Everything that is known about Nahum is what is in the Book of Nahum, the 34th book of the Bible. That is the only place he appears in Scripture. We don't know the exact date of when he lived, but we do know it was sometime between 663 and 612 B.C. because he predicted the fall of Nineveh before it happened, which was in 612 B.C. We also know he spoke of the fall of Thebes after it had been destroyed in 663 B.C.

No one knows exactly where Nahum is from. In the Bible it tells us he was from Elkosh, but there is no such place in history. Some scholars believe it was in Assyria. Others think it could have been the original name of the city of Capernaum, because in Hebrew Capernaum means "Village of Nahum." His name means "comforter" or "consoler."

Nahum was more popular than most prophets because he criticized Assyria instead of Judah. Other prophets had made people angry by telling them they were doing things wrong. But the people could tolerate Nahum because he was telling them other people were doing wrong. He spoke of God's wrath towards the Assyrians and God's promise to destroy their capital, Nineveh. He said that God had the power to wipe them out, and he would because the Assyrians had no respect for God. Shortly after Nahum prophesied the end of Nineveh, the Assyrians were conquered by the Babylonians, and the city was destroyed. All the wealth of the city was taken by the enemy.

Judah wasn't perfect though, and Nahum really wanted them to learn from what happened to the Assyrians. If you disobey The Lord and make him angry you will be punished. Nahum did not want God to react to Judah the same way he did to Nineveh. He said that they had to obey the Lord.

What did the Assyrians ever do to you?

The Assyrians were harsh, brutal people. They gained power and wealth by plundering other civilizations. They were merciless, and had no moral values. They were said to be so hated that no one would be upset when they were destroyed.




Review Questions
1. When did Nahum probably live?
2. What was his main message, or who was he most critical of?
3. Where is the only place we find any information about Nahum?

Answers



Outline

This book is very short (3 pages) and only has two major sections:
The Lord's coming in Judgement 1.2-2.3*
The Fall of Nineveh 2.2*-3.19


*Verse 3 comes before Verse 2 in Chapter 2