Behold, your troops are women in your midst. The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire has devoured your bars.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The "gates of your land" aren't just city gates, but strategic mountain passes and entry points into the entire territory. This highlights that the enemy isn't just breaching a single city, but finding the whole nation utterly defenseless, with every avenue of approach laid wide open. The burning bars signify not just physical destruction, but the complete failure of all defenses, leaving nothing to stop the invading fire.
Behold, your troops are women in your midst. The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire has devoured your bars.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Nahum’s prophecy against Nineveh depicts the city’s imminent destruction, following earlier pronouncements of judgment on Assyria for its cruelty. This verse highlights the utter collapse of the city’s defenses and the citizens' courage. It emphasizes that the enemy will find no resistance, with gates flung open and defenses rendered useless by fire, symbolizing a complete and overwhelming defeat.
Imagine a mighty army, once feared across the known world, suddenly reduced to utter helplessness. Nahum paints a shocking picture of Nineveh's once-feared soldiers.
The prophet Nahum declares, 'Behold, your people are women in your midst.' This isn't about gender but about a complete loss of strength and courage. Nineveh's soldiers, who were known for their fierce might, are depicted as having no ability to fight or defend. This imagery highlights a total internal collapse. Their supposed strength has vanished, leaving them paralyzed by fear and unable to stand against the impending doom. It's a powerful way to show that external defenses mean nothing when the internal resolve is broken.
What happens when a city's defenses crumble, not just its walls, but the very pathways into the land itself?
The verse continues, 'The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies.' This imagery is significant. It refers not just to the city gates, but to the passes and frontiers that guard the entire territory. These 'gates' were meant to be strategic points of defense, controlled and secured. Their being 'wide open' signifies a complete failure of security – either through overwhelming enemy force, internal betrayal, or sheer panic. There are no longer any barriers to prevent the enemy's advance. The nation is utterly vulnerable, its access points surrendered without a fight.
The final image of destruction is stark: fire devouring the very means of defense. What does this inferno represent?
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The verse concludes with 'fire has devoured your bars.' The 'bars' were essential for securing gates and fortifications. Their destruction by fire signifies that all means of resistance have been obliterated. This could be literal – the enemy setting fire to the wooden bars of the gates – or metaphorical, representing the complete ruin of all defenses and any hope of protection. The fire leaves nothing standing, symbolizing a judgment so complete that every barrier is turned to ash. It’s the final, irreversible stage of Nineveh's downfall, where all its security measures are rendered utterly useless.
Understand the original words
sha‘ar · Hebrew Noun
The entry point of a city, serving as the center of judicial, economic, and military power. Gates being open or destroyed signifies a complete loss of defense and vulnerability to invasion.
esh · Hebrew Noun
A frequent biblical motif representing divine judgment, purification, or destruction; it is often described as consuming the wicked or their works.
Nahum's prophecy against Nineveh is deeply rooted in the context of the Assyrian Empire's brutal military dominance and the fear it instilled. The verse vividly portrays the city's vulnerability and the utter collapse of its defenses, reflecting the historical reality of Nineveh's impending destruction by the Babylonians and Medes.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The northern Kingdom of Israel falls to the Assyrian Empire under Sargon II, marking a significant expansion of Assyrian power and a prelude to their dominance over the region.
701 BC
Sennacherib's Campaign
Assyrian King Sennacherib invades Judah, besieging Jerusalem but ultimately failing to conquer it. This campaign highlights Assyria's military might and its impact on the surrounding kingdoms.
668-627 BC
Ashurbanipal's Reign
The Assyrian Empire reaches its greatest territorial extent under Ashurbanipal, known for his military campaigns and extensive library at Nineveh. This period represents the zenith of Assyrian power before its decline.
612 BC— this verse
Fall of Nineveh
The capital city of Nineveh is captured and destroyed by a coalition of Babylonians and Medes, marking the end of the Assyrian Empire. Nahum's prophecy is fulfilled with the utter devastation of the city.
c. 610 BC
Rise of Neo-Babylonian Empire
Following the fall of Nineveh, the Neo-Babylonian Empire rises to prominence under Nabopolassar and later Nebuchadnezzar II, becoming the dominant power in the region.
This passage echoes Nahum's imagery, describing the once-mighty Babylon as having become like women, with their gates flung open to their enemies, highlighting a theme of fallen strength and vulnerability.
Isaiah 19:16Similar to Nahum's prophecy, this verse speaks of Egypt becoming like women due to fear and dread, illustrating how national strength can collapse into utter helplessness when facing divine judgment.
Luke 21:26This New Testament passage describes men's hearts failing them for fear in the context of coming judgment, resonating with the idea in Nahum where the people's strength turns to weakness and panic.
Psalm 107:16This psalm speaks of God breaking down gates of bronze and cutting through bars of iron, a powerful parallel to the destruction of defenses mentioned in Nahum, emphasizing God's power to dismantle even the most fortified strongholds.
jfbNahum 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."
- thy people—thy soldiers.women—unable to fight for thee (Isa 19:16; Jer 50:37; 51:30).gates on thy land—the fortified passes or entrances to the region of Nineveh (compare Jer 15:7). Northeast of Nineveh there were hills affording a natural barrier against an invader; the guarded passes through these are probably "the gates of the l…
barnesNahum 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."
Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women - Fierce, fearless, hard, iron men, such as their warriors still are portrayed by themselves on their monuments, they whom no toll wearied, no peril daunted, shall be, one and all, their whole "people, women." So Jeremiah to Babylon, "they shall become, became, women" Jeremiah 50:37 ; J…
The "gates of your land" aren't just city gates, but strategic mountain passes and entry points into the entire territory. This highlights that the enemy isn't just breaching a single city, but finding the whole nation utterly defenseless, with every avenue of approach laid wide open. The burning bars signify not just physical destruction, but the complete failure of all defenses, leaving nothing to stop the invading fire.
Nahum’s prophecy against Nineveh depicts the city’s imminent destruction, following earlier pronouncements of judgment on Assyria for its cruelty. This verse highlights the utter collapse of the city’s defenses and the citizens' courage. It emphasizes that the enemy will find no resistance, with gates flung open and defenses rendered useless by fire, symbolizing a complete and overwhelming defeat.
Nahum’s prophecy against Nineveh depicts the city’s imminent destruction, following earlier pronouncements of judgment on Assyria for its cruelty. This verse highlights the utter collapse of the city’s defenses and the citizens' courage. It emphasizes that the enemy will find no resistance, with gates flung open and defenses rendered useless by fire, symbolizing a complete and overwhelming defeat.
"Behold, your troops are women in your midst. The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire has devoured your bars." — The "gates of your land" aren't just city gates, but strategic mountain passes and entry points into the entire territory. This highlights that the enemy isn't just breaching a single city, but findi…
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Last reviewed October 2026