How to Read Nahum

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Nahum stands out from the other short prophetic books in two ways. He addressed a foreign city-Nineveh-instead of his own home nation, and he used unusual vivid language.

You can read more background on Judah and its relationship to Nineveh in the following historical accounts: 2 Kings 17-19 and 2 Chronicles 32-33:13. The background will help you understand why God was so angry at Nineveh.

As you read Nahum, pay special attention to the vivid imagery. Some of the best examples are the following:

Descriptions of warfare: 2:3-7; 3:1-3
Nineveh like a pool with its water draining out: 2:8
Nineveh like a lions’ den, full of bones: 2:11-12
Nineveh like a prostitute shamed in the streets: 3:5-6
Nineveh’s fortresses like fig trees, with fruit shaken into the mouth of their attacker: 3:12
Nineveh’s numerous citizens like grasshoppers: prolific, voracious, and quickly disappearing: 3:15-17.

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