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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
3:8-11 Comparison with the Conquest of Thebes. The prophet now recalls an event that was well known in the Near East, especially to the Assyrians, at the time of his writing: the capture and destruction of the Egyptian city of Thebes by the Assyrians in To all who think it is impossible that Nineveh would fall, Nahum says, "Look at what happened to Thebes!"
3:8 Are you better than Thebes . . . ? Nineveh was not better fortified and did not appear more invincible than Thebes, a very important, powerful city located in southern Egypt (about
3:9 Cush was the region just south of Egypt. Egypt refers to military aid coming from northern Egypt. The location of Put is not certain; perhaps it was situated along the north African coastline, just to the west of Libya, which was just to the west of the Nile delta region of Egypt. While Thebes could count on military assistance from these different areas, Assyria could not rely on help from any region.
3:10 Despite these strategic advantages, Thebes was taken by the Assyrians, sacked, and destroyed, and its inhabitants either slaughtered or taken off as exiles. lots were cast. The Assyrian soldiers cast lots to determine who would get the more highly prized men (with their education and skills) as slaves.
3:11 This verse directly applies vv. 8-10: "Nineveh, you can expect the same!" Just as a drunken man cannot effectively defend himself against an attacker, so Nineveh will not be able to turn back its enemies. hiding. Figuratively, Nineveh will be conquered and humiliated such that, if it could, the city would go into hiding from fear and shame. More literally, this could refer to the remnant band of Assyrians who fled to the west and temporarily had their base at Haran (see Introduction: Purpose, Occasion, and Background). Nineveh will find no refuge, unlike those who put their trust in the Lord (1:7).
