Central Philippine Adventist College 2nd Sem.
2011-OT Survey 2-Major and Minor
Prophets
INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF NAHUM
By Rafael J. Carado, MA-R
Title ~Wxßn: naHûm
Nahum means "comfort" or “the one comforted.”
The name occurs only here in the Old Testament, although it is related to the
names Nehemiah, “Yahweh has comforted,” and Menahem, “comforter.”
Date & Authorship
♂ The superscription of the book informs us that the author’s name was Nahum.
♂ 630 B.C. the date between 664 B.C. which was the fall of No (Thebes) of Egypt and 608
B.C which was the fall of Nineveh. (Quimby)
His Identity
He is Nahum the Elkoshite,1 the name of his birthplace
He was of a very sensitive nature
He has the keenest power of observation
the doubting Thomas of the Old Testament
Historical Setting
An indication of the time of Nahum’s prophetic ministry is found in the reference to the
fall of No (ch. 3:8). This city (known by the Greeks as Thebes, later as Diospolis) was
destroyed by Ashurbanipal, king of Assyria, in 663 B.C.
Thus at least a portion of Nahum’s ministry must have been after that time. The prophet
views the fall of Nineveh as still future (ch. 3:7), and thus a reasonable date for Nahum
could be around 640 B.C.
Since this prophecy, which tells of Assyria’s end, was written when that nation was
apparently in the fullness of its power and prosperity, the book of Nahum strikingly
verifies scriptural prophecy and attests the divine inspiration of the prophets.
In Ashurbanipal’s reign most of the nations of the Fertile Crescent were either
subjugated by Assyrian arms or paid tribute to Assyria. However, before he died the
picture began to change, and after his death (about 627?) the Assyrian Empire soon
disintegrated.
Finally, after a siege of three months, Nineveh itself was captured in 612 B.C. by the
Medes and the Babylonians (see Vol. II, p. 67). For a description of the city of Nineveh
see Additional Note on Jonah 1. See also map p. 1002.
Theme
The book has one supreme theme, the coming fate of Nineveh. Because of this the
prophecy is complementary to the message of Jonah. Jonah preached repentance to
Nineveh, and because its inhabitants humbled themselves before God, the city was saved.
However, Assyria again lapsed into iniquity, and it was Nahum’s burden to predict the
divine sentence of its destruction. Nineveh’s measure of pride, cruelty, and idolatry had
come to the full.
(1) There was a city of Elkosh in Assyria, a few miles north of the ruins of Nineveh. (2)
1
there was a village by the name of Elkosh in Galilee a place name for Capernaum, “City of
Nahum (Jerome in his Onomasticon); (3) Also, down in Judah there was a place called Elkosh
1
Central Philippine Adventist College 2nd Sem. 2011-OT Survey 2-Major and Minor
Prophets
Far too long had the kings of Assyria defied the God of heaven and His sovereignty,
placing the Creator of the universe on a par with the idols of surrounding nations (see 2
Kings 18:33–35; 19:8–22), for these kings supposedly were carrying out the wishes of
their god Ashur when they fought against other nations (see Vol. II, pp. 54, 55).
Assyria’s defiance of God must cease, if not by the nation’s repentance, then by its
destruction. The downfall of the Assyrian forces in Judah had been previously foretold by
Isaiah (Isa. 37:21–38), but Nahum’s prediction foresaw the final downfall of the capital
of the empire itself.
They probably worshipped Ashur (=Yahweh) alone, and stopped worshipping many
nature gods such as Belit, Sin, Shamash, Adad, Bel, Nabu, Isthar of Neniveh, Ninurta,
Nergal, Nusku, etc.
Doctrinal Teachings
God vindicates the right 2:13
The wages of sin is death 3:19 As a person sows, so shall he reap 3:5
Those who build their fortunes by blood will not find friends in the coming day of
the Lord 3:7
Outline
I. The Divine Purpose to Punish Nineveh, 1:1–15.
A. The superscription, 1:1.
B. The power of God to punish the wicked, 1:2–8.
C. The certainty of the coming punishment, 1:9–15.
II. A Description of Nineveh’s Coming Destruction, 2:1–13.
A. The siege and capture of the city, 2:1–8.
B. The plundering of the city, 2:9–13.
III. Nineveh’s Wickedness the Reason for Her Punishment, 3:1–7.
IV. The Destruction of No an Example of Nineveh’s Destruction, 3:8–11.
V. The Finality and Completeness of Nineveh’s Destruction, 3:12–19.
Reference: Yoshitaka Kobayashi, Pre-Exilic Prophets, A Syllabus from Adventist International
Institute of Advanced Studies, March 2008; Paul E. Quimby, Messages of the Prophets (Mountain View,
CA: Pacific Press, 1964; Nichol, F. D. (1978; 2002). The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary,
Volume 4 (934). Review and Herald Publishing Association; Ebenezer Henderson, The Twelve Minor
Prophets: Translated from the Original Hebrew with a Critical and Exegetical Commentary, (Thornapple
Commentaries; Grand Rapids: Baker, 1980 [repr. of 1858 edition]); McGee, J. V. (1991). Vol. 30: Thru the Bible
commentary: The Prophets (Nahum/Habakkuk). Based on the Thru the Bible radio program. (electronic
ed.). Thru the Bible commentary (x). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
