Book of nahum overview

The book of nahum can be seen as a sequel to jonah, only this time nineveh does not repent and the prophet gets to laugh at the citys destruction. Book of nahum biblical studies oxford bibliographies. The lord is slow to anger but great in power, and the lord will by no means clear the guilty. The major thrust of the book, from beginning to end, is the fall of nineveh, described as the bloody city 3. The content of nahum according to the kjv bible scriptures contains a short overview of the main subjects, people, events and ancient topics in the following summary of the kjv bible scriptures. Feb 21, 2012 the book of nahum is prophecy concerning the city of nineveh and reveals a powerful message about gods care for his elect. In these contexts, at times the book of nahum only makes a brief appearance. Nahum with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. Referencing daniel, exodus, isaiah and babylon, nahum shows us that the destruction of nineveh and assyria are examples of how god works in history in every age. Book of nahum read, study bible verses online bible study tools. About 100 years before nahum, jonah preached in nineveh, and the city turned to god. His word came in visions, oracles, dreams, parables, and the like.

In nahums day the city had turned again from god, but nahum did not go there. Nineveh is compared to thebes, the egyptian city that assyria itself had destroyed in 663 bc. The book of zephaniah was written during the reign of king josiah, likely in the early part of his reign, between 635 and 625 bc. Others support the idea that nahum was written shortly before the fall of nineveh at the hands of the medes and babylonians 612 bc. Nineveh, the arrogant capital of the assyrian empire, will be destroyed. C, merely before their downfall at the hands of the babylonians and almost 150 years after the events in the book of jonah. The lords anger against nineveh the lord is a jealous and avenging god. Heaps of human bodies would be piled up in the streets. Obadiah prophesied of the coming judgment that would come to edom and nahum spoke of judgment on ninevah. This summary of the book of nahum provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the. Jul 15, 2017 nahum, like obadiah, is a prophet of god with a message about a gentile nation. Yet all along the city lay buried under layers of earth until the 1800s when archaeologists uncovered the ruins.

Today archaeologists are able to confirm with certainty that nineveh existed, proving the authenticity of the city jonah and nahum were told to prophesy against. Nahum, in particular, warns the ninevites of coming events, although he is partly in favor of the destruction. It is called an oracle concerning nineveh and the book of the vision of nahum nah. Nahum did not write this book as a warning or call to repentance for the people of nineveh. Nahums view is only focused on this enemy of gods people. Nahum, in vivid and dramatic detail, describes the battle scenes and subsequent destruction 2.

Our first actual bible study episode kicks off with the book of nahum. Zephaniah, nahum, and habakkuk book summaries, test. The book contains the vision of nahum, whose name means comfort and is related to the name nehemiah, meaning the lord comforts or. The book of nahum introduction to the book of nahum in the bible nahum 1. The very first verse of this book informs us that the message will be the burden against nineveh nahum 1. Nahum overview, one of over 110 bible commentaries freely available, this commentary is from the most widely read and often quoted preacher in history, charles haddon spurgeon. Nahum joins jonah in being concerned primarily with the city of nineveh. Nahum s singular focus on the impending judgment of nineveh offers a continuation of the story that began in jonah. Summary and analysis zephaniah, nahum, and habakkuk summary. This summary of the book of nahum will help with many different forms of bible study. Nineveh once had responded to the preaching of jonah and turned from their evil.

The book was written by nahum sometime during his ministry and is thought to have been written between 663 and 612 b. Date two points of interest help us date the book of nahum. General overviews to the book of nahum are difficult to find given the size of the biblical book. The book of nahum is the seventh book of the 12 minor prophets of the hebrew bible. He was also a gifted poet, as was his predecessor isaiah. The year is around 655 bc and the assyrian empire is on the rampage under the leadership of king ashurbanipal. Nahum prophesied during the reign of hezekiah, probably about one hundred and fifty years after sermons by art davison home. Nahum describes the siege and frenzied activity of ninevehs troops as they try in vain to halt the invaders. The book of nahum is prophecy concerning the city of nineveh and reveals a powerful message about gods care for his elect. Apr 06, 2011 nahum prophesied, according to some, in the beginning of the reign of ahaz 740s bc. This summary of the book of nahum provides information about the title, authors, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of nahum. Not even the exact place where he came from is known. He was raised up to preach gods judgment for a second time to nineveh. The mercy of jehovah is triumphing in the book of jonah whereas nahum only announces the just fury of god and the unalterable destruction of this godless city.

The book of nahum a brief summary of the book sermons by. The book doesnt begin with a simple description of the judgment to come. Some of them apparently made little or no impression on either their contemporaries or their successors, with the result that neither their names nor their writings have been recorded. Nahum overview spurgeons verse expositions of the bible. There are many theories as to where that city was though. The prophet nahum wrote this book just before the fall of nineveh. Nahum overview reading the bible chronologically in 365 days.

