The prophet uses a striking, almost ironic, command: even as the enemy devours Nineveh like a swarm of locusts, the city is told to "multiply like the locusts" and "multiply like the grasshoppers." This isn't encouragement, but a bitter reflection that Nineveh's own vast population and strength, which they relied upon, will only make them a larger, more overwhelming target for God's judgment.
There will the fire devour you; the sword will cut you off. It will devour you like the locust. Multiply yourselves like the locust; multiply like the grasshopper! You increased your merchants more than the stars of the heavens. The locust spreads its wings and flies away.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Nahum has just detailed Nineveh's futile attempts to prepare for siege, urging them to gather water and strengthen defenses. Now, the prophet shifts dramatically, declaring that their defenses and efforts will be utterly useless. The very place where they sought safety will become the scene of their destruction by fire and sword, an onslaught likened to the voracious, multiplying swarms of locusts.
Nineveh thought its walls and preparations could save it. But the prophet Nahum paints a stark picture of inevitable destruction. How can fire and sword be described as 'devouring' and 'eating'?
Nahum uses powerful imagery to show that God's judgment on Nineveh is absolute and total.
The Instruments of Destruction
This isn't a mere battle; it's the end of Nineveh, a city that had been a 'locust' of destruction to others, now facing its own consuming end.
The verse commands Nineveh to 'multiply like the locust.' This sounds like encouragement, but it's laced with biting irony. What's the deeper meaning behind this strange command?
The comparison to locusts is a devastating indictment of Nineveh itself, turning its own methods of conquest against it.
Nineveh: A Past Locust, Now Destined to be Devoured
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Understand the original words
chereb · Hebrew Noun
A hand-to-hand combat weapon; in biblical prophecy, it is the primary instrument of divine judgment against rebellious nations.
arbeh · Hebrew Noun
A migratory insect known for rapid reproduction and total destruction of vegetation; biblically, it is used as a metaphor for an unstoppable, vast, and devouring invading army sent by God.
rokēl · Hebrew Noun
Individuals engaged in trade or commerce; in biblical prophecy, often associated with the worldly wealth and influence of nations that stand in opposition to God’s kingdom.
arbeh · Hebrew Noun
A migratory insect often used in Scripture as a metaphor for divine judgment, overwhelming armies, or the destructive forces that consume the prosperity of a nation.
Nahum's prophecy vividly depicts the utter destruction of Nineveh, using the imagery of locusts to emphasize the overwhelming and consuming nature of the enemy's assault and the futility of Nineveh's defenses.
c. 630 BC
Assyrian Empire at its Zenith
The Neo-Assyrian Empire, with its capital Nineveh, was a dominant world power, known for its military might and vast influence.
c. 625 BC
Internal Weakness and Growing Threats
Despite its outward strength, the empire faced internal strife, succession issues, and increasing pressure from surrounding nations, including the Babylonians and Medes.
c. 614 BC
Fall of Assur
The ancient religious capital of Assyria, Assur, was sacked by the Medes, signaling a significant weakening of Assyrian power and prestige.
612 BC— this verse
Fall of Nineveh
A coalition of Babylonians, Medes, and Scythians besieged and ultimately destroyed Nineveh, marking the end of the Neo-Assyrian Empire.
Post-612 BC
Assyrian Exiles and Diaspora
The destruction of Nineveh led to the scattering of the Assyrian population, with many either killed, enslaved, or fleeing into exile.
This passage uses the same imagery of locusts ('cankerworm,' 'locust,' 'grasshopper') as devouring pests, highlighting the utter destruction that God's judgment brings upon the land and its people.
Jeremiah 51:14This verse echoes Nahum's imagery by comparing the enemy's destructive potential to that of locusts, emphasizing their immense numbers and the thoroughness of their devastation against Babylon, Nineveh's destroyer.
Revelation 9:3-10This New Testament passage describes demonic locusts released from the Abyss, paralleling the devastating, overwhelming, and tormenting nature of the 'locust' imagery used in Nahum for God's judgment.
Ezekiel 29:18-20God promises Nebuchadnezzar a reward for his service in destroying Egypt, showing how nations can be used as instruments of divine judgment, much like the enemy armies are depicted as devouring locusts against Nineveh.
clarkeNahum 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."
Make thyself many as the cankerworm - On the locusts, and their operations in their various states, see the notes on Joel 2 (note). 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-de…
calvinNahum 3:14-15: "Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter, make strong the brickkiln."
- Illic vorabit te ignis, exterminabit te gladius, comedet te quasi bruchus (alii vertunt, quasi bruchum;) multiplicari (ad verbum, vel, multiplicando; est kyrq quasi bruchus,) multiplicare quasi locusta.
The Prophet goes on with the same subject, -- that the Ninevites would labor in vain, while striving anxiously and with every effort to defend themselves…
The prophet uses a striking, almost ironic, command: even as the enemy devours Nineveh like a swarm of locusts, the city is told to "multiply like the locusts" and "multiply like the grasshoppers." This isn't encouragement, but a bitter reflection that Nineveh's own vast population and strength, which they relied upon, will only make them a larger, more overwhelming target for God's judgment.
Nahum has just detailed Nineveh's futile attempts to prepare for siege, urging them to gather water and strengthen defenses. Now, the prophet shifts dramatically, declaring that their defenses and efforts will be utterly useless. The very place where they sought safety will become the scene of their destruction by fire and sword, an onslaught likened to the voracious, multiplying swarms of locusts.
Nahum has just detailed Nineveh's futile attempts to prepare for siege, urging them to gather water and strengthen defenses. Now, the prophet shifts dramatically, declaring that their defenses and efforts will be utterly useless. The very place where they sought safety will become the scene of their destruction by fire and sword, an onslaught likened to the voracious, multiplying swarms of locusts.
"There will the fire devour you; the sword will cut you off. It will devour you like the locust. Multiply yourselves like the locust; multiply like the grasshopper! You increased your merchants more than…" — The prophet uses a striking, almost ironic, command: even as the enemy devours Nineveh like a swarm of locusts, the city is told to "multiply like the locusts" and "multiply like the grasshoppers." T…
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Last reviewed October 2026
