Nahum Commentaries Series from 4 commentaries:
Charles Spurgeon, Adam Clarke, John Wesley & Matthew Henry
Their combined CHAPTER 1 SUMMARY:
This chapter opens the prophecy against the Assyrians and their metropolis with a very magnificent description of the infinite justice, tender compassion, and uncontrollable power of God. To this succeeds an address to the Assyrians; with a lively picture of their sudden overthrow, because of their evil device against Jerusalem.
THE name of this prophet signifies a comforter for it was a charge given to all the prophets, Comfort you, comfort you, my people:
Some Verse Highlights:
....the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm,
and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
Nahum 1:3
Clarke: This is spoken in allusion to a chariot and horses going on with extreme rapidity: they are all enveloped in a cloud of dust. So Jehovah is represented as coming through the circuit of the heavens as rapidly as lightning; the clouds surrounding him as the dust does the chariot and horses.
Henry: The clouds are the dust of his feet; he treads on them, walks on them, raises them when he pleases, as a man with his feet raises a cloud of dust.
Wesley: The whirlwind - Which beareth before it all things that stand in its way.The dust of his feet - Though he be surrounded with darkness, yet as an army afar off is discovered by the dust that their feet raise, so wilt God appear with great power marching against his enemies.
Charles Spurgeon, Adam Clarke, John Wesley & Matthew Henry
Their combined CHAPTER 1 SUMMARY:
THE name of this prophet signifies a comforter for it was a charge given to all the prophets, Comfort you, comfort you, my people:
Some Verse Highlights:
....the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm,
and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
Nahum 1:3
Clarke: This is spoken in allusion to a chariot and horses going on with extreme rapidity: they are all enveloped in a cloud of dust. So Jehovah is represented as coming through the circuit of the heavens as rapidly as lightning; the clouds surrounding him as the dust does the chariot and horses.
Henry: The clouds are the dust of his feet; he treads on them, walks on them, raises them when he pleases, as a man with his feet raises a cloud of dust.
Wesley: The whirlwind - Which beareth before it all things that stand in its way.The dust of his feet - Though he be surrounded with darkness, yet as an army afar off is discovered by the dust that their feet raise, so wilt God appear with great power marching against his enemies.
Who can stand before his indignation?
and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger?
his fury is poured out like fire,
and the rocks are thrown down by him.
Nahum 1:6
Henry: See God here as a consuming fire. Here is his indignation against sin, and the fierceness of his anger, his fury poured out, not like water, but like fire, like the fire and brimstone rained on Sodom.
The rocks are thrown down by him, which seemed immovable.
There is one come out of thee,
that imagineth evil against the LORD,
a wicked counsellor.
Nahum 1:11
Henry: There is one come out of thee, that imagines evil against the Lord--Sennacherib, and his spokesman Rabshakeh. They framed an evil letter and an evil speech, not only against Hezekiah and his people, but against God himself, reflecting upon him as level with the gods of the heathen, and unable to protect his worshippers, dissuading his people from putting confidence in him, and urging them rather to put themselves under the protection of the great king, the king of Assyria.