Verses 1-2 He that dasheth in pieces is come up before thy face: keep the munition, watch the way, make thy loins strong, fortify thy power mightily. 2 For the LORD hath turned away the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel: for the emptiers have emptied them out, and marred their vine branches.
The Hebrew word translated as “dasheth” is “puwts” and it means to scatter, be dispersed, be scattered, to be spread abroad, or to break or shatter. The Hebrew word translated as “munition” is “matsuwran” and it means siege-works, stronghold, or rampart. Here God was warning the people of Nineveh that an army was coming to destroy them and that they needed to be vigilant and fortify themselves. That army was comprised of Babylon and several allies, and the battle for Nineveh lasted approximately 3 months after which Babylon emerged as the next one-world government/nation under the leadership of King Nebuchadnezzar. Nineveh was dashed to pieces just as the prophet Nahum had warned.
Verse 2 changes from Nineveh and Assyria to the nation Israel that had been captured by Assyria in 721 BC. The Hebrew word translated as “excellency” is “gaown” and it means majesty, pride, or arrogance. Just as the LORD turned the nation Israel over to a foreign power who destroyed it completely, so the LORD was turning the nation of Assyria over to the Babylonians never to rise again as a world power. Their majesty as a nation, their pride in their accomplishments and their power, and their arrogance towards the LORD would not help them in the day of judgement that was coming.
Application: God later used Babylon to capture and take away captive the nation of Judah around 588 to 586 BC. God will not be mocked. One has to wonder while looking at the world situation today which nations are in the process of falling and which nations are rising up to bring judgement to those nations who are wicked and who have rejected the LORD Jesus Christ. God’s sovereignty and His judgement are still in effect today and He will accomplish His will in His own time.
Verses 3-4 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. 4 The chariots shall rage in the streets, they shall justle one against another in the broad ways: they shall seem like torches, they shall run like the lightnings.
The verses above provide a picture of the intensity of the battle for Nineveh and the chaos and bloodshed that is part of any military campaign.
Verses 5-7 He shall recount his worthies: they shall stumble in their walk; they shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defence shall be prepared. 6 The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved. 7 And Huzzab shall be led away captive, she shall be brought up, and her maids shall lead her as with the voice of doves, tabering upon their breasts.
Gallant nobles and servants will be remembered or memorialized after this battle, and although a brave defense will be made by the inhabitants of Nineveh, it shall fall, the palace shall be destroyed, and the queen shall be taken captive.
Verses 8-9 But Nineveh is of old like a pool of water: yet they shall flee away. Stand, stand, shall they cry; but none shall look back. 9 Take ye the spoil of silver, take the spoil of gold: for there is none end of the store and glory out of all the pleasant furniture.
This ancient city that has been around for hundreds of years (see Genesis 10:11) shall be plundered and its wealth taken by the invaders.
Verse 10 She is empty, and void, and waste: and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and much pain is in all loins, and the faces of them all gather blackness.
The surviving inhabitants of the city are going to be in shock, fear, and great mourning. All that was normal and comfortable will be taken away and their future will be uncertain. They will witness intense violence, bloodshed and death. It will be doubtful that any survivor in Nineveh will not suffer the loss of a family member in the battle for the city. Their government, their way of life, their jobs, their houses and possessions, and their land will be taken by the victors. All will be lost to the Babylonian army.
Verses 11-12 Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feedingplace of the young lions, where the lion, even the old lion, walked, and the lion’s whelp, and none made them afraid? 12 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 ravin.
Symbolically, lions are the kings of the animal world. They are fierce, they are hunters and killers, and they are not afraid of other critters. Lions are often used as emblems in government institutions and other settings to indicate strength, power, and dominion. The nation of Assyria conquered other nations and people like a lion catching and killing its prey. They had no mercy. Now the prophet Nahum is asking where the strength and power of Assyria will be when ravaged by another nation more powerful than it.
Verse 13 Behold, I am against thee, saith 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. (Nahum 2)
The answer to the prophet Nahum’s question is that Assyria would no longer have a dwelling place with the strength, power, and dominion of a one-world government because the LORD was coming against it in judgement and He would destroy the nation with the sword of Babylon.