King James Version

Nahum 2:8

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.

Study

Hebrew

Tap a word to see its meaning. Words run left to right in English reading order.

In the Hebrew text this line is Nahum 2:9.

וְנִינְוֵ֥הveninevehand Ninevehנִינְוֵהconjunction, noun, proper name — “and Nineveh”H5210Nineveh, the capital of AssyriaNineveh.כִבְרֵֽכַתkhivrekhatas poolבְּרֵכָהpreposition, noun, common, feminine, singular, construct — “as pool”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH1295a reservoir (at which camels kneel as a resting-place)(fish-) pool.מַ֖יִםmayimwaterמַיִםnoun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “water”, the ordinary formH4325water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen[phrase] piss, wasting, water(-ing, (-course, -flood, -spring)).מִ֣ימֵיmimefrom as long asיוֹםpreposition, noun, common, masculine, plural, construct — “from as long as”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3117a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)age, [phrase] always, [phrase] chronicals, continually(-ance), daily, ((birth-), each, to) day, (now a, two) days (agone), [phrase] elder, [idiom] end, [phrase] evening, [phrase] (for) ever(-lasting, -more), [idiom] full, life, as (so) lon…הִ֑יאhias for herהוּאpronoun, personal, 3rd person, feminine, singular — “as for her”H1931he (she or it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also (intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same; sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally (instead of copula) as or arehe, as for her, him(-self), it, the same, she (herself), such, that (...it), these, they, this, those, which (is), who.וְהֵ֣מָּהvehemahand theyהֵםconjunction, pronoun, personal, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “and they”H1992they (only used when emphatic)it, like, [idiom] (how, so) many (soever, more as) they (be), (the) same, [idiom] so, [idiom] such, their, them, these, they, those, which, who, whom, withal, ye.נָסִ֔יםnasimawayנוּסverb, qal, participle, absolute — “away”, a verb used as a describing wordH5127to flit, i.e. vanish away (subside, escape; causatively, chase, impel, deliver)[idiom] abate, away, be displayed, (make to) flee (away, -ing), put to flight, [idiom] hide, lift up a standard.עִמְד֥וּimdvstandעָמַדverb, qal, imperative, 2nd person, masculine, plural — “stand”, a commandH5975to stand, in various relations (literal and figurative, intransitive and transitive)abide (behind), appoint, arise, cease, confirm, continue, dwell, be employed, endure, establish, leave, make, ordain, be (over), place, (be) present (self), raise up, remain, repair, [phrase] serve, set (forth, over, -tle, up), (make to, m…עֲמֹ֖דוּamodvstandעָמַדverb, qal, imperative, 2nd person, masculine, plural — “stand”, a commandH5975to stand, in various relations (literal and figurative, intransitive and transitive)abide (behind), appoint, arise, cease, confirm, continue, dwell, be employed, endure, establish, leave, make, ordain, be (over), place, (be) present (self), raise up, remain, repair, [phrase] serve, set (forth, over, -tle, up), (make to, m…וְאֵ֥יןveeynand elseאַיִןconjunction, particle, negative — “and else”H369a non-entity; generally used as a negative particleelse, except, fail, (father-) less, be gone, in(-curable), neither, never, no (where), none, nor, (any, thing), not, nothing, to nought, past, un(-searchable), well-nigh, without. Compare H370 (אַיִן).מַפְנֶֽהmafnehappearפָּנָהverb, hiphil, participle, absolute — “appear”, a verb used as a describing wordH6437to turn; by implication, to face, i.e. appear, look, etc.appear, at (even-) tide, behold, cast out, come on, [idiom] corner, dawning, empty, go away, lie, look, mark, pass away, prepare, regard, (have) respect (to), (re-) turn (aside, away, back, face, self), [idiom] right (early).

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

(2-9) But Nineveh hath been from of old like a pool of water; yet they flee away; 'Stand, stand'; but none looketh back.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

But Nineveh hath been from of old like a pool of water: yet they flee away. Stand, stand, they cry ; but none looketh back.

Young’s Literal Translation

And Nineveh [is] as a pool of waters, From of old it [is] — and they are fleeing! 'Stand ye, stand;' and none is turning!

World English Bible

But Nineveh has been from of old like a pool of water, yet they flee away. “Stop! Stop!” they cry, but no one looks back.

Darby Translation

Nineveh hath been like a pool of water, since the day she existed, yet they flee away. ...Stand! Stand! But none looketh back.

Douay-Rheims

And as for Ninive, her waters are like a great pool, but the men flee away. They cry: Stand, stand, but there is none that will return back.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

(2-9) But Nineveh hath been from of old like a pool of water; yet they flee away; 'Stand, stand'; but none looketh back.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

And as for Nineve, her waters shall be as a pool of water: and they fled, and staid not, and there was none to look back.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Καὶ Νινευὴ ὡς κολυμβήθρα ὕδατος τὰ ὕδατα αὐτῆς, καὶ αὐτοὶ φεύγοντες οὐκ ἔστησαν, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ ἐπιβλέπων.