{"id":22738,"date":"2022-09-24T09:40:28","date_gmt":"2022-09-24T14:40:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/exegetical-and-hermeneutical-commentary-of-nahum-315\/"},"modified":"2022-09-24T09:40:28","modified_gmt":"2022-09-24T14:40:28","slug":"exegetical-and-hermeneutical-commentary-of-nahum-315","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/exegetical-and-hermeneutical-commentary-of-nahum-315\/","title":{"rendered":"Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Nahum 3:15"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3 align='center'><b><i> There 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. <\/i><\/b><\/h3>\n<p> <strong> 15<\/strong>. <em> There<\/em> ] amidst her brick moulds, shall the fire devour her, the sword cut her off. The &ldquo;fire&rdquo; is said of the city, the sword of the inhabitants. The remains of Nineveh shew that the city was destroyed by fire.<\/p>\n<p><em> like the cankerworm<\/em> ] Perhaps: <strong> young locust<\/strong>, before it attains ability to fly (<span class='bible'><em> Nah 3:16<\/em><\/span>), as distinguished from &ldquo;locust&rdquo; in the end of the verse. In any case the word is a name for locust, whatever &ldquo;cankerworm&rdquo; may mean, <span class='bible'>Joe 1:4<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Psa 105:34<\/span>. The phrase: the sword shall consume thee as the young locust, can only mean, in numbers as great as young locusts (<span class='bible'>Jer 51:14<\/span>) many as the young locust though thou art. The comparison is peculiar, though the idea is amplified in the next clause. The text is possibly in disorder.<\/p>\n<p><em> Make thyself many<\/em> ] The imperatives can only be concessive many as the young locusts shouldst thou make thyself. The first &ldquo;make thyself many&rdquo; is <em> masc.<\/em> and the second <em> fem.<\/em>, which is scarcely possible in grammar. Sept. read the last part of the verse in a shorter form, though the last clause of <span class='bible'><em> Nah 3:16<\/em><\/span> seems to require it in some shape. The words are connected with <span class='bible'><em> Nah 3:16<\/em><\/span>.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><P STYLE=\"text-indent: 0.75em\"><B>There &#8211; <\/B>where thou didst fence thyself, and madest such manifold and toilsome preparation,<\/P> <P STYLE=\"text-indent: 0.75em\"><B>Shall the fire devour thee. &#8211; <\/B>All is toil within. The fire of Gods wrath falls and consumes at once. Mankind still, with mire and clay, build themselves Babels. They go into clay, and become themselves earthly like the mire they steep themselves in. They make themselves strong, as though they thought that their houses shall continue forever <span class='bible'>Psa 49:11<\/span>, and say, So, take thine ease eat, drink and be merry <span class='bible'>Luk 12:19-20<\/span>. Gods wrath descends. Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee. It shall eat thee up like the canker-worm. What in thee is strongest, shall be devoured with as much ease as the locust devours the tender grass. The judgments of God, not only overwhelm as a whole, but find cut each tender part, as the locust devours each single blade.<\/P> <P STYLE=\"text-indent: 0.75em\"><B>Make thyself many as the cankerworm &#8211; <\/B>As though thou wouldest equal thyself in oppressive number to those instruments of the vengeance of God, gathering from all quarters armies to help thee; yea, though thou make thy whole self one oppressive multitude, yet it shall not avail thee. Nay, He saith, thou hast essayed to do it.<\/P> <\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Albert Barnes&#8217; Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><P> Verse <span class='bible'>15<\/span>. <I><B>Make thyself many as the cankerworm<\/B><\/I>] On the <I>locusts<\/I>, and their operations in their various <I>states<\/I>, see the notes on <span class='bible'>Joe 2:2<\/span>. The multitudes, successive swarms, and devastation occasioned by locusts, is one of the most expressive similes that could be used to point out the successive armies and all-destroying influences of the enemies of Nineveh. The account of these destroyers from Dr. <I>Shaw<\/I>, inserted <span class='bible'>Joe 2:2-11<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Joe 2:20<\/span>, will fully illustrate the verses where allusion is made to locusts.