For they are like entangled thorns, like drunkards as they drink; they are consumed like stubble fully dried.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse uses a surprising turn of phrase: the Ninevites are compared to thorns, but not just any thorns – they are "entangled" and "drunken." This suggests their very defenses and vices will contribute to their destruction, making them utterly helpless and ripe for judgment, like dry stubble consumed by a sudden fire.
For they are like entangled thorns, like drunkards as they drink; they are consumed like stubble fully dried.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Nahum has just declared God's judgment against His enemies, and now he uses vivid imagery to describe their imminent destruction. The prophet compares the Assyrians to a tangled mass of thorns, implying they are dangerous and difficult to handle, yet ultimately destined for destruction. He further likens them to drunkards, suggesting they are out of control and unaware of the impending doom that will consume them like dry stubble in a fire.
Imagine a thick, tangled hedge of thorns. It's hard to get through, sharp, and dangerous to touch. But what happens when it's dry?
Nahum compares the Assyrians to 'entangled thorns.' This image paints a picture of a people who are difficult, dangerous, and perhaps even seem strong because of their chaotic, unified wickedness. They inflict pain and keep others at bay through their violence and deceit.
However, the key is that they are also dry stubble. Dry thorns, when caught by fire, burn quickly and completely. Their entanglement, which might seem to offer protection, actually makes them easier to burn together, like a bundle of firewood. Their perceived strength and danger are ultimately what make them so vulnerable to God's judgment.
Drunkards might seem loud and boisterous, even aggressive. But underneath the bluster, they're unsteady, their senses dulled, and their ability to act diminished.
The Assyrians are also compared to 'drunkards.' This isn't just about literal drunkenness, though historical accounts suggest Nineveh was attacked during a period of revelry. It's a metaphor for their spiritual and moral state.
Their pride, cruelty, and overconfidence have made them spiritually 'drunk,' numbing them to reality and God's impending judgment. Like a drunk person who stumbles and falls easily, their aggressive swagger is a sign of inner weakness, not true strength. God's judgment will catch them in this state of delusion and unsteadiness, making them easy to overthrow.
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What's the quickest, most complete way to get rid of dry grass and weeds? Fire.
The final image, 'consumed like stubble fully dried,' seals the fate of the Assyrians. Dry stubble offers no resistance; it catches fire instantly and burns to ash. This emphasizes the totality and speed of God's judgment.
There will be no struggle, no remnants left. Their perceived might as 'entangled thorns' and their self-induced weakness as 'drunkards' both lead to this same end: utter consumption. God's judgment is absolute and purifying, leaving nothing of their wicked power or pride behind. It's a powerful reminder that God's justice, when it comes, is swift and final for those who defy Him.
Understand the original words
qash · Hebrew Noun
Dry plant stalks or residue left after harvest, used as a frequent biblical metaphor for the rapid, total destruction and consumption of the wicked under God's judgment.
The prophecy of Nahum paints a vivid picture of impending doom for Nineveh, using imagery of thorns and drunkenness to describe their unpreparedness and the ease with which God's judgment would consume them. This message would have resonated deeply in the years leading up to Nineveh's destruction, especially after Sennacherib's earlier devastating campaign against Judah.
c. 701 BC— this verse
Sennacherib's Campaign Against Judah
Assyrian king Sennacherib campaigned against Judah, conquering many cities and besieging Jerusalem. Though he failed to take Jerusalem, the event was a significant display of Assyrian power and a time of great distress for the Judeans.
c. 660s BC
Assyrian Expansion and Height
Under Ashurbanipal, the Neo-Assyrian Empire reached its greatest territorial extent and cultural influence, known for its vast library and military might.
612 BC
Fall of Nineveh
The capital city of Nineveh was conquered and destroyed by an alliance of Babylonians and Medes, marking the end of the Neo-Assyrian Empire.
This passage also uses the imagery of thorns to describe wicked people who are dangerous and ultimately destined for destruction by fire, paralleling Nahum's description of the Ninevites.
Psalm 58:9This psalm describes the wicked being swept away like thorns, consumed rapidly by God's anger before they can even feel its heat, echoing the 'stubble fully dried' imagery in Nahum.
1 Kings 20:16This passage describes a king who, in his drunken revelry and overconfidence, is easily defeated, mirroring Nahum's depiction of the drunken, vulnerable Assyrians facing God's judgment.
Daniel 5:1-4The account of Belshazzar's drunken feast leading to the fall of Babylon illustrates how revelry and pride can precede divine judgment, much like the situation described for Nineveh in Nahum.
Luke 12:39Jesus uses the imagery of a thief coming in the night, to which a householder would be alert, contrasting with the drunken unreadiness of the Ninevites, highlighting the surprise element of God's judgment on the unprepared.
cambridgeNahum 1:10: "For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry."
10 . Nahum 1:10 can hardly have been handed down in its original state. It may be rendered much as R.V.: for though (they be like) thorns tangled together and drenched as with their drink, they shall be consumed as stubble fully dry . The Ninevites are compared to a tangled thorn hedge soaked with moisture and thus inaccessible to fire, yet the fire of…
clarkeNahum 1:10: "For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry."
While they be folden together - However united their counsels may be, they shall be as drunken men - perplexed and unsteady in all their resolutions; and before God's judgments they shall be as dry thorns before a devouring fire.
The verse uses a surprising turn of phrase: the Ninevites are compared to thorns, but not just any thorns – they are "entangled" and "drunken." This suggests their very defenses and vices will contribute to their destruction, making them utterly helpless and ripe for judgment, like dry stubble consumed by a sudden fire.
Nahum has just declared God's judgment against His enemies, and now he uses vivid imagery to describe their imminent destruction. The prophet compares the Assyrians to a tangled mass of thorns, implying they are dangerous and difficult to handle, yet ultimately destined for destruction. He further likens them to drunkards, suggesting they are out of control and unaware of the impending doom that will consume them like dry stubble in a fire.
Nahum has just declared God's judgment against His enemies, and now he uses vivid imagery to describe their imminent destruction. The prophet compares the Assyrians to a tangled mass of thorns, implying they are dangerous and difficult to handle, yet ultimately destined for destruction. He further likens them to drunkards, suggesting they are out of control and unaware of the impending doom that will consume them like dry stubble in a fire.
"For they are like entangled thorns, like drunkards as they drink; they are consumed like stubble fully dried." — The verse uses a surprising turn of phrase: the Ninevites are compared to thorns, but not just any thorns – they are "entangled" and "drunken." This suggests their very defenses and vices will contri…
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Last reviewed October 2026