The big picture
Nahum 3 opens in verse 1 with “Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;”, reaches its middle movement near verse 10 with “Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity: her young children also were dashed…”, and closes in verse 19 with “There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit of…” Repeated or prominent terms include cankerworm, strong, corpses, devour, fire. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Nahum · King James Version · 19Nahum 3:1-7
1–7: Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey…
Nahum 3:1–7 opens with “Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;” and reaches “And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on The violent city exposed for bloodshed, deception, and exploitation; The fall of Thebes recalled, Nineveh’s defenses compared with ripe figs, and news of its fall received by injured nations, with particular weight carried by corpses, multitude, nations.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;” Naming Woe keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping…” The line’s distinctive content terms include noise, chariots, horses. Its relationship to verses 1 and 3 shows what work it does in this passage.
Nahum 3:1-7
King James Version1Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;
2The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots.
3The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses:
4Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts.
5Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.
6And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock.
7And 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?
Nahum 3:8-14
8–14: Art thou better than populous No, that was situate among the rivers…
Nahum 3:8–14 opens with “Art thou better than populous No, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round…” and reaches “Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on The violent city exposed for bloodshed, deception, and exploitation; The fall of Thebes recalled, Nineveh’s defenses compared with ripe figs, and news of its fall received by injured nations, with particular weight carried by strong, holds, strength.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“Art thou better than populous No, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose rampart…” The question slows the passage down. Notice who is being pressed to answer, what the question assumes, and whether the next lines provide a response.
Nahum 3:8-14
King James Version8Art thou better than populous No, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the sea?
9Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers.
10Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity: her young children also were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets: and they cast lots for her honourable men, and all her great men were bound in chains.
11Thou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid, thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy.
12All thy strong holds shall be like fig trees with the firstripe figs: if they be shaken, they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater.
13Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars.
14Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter, make strong the brickkiln.
Nahum 3:15-19
15–19: There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall…
Nahum 3:15–19 opens with “There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the…” and reaches “There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit of thee shall…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on The violent city exposed for bloodshed, deception, and exploitation; The fall of Thebes recalled, Nineveh’s defenses compared with ripe figs, and news of its fall received by injured nations, with particular weight carried by cankerworm, locusts, thyself.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm: make thyself…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Nahum 3:15-19
King James Version15There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm: make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts.
16Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and flieth away.
17Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are.
18Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria: thy nobles shall dwell in the dust: thy people is scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them.
19There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hands over thee: for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Nahum 3:1 begins with “Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;”
Where the chapter turns
Nahum 3:8 forms a natural hinge: “Art thou better than populous No, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from…”
The final note
Nahum 3:19 leaves the reader with “There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hands over thee: for upon whom hath not thy…”
A word trail through the chapter
The words cankerworm, strong, corpses, devour, fire, flee help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
How does blame move through the conversation?
The man points to the woman and indirectly to God; the woman points to the serpent. Neither response repairs trust.
Where does mercy appear?
Continued life, the promise involving offspring, and clothing accompany the expulsion.
KJV words made clear
- behold
- look, or pay close attention
- unto
- to
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.