<\/P> <\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Adam Clarke&#8217;s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><P> There; in the very fortresses. <\/P> <P>The fire; either literally, or figuratively, the wrath of the enemy hot as fire, or the pestilence, or all together. <\/P> <P>The sword of the Chaldeans, their wars, (after all that the Scythians have done against thee,) these shall utterly destroy thee. <\/P> <P>It shall eat thee up: this tells us the manner how the Ninevites shall be destroyed, they shall be eaten up. <\/P> <P>Like the canker-worm; either the enemy shall as easily eat thee up as the cankerworm eats the green herb, or thou shalt as soon be devoured as canker-worms are destroyed by storms, rain, fire, or change of weather. <\/P> <P>Make thyself many as the cankerworm; they are innumerable, be thou so if thou canst be, all will be to no purpose. <\/P> <P>Make thyself many as the locusts: the same irony repeated: when Ninevites have done all they can, they shall as fully and suddenly be destroyed as these vermin are. <\/P> <\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><P><B>15. There<\/B>in the very scene ofthy great preparations for defense; and where thou now art so secure.<\/P><P>       <B>fire<\/B>even as at theformer destruction; Sardanapalus (Pul?) perished with all hishousehold in the conflagration of his palace, having in despair setit on fire, the traces of which are still remaining. <\/P><P>       <B>cankerworm<\/B>&#8220;thelicking locust&#8221; [HENDERSON].<\/P><P>       <B>make thyself many as thelocusts<\/B>&#8220;the swarming locusts&#8221; [HENDERSON];that is, however &#8220;many&#8221; be thy forces, like those of &#8220;theswarming locusts,&#8221; or the &#8220;licking locusts,&#8221; yet thefoe shall consume thee as the &#8220;licking locust&#8221; licks up allbefore it.<\/P><\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown&#8217;s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><strong>There shall the fire devour thee<\/strong>,&#8230;. In the strong holds, made ever so firm and secure; either the fire of divine wrath; or the fire of the enemy they should put into them; or the enemy himself, as Kimchi; and so the Targum,<\/p>\n<p> &#8220;thither shall come upon thee people who are as strong as fire:&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><strong>the sword shall cut thee off; it shall eat thee up as the cankerworm<\/strong>: that is, the sword of the Medes and Chaldeans shall utterly destroy thee, as the cankerworm is destroyed by rain or fire; or rather, as that creature destroys all herbs, plants, and trees it falls upon, and makes clear riddance of them, so should it be with Nineveh:<\/p>\n<p><strong>make thyself many as the cankerworm; make thyself many as the locust<\/strong>; which go in swarms, innumerable, and make the air &#8220;heavy&#8221; in which they fly, and the earth on which they fall, as the word y signifies. The locust has one of its names, &#8220;arbah&#8221;, in Hebrew, from the large numbers of them; so a multitude of men, and large armies, are often signified in Scripture to be like grasshoppers or locusts, for their numbers; see <span class='bible'>Jud 6:5<\/span>. So Sithalces king of Thrace is represented z as swearing, while he was sacrificing, that he would assist the Athenians, having an army that would come like locusts, that is, in such numbers; for so the Greek scholiast on the place says the word used signifies a sort of locusts: the sense is, gather together as many soldiers, and as large an army, as can be obtained to meet the enemy, or cause him to break up the siege: and so we find a the king of Assyria did; for, perceiving his kingdom in great danger, he sent into all his provinces to raise soldiers, and prepare everything for the siege; but all to no purpose, which is here ironically suggested. The word in the Misnic language, as Kimchi observes, has the signification of sweeping; and some render it, &#8220;sweep as the locust&#8221; b; which sweeps away and consumes the fruits of the earth; so sweep with the besom of destruction, as Jarchi, either their enemies, sarcastically spoken, or be thou swept by them.<\/p>\n<p>y  &#8220;aggravate&#8221;, Montanus; &#8220;onerate&#8221;, Tigurine version; &#8220;gravem effice te&#8221;, Burkius. z Aristophan. in Acharnens. Act. 1. Scen. 1. a Diodor. Sicul. l. 2. p. 113. b So R. Sol. Urbin. Ohel Moed, fol. 39. 1.