King of Ass)·ria, and the glory of his high looks" (Isa. x. 12). 2. The D1:vine remembrance of Israel. Havin.~ promised never to forget her or finally cast her off (IAA. xliv. 21; :xlix. 16; Ps. lxxxix. 33, 34), he bad returned to the excellency of ,lacob as to the excellency of Israel (Keil), or had brought again the excellency of Jacob as the e:i.:cclloncy of Israel (Revised Version). Both renderings are admissible, and both conduct to the same goal. The doom of Nineveh was certain because Jehovah was about to restore Judah to her ideal excellence as "Israel," and this he was to do by himself, returning to her as if she were an ideal Israel. III. THE RESISTANCE BEGUN. 1. Suddenly. Nineveh at length realizes her.danger and bethinks herself of her warriors: "He remem bereth his worthies" (ver. 5). Assyria had good generals and valiant troops; to these she now turns. 2. Hastily. Not a moment is lost. Men and marshals hurry to the wall No time to trifle when such enemies as Cyaxares and Nabopole.ssar thunder at the gates. 3. Vigorously. The defence (Authorized Version), ruantelet (Revised Version), or movable parapet, literally, the covering one. the testudo or tortoise (Keil), is prepared-probably "either a movable tower with a battering-ram, oonsisting of a light framework covered with basket-work, or else a framework without any tower, either with an ornamented covering or simply covered with skins and moving upon four or six wheels" (Keil); 4. Bli11,dly. Their energy and haste only lead to confusion: " They stumble in their march." The more haste, the less speed. IV. THE CONQUEST COMPLETED. 1. TM capture of the city. This was effected by forcing the gates in the city wall : "The gates of the rivers are opened" (ver. 6)~ These were the gates leading from the river into the city (Luther, Keil), rather than the dams or sluices thr-0ugh which the waters of the river were admitted into the canals which protected the palace. 2. The demolitwn of the palace. <I The palace is dissolved," not by the inundation of water from the river (Fausset), since the palaces were usually " built in the form of terraces upon the tops of hills, either natural or artificial, and could not be flooded with water" (Keil); but by the inrush of enemies against it. The prophet means that "there will be no impediment to hinder the approach of enemies, for all the fortresses will melt away, and that of themselves, as though they were walls of paper, and the stones as though they were water!' '(Oalvin). 3. The deportation of the queen. "And Huzzab is uncovered," etc. (ver. 7). This may signify either that the consort of the king ie seized, degraded, nnd home off into inglorious exile (Ewald), or that Nineveh, personified as a queen, js now covered with shame, and that she who had formerly been established is now swept off into captivity: (Keil, Fausijet, Calvin). In the former case the handmaids who accompany her, mourning with the voice of doves and beating o;n their breaete (literally, "hearts") are the ladies of her court; in the latter, they are most probably the inhabitants who bewail the fate of their once famous city a.Dd kingdom (Calvin, Keil). 4. The flight of the inhabitanu. "They," i.e. the masses of the people, "flee away" (ver. 8); (1) Most unexpectedly, since "Nineveh hath been of old like a pool of water," so strong, impregnable, e.nd inaccessible to BllY foe, as well as so prosperous andflourishing that the thing least to be anticipated was that ite inhabitants should flee from it. (2) Yost determinedly, however, they do so, giving ho heed to the few patriotic men who call upon them to remain. "Stand, st.and, they cry; but no one looketh back." (ver. 8). 5. The spoliation of the treasure. (1) The quality of the treasure-silver, gold, pleasant furniture. "The Aseyriane were celebrated for their skill in working metals. 'l.'heir mountains furnished a variety of minerals--silver, iron; copper, and lead, and perhaps even gold " (Layard's • Nineveh,' ii. 415). (2) The quantity of the treasure: "none end of the store." That gold, silver, and precious vessels should have be,-n abundant in Nineveh is sufficiently explained by remembering, in addition to the wines just mentioned, the enormous tribute received and rich spoils carried off from OH, II, 1-13,] THE BOOK OF NAHUM. 31