Study questions, maps, charts, outlines, and links to help you study the Old Testament book of Nahum.
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Basics
- Nahum means “comfort” or “consolation” and is a short form of Nehemiah (“comfort of Yahweh”).
- There is no mention of any kings in the introduction, so the date of Nahum’s prophecy must be implied by historical data.
- The message of judgment against Nineveh portrays a nation of strength, indicating a time prior to her fall in 612 BC and probably before the death of Ashurbanipal in 626 BC, after which Assyria’s power fell rapidly.
- Nahum mentions the fall of Thebes in 663 BC (Nahum 3:8–10) at the hands of Ashurbanipal, which appears to be recent, suggesting a date during the reign of Manasseh (ca. 695–642 BC; cf. 2 Kings 21:1–18).
- In 612 BC the Tigris River overflowed its banks and destroyed part of Nineveh’s wall. As a result, the Babylonians invaded through the breach, plundered and burned the city.
- Battle of Nineveh (Wikipedia)
Simple Outline
- 1:1-15 – Nineveh’s doom declared
- 2:1-13 – Nineveh’s doom described
- 3:1-19 – Nineveh’s doom deserved
Genre: Understanding Prophecy
Background
- Introduction to the Prophets
- Chart: Bible History at a glance
- Blue Letter Bible: Old Testament Timeline
- Biblehub: The Divided Kingdom
- Chart: Kings of Israel & Judah
- Bible Atlas: Nineveh
- Biblehub: Sennacherib
- Topical Bible: Nineveh
- Bible Atlas: Assyria
- Jensen’s Survey of the Old Testament
- Hebrew Calendar
- Minor Prophets Quotes in the New Testament
- Ray C Stedman: Overview of the Book
- John MacArthur: Author, Date, Background
- ESV: Introduction to Minor Prophets
- ESV: Introduction to Nahum
- ESV: The Global Message of Nahum
- NIV: Introduction to Nahum
- James van dine: Analysis of Nahum
- David Malick (Bible.org): An Introduction to the Book of Nahum
- David Malick: An Argument of the Book of Nahum
- JVernon McGee: Nahum and Habakkuk – Introductory Notes, Outlines
- William Orr: Nahum – Thirty-Nine Keys to the Old Testament
- Charles Swindoll: Book of Nahum Overview
- JHampton Keathley: The Minor Prophets
Maps from Bible-History.com
Maps from Studylight.org
- The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah (1)
- The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah (2)
- The Kingdoms of Israel and Judah (3)
- The Rise of Assyria
- Israel & Judah in the days of Jeroboam II and Uzziah
- Assyrian Empire under Tiglath-Pileser III
- The Syro-Ephraimite War
- Tiglath-Pileser III’s Campaigns
- Fall of Samaria and Deportation of Israelites
- The Fall of the Kingdom of Israel
- Assyrian Districts after the Fall of Samaria
- Prophets of the 8th Century BCE
- Hezekiah’s Preparation for Revolt
- Judah under King Hezekiah
- Hezekiah’s Jerusalem
- Sennacherib’s Campaign against Judah
- Assyria in the 7th century BCE
- The Rise of the Neo-Babylonian Empire
- The Reign of Josiah
- The Districts of Judah under King Josiah
- The Golden Age of King Josiah
- Nebuchadnezzar’s Campaigns against Judah
Key Words
- “I am against you” (Nah 2:13, 3:5)
- “I will” (Nah 1:12, 13, 14, 2:13, 3:5, 6)
- Nineveh (Nah 1:1, 2:8, 3:7, plus synonyms referring to Nineveh)
Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
- Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology: Nahum, Theology of
- American Tract Society: Nahum
- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary: Nahum
- Easton’s Bible Dictionary: Nahum; Nahum, Book Of
- Fausset Bible Dictionary: Nahum (1); Nahum (2); Nahum, the Book Of
- Holman Bible Dictionary: Nahum
- Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible: Nahum
- Kitto’s Popular Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature: Nahum
- Morrish Bible Dictionary: Nahum
- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia: Nahum; Nahum, the Book Of
- McClintock and Strong: Nahum
- The Nuttall Encyclopedia: Nahum
- The Jewish Encyclopedia: Nahum
- 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica: Nahum
- Nahum Articles – Easton, Smith, ISBE
Commentaries & Study Bibles
- Ligionier.org Top 5 Commentaries: Nahum
- Tim Challies Best Commentaries:
- Commentary Reviews: Nahum
- Walter Kaiser-Preacher’s Commentary (Micah through Malachi)
- Calvin’s Commentary on the Bible: Nahum
- Matthew Henry: Nahum
- Albert Barnes Notes: Nahum
- Reformation Study Bible Notes: Nahum
- Geneva Study Bible: Nahum
- Precept Austin Commentaries & Sermons: Nahum
Articles
- Literary Analysis and the Unity of Nahum by Richard D. Patterson
- Literary Look at Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah by Richard D. Patterson
- Nahum: Poet Laureate Of The Minor Prophets – Richard D. Patterson
- Nahum, Nineveh & Those Nasty Assyrians – Gordon Franz
- Plundering the Lion’s Den – A Portrait of Divine Fury – Nahum 2:3-11 – J Daryl Charles
- A Perfectly Broken Acrostic in Nahum 1? – Thomas Renz
- Nahum, Nineveh, Elkosh – Oswald Allis
- The Book of Nahum – Paul Haupt (Or here)
- The Book of Nahum as a Liturgical Composition: A Prosodic Analysis-Duane Christensen
- The Book of Nahum: The Question of Authorship within the Canonical Process-Duane Christensen
- Nahum Reconsidered: The Rhetoric of Violence and Divine Justice – Justin J King
- Jonah and Nahum: English Bible – 96 pages – Robert V McCabe
- The West as Nineveh: How Does Nahum’s Message of Judgment Apply to Today? – 31 page article – J Woods
- Nahum’s Rhetorical Allusions To The Neo-Assyrian Lion Motif-Gordon Johnston
- Nahum’s Rhetorical Allusions to Neo-Assyrian Conquest Metaphors – Gordon Johnston
- Assyrian Brutality – Bob Boyd
GotQuestions.org
- Book of Nahum – Bible Survey
- What are the Major Prophets and Minor Prophets?
- Why did God judge Nineveh so harshly in the book of Nahum?
- When will the peace of Nahum 1:15 come?
- Why were infants dashed to pieces (Nahum 3:10)?
- Do we ever reach a point that we cannot be forgiven (Nahum 3:19)?
- When and how was Nineveh destroyed?
Bible Study Helps
- Bible Study 101
- Interpreting Narratives
- Study Software & websites
- More Maps & Charts
- Hebrew word studies by Precepts Austin
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