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: John Gill&#8217;s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p> But he adds,  There shall the fire consume thee  There is much importance in the adverb of place,  there,  which he uses: there also, he says, shall the fire eat thee up:  for he expresses more than before, when he said, that the Assyrians would weary themselves in vain in fortifying their city and their empire; for he says now, that the Lord would turn to their destruction those things in which they trusted as their defenses;  There  then  shall the fire consume thee  We now then see what the Prophet means. <\/p>\n<p> We must at the same time observe, that he mentions water; as though he said, However sparingly and frugally thy soldiers may live, being content with water as their drink, (for it is necessary, when we would firmly resist enemies, to undergo all indulgences, and if needs be to endure want, at least the want of delicate meat and drink,) &#8212; though thy soldiers be content with water, and seek not water fresh from the spring or the river, but drink it from cisterns, and though thy fortresses be repaired, and thy walls carefully joined together in a solid structure, by bricks well fitted and fastened,  yet there shall the fire consume thee;  that is, thy frugality, exertion, and care, not only will avail thee nothing, but will also turn out to thy ruin; for the Lord pronounces accursed the arrogance of men, when they trust in their own resources. <\/p>\n<p> He afterwards adds,  Exterminate thee shall the sword;  that is, the Lord will find out various means by which he will consume thee. By the fire, then, and by the sword, will he waste and destroy thee. He then says,  He will consume thee as the chafer  we may read the last word in the nominative as well as in the objective case &#8212; He as a chafer will consume thee. If we approve of this rendering, then the meaning would be, &#8212; &#8220;As chafers in a short time devour a meadow or standing corn, so thy enemies shall soon devour thee as with one mouthful.&#8221; We indeed know, that these little animals are so hurtful, that they will very soon eat up and consume all the fruit; and there is in these insects an astonishing voracity. But as the Prophet afterwards compares the Assyrians to chafers and locusts, another sense would be more suitable, and that is, &#8212; that God&#8217;s judgment would consume the Assyrians, as when rain, or a storm, or a change of season, consumes the chafers; for as these insects are very hurtful, so the Lord also exterminates them whenever he pleases.  (248) He afterwards adds, to be multiplied;  which is, as I have said, a verb in the infinitive mood. But the sentence of the Prophet is this,  by multiplying as the chafer, to multiply as the locusts:  but why he speaks thus, may be better understood from the context; the two following verses must be therefore added &#8212; <\/p>\n<p>  (248)  Grotius  agrees in this view, though  Newcome  takes the former, explaining, &#8220;as the locust,&#8221; that is, in a manner equally unsparing. &#8212;  Ed.  <\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Calvin&#8217;s Complete Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>(15, 16) The diversion of metaphor here is somewhat repugnant to modern taste. The sword, like the locust, shall devour Nineveh. Yet Nineveh is immediately afterwards compared in its numbers, destructive influence, and sudden disappearance to the locust. It is a transition like St. Pauls going off at a word. The comparison of the locust suggests the thought that Nineveh herself has been a locust-pest to the world, and the direction of the metaphor is thereupon suddenly changed. A paraphrase will best bring out the meaning. (15) Hostile swords devour thee, as a locust swarm devours. Vainly clusters together thy dense population, itself another locust-swarm. (16) Yea, as the stars of heaven for number have been thy merchants, as a pest of locusts which plunders one day and is gone the next.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Ellicott&#8217;s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p> <strong> 15<\/strong>. <strong> <\/strong> Nothing can save the city. <\/p>\n<p><strong> There <\/strong> Is understood best, as commonly, in a local sense; in that very place, fortified with extraordinary care, and even while attempting to add to its strength destruction will come. Fire shall devour the city (compare Rogers, <em> History of Babylonia and Assyria, <\/em> <em> 2:<\/em> 292), while the inhabitants are cut down in a terrible slaughter. <\/p>\n<p><strong> Like the cankerworm <\/strong> Utterly and completely (see on <span class='bible'>Joe 1:4<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Joe 1:7<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Joe 1:11<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p> With <span class='bible'>Nah 3:15<\/span> b begins a new thought, continued in <span class='bible'>Nah 3:16<\/span>; but down to the end of <span class='bible'>Nah 3:17<\/span> the details of interpretation are more or less uncertain. LXX. omits one of the imperative clauses in 15b; if both are retained the second must be considered a repetition for the sake of emphasis. Since both exhortations are addressed to Nineveh, both imperatives should be read as feminines, though in the present text one is masculine. The exact force of the verses and the