Is Ninevah's Destruction A Sign For Todays World

11/9/2025
Nahum 3:1-19 Ninevah’s Complete Ruin
Intro: Given the limited amount of information that we know about Nahum, the best we can do is narrow the timeframe in which the Book of Nahum was written to between 663 and 612 B.C. Two events are mentioned that help us to determine these dates. First, Nahum mentions Thebes (No Amon) in Egypt falling to the Assyrians (663 B.C.) in the past tense, so it had already happened. Second, the remainder of Nahum’s prophecies came true in 612 B.C.

Nahum did not write this book as a warning or “call to repentance” for the people of Nineveh. God had already sent them the prophet Jonah 150 years earlier with His promise of what would happen if they continued in their evil ways. The people at that time had repented but now lived just as bad if not worse than they did before. The Assyrians had become absolutely brutal in their conquests (hanging the bodies of their victims on poles and putting their skin on the walls of their tents among other atrocities). Now Nahum was telling the people of Judah to not despair because God had pronounced judgment and the Assyrians would soon be getting just what they deserved.

Nineveh once had responded to the preaching of Jonah and turned from their evil ways to serve the Lord God. But 150 years later, Nineveh returned to idolatry, violence, and arrogance (Nahum 3:1–4). Once again God sends one of His prophets to Nineveh warning of judgment in the form of the destruction of their city and exhorting them to repentance. Sadly, the Ninevites did not heed’s Nahum’s warning, and the city was brought under the dominion of Babylon.

God is patient and slow to anger. He gives every country time to repent of sin and follow Him as Lord. But He is not mocked. Any time a country turns away from Him and rejects righteousness, evil results, and He steps in with judgment. This was true for Assyria, and it will be true for any nation today. As Christians it is our duty to stand up for biblical principles and proclaim Christ, for it is only in repentance and the life-changing message of the gospel that any country can find hope.

1. Murderous Warmongering People
Nahum 3:1 Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;
Doomed is the lying, murderous city, full of wealth to be looted and plundered! Woe (judgment is coming) to the city of blood [guilty of murder and mayhem], completely full of lies and pillage;
Her prey never departs [alive].
the bloody city: Nineveh was known throughout the Middle East as a city that excelled in violence and bloodshed.

Nahum 3:2 The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots. Listen! The crack of the whip, the rattle of wheels, the gallop of horses, the jolting of chariots! The noise of the [cracking of the] whip, The noise of the rattling of the wheel, Galloping horses And rumbling and bounding chariots [in the assault of Nineveh]!
Horses and chariots were instruments of war.

Nahum 3:3 The 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: Cavalry troops charge, swords flash, spears gleam! Corpses are piled high, dead bodies without number—men stumble over them! Horsemen charging,
Swords flashing, spears gleaming, Many slain, a mass of corpses No end of corpses—The horsemen stumble over the corpses! Verse 3 describes the horrors of the nation’s war machine, which resulted in countless corpses.

1. Murderous Warmongering People 2 They Love Their False Gods
Nahum 3:4 Because 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. Nineveh the whore is being punished. Attractive and full of deadly charms, she enchanted nations and enslaved[a] them. All because of the many acts of prostitution of [Nineveh] the prostitute, The charming and well-favored one, the mistress of sorceries,
Who betrays nations by her acts of prostitution (idolatry) And families by her sorceries.
Harlotries refers to paganism. Any worship of gods other than the God of Scripture is an act of spiritual prostitution. Nineveh was so adept at pagan practices that the city earned the descriptive title, the mistress of sorceries.

Nahum 3:5 Behold, 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. The Lord Almighty says, “I will punish you, Nineveh! I will strip you naked and let the nations see you see you in all your shame. “Behold, I am against you,” declares the Lord of hosts, “And I will lift up your skirts over your face, And I will let the nations look at your nakedness [O Nineveh] And the kingdoms at your disgrace.
I am against you: This repetition of this phrase from 2:13 is more chilling each time it is heard. Who could survive the Lord’s opposition? lift your skirts: The Lord would publicly humiliate Nineveh. Nahum 2:13 Behold, I am against thee, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions: and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard.

