Nahum, whose name signifies "a comforter", was a native of Elqosh, whence he is called the Elcesite. Nahum prophesied after the ten tribes were carried into captivity by the Assyrians. He foretold the destruction of Niniveh which took place in 612 B.C.
1. The Majesty of God. Nahum starts, not with Niniveh, but with God:
his power, his anger, his goodness. The days of Assyria, whose armies had destroyed Israel
and threatened Jerusalem itself less than a century before, are now numbered. Nahum
1:1-15.
2. Niniveh shall be destroyed. Once, God had used the armies of Assyria to punish his
people. Now the forces attacking Niniveh are his instruments. Blood and thunder; plunder
and desolation; the den of the Assyrian lion is no more. Nahum pictures the final assault
in all its horror. Nahum 2:1-13.
3. The miserable destruction of Niniveh. Nahum pictures the city as a prostitute, enticing
the nations into submission. Now she will receive a prostitutes punishment. She will
share the terrible fate she inflicted on the Egyptian city of Thebes. Though the nation is
as great as a swarm of locusts they will vanish like a swarm that has flown. For all its
might, Niniveh fell quickly into ruin leaving no trace but a mound. Nahum 3:1-19.