exact relation of the separate clauses to one another are uncertain, but it seems best, on the assumption that the present Hebrew text is substantially correct, to understand 15b as a new ironical exhortation to strengthen the defenses, by summoning a greater number of defenders. <\/p>\n<p><strong> Make thyself many as the cankerworm, locusts <\/strong> For the names see on <span class='bible'>Joe 1:4<\/span>. The soldiers are to be increased in number until they resemble a swarm of locusts. According to the present Hebrew text the prophet continues in <span class='bible'>Nah 3:16<\/span>, again in a spirit of sarcasm: There is no need for advice; thou hast already multiplied thy numbers until they are more than the stars of heaven, but the multitudes are not soldiers prepared to fight and to beat back the attack. <\/p>\n<p><strong> Merchants <\/strong> The very location of Nineveh made her a prominent commercial center from a very early period; this helped to increase her wealth and splendor, but merchants, unaccustomed to hardships and often reared in luxury, do not make the best soldiers.<\/p>\n<p> A more satisfactory sense would be had if the <em> perfect <\/em> of <span class='bible'>Nah 3:16<\/span> a were changed into an <em> imperative, <\/em> and if the three imperatives, &ldquo;make thyself many , make thyself many , (<span class='bible'>Nah 3:15<\/span> b) multiply&rdquo; (<span class='bible'>Nah 3:16<\/span> a), were taken in a concessive sense, &ldquo;though thou shouldst make thyself many , though thou shouldst make thyself many , though thou shouldst multiply&rdquo; (G.-K., 110a). To these clauses, forming the protasis, <span class='bible'>Nah 3:16-17<\/span> would be the apodosis; even the great numbers shall vanish away.<\/p>\n<p> <span class='bible'>Nah 3:16-17<\/span> <strong> , <\/strong> which belong closely together, picture the sudden disappearance of the defenders of Nineveh; they point, therefore, to the sequel of the siege the time when the enemy has entered the city. Again the prophet employs the figure of the swiftly moving swarms of locusts.<\/p>\n<p> <span class='bible'>Nah 3:16<\/span> b is the introduction to <span class='bible'>Nah 3:17<\/span>, calling attention to the point which the speaker desires to emphasize, the rapidity with which the locusts move; in <span class='bible'>Nah 3:17<\/span> the application is made. <\/p>\n<p><strong> The cankerworm spoileth, and fleeth away <\/strong> If this is the right translation, the cankerworm represents the enemy who plunders the city and then withdraws quickly. In the sense of <em> spoiling <\/em> the verb is not uncommon; but since in <span class='bible'>Nah 3:15<\/span>; <span class='bible'>Nah 3:17<\/span> the Ninevites are likened to locusts, it seems better to understand here also the cankerworms as representing the Ninevites. If so, another meaning of the verb must be sought. It is used quite frequently in the sense of <em> stripping off a garment; <\/em> applied to the locusts it may refer to the stripping off of the skin that confines the wings, which enable them to fly. Margin R.V., &ldquo;spreadeth himself.&rdquo; The transformation progresses very rapidly; hardly has the locust freed his wings when away he flies. In this connection A.B. Davidson calls attention to Tennyson&rsquo;s lines: <\/p>\n<p><strong><em> To-day I saw the dragon-fly<\/p>\n<p> Come from the wells where he did lie; <\/p>\n<p> An inner impulse rent the veil <\/p>\n<p> Of his old husk;<\/p>\n<p> from head to tail <\/p>\n<p> Come out clear plates of sapphire mail. <\/p>\n<p> He dried his wings; <\/p>\n<p> like gauze they grew, <\/p>\n<p> Through crofts and pastures wet with dew, <\/p>\n<p> A living flash of light he flew.<\/p>\n<p><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong> 17<\/strong>. <strong> <\/strong> With the same swiftness the Ninevites will disappear. This interpretation of <span class='bible'>Nah 3:17<\/span> is preferable to that which, omitting 16b entirely, co-ordinates 17 with the concessive clauses of 15b and 16a, and sees the apodosis in <span class='bible'>Nah 3:18<\/span>. <strong> Crowned <\/strong> [&ldquo;princes&rdquo;] A word of uncertain meaning, which occurs only here in the Old Testament; it is thought to be an Assyrian loan word denoting some prominent official. Wellhausen compares it with one found in <span class='bible'>Zec 9:6<\/span>, and <span class='bible'>Deu 23:2<\/span>, &ldquo;bastard&rdquo; or &ldquo;bastard race,&rdquo; that is, a man of uncertain, impure origin; but this sense is not suitable here. <strong> Captains <\/strong> [&ldquo;marshals&rdquo;] Hebrews <em> tiphsar, <\/em> found again in <span class='bible'>Jer 51:27<\/span>, where it denotes a high official. It also is probably an Assyrian