The Meaning of Nahum 3:7 Explained

Nahum 3:7

KJV: And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?

YLT: And it hath come to pass, Each of thy beholders fleeth from thee, And hath said: 'Spoiled is Nineveh, Who doth bemoan for her?' Whence do I seek comforters for thee?

Darby: And it shall come to pass, that all they that see thee shall flee from thee, and shall say, Nineveh is laid waste! Who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?

ASV: And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And it shall come to pass, [that] all they that look  upon thee shall flee  from thee, and say,  Nineveh  is laid waste:  who will bemoan  her? whence  shall I seek  comforters  for thee? 

What does Nahum 3:7 Mean?

Study Notes

Nineveh
Nineveh stands in Scripture as the representative of apostate religious Gentiledom, as Babylon represents the confusion into which the Gentile political world-system has fallen Daniel 2:41-43 , (See Scofield " Isaiah 13:1 ") , Under the preaching of Jonah, B.C. 862, the city and king had turned to God (Elohim), Jonah 3:3-10 But in the time of Nahum, more than a century later, the city had wholly apostatized from God. It is this which distinguishes Nineveh from all the other ancient Gentile cities, and which makes her the suited symbol of the present religious Gentile world-system in the last day. Morally, Nineveh is described in Romans 1:21-23 . The chief deity of apostate Nineveh was the bull-god, with the face of a man and the wings of a bird: "an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts."
The message of Nahum, uttered about one hundred years before the destruction of Nineveh, is, therefore, not a call to repentance, but an unrelieved warning of judgment: "He will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time." Nahum 1:9 ; see, also, Nahum 3:10 . For there is no remedy for apostasy but utter judgment, and a new beginning. Cf.; Isaiah 1:4 ; Isaiah 1:5 ; Isaiah 1:24-28 ; Hebrews 6:4-8 ; Proverbs 29:1 .
It is the way of God; apostasy is punished by catastrophic destruction. Of this the flood and the destruction of Nineveh are witnesses. The coming destruction of apostate Christendom is foreshadowed by these. (Cf) Daniel 2:34 ; Daniel 2:35 ; Luke 17:26 ; Luke 17:27 ; Revelation 19:17-21 .
burden See note 1, (See Scofield " Isaiah 13:1 ")

Verse Meaning

It is no wonder then that everyone who saw Nineveh would recoil from her and remark on her devastated condition. No one would grieve over Nineveh"s destruction because all would be glad that she got what she deserved. Mourners over her demise would not be found because people would rejoice, not sorrow, over her humiliation ( Nahum 3:19). Even a few mourners would attend any funeral in the ancient Near East, even if relatives had to pay them to attend. But no one would agree to weep for Nineveh, even if paid to do so. This is hyperbole, but the point is clear: the world would rejoice when Nineveh fell.

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 3:7 mean?

And it shall come to pass [that] all who look upon you will flee from you and say is laid waste Nineveh who will bemoan her where shall I seek comforters for you
וְהָיָ֤ה כָל־ רֹאַ֙יִךְ֙ יִדּ֣וֹד מִמֵּ֔ךְ וְאָמַר֙ ! שָׁדְּדָ֣ה נִֽינְוֵ֔ה מִ֖י יָנ֣וּד לָ֑הּ מֵאַ֛יִן אֲבַקֵּ֥שׁ מְנַחֲמִ֖ים לָֽךְ

וְהָיָ֤ה  And  it  shall  come  to  pass 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
כָל־  [that]  all 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
רֹאַ֙יִךְ֙  who  look  upon  you 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct, second person feminine singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
יִדּ֣וֹד  will  flee 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נָדַד  
Sense: to retreat, flee, depart, move, wander abroad, stray, flutter.
מִמֵּ֔ךְ  from  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular
Root: מִן 
Sense: from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than.
וְאָמַר֙  and  say 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
! שָׁדְּדָ֣ה  is  laid  waste 
Parse: Verb, Pual, Perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: שָׁדַד  
Sense: to deal violently with, despoil, devastate, ruin, destroy, spoil.
נִֽינְוֵ֔ה  Nineveh 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: נִינְוֵה  
Sense: capital of the ancient kingdom of Assyria; located on the east bank of the Tigris river, 550 miles (880 km) from its mouth and 250 miles (400 km) north of Babylon.
יָנ֣וּד  will  bemoan 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: נוּד  
Sense: to shake, waver, wander, move to and fro, flutter, show grief, have compassion on.
לָ֑הּ  her 
Parse: Preposition, third person feminine singular
מֵאַ֛יִן  where 
Parse: Preposition-m, Adverb
Root: אַיִן  
Sense: where?, whence?.
אֲבַקֵּ֥שׁ  shall  I  seek 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: בָּקַשׁ  
Sense: to seek, require, desire, exact, request.
מְנַחֲמִ֖ים  comforters 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine plural
Root: נָחַם  
Sense: to be sorry, console oneself, repent, regret, comfort, be comforted.
לָֽךְ  for  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular