The Meaning of Nahum 3:1 Explained

Nahum 3:1

KJV: Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;

YLT: Woe to the city of blood, She is all with lies -- burglary -- full, Prey doth not depart.

Darby: Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and violence; the prey departeth not.

ASV: Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and rapine; the prey departeth not.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Woe  to the bloody  city!  it [is] all full  of lies  [and] robbery;  the prey  departeth  not; 

What does Nahum 3:1 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Nahum pronounced woe on Nineveh, a city characterized by bloodshed. Here, as often elsewhere (e.g, Isaiah 3:9), "woe" announces impending doom. Sometimes "woe" is an expression of grief (e.g, Isaiah 6:5), but that is only its secondary meaning here. As noted earlier, the Assyrians were notorious for their cruelty that included cutting off hands, feet, ears, noses, gouging out eyes, lopping off heads, impaling bodies, and peeling the skin off living victims. [1] Nahum saw the city as completely full of lies (cf. 2 Kings 18:31) and pillage (cf. Nahum 2:9). Nineveh always had prey; she was constantly on the prowl looking for other nations to conquer.

Context Summary

Nahum 3:1-19 - Deserved Doom
This terrible chapter pictures the doom of Nineveh. She had used infamous methods in bringing surrounding nations under her power, and now her shame was to be discovered and exposed. It seemed incredible that so great a city should become desolate, but she is reminded of the populous Thebes especially dedicated to Ammon, the Egyptian Jupiter. As this great city had been overwhelmed by Assyria, so would Nineveh be by the Chaldeans. In spite of her Nile and her tributary nations, Thebes fell, and Nineveh would drink of the same cup. Her fall would be as easy as the plucking of ripe figs. The centuries that have passed since the prophet spoke only lend emphasis to his words. The silence of death still reigns over the desolate mounds that mark the site of the cherished capital. In Revelation 19:1-10 the saints and martyrs celebrate the fall of Babylon the Great. Let us see to it that we are heirs of that Kingdom which cannot be shaken, Hebrews 12:28 [source]

Chapter Summary: Nahum 3

1  The destruction of Nineveh

What do the individual words in Nahum 3:1 mean?

Woe to the city bloody it [is] all lies [and] robbery full of never departs [Its] victim
ה֖וֹי ! עִ֣יר דָּמִ֑ים כֻּלָּ֗הּ כַּ֤חַשׁ פֶּ֙רֶק֙ מְלֵאָ֔ה לֹ֥א יָמִ֖ישׁ טָֽרֶף

ה֖וֹי  Woe 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הֹוי  
Sense: ah!, alas!, ha!, ho!, O!, woe!.
! עִ֣יר  to  the  city 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
דָּמִ֑ים  bloody 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: דָּם  
Sense: blood.
כֻּלָּ֗הּ  it  [is]  all 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
כַּ֤חַשׁ  lies 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: כַּחַשׁ  
Sense: lying, deception.
פֶּ֙רֶק֙  [and]  robbery 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: פֶּרֶק  
Sense: parting of ways, breaking in upon, plunder, crossroad.
מְלֵאָ֔ה  full 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: מְלֵאָה  
Sense: fullness, full produce.
לֹ֥א  of  never 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יָמִ֖ישׁ  departs 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מוּשׁ  
Sense: to depart, remove.
טָֽרֶף  [Its]  victim 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: טֶרֶף  
Sense: prey, food, leaf.