King James Version
Nahum
Nahum in the King James Version (1769), public domain in the United States.
Background and History
The chapters above are the King James text. This essay is the setting of Nahum: who is said to have written it, when and where, what happens in it, and how the text has been copied.
At a Glance
| Author | Nahum the Elkoshite. Nothing else is known of him. |
|---|---|
| Date | About 663–612 BC in one survey, after the fall of No-amon (Thebes) and before Nineveh’s fall. |
| Place written | Not stated. Elkosh is unidentified. |
| Genre | Prophecy against Nineveh. |
| Chapters | 3 |
| Verses | 47 in the King James Version |
| Key verse | Nahum 1:7Nahum 1:7 · King James VersionThe LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.Nahum 1:7 · King James VersionOpen the Source |
Who Wrote It
Nahum 1:1Nahum 1:1 · King James VersionThe burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
Nahum 1:1 · King James VersionOpen the Source (1) reads the book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite. The Twelve were collected, per the Talmud, by the men of the Great Assembly. (2)
Who It Is Not
No other biblical book names him.
When and Where
Bible Gateway gives 663–612 BC. (5) Nahum 3:8Nahum 3:8 · King James VersionArt thou better than populous No, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the sea?
Nahum 3:8 · King James VersionOpen the Source (1) refers to the fall of No, Thebes in Egypt, as past.
Audience and Setting
Judah under Assyrian domination. The purpose is to announce Nineveh’s fall and comfort Judah.
Rulers at the Time
The book names no king. This page adds none.
Places in This Book
| Ancient name | Modern-day location | References |
|---|---|---|
| Nineveh | Ruins at Mosul, Iraq. | Nahum 1:1Nahum 1:1 · King James VersionThe burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.Nahum 1:1 · King James VersionOpen the Source |
| No | Thebes, modern Luxor, Egypt. | Nahum 3:8Nahum 3:8 · King James VersionArt thou better than populous No, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the sea?Nahum 3:8 · King James VersionOpen the Source |
What Is Happening
Nahum 1 describes God’s judgment and goodness. Nahum 2–3 picture Nineveh’s fall.
Key Themes
God’s justice in Nahum 1:3Nahum 1:3 · King James VersionThe LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
Nahum 1:3 · King James VersionOpen the Source. Refuge in Nahum 1:7Nahum 1:7 · King James VersionThe LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.
Nahum 1:7 · King James VersionOpen the Source.
Apologetics Questions
Some find the book’s celebration of a city’s fall troubling. It presents Nineveh’s fall as judgment for its violence, in Nahum 3:1Nahum 3:1 · King James VersionWoe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;
Nahum 3:1 · King James VersionOpen the Source.
How the Book Points to Christ
Nahum 1:15Nahum 1:15 · King James VersionBehold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.
Nahum 1:15 · King James VersionOpen the Source, the feet of one who brings good tidings, is echoed in Romans 10:15Romans 10:15 · King James VersionAnd how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
Romans 10:15 · King James VersionOpen the Source of the gospel. Jesus is God.
Text and Manuscripts
The Twelve are among the books found at Qumran. (6)
Canon Reception
Received with the Twelve. (4) (3)
Further Reading
References
- Book of Nahum, 1:1; 3:8Nahum 1:1 · King James Version
The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.
Nahum 1:1 · King James VersionOpen the Source. King James Version - Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra 15a, 15a (The William Davidson English on Sefaria is copyrighted. This page paraphrases it and does not reprint it. The page continues the list of writers and the debate about it.)
- Against Apion, 1.8Josephus, Against Apion 1.8 · William Whiston
For we have not an innumerable multitude of books among us, disagreeing from, and contradicting one another: [as the Greeks have:] but only twenty two books: which contain the records of all the past times: which are justly believed to be divine. And of them five belong to Moses: which contain his laws, and the traditions of the origin of mankind, till his death.
Josephus, Against Apion 1.8 · William WhistonOpen the Source (Flavius Josephus, Against Apion 1.8, translated by William Whiston. Josephus counts twenty-two books: five of Moses, thirteen of the prophets from Moses to Artaxerxes, and four of hymns and precepts.) - Festal Letter 39, 39.4–5 (Athanasius of Alexandria, AD 367, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, second series, vol. 4, on New Advent. The letter lists twenty-two Old Testament books and the twenty-seven books of the New Testament, and places Esther among books to be read rather than in the canon.)
- When Was Each Book of the Bible Written?, Nahum (Jacob Edson, Bible Gateway, 16 September 2024. The survey gives Nahum as 663–612 BC. It is one editor’s approximation, not a manuscript date.)
- Dead Sea Scrolls, introduction, Biblical manuscriptsDead Sea Scrolls, biblical manuscripts · Israel Antiquities Authority
Among the Scrolls are partial or complete copies of every book in the Hebrew Bible (except the book of Esther).
Dead Sea Scrolls, biblical manuscripts · Israel Antiquities AuthorityOpen the Source (Israel Antiquities Authority. Biblical manuscripts from the Qumran caves date from the third century BC into the first century AD, and every book of the Hebrew Bible except Esther is represented.)
The King James Version (1769) is in the public domain in the United States.