loan word; it resembles the Assyrian <em> dupsharru, <\/em> &ldquo;the tablet writer,&rdquo; who occupied a prominent place during the reign of the literary Ashurbanapal. Here it cannot be used in this narrow sense, but in the more general sense of high official (compare <span class='bible'>Jdg 5:14<\/span>). <\/p>\n<p><strong> Locusts <\/strong> See on <span class='bible'>Joe 1:4<\/span>. <\/p>\n<p><strong> Great grasshoppers <\/strong> R.V., &ldquo;swarms of grasshoppers&rdquo;; literally, <em> grasshopper of grasshopper. <\/em> A peculiar construction which may be due to the accidental repetition of the one word &ldquo;grasshopper&rdquo; or &ldquo;swarm of grasshoppers&rdquo; (compare <span class='bible'>Amo 7:1<\/span>); the sense is &ldquo;like grasshoppers.&rdquo; The point of comparison is the suddenness with which they disappear. <\/p>\n<p><strong> In the cold day <\/strong> The cold stiffens the wings of the locusts, therefore on a cold day they settle down in a sheltered spot. <\/p>\n<p><strong> When the sun ariseth they flee away <\/strong> Under the warm rays of the sun they revive, and immediately they disappear, without leaving a trace behind. So the inhabitants of Nineveh will vanish without leaving behind them a trace.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Whedon&#8217;s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p><strong><em><span class='bible'>Nah 3:15<\/span><\/em><\/strong><strong>. <\/strong><strong><em>There shall the fire devour thee, <\/em><\/strong><strong>&amp;c.<\/strong> According to the prophet, the city was to be destroyed by fire and water; and we see in the passage quoted from Diodorus, ch. <span class=''>Nah 2:6<\/span> that by fire and water it was destroyed. See Bishop Newton. <\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p> Nah 3:15 There 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.<\/p>\n<p> Ver. 15. <strong> There shall the fire devour thee<\/strong> ] There, that is, in thy strongholds, where thou thinkest thyself most safe. These shall be to thee <em> pro carcere et pistrino,<\/em> for a prison, or little ease; when the fire of God&rsquo;s wrath shall kindle upon thee the fire of war shall consume thee. See Amo 1:4 <span class='bible'>Joe 1:19<\/span> ; <span class='bible'>Joe 2:3<\/span> ; Joe 2:30 <span class='bible'>Amo 7:4<\/span> . <em> See Trapp on &#8220;<\/em> Amo 1:4 <em> &#8220;<\/em> <em> See Trapp on &#8220;<\/em> Joe 1:19 <em> &#8220;<\/em> <em> See Trapp on &#8220;<\/em> Joe 2:3 <em> &#8220;<\/em> <em> See Trapp on &#8220;<\/em> Joe 2:30 <em> &#8220;<\/em> <em> See Trapp on &#8220;<\/em> Amo 7:4 <em> &#8220;<\/em> Evil shall hunt the violent man to destroy him, <span class='bible'>Psa 140:11<\/span> , neither must he think to be safe anywhere from Divine vengeance, Amo 9:2-3 Psa 139:7-10 <span class='bible'>Oba 1:4<\/span> ; which will not suffer them to live, as those Barbarians could tell, <span class='bible'>Act 28:4<\/span> . The heathens called Nemesis, or Vengeance, A , to show that no guilty person could shun it. Shuffle he may for a season from side to side, as Balaam&rsquo;s ass did, to avoid the angel&rsquo;s sword, <span class='bible'>Num 22:27<\/span> , but at length lay down under it, and so condemned her master&rsquo;s madness, <span class='bible'>2Pe 2:16<\/span> . Running into God is the only best way to escape him; as to close and get in with him that would strike you doth avoid the blow. <\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/p>\n<p> The sword shall cut thee off<\/strong> ] <em> Est haec vehemens plane comminatio,<\/em> saith Gualther. This is truly a very vehement threat. See how thick it falls, like hail shot upon them, that they can hardly take breath; and all too little to work upon their hard hearts, which could not repent. These uncounselable Ninevites were like the smith&rsquo;s dog; whom neither the hammers above him nor the sparks of fire falling round about him can awake. Like leviathan, they esteemed iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood. Darts were counted by them as stubble, they laughed at the shaking of the spear, <span class='bible'>Job 41:27<\/span> ; <span class='bible'>Job 41:29<\/span> . It is proper to God&rsquo;s people to tremble at his word, to stand in awe of his judgments, while they yet hang in the threatenings. Wicked men laugh when they should fear; and say in their hearts when God threateneth them, as Frederick II, Emperor of Germany, was wont to say openly, in the greatest threatening of his enemies, <em> Minarum strepitus, Asinorum crepitus.