COMMENTARY ON

THE BOOK OF
NAHUM
By

Rev. Dr Jeffry David Camm

CONTENTS
DEDICATION .................................................................................... 3
COPYRIGHT: .................................................................................... 3
The Original Source Document: ........................................................... 3
Explanatory Notes: ............................................................................ 3
Introduction to the Book of Nahum ...................................................... 3
Chapter One: God’s Mercy to His People ............................................... 4
Chapter Two: The Fearful Armies of God Against Nineveh ........................ 5
Chapter Three: The Battle Continues ~ But Nineveh is Defeated! .............. 7
CONCLUSION: .................................................................................. 8

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DEDICATION
This commentary is dedicated to my wife, Rani, who has been my soulmate and my
encouragement for these last 40+ years, as we have travelled and preached in 43 nations.
There have been many good experiences, (and some not so good), but throughout these
travelling adventures for the LORD, He has always been faithful; He is the ONE person whom
we have come to love and trust, in ALL situations ~ in the good, the bad, and the ugly.
COPYRIGHT:
The contents of this book remain the copyright property of the author, Rev. Dr Jeffry David
Camm, and his estate, in succession. Permission is given for the use of parts of this document
for Bible Study Groups, Evangelism, or Private Study. Permission is given for the whole of this
document to be reproduced by Christian organisations for evangelistic and/or Bible College
reference purposes, provided it is not sold for profit!

THE ORIGINAL SOURCE DOCUMENT:

The Original Source Document is my KJV Bible, which is over 100 years old, and still has AN
OCCASIONAL REFERENCE to some of the “hidden books of the Bible,” which were in the
Torah and Tanach at the time of Jesus Christ in the Temple in Jerusalem, and in the KJV First
Edition of the Bible, which was still in publication in 1834.

EXPLANATORY NOTES:
Like the other prophetic books, some of the prophecies are for events which happen in the New
Testament. The codes below will indicate which time periods these verses/chapters refer to.
Code Code Meaning Comments
[F] First Coming of Jesus Christ His first coming, ministry, death &
resurrection
[S] His Second coming back NOT, His “appearing” in the clouds.
physically to earth
[T] The Tribulation Period of 7 This is the tribulation period of
years Daniel’s Prophecies & the Book of
Revelation
[M] The Millennium Period The reign of Jesus on the “existing”
earth for 1,000 years.
[h]~ The Hebrew Word The deeper Hebrew meaning is given
for the word identified
[P] Prophetic Promise A promise made by God to be fulfilled.
[CP] Conditional Promise A promise of God, conditional on the
Disciples/Nation’s obedience.
[FP] Fulfilled Promise A prophetic Promise already fulfilled
here in Scripture.
*** “Therefore” When you see “therefore” in scripture,
it means “conclusion;” so go back and
read what has been concluded.

INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF NAHUM

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The book of Nahum is attributed to Nahum the Minor Prophet, and was probably written in and
around Jerusalem in the 7th century BC.
Nahum was of the village of Elkosh, in Galilee, hence his reference as being an Elko-shite. His
father is not mentioned, therefore like in the previous minor prophet (Micah), the assumption
is that he came from a lowly family, again reinforcing that you do not have to be born with a
silver spoon in your mouth to be used by God.
On God’s Timeline, it is now 4 generations since Jonah went to Nineveh and proclaimed his
message of destruction for that city and the mass turn around in repentance in that city, so
God Almighty relented and did not destroy the city at that time.

CHAPTER ONE: GOD’S MERCY TO HIS PEOPLE

1. a
The burden of bNineveh. The book of vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
2. c
God is jealous, and the LORD revenges: the LORD revenges, and dis furious; the LORD
will take vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserves wrath for His enemies.
3. The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: The
LORD has His way in the whirlwind, and in the storm; and the clouds are the dust of His
feet.
4. He rebukes the sea, and makes it dry, and dries up all-of the rivers: Bashan languishes,
and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languishes.
5. The mountains quake at Him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at His presence;
Yes, the world, and all that dwell therein.
6. Who can stand before His indignation? And who can eabide in the fierceness of His anger?
His fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by Him.
7. The LORD is good, a fstronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows them that trust in
Him.
8. But with an overrunning flood, He will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness
shall pursue His enemies.
9. What do you imagine against the LORD? He will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise
up the second time.
10. For while they were folded together as thorns, and while they were drunken as drunkards,
they shall be devoured as stubble fully dried.
11. There is one come out of thee, that imagines evil against the LORD, a gwicked counsellor.
12. Thus says the LORD; hThough they be quiet, and likewise many, yet shall they be icut
down, when He shall pass through. Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more.
13. For now, shall I break his yoke from off thee, and I will burst they bonds in sunder.
14. And the LORD has given a commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name be
sown: out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven image, and the molten image:
I will make thy grave; for you are vile.
15. Behold upon the mountains, the feet of Him that brings good tidings, that publishes peace!
O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass
through thee; he is utterly cut off.

