Nahum speaks of the people of Nineveh preparing for a siege, “Draw your
water for the siege! Fortify your strongholds! Go into the clay and tread the mortar!
Make strong the brick kiln” (3:14). Babylonian historical records tell us
that the final siege on Nineveh lasted about three months, “from the month of
Sivan to the month of Ab.” The ruins of the city have shown that hasty
defense walls were by the inhabitants of the city.
“All your strongholds are fig trees with ripened figs: If they are shaken,
They fall into the mouth of the eater” (3:12). Nahum prophecies that the
strongholds around Nineveh would fall quickly and with relative ease.
“The chariots rage in the streets, They jostle one another in the broad roads;
They seem like torches, They run like lightning. He remembers his nobles; They stumble
in their walk; They make haste to her walls, And the defense is prepared” (2:4-5).
This verse seems to imply a two stage attack. One outside the fortified walls of Nineveh
and then one on the walls of Nineveh itself. The city itself will be subject to heavy
assault.
The gates of the city would be pivotal in the attack, “The gates of your
land are wide open for your enemies; Fire shall devour the bars of your gates” (3:13).
Archeological reports have made note of the fact that Nineveh’s gates were
the main objects of assault.
Three times Nahum mentions the role of water in connection with the destruction of
Nineveh, “But with an overflowing flood He will make an utter end of its place”
(1:8),"The gates of the rivers are opened, And the palace is dissolved" (2:6), "Though
Nineveh of old was like a pool of water, Now they flee away" (2:8). Supporting
this is the evidence of flood submergence which has been discovered in the ruins of
Nineveh. It is also interesting that Sennacherib built a system of dams on Tigris and
the Khosr Rivers the second of which brought fresh water into the city under one of
the river gates. The destruction of these dams may have played a role in the fall of
the city, and the ruins of this dam show that it was destroyed.
Nahum points to the devastation of Nineveh’s gods and temples, “Out of the
house of your gods I will cut off the carved image and the molded image” (1:14).
Excavation has also found that the temple of Nabu was completely destroyed and burned
and the gods of the temple were broken into pieces.
The capture of Nineveh would be attended by a great slaughter, “There is a
multitude of slain, A great number of bodies, Countless corpses — They stumble over the
corpses — ” (3:3).
Nahum describes the great quantity of loot that would be taken from the city at its
destruction, “Take spoil of silver! Take spoil of gold! There is no end of
treasure, Or wealth of every desirable prize” (2:9). The Babylonian Chronicle
states, “the spoil of the city, a quantity beyond counting, they plundered.”
In addition, very little in precious metal has been found in the excavations of the
city.
Nahum repeatedly predicts that Nineveh will be destroyed by fire, “I will burn your
chariots in smoke” (2:13), “Fire shall devour the bars of your gates” (3:13), “There the fire
will devour you” (3:15). Excavation reveals that Sennacherib’s palace was
burned with fire, as well as much more throughout the rest of the city - evidenced by
charred wood and layers of ashes.
Nahum predicts that the people of Nineveh would be scattered never to be restored
again. “Your shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria; Your nobles rest in the dust.
Your people are scattered on the mountains, And no one gathers them” (3:18).
Not all cities suffered such a fate, in fact, most cities were soon re-built, like No-Amon,
Babylon, Jerusalem and many others in that area. But such was not the case with Nineveh.
This confounds the critics who say that Nahum prophesied after its destruction, because
they can’t understand how Nahum could declare that no one would gather the scattered
remains of Nineveh, even after 2,500 years.
Finally Nahum predicts that this would be the end for Nineveh, for not only would
it be destroyed, but it would disappear into history, “What do you conspire
against the LORD? He will make an utter end of it. Affliction will not rise up a second
time” (1:9), “Your name shall be perpetuated no longer. Out of the house of your gods I
will cut off the carved image and the molded image. I will dig your grave, For you are
vile” (1:14), “the voice of your messengers shall be heard no more” (2:13), “Nineveh is
laid waste!” (3:7), and “She is empty, desolate, and waste!” (2:10).
With very few exceptions every large ancient city in the Orient has been
destroyed; but many of them have been rebuilt, and some are still around still today.
But that would not be the case with this city. Just 200 years after its destruction
the Greek historian Xenophon traveled past the site of its destruction without even
realizing that it was even there. For centuries the very sit of the ancient city
remained unknown and some even believed that Nineveh had never existed.
Note: This study was prepared for the Bible Class at Zion Lutheran Church,
Lawrenceville, GA by Pastor Nathanael Mayhew