Nahum 3:6 And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock. I will treat you with contempt and cover you with filth. people will stare at you in horror. “I will throw filth on you And make you vile and treat you with contempt, And set you up as a spectacle.

1. Murderous Warmongering People 2 They Love Their False Gods
3. The Fate Of Godless People
Nahum 3:7 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? All who see you will shrink back. They will say, ‘Nineveh lies in ruins! Who has any sympathy for her? Who will want to comfort her?’” “And it will come about that all who see you Will shrink back and run from you and say, ‘Nineveh is completely ruined! Who will grieve for her?’ Where will I seek comforters for you?”
The Lord described the fate of Nineveh as comparable to a person on whom unspeakable filth was cast. When Nineveh lay in ruins, no one would bemoan her. The nations would be glad that the city was gone.

Nahum 3:8 Art thou better than populous No (the city of No Amon or Thebes), 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? Nineveh, are you any better than Thebes, the capital of Egypt? She too had a river to protect her like a wall—the Nile was her defense. Are you better than [a]Thebes, Which was situated by the waters of the Nile, With water surrounding her, Whose defense was the sea (the Nile), Whose wall consisted of the sea?
The destruction of the city of Thebes near the Nile River in 663 b.c. was going to be a template for the destruction of Nineveh. No Amon is the Hebrew name for Thebes, derived from the Egyptian name meaning “City of (the god) Amon.” The argument seems to suggest that before its destruction, no one would have even dreamed of the fall of Thebes. But the destruction had happened—not long before the writing of the Book of Nahum. The city of Thebes was rebuilt only to be destroyed later during the Roman period (29 b.c.). Nineveh, however, would never be rebuilt.

Nahum 3:9 Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers. She ruled Ethiopia[b] and Egypt, there was no limit to her power; Libya was her ally. Ethiopia was her strength, And Egypt too, without limits. [b]Put and Lubim were among her helpers.

Nahum 3:10 Yet 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. Yet the people of Thebes were carried off into exile. At every street corner their children were beaten to death. Their leading men were carried off in chains and divided among their captors. Yet she became an exile; She went into captivity. Her young children were dashed to pieces At the head of every street; They cast lots for her honorable men, And all her great men were bound with chains.
The city of No Amon or Thebes had many powerful allies, but they were not sufficient to protect her in her hour of need. Who would ally with Nineveh to fight off the Lord’s attack?

Nahum 3:11 Thou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid, thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy. Nineveh, you too will fall into a drunken stupor! You too will try to escape from your enemies. You too [Nineveh] will become drunk [with the cup of God’s wrath]; You will be hidden. You too [Nineveh] will search [in vain] for a refuge from the enemy.
drunk … hidden … seek strength: Nineveh would be like a helpless drunk hoping for refuge but finding nowhere to turn for it.

Nahum 3:12 All 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. All your fortresses will be like fig trees with ripe figs: shake the trees, and the fruit falls right into your mouth! All your fortresses are [nothing but] fig trees with ripe figs—When shaken they fall into the mouth of the eater.
Nahum satirically describes the strongholds of Nineveh as being so easily defeated that they would be like fruit trees that drop their figs into waiting mouths.

Nahum 3:13 Behold, 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. Your soldiers are helpless, and your country stands defenseless before your enemies. Fire will destroy the bars across your gates. Behold, your people are [as weak and helpless as] women in your midst! The gates of your land are opened wide to your enemies; Fire consumes the bars across your gates.

Nahum 3:14 Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter, make strong the brickkiln. Draw water to prepare for a siege, and strengthen your fortresses! Trample the clay to make bricks, and get the brick molds ready! Draw water for a [long, continued] siege! Strengthen your fortresses! Go down to the clay pits, trample the mortar! Prepare the brick kiln [to burn bricks for the rampart]!
Nahum taunted Nineveh by telling the people to prepare for their siege.

