6
我必将可憎污秽之物抛在你身上，辱没你，为众目所观。
Exploring the Meaning of Nahum 3
Durch New Christian Bible Study Staff
In Nahum 3, the inner meaning is mostly teaching us about the need to reason from a sound spiritual foundation -- to root out false ideas, adopt true ones, and genuinely live by them.
In Nahum 3:1-4, All those who would like to destroy the truths of the Lord’s church will be gathered in the spiritual world; they gravitate towards each other, and essentially form hellish societies.
This is explained further, in Nahum 3:5-7: In the spiritual world it becomes impossible for evil people to hide their true loves behind a pretense of being good.
In Nahum 3:8-17, the inner meaning is that any doctrinal truths will be forgotten by those people, because they have lost all desire to know them, and certainly all desire to use them as a guide to behavior.
Nahum 3:18 makes the point that human reason isn't a reliable foundation. Assyria stands for the ability to reason, but if it starts from an unsound framework, it's not useful.
Nahum 3:19 hammers the point home: There is nothing of any soundness left in them.
Nahum 3
1
Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and robbery. The prey doesn't depart.
2
The noise of the whip, the noise of the rattling of wheels, prancing horses, and bounding chariots,
3
the horseman mounting, and the flashing sword, the glittering spear, and a multitude of slain, and a great heap of corpses, and there is no end of the bodies. They stumble on their bodies,
4
because of the multitude of the prostitution of the alluring prostitute, the mistress of witchcraft, who sells nations through her prostitution, and families through her witchcraft.
5
"Behold, I am against you," says Yahweh of Armies, "and I will lift your skirts over your face. I will show the nations your nakedness, and the kingdoms your shame.
6
I will throw abominable filth on you, and make you vile, and will set you a spectacle.
7
It will happen that all those who look at you will flee from you, and say, 'Nineveh is laid waste! Who will mourn for her?' Where will I seek comforters for you?"
8
Are you better than No-Amon, who was situated among the rivers, who had the waters around her; whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was of the sea?
9
Cush and Egypt were her boundless strength. Put and Libya were her helpers.
10
Yet was she carried away. She went into captivity. Her young children also were dashed in pieces at the head of all the streets, and they cast lots for her honorable men, and all her great men were bound in chains.
11
You also will be drunken. You will be hidden. You also will seek a stronghold because of the enemy.
12
All your fortresses will be like fig trees with the first-ripe figs: if they are shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater.
13
Behold, your troops in your midst are women. The gates of your land are set wide open to your enemies. The fire has devoured your bars.
14
Draw water for the siege. Strengthen your fortresses. Go into the clay, and tread the mortar. Make the brick kiln strong.
15
There the fire will devour you. The sword will cut you off. It will devour you like the grasshopper. Multiply like grasshoppers. Multiply like the locust.
16
You have increased your merchants more than the stars of the skies. The grasshopper strips, and flees away.
17
Your guards are like the locusts, and your officials like the swarms of locusts, which settle on the walls on a cold day, but when the sun appears, they flee away, and their place is not known where they are.
18
Your shepherds slumber, king of Assyria. Your nobles lie down. Your people are scattered on the mountains, and there is no one to gather them.
19
There is no healing your wound, for your injury is fatal. All who hear the report of you clap their hands over you; for who hasn't felt your endless cruelty?