a
Habakkuk 1:1; Zechariah 9:1; e
[h]~ stand up been shorn, and He should have
12:1; Malachi 12:1 f
[h]~ Or, strength passed away.
b
See 2:8 g
[h]~ a counsellor of Belial i
[h]~ shorn
c
[h]~ The Lord is a jealous God and h
[h]~ Or, If they would have been at
a revenger peace, so should they have been
d
[h]~ that has fury many, and so should they have

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THIS IS THE VISION the God Almighty gave to Nahum, who lived in Elkosh, concerning the
impending doom of Nineveh. [At this time in history, (~ 700 B.C.), Nineveh was the capital city
of the Assyrians].
God is jealous over those He loves. And that is why He takes vengeance on those who hurt His
people. He furiously destroys their enemies. He is slow in getting angry, but when He does get
angry, watch out! His power is incredible, and He does not easily forgive.
He shows His power in the terrors of the cyclone, and the raging storms’ clouds are like billowing
dust beneath His feet.
At His command the oceans and the rivers become dry sand; the lush pastures of Bashan and
Carmel fade away; the greens forests in Lebanon wilt. In His presence mountains quake and
hills melt; the earth crumbles and its people are destroyed.
Who can stand before an angry God? His fury is like fire; the mountains tumble down as rubble
before His anger.
The LORD is good. When troubles come; He is the place to go; He is the place of refuge. And
He knows the name of everyone who trusts in Him! But He sweeps away His enemies with an
overwhelming flood; He pursues them all night long.
What are you thinking Nineveh? Why do you defy the LORD? He will stop you with just one
blow; He won’t need to strike again! He tosses His enemies into the fire like a tangled mass of
thorns. They burst into flames like dry straw. Who is this king of yours, who dares to plot
against the LORD? But the LORD is not afraid of him! “Though he builds his army to be a million
strong.” The LORD declares: “It will vanish!”
“O my people, I have punished you enough! Now I will break your chains and release you from
your yoke of slavery to this Assyrian king.” And to the king, the LORD says: “I have ordered
and end to your dynasty; your sons will never sit upon your throne. And I will destroy your
gods and your temples, and I will bury you! For how you stink with sin!”
See, the messengers come running down the mountain with glad news: “The invaders have
been wiped out, and we are safe!” O Judah, proclaim a day of thanksgiving, and worship only
the LORD, as you have vowed. For this enemy from Nineveh will never come again. He is cut
off forever; he will never be seen again.
In 612 B.C., the city of Nineveh was destroyed by the Medes and now only relics remain near
Mosul in Iraq.

CHAPTER TWO: THE FEARFUL ARMIES OF GOD AGAINST NINEVEH

1. [P] aHe that smashes into pieces, has come up against thy face; keep the munitions, watch
the way, make thy loins strong, fortify thy power mightily.
2. [P] For the LORD has turned away bthe excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel;
for the emptiers have emptied them out, and marred their vine branches.
3. [P] The shield of His mighty men is made red, the valiant men are cin scarlet: the chariots
shall be with dflaming torches in the day of His preparation, and the fir tree shall be terribly
shaken.
4. [P] The chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall jostle one against another in the broad
ways: ethey shall seem like torches, but they shall run like lightnings.
5. [P] He shall recount His fworthies: they shall stumble in their walk: they shall make haste
to the wall thereof, and the gdefence shall be prepared.

a
[h]~ the disperser, Or, the hammer d
[h]~ fiery g
[h]~ coverings, or, covering
b
[h]~ the pride of Jacob, as the pride e
[h]~ their show
c
[h]~ dyed scarlet f
[h]~ Or, gallants

