Biblion Bible Commentary
Read the introduction to Nahum · About this commentary
The Assault Begins
Nahum 2:1-5
1 He who dashes in pieces has come up against you. Keep the fortress! Watch the way! Strengthen your waist! Fortify your power mightily! · WEB
The poetry turns to reportage: the attacker arrives, and the defenders' frantic preparations are described as already futile.
The mode changes completely. Chapter 1 was theology; chapter 2 is a camera. He who dashes in pieces has come up against you, and four clipped orders follow: keep the fortress, watch the way, strengthen your waist, fortify your power. They are shouted to defenders, and chapter 1 has already said how they end.
Verse 2 gives the reason underneath the noise, and it is not Assyrian politics. Yahweh restores the excellency of Jacob; an empire falling to a coalition is a restoration seen from the other side. Then the attackers arrive in color and motion — shields dyed red, warriors in scarlet, chariots raging in the streets and running like lightning. Verse 5 shows the defense stumbling toward the wall, the first sign that verse 1's orders came too late.
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