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An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum of Elkosh.

The Consuming Wrath of God

A jealous and avenging God is the L ord,

the L ord is avenging and wrathful;

the L ord takes vengeance on his adversaries

and rages against his enemies.

The L ord is slow to anger but great in power,

and the L ord will by no means clear the guilty.

His way is in whirlwind and storm,

and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

He rebukes the sea and makes it dry,

and he dries up all the rivers;

Bashan and Carmel wither,

and the bloom of Lebanon fades.

The mountains quake before him,

and the hills melt;

the earth heaves before him,

the world and all who live in it.

Who can stand before his indignation?

Who can endure the heat of his anger?

His wrath is poured out like fire,

and by him the rocks are broken in pieces.

The L ord is good,

a stronghold in a day of trouble;

he protects those who take refuge in him,

even in a rushing flood.

He will make a full end of his adversaries,

and will pursue his enemies into darkness.

Why do you plot against the L ord?

He will make an end;

no adversary will rise up twice.

Like thorns they are entangled,

like drunkards they are drunk;

they are consumed like dry straw.

From you one has gone out

who plots evil against the L ord,

one who counsels wickedness.

Good News for Judah

Thus says the L ord,

“Though they are at full strength and many,

they will be cut off and pass away.

Though I have afflicted you,

I will afflict you no more.

And now I will break off his yoke from you

and snap the bonds that bind you.”

The L ord has commanded concerning you:

“Your name shall be perpetuated no longer;

from the house of your gods I will cut off

the carved image and the cast image.

I will make your grave, for you are worthless.”

Look! On the mountains the feet of one

who brings good tidings,

who proclaims peace!

Celebrate your festivals, O Judah,

fulfill your vows,

for never again shall the wicked invade you;

they are utterly cut off.

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Prophet shows here why he gave in the part noticed in the last lecture, such an awful description of God; it was that men might know, that when they shall come before his tribunal, no one will be able to stand unless supported by his favor. Of the Prophet’s main object we have sufficiently spoken, nor is it necessary to repeat here what has been stated. It is enough to bear this in mind, — that as the enemies of the Church relied on their power; and daringly and immoderately raged against it, the judgment of God is here set before them, that they might understand that an account was to be rendered to him whose presence they were not able to bear. But the question has more force than if the Prophet had simply said, that the whole world could not stand before God: for he assumes the character of one adjuring. After having shown how terrible God is, he exclaims, Who shall stand before his indignation? and who shall be able to bear his wrath? ²¹³²¹³
   And who shall rise up against his hot anger? — Newcome.
And who can subsist in the heat of his anger? — Henderson.
   Neither of these versions convey the meaning. The verb קום, with a ב after it, signifies to rise up against or resist. Τις αντιστησεται — Who shall resist? — Sept. So the line should be thus rendered, —
   And who can resist the burning of his wrath?
   This line conveys the same idea as the former, only in stronger terms. For displeasure or anger we have here the burning of his wrath, and for standing we have resisting. Can is better than will; the Hebrew future ought often to be thus rendered. With the view of giving the words here used their distinctive character, I offer the following version of the whole verse, —
   Before his anger who can stand?
And who can resist the burning of his wrath?
His indignation has been poured forth like fire;
And rocks have been broken in pieces by him.
   The two last verbs are in the past tense, and are more expressive when so rendered. — Ed. for his indignation, he says, is poured forth as fire. The Hebrew interpreters have here toiled in vain: as the verb נתך, nutae, means to pour forth it seems to them an inconsistent expression, that the wrath of God should be poured forth as fire; for this would be more suitably said of some metal than of fire. But to be poured forth here is nothing else than to be scattered far and wide. Poured forth then is thy wrath as fire; that is, it advances every moment, as when a fire seizes a whole forest; and when it grows strong, we know how great is its violence, and how suddenly it spreads here and there. But if a different meaning be preferred, I do not much object to it, “His wrath, which is like fire, is poured out.”

Some think that the Prophet alludes to lightnings, which, as it were, melt through the air, at least as they appear to us. But as the meaning of the Prophet is sufficiently evident, there is no need of anxiously inquiring how fire is poured out: for I have already mentioned, that the Prophet means no other thing than the wrath of God spreads itself, so that it immediately takes hold, not only of one city but also of the widest regions and of the whole world, and is therefore like fire, for it passes through here and there, and that suddenly.

He then says, that rocks are also broken or dissolved before him We must be aware how great our brittleness is. Since there is no hardness which melts not before God, how can men, who flow away of themselves like water, be so daring as to set themselves up against him? We hence see that the madness of men is here rebuked, who, trusting in their own strength, dare to contend even with God, because they forget their own frailty. This is the import of the whole. It now follows —

²¹³ And who shall rise up against his hot anger? — Newcome. And who can subsist in the heat of his anger? — Henderson. Neither of these versions convey the meaning. The verb קום, with a ב after it, signifies to rise up against or resist. Τις αντιστησεται — Who shall resist? — Sept. So the line should be thus rendered, — And who can resist the burning of his wrath? This line conveys the same idea as the former, only in stronger terms. For displeasure or anger we have here the burning of his wrath, and for standing we have resisting. Can is better than will; the Hebrew future ought often to be thus rendered. With the view of giving the words here used their distinctive character, I offer the following version of the whole verse, — Before his anger who can stand? And who can resist the burning of his wrath? His indignation has been poured forth like fire; And rocks have been broken in pieces by him. The two last verbs are in the past tense, and are more expressive when so rendered. — Ed.