But such overviews of nahum do occur within general introductions to the prophets such as in blenkinsopp 1996. Overview of the book of nahum third millennium ministries. When god had a message for the people, he spoke through the prophets. Sometime around 760 bc, god sent jonah to nineveh to preach repentance and hope to the assyrian people, a message they heard and adoptedat least for a time. Intro to nahum biblica the international bible society. Given the limited amount of information that we know about nahum, the best we can do is narrow the timeframe in which the book of nahum.

The theme of the prophecy is the fate and destruction of nineveh, the onetime capital city of the mighty assyrian empire, which had destroyed israel and taken many inhabitants of the land captive 722 b. Section one demonstrates the glory and may of god the lord in goodness and severity. The book of nahum is a collection of poems announcing the downfall of assyria, one of israels worst oppressors. Nahum began to prophesy in about 7 bc after the destruction of the northern kingdom of israel by the assyrians. In this book, nahum portrays the downfall of nineveh and assyria as an. It contains 3 chapters kjv bible verses from nahum was written to between 663 and 612 b.

Exact or approximate indications of time are totally missing in nahum s book. Book of obadiah overview insight for living ministries. Probably the most famous of the minor prophets, this book details the adventures of a prophet named jonah who was unwilling to proclaim gods message to the assyrians in nineveh thats because jonah was afraid the ninevites would repent and avoid gods wrath. The title identifies the book as an oracle concerning nineveh and attributes it to the vision of nahum of elkosh. Sometime around 760 bc, god sent jonah to nineveh to preach repentance and hope to the assyrian people, a message they heard and adopted. Book overview by the bible burrito a podcast on anchor. This is why the apostle paul could say, all scripture is inspired by god and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for.

Jun 12, 2019 our first actual bible study episode kicks off with the book of nahum. Nahum prophesied during the reign of hezekiah, probably about one hundred and fifty years after. This overview and outline of nahum is intended to assist you as you study the bible gods letter to you. Point of note this is one of the 7 old testament books that are not quoted in the nt. Summary of the book of nahum nahum began to prophesy in about 7 bc after the destruction of the northern kingdom of israel by the assyrians. The lord takes vengeance on his foes and vents his wrath against his enemies. Dating the book of obadiah accurately is nearly impossible due to the scant historical information contained in the book. May 14, 2016 watch our overview video on the book of nahum, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. All scripture is inspired by god and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for. Jan 02, 2020 first, nahum mentions thebes no amon in egypt falling to the assyrians 663 b. A summary, synopsis or recap is a shortened version of the original. He was a contemporary of isaiah and addressed at a time when conditions in judah equaled those in the northern kingdom during the ministry of amos. The book was composed, therefore, between 664 and 612 b. The only mention in scripture of nahum the elkoshite occurs in the first verse of his own book.

Prediction of the downfall of assyria and fall of nineveh. Nahum prophesied about gods vengeance and judgement, and the destruction that was going to come upon nineveh for her great wickedness and cruelty. God had already sent them the prophet jonah 150 years earlier with his promise of. The book contains the vision of nahum, whose name means comfort and is related to the name nehemiah, meaning the lord comforts or comfort of the lord. As is true of the many other prophets, habakkuk is a short book. It may seem like a strange way to start a bible study podcast, but we hope youll start to see like we have the amazing way god reveals himself through this book.

While scholars have proposed a number of theories about nahums hometown, elkosh, the best option identifies it with a city in southern judah that later came to be known as elcesi, near where the prophet micah lived. Key personalities are habakkuk and the babylonians. Not all of israels prophets were men of great vision. The book of nahum is one that is neglected because it is so obscure, and so small that it is seldom read and much less frequently understood. Following is a suggested outline of the book of nahum. Nahums book is a sequel to, and a dramatic contrast with, the book of jonah. In nahum s day the city had turned again from god, but nahum did not go there. The assyrian king ashurbanipal conquered thebes around 664 b. And we both have a passion for making the whole counsel of god known. Jonah had a whale of a time trying to run from god, but. When we see the vivid, descriptive way nahum writes we understand that the book records what he saw in his vision.

Some researchers assume it to be the village alkush at the river tigris near mossul and others suppose a place in galilee near capernaum. It is credited to the prophet nahum, and was likely composed in jerusalem in the seventh century bc. Nahum refers to the fall of thebes as a wellknown occurrence. The hebrew name nahum means comfort or consolation. Therefore, the most plausible date for nahum s prophecy would be between 660 and 650 b. Authorship the author of this remarkably literary book is probably nahum.

The book of nahum, a part of the christian old testament, shows that god is slow to anger but will also bring vengeance and wrath. But every portion of scripture is indispensable, each has its own contribution to make. Exact date is hard to fix but strong evidence is supplied by nahum 3. Unlike other books in the minor prophets, nahum doesnt end with a vision of a restored israel or judah.

The book of nahum presents a sobering graphical depiction of the unleashing of gods wrath against the wickedness of nineveh. In this book, nahum portrays the downfall of nineveh and assyria as an image of how god will confront and bring down all violent human empires. With this additional short summary of the book of nahum you can discover the people, places and stories detailed in this holy scripture. Nothing is known about him except his hometown elkosh, and even its general location is. The author of the book of nahum identifies himself as nahum in the hebrew consoler or comforter the elkoshite 1. Nahum in the picture study bible the book of nahum with. We only know little of nahum the 7 th of the twelve minor prophets. This study also includes a teaching outline at the end. The book of nahum reveals that god will punish all evil. Second, the remainder of nahums prophecies came true in 612 b.

Nahum can be identified as prophecy based on nahum 1. The purpose of the book of nahum was to pronounce gods judgement on assyria and to comfort judah with this truth. Book of nahum, the seventh of 12 old testament books that bear the names of the minor prophets grouped together as the twelve in the jewish canon. While several options have been proposed by scholars, the best argument places obadiah in the 840s bc, making him the earliest writing prophet, a few years prior to joel, and a contemporary of elisha. Chapters two and three describe the fall of nineveh, which later took place in. Jesus and his apostles declared salvation for gods people and judgment against his enemies. Nahum, as a true servant of god, was inspired by the knowledge of the lords universal dominion over all the kingdoms of this world. Because this is a vision, in some way nahum saw it.

Instead, nahum leads by describing god in the following ways. Nahum was written after the assyrians sacked the egyptian city of thebes, or noamon nah 3. The other books of the bible dont mention him, and we arent even sure where his town elkosh was located, though it was probably a town in judah, since the northern tribes had been taken into exile by the time nahum wrote his book. The book of nahum contains no direct messianic prophecies, yet the expectations of judgment against nineveh and of salvation for gods faithful people are ultimately fulfilled by christ. First, nahum mentions thebes no amon in egypt falling to the assyrians 663 b. Nahum overview, one of over 110 bible commentaries freely available, this commentary is a triumph of rigorous scholarship and sound theology by two highly respected theologians. Nahum summary we have detailed a brief summary of the book of nahum for bible study or sunday school lessons. God had already sent them the prophet jonah 150 years earlier with his promise of what would happen if they continued in their evil ways. The book of habakkuk is narrative history and displays prophetic oracle. Nahum is book number 34 in the old testament of the bible. Some parts of the book of zephaniah predict the coming of a better day, but it seems quite probable that these sections were added by editors who looked at the book as a whole from the perspective of later years. The book of habakkuk offers hope to people living in an.

Chapters two and three describe the fall of nineveh, which later took place in 612 bc. Nahum overview james burton coffman commentaries on the bible. Nahum received a divine vision that revealed a condemning judgment against nineveh and assyria nahum 3. Instead, habakkuk questions gods goodness because he sees so much injustice, evil and tragedy in the world. Summary of the book of nahum the story of the bible. This was more than a message communicated to nahum in words or phrases from god. Nahum prophesied, according to some, in the beginning of the reign of ahaz b. Second, the remainder of nahum s prophecies came true in 612 b. Watch our overview video on the book of nahum, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. The book of habakkuk is a compilation of the prophets laments, not an accusation against israel and its sin or a message to the people on gods behalf like some of the other prophetic books. Nothing is known about him except his hometown elkosh, and even its general location is uncertain. Nahum overview keil and delitzsch commentary on the old. Nahum is the seventh of the minor prophets, the last 12 books of the old testament. Nahum also predicts the fall of nineveh, the capital of assyria, as a future event.

In this book we meet a prophet who was deeply aware of the incomparability and power of god. The consuming wrath of god a jealous and avenging god is the lord, the lord is avenging and wrathful. The book of nahum a brief summary of the bookintroduction. Others, however, think that his prophecies are to be referred to the latter half of the reign of hezekiah 700s bc. Obadiah means servant of the lord or one who serves shortest book in the old testament. Ninevehs fall, which is nahums theme, would bring comfort to judah. Just 100 years earlier, the prophet jonah had been instructed to warn nineveh to repent. Nahum issues the sentence of god upon a godless and sinful civilization see notes on jonah. The facts that the kingdom of the 10 tribes in which galilee lies was already in assyrian captivity at nahum s time and that nahum directly speaks to the kingdom of judah chap. The minor prophets are an oftenoverlooked portion of scripture, but well worth reading.