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6. [P] Then gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be adissolved.
7. [P] And bHuzzab shall be cled away captive, she shall be brought up, and her maids shall
lead her as with the voice of doves, tabering upon their breasts.
8. [P] But Nineveh is dof old like a pool of water: yet they shall flee away. Stand, stand, shall
they cry; but none shall elook back.
9. [P] Take ye the spoil of silver, take ye the spoil of gold: ffor there is none end in the store
and glory out of all-of the gpleasant furniture.
10. [P] She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melts and the knees knock together,
and much pain is in all-of the loins, and hthe faces of them all gather blackness.
11. [P] Where is the dwelling place of ithe lions, and the feeding place of the young lions,
where the lion, even the old lion, walked, and the lion’s whelp, and none made them
afraid?
12. [P] The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and
filled his holes with prey, and his dens with jravin.
13. [P] Behold, I AM against thee; says the LORD of Hosts; And I will burn her chariots in the
smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions: and I will cut off thy prey from the
earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard.
NINEVEH, YOU ARE FINISHED! You are already surrounded by the enemies’ armies! Sound the
alarm! Man, the ramparts! Muster your defences, and keep a sharp lookout for the enemies’
attack to begin! For the land of the people of God lies empty and broken, after your attacks,
but the LORD will restore their honour and power once again!
Shields flash red in the sunlight! The attack begins! See their scarlet uniforms! See their
glittering chariots moving forward, side by side, pulled by prancing steeds!
Your own chariots race recklessly along the streets and through the squares, darting like
lighting, gleaming like torches. The king shouts for his officers; they stumble in their haste,
rushing to the walls to set up their defences. BUT they are too late! The river gates are open!
The enemy has entered through the dry bed of the river. The palace in in a panic!
The queen of Nineveh is brought naked into the streets, and led away, a slave, with all-of her
maidens weeping after her; listen to them mourn like doves, and beat their breasts.
Nineveh is like a leaking water tank! Her soldiers slip away, deserting her; she cannot hold
them back. “Stop, stop” she shouts, but they keep on running, never looking back, at their
defeated city.
Loot all-of the silver! Loot all-of the gold! There seems to be no end of the store of the
treasures. Her vast uncounted wealth is now stripped away. Soon the city is an empty
shambles; hearts melt in horror; knees quake; her people stand aghast, pale faced and
trembling, as they come to grips with the realisation of what has happened.
Where now is that great city of Nineveh, the unconquered lion of the nations, full of fight and
boldness, where even the old and feeble, as well as the young and tender, lived unafraid?
O Nineveh, once a mighty lion. You crushed your enemies to feed your children and your wives,
and filled your cities and your homes with captured goods and slaves.
BUT NOW, the LORD of Hosts has turned against you! He destroys your weapons. Your chariots
stand there, silent and unused. Your soldiers have fled! Your finest youth lie dead on the streets.
Never again will you bring back slaves from conquered nations! Never again will you rule the
earth!

a
[h]~ Or, molten d
[h]~ Or, from the days that she g
[h]~ vessels of desire
b
[h]~ that which was established, has been h
Joel 2:6
or, there was a stand made e
[h]~ Or, cause them to turn. i
Jeremiah 2:15
c
[h]~ Or, discovered f
[h]~ and their infinite store j
[h]~ a violent seizure of prey

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CHAPTER THREE: THE BATTLE CONTINUES ~ BUT NINEVEH IS DEFEATED!

1. [FP] WOE to the abloody city! It is full of lies and robbery: bThe prey departs not;
2. [FP] The noise of the whip and cthe noise of the rattling wheels, and the prancing horses,
and of the jumping chariots.
3. [FP] The horseman lifted up both dthe bright sword and the glittering spear; and there is
a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcasses; and there is none end of their
corpses; they stumble upon their corpses.
4. [FP] Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the well flavoured harlot; ethe mistress
of witchcrafts, that sells nations through her whoredoms, and families through her
witchcrafts.
5. [FP] fBehold, I AM against thee, says the LORD of Hosts; and gI will discover thy skirts
upon thy face, and I will show the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.
6. And I will cast abominable filth upon thee; and make thee vile; and will set thee as a
gazing stock.
7. [FP] 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? Where shall I seek comforters for thee?
8. Are you better than hpopulous? iNO! 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?
9. Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; jPut and kLubim were lthy
helpers.
10. Yet was she carried away; she went into captivity: her young children were dashed to
pieces at the top of all-of the streets: and they cast lots for her honourable men, and all-
of her great men were bound in chains.
11. Thou also shall be drunken: thou shall be hid, thou also shall seek strength because of the
enemy.
12. All-of thy strongholds shall be like fig trees with the first-ripe figs: if they be shaken, they
shall even fall into the mouth of the eater.
13. Behold, thy people in the midst of thee mare women: the gates of thy land shall be set
wide open unto thing enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars.
14. n
Draw the waters from the siege, ofortify thy strongholds; go into clay; and tread the
mortar, make strong the brick kiln.
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.
16. Thou have multiplied pthy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm qspoils
& then flies away.
17. Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp
in the hedges in a cold day, but when the sun arises, they flee away, and their places are
not known where they are.