<\/em> The noise of theatenings, the rustlings of asses. <\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/p>\n<p> It shall eat thee up as the cankerworm<\/strong> ] Which useth to make quick despatch and clean work, see <span class='bible'>Joe 1:1-20<\/span> ; <span class='bible'>Joe 2:1-32<\/span> , to shear all before it. <\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/p>\n<p> Make thyself many<\/strong> ] Heb. weighty with multitude; so that the axletree of the earth may seem to groan under thy grandeur and massiness. Do this thou, O King of Nineveh (for the Hebrew verb here is masculine). Do the like thou, O city of Nineveh. <\/p>\n<p><strong> <\/p>\n<p> Make thyself many as the locusts<\/strong> ] Which hath its name in Hebrew from multitude; because, as that legion in the Gospel, they are many: and here the Hebrew verb is feminine. Ministers must lay about them on all hands; and be ready to turn themselves, as it were, into all shapes and fashions, both of speech and spirit, to bring people to the knowledge of God and his will, of themselves and their duties.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: John Trapp&#8217;s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>cankerworm = the young locust. Hebrew. yelek. See note on Joe 1:4. <\/p>\n<p>make thyself many = [though thou be] numerous. Figure of speech Irony (App-6). <\/p>\n<p>locusts = the young locust. Hebrew &#8216;arbeh. See note on Joe 1:4. <\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>shall the: Nah 3:13, Nah 2:13, Zep 2:13 <\/p>\n<p>it: Joe 1:4, Joe 2:25 <\/p>\n<p>make thyself many as the locusts: Exo 10:13-15 <\/p>\n<p>Reciprocal: Jer 51:12 &#8211; the standard Jer 51:14 &#8211; as with Jer 51:27 &#8211; cause Amo 7:1 &#8211; he 2Ti 2:17 &#8211; their word Rev 9:3 &#8211; locusts<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>Nah 3:15. Notwithstanding all the preparations suggested in the preceding verse, the fire of the besiegers will devour the fortifications. The cankerworn and locust were destructive insects and consumed that which they attacked. Though the people of Nineveh should make themselves as numerous as these insects were, yet they were to be attacked and destroyed by the invading forces which will be still more numerous.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>3:15 There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the {e} cankerworm: make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts.<\/p>\n<p>(c) Signifying that God&#8217;s judgments would suddenly destroy the Assyrians, as these vermin do with rain or change of weather.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n<p>However if the Ninevites did strengthen their defenses, fire would consume them where they went to draw water and the sword would cut them down as they built. The walls of Nineveh would become the walls of her tomb rather than her defense.<\/p>\n<p style=\"margin-left:36pt\">&quot;There was no question about the clear traces of the burning of the temple (as also in the palace of Sennacherib), for a layer of ash about two inches thick lay clearly defined in places on the southeast side about the level of the Sargon pavement.&quot;<span style=\"color:#808080\"> [Note: R. Campbell Thompson and R. W. Hutchinson, A Century of Exploration at Nineveh, p. 77.] <\/span><\/p>\n<p>The city&rsquo;s destruction would be like a locust invasion. A hoard of invading soldiers would descend on Nineveh and leave nothing remaining (cf. Joe 1:2-13). Nahum ironically encouraged the Ninevites to multiply their numbers like locusts since they would have to face a swarm of invading locust-like soldiers.<span style=\"color:#808080\"> [Note: Longman, &quot;Nahum,&quot; p. 825.] <\/span> Another interpretation is that Nahum was addressing the invading soldiers and encouraging them to increase their number so they would be successful. This seems less likely to me since the references to &quot;yourself&quot; are to the people of Nineveh in the context, and an ironical word to them makes sense.<\/p>\n<h4 align='right'><i><b>Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There 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. 15. There ] amidst her brick moulds, shall the fire devour her, the sword cut her off. The &ldquo;fire&rdquo; is said of the &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/exegetical-and-hermeneutical-commentary-of-nahum-315\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Nahum 3:15&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22738","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22738","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22738"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22738\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22738"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22738"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22738"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}