Nahum 3:15-17
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. Your princes are like grasshoppers, your scribes like clouds of locusts settling on the fences in a day of cold— when the sun rises, they fly away; no one knows where they are.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The verse uses a striking, almost ironic, command: "Multiply yourselves like the locust; multiply like the grasshopper!" This isn't an encouragement to grow, but a taunt, implying that even if Nineveh amassed countless forