What does Nahum 3:15 mean?
"There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm: make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts." - Nahum 3:15
The verse Nahum 3:15 in the King James Version of the Bible reads: "There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm: make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts."
Nahum was a minor prophet in the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament, believed to have lived in the 7th century BCE. His book, Nahum, contains vivid and impassioned descriptions of the impending downfall of the city of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire. The verse in question comes from a passage in which Nahum prophesies the impending destruction of Nineveh.
The verse is a powerful and vivid depiction of the ultimate fate that awaits Nineveh. The city is likened to being devoured by fire, cut off by the sword, and consumed by cankerworms and locusts. These powerful and terrifying images are meant to convey the severity and finality of the judgment that Nahum predicts for the city.
The themes present in this verse are those of judgment, destruction, and retribution. Nahum is warning the people of Nineveh of the consequences of their actions and their continued defiance of God. Throughout the book of Nahum, the prophet condemns the wickedness of Nineveh and predicts the city's downfall as a result of its sinful ways. The verse serves as a reminder of the consequences of disobedience and the certainty of divine justice.
The context of the verse is essential to understanding its full significance. At the time of Nahum, Nineveh was a powerful and influential city, known for its wealth, military strength, and cruelty. The Assyrian Empire, of which Nineveh was the capital, was a dominant force in the ancient Near East, and its rulers were known for their brutality and oppression of other nations. Nahum's prophecy of Nineveh's destruction was a bold and courageous statement against a seemingly invincible enemy.
The symbolism in the verse is striking and laden with meaning. The use of fire, sword, cankerworms, and locusts as symbols of destruction and devastation creates a vivid and harrowing image of the city's downfall. Fire and sword are classic symbols of war and destruction, while the imagery of cankerworms and locusts evokes the idea of consuming and overwhelming devastation.
The verse can also be interpreted allegorically, with Nineveh representing more universal themes of pride, arrogance, and the inevitable downfall of the wicked. The imagery of being consumed by cankerworms and locusts can be seen as a metaphor for the gradual erosion and destruction of those who indulge in sin and oppression. In this sense, the verse serves as a warning against the dangers of unchecked power and immorality.
Overall, Nahum 3:15 is a powerful and evocative verse that captures the essence of Nahum's prophecy of Nineveh's destruction. It conveys a strong sense of divine retribution and justice, as well as the consequences of arrogance and wickedness. The verse serves as a timeless reminder of the inevitability of judgment and the consequences of defying God's will.
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Nahum 3:15 - "There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm: make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts."
"There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm: make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts." - Nahum 3:15
Nahum 3:1 - "Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;"
Nahum 1:3 – "The Lord is slow to anger but great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished."
Nahum 3:2 - "The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots."
Nahum 3:6 - "And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock."
Nahum 3:16 - "Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and flieth away."
Nahum 3:9 - "Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers."
Nahum 3:14 - "Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter, make strong the brickkiln."
Nahum 3:11 - "Thou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid, thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy."
Nahum 3:12 - "All thy strong holds shall be like fig trees with the firstripe figs: if they be shaken, they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater."
Nahum 3:3 - "The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses:" bible verse art
Nahum 3:4 - "Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts."
"Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off." - Nahum 1:15
Nahum 3:8 - "Art thou better than populous No, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the sea?"
Nahum 3:18 - "Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria: thy nobles shall dwell in the dust: thy people is scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them."
Nahum 1:3 - "The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet."
"Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;" - Nahum 3:1
"The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots." - Nahum 3:2
Nahum 3:13 - "Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars."
Nahum 3:17 - "Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are."
Nahum 3:19 - "There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hands over thee: for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?"
Nahum 2:3 - "The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are in scarlet: the chariots shall be with flaming torches in the day of his preparation, and the fir trees shall be terribly shaken."
Nahum 3:7 - "And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?"
Nahum 3:5 - "Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame."
"Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers." - Nahum 3:9
Nahum 1:15 - "Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off."
"And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock." - Nahum 3:6
"Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and flieth away." - Nahum 3:16
Nahum 3:10 - "Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity: her young children also were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets: and they cast lots for her honourable men, and all her great men were bound in chains."