The only thing we know about the prophet who wrote the prophecy contained in this book is what we find recorded in the first verse: “The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.” The prophet’s name was Nahum, but He is not spoken of anywhere else in Scripture. The name Nahum means “comfort” which we will see was a fitting name for the message that he was delivering to the people of Judah at that time. Over 2500 years later, his message will bring us comfort as well!
We know nothing about this prophet’s life. Like many of God’s prophets, he lived and died without the benefit of a biographer. The only thing that we know about Nahum was that he was a native of Elkosh. This place is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible and even the location of this place is uncertain today. Because of the uncertainty of where Elkosh was located, it has led to several theories about where Nahum came from.
The first is that Nahum was from a city (Al-Qush) just north of Nineveh on the Tigris River. Proponents for this theory give several reasons: Nahum was very familiar with the city of Nineveh, and so must have lived close by; because of the Assyrian terms and Aramaisms found in his book; because there is no reproof directed towards Judah or any of her own sins; and because a sixteenth century tradition holds that Al-Qush contained the tomb of Nahum the prophet.
A second theory is that Elkosh was located in the upper northern tribe of Israel (Galilee). The reasons for this theory rest mainly on the fact that Jerome wrote that while on a tour of the holy land a guide pointed out the town of Helkesei as the home of Nahum the prophet. There is also a late Jewish tradition which holds that the tomb of Nahum is near one of the supposed sites of Capernaum near the Sea of Galilee.
The third theory suggests that Elkosh was located in the southern part of Judah (in the tribe of Simeon).
In the end, there is no certainty about where this prophet came from. The prophet does direct his words to the people of Judah (2:1), and speaks of the oppression which they have suffered at the hands of the Assyrians.
When did Nahum prophesy? Those who deny that the LORD demonstrates predictive prophesy in Scripture say that because Nahum describes the fall of Nineveh so accurately, he had to have written as it was taking place or after Nineveh had been destroyed. But Scripture informs us that the future is just as clear to the LORD as is the past. Isaiah tells us that the LORD’s ability to know and control the future is one of the things which sets Him apart from false gods (Isaiah 41:22-29). For this reason it is consistent with Scripture to understand the words of His prophet as taking place in the future.
With that in mind, we can take a look at the words of Nahum to determine when it was written. Nahum writes, “Are you better than No Amon That was situated by the River, That had the waters around her, Whose rampart was the sea, Whose wall was the sea? Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, And it was boundless; Put and Lubim were your helpers. Yet she was carried away, She went into captivity; Her young children also were dashed to pieces At the head of every street; They cast lots for her honorable men, And all her great men were bound in chains” (Nahum 3:8-10). No-Amon (or Thebes) was the capital city of Egypt at that time. Nahum refers to the destruction of No-Amon as an accomplished fact as a demonstration of what would also happen to Nineveh in the future. The Assyrians destroyed No-Amon in 663 B.C. and so Nahum would have prophesied after 663.
The latest possible date of writing would be 612 B.C. when the city of Nineveh was destroyed, since the prophet continually speaks of the destruction on Nineveh as happening in the future (1:12,13; 2:13; 3:5,6,7,11,19). Since Nahum prophesied about deliverance for Judah from Assyria coming in the future (1:12-13) the words of his prophecy came at a time when Assyria was still strong, probably written between 664-654 B.C.
The key idea of the book is the destruction of Ninevah - the boastful capital of the Assyrian empire. Such a message would have been almost unbelievable at a time when the Assyrian empire had for several generations been the most powerful nation in this part of the world. But Nahum prophesies that the LORD “will make an utter end of its place” (1:8), and that “they shall be devoured like stubble” (1:10). The LORD said of Nineveh, “Your name shall be perpetuated no longer. Out of the house of your gods I will cut off the carved image and the molded image. I will dig your grave, For you are vile” (1:14). The people of Judah were to look for the messenger who would bring good news that, “the wicked one shall no more pass through you; He is utterly cut off” (1:15). Nineveh would be “empty, desolate, and waste” (2:10), and there would be no healing for the injury inflicted upon it (3:19). (See also our study on the Fulfillment of Nahum's Prophecies.
Why would the LORD punish this city? Because of the plotting against the LORD (1:11), because of their idolatry (1:14), because of its wickedness and inhumanity which is pointed to throughout (“Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and robbery. Its victim never departs” - 3:1; and, “Because of the multitude of harlotries of the seductive harlot, The mistress of sorceries, Who sells nations through her harlotries, And families through her sorceries.” - 3:4).
The prophesies of the book regarding the destruction of Nineveh brings comfort for God’s people who have been afflicted by this nation for many years. Through Nahum, the LORD promises: “I will break off his yoke from you, And burst your bonds apart” (1:13), and, “O Judah, keep your appointed feasts, Perform your vows. For the wicked one shall no more pass through you; He is utterly cut off” (1:15). The people of Judah can take comfort in the truth that, “The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him” (1:7).
The Grace of God which promises the deliverance of Judah from the oppressive hand of the Assyrians, is seen particularly in the introductory verses, where God’s divine attributes are emphasized. “The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, And will not at all acquit the wicked.... The LORD is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble; And He knows those who trust in Him” (1:3,7). The LORD is patient and gracious to all those who trust in Him.
I. The Destruction of Ninevah is Decreed (1)
II. The Destruction of Ninevah is Described (2)
III. The Destruction of Ninevah is Deserved (3)
Note: This study was prepared for the Bible Class at Zion Lutheran Church,
Lawrenceville, GA by Pastor Nathanael Mayhew