Nahum 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. No matter what you do, you will still be burned to death or killed in battle. You will be wiped out like crops eaten up by locusts. You multiplied like locusts! But there [in the very midst of these preparations] the fire will devour you; The sword will cut you down; It will devour you as the locust does. Multiply yourself like the creeping locusts; Multiply yourself like the swarming locusts.
The actual siege of Nineveh continued over two years.

Nahum 3:16 Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and fleeth away. You produced more merchants than there are stars in the sky! But now they are gone, like locusts that spread their wings and fly away. You have increased your traders more than the [visible] stars of heaven— The creeping locust strips and destroys and then flies away.
Despite the great economic and military strength of Nineveh, there was nothing lasting in the city’s power

Nahum 3:17 Thy 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. Your officials are like a swarm of locusts that stay in the walls on a cold day. But when the sun comes out, they fly away, and no one knows where they have gone! Your guardsmen are like the swarming locusts. Your marshals are like the hordes of grasshoppers
Settling in the stone walls on a cold day. When the sun rises, they fly away, And no one knows the place where they are.
When the sun Ariseth: The people of Nineveh would be like nocturnal insects that disappear at daylight.

Nahum 3:18 Thy 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. Emperor of Assyria, your governors are dead, and your noblemen are asleep forever! Your people are scattered on the mountains, and there is no one to bring them home again. Your shepherds are asleep, O king of Assyria; Your nobles are lying down [in death]. Your people are scattered on the mountains, And there is no one to gather them.
Your shepherds slumber: When the shepherds are not alert, the sheep cannot be saved from danger.

Nahum 3:19 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 wickedness passed continually? There is no remedy for your injuries, and your wounds cannot be healed. All those who hear the news of your destruction clap their hands for joy. Did anyone escape your endless cruelty? There is no relief and healing for your hurt; Your wound is incurable. All who hear the news about you Clap their hands over [what has happened to] you. For on whom has your [unceasing] evil not come continually?
All who hear: Every nation and people that had suffered under the abusive power of Nineveh would shout and clap upon hearing of the city’s destruction. There would be no mourning for Nineveh.

Conclusion: 1. Murderous Warmongering People 2 They Love Their False Gods
3. The Fate Of Godless People The Complete Fall Of Ninevah
All who oppose God will lose in the end. They will lose everything. Do you think that God will let your breathe air in hell? Do you think God will let you have room to move around in hell? Do you think a jail cell is tight….did you ever think about hell? There is no freedom there. There is no sympathy there. There is no peace there. There is no air there, no sunlight, no sitting down or lying down for comfort. Have you really thought this through? If there was the slightest chance that Hell might be real shouldn’t you check it out? Hey….what have you got to lose? If the Bible is not true then a Christian still has lost nothing. If the Bible is true then the Christian has gained everything! If the Bible is not true the non-believer has lost nothing. If the Bible is true then the Non-believer has lost EVERYTHING! Every joy, every hope, every pleasure, every good thing in life is gone forever!

Well I’ll just take my chances! Do you realize how many decisions you make every day about things that will probably never happen in your life? You have fire insurance. Most people never experience a home fire. You have auto insurance. Most people never have turned in a claim. You buy a new coat for winter that you will probably never wear. You stock up on items in case of a disaster that will probably never happen. You buy items for a variety of things that you will never do or will never see. YET……..the vast majority of people don’t make preparations for life after death…..death…….this is the one thing they know for sure will happen and they never prepare for it. And they don’t prepare for the distinct possibility that there might be a hell!

We buy things we know good and well we probably will never use…….. but we get them just in case……yet we will not examine the truths of the Bible about Jesus Christ and His payment for our sins that allows us to go to heaven. We just won’t do it!

People talking about prepping for disaster. Well death is a great disaster if you leave this world without Jesus Christ! The greatest disaster in you will ever face in this life!! Nothing else compares to it!!