a
[h]~ city of bloods g
Jeremiah 13:22 n
2 Chronicles 32:2,3,30
b
2:12 h
[h]~ nourishing o
2:1
c
Jeremiah 47:3 i
Jeremiah 46:25 p
Ezekiel 27:3,4
d
[h]~ the flame of the sword and j
Ezekiel 27:10 q
[h]~ Or, spreads himself & flies
the lightning of the spear k
2 Chronicles 12:3 away
e
Isaiah 47:8,12 l
[h]~ in they help
f
2:13 m
Jeremiah 51:30

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18. Thy shepherds aslumber, bO king of Assyria: thy cnobles shall dwell in the dust; thy people
are scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathers them.
19. There is no dhealing of thy bruise: thy wound is grievous: all that hear ethe bruit (spread
a rumour) of thee, fshall clap the hands over thee: for gupon whom has not thy wickedness
passed continually?
WOE TO NINEVAH, the City of Blood; full of lies, crammed with plunder. Listen! Hear the crack
of the whips as the chariots rush forward against her, wheels rumbling, Horses’ hooves
pounding, and chariots clattering, as they bump wildly through the streets!
See the flashing swords and glittering spears in the up-raised arms of the cavalry! The dead
are lying in the streets ~ bodies, heaps of bodies, bodies everywhere. Men stumble over them,
scramble over them, get to their feet, and then fall down again.
All-of this is because Nineveh sold herself to the enemies of God. The beautiful and faithless
city, mistress of deadly charms, enticed the nations with her beauty, then taught them all to
worship her false gods, bewitching people everywhere.
“No wonder, I stand against you!” says the LORD of Hosts; “And now all-of the nations on the
earth shall see your nakedness and shame. I will cover you with filth and show the world how
really vile you are.” All who see you (as your really are), shall shrink back in horror: “Nineveh
lies in utter ruin.” Yet no one anywhere regrets your fate! Are you any better than Thebesh,
straddling the Nile, protected on all sides by the river? Ethiopia and the whole land of Egypt
were her mighty allies, and she could c all on them for infinite assistance, as well as Put, and
Libya.
Yet Thebes fell and her people were led off as slaves; her babies were dashed to death against
the stones of the street. Soldiers drew straws, to see who would get her officers as servants.
All-of here leaders were bound in chains.
Nineveh will stagger like a drunkard, and hide herself in fear. All-of your fortresses will fall.
They will be devoured like first-ripe figs, that fall into the mouths of those who shake the trees.
Your troops will be weak and helpless as untrained women. The gates of your land will be
opened wide to the enemy and set on fire and burned. Get ready for the siege! Store up plenty
of water! Strengthen the forts! Prepare many bricks to be ready to repair the walls! Go into the
pits and trample the clay, and pack it into the moulds!
BUT in the middle of your preparations, the fire will devour you: the sword will cut you down;
the enemy will consume you like young locusts, that eat up everything in sight before them;
There is no escape, even though you multiply like grasshoppers.
Merchants, numerous as the stars, filled your city with vast wealth, but you enemies swarm
like locusts and take it all away. Your princes and your leaders crowd together like grasshoppers
in a hedge, on a cold day, but all-of them will flee and disappear, as soon as the sun rises and
warms the earth.
O Assyrian king. Your princes lie dead in the dust: your people are scattered across the
mountains: there is no shepherd now to gather them. There is no healing for your wound ~ it
is far too deep to cure.

CONCLUSION:
No matter how big your city is, or how powerful your nation is: When the LORD God of Hosts
decides that you are to be destroyed, then that is exactly what will happen ~ UNLESS the City,
or Nation REPENTS!

a
Psalm 76:5 e
Jeremiah 10:22 h
Thebes was captured by the
b
Jeremiah 50:18; Ezekiel 31:3 f
Psalm 47:1 Assyrians, fifty-one years before
c
[h]~ valiant ones g
Isaiah 37:18-20 this prophecy was given.
d
[h]~ wrinkling

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Nineveh heard the message of doom preached by Jonah, and fasted in sackcloth and ashes for
three days, and the LORD saw their change of heart, and relented from their destruction ~ for
four generations. But they turned back to their old ways, worshipping idols and other gods.
They were not given a second warning! We all need to learn a lesson from this book! If we
received a prophetic warning to our nation, and we refused to repent ~ the writing, and the
judgement, will be upon the wall, for our nation also. As I have said all along. God says what
He means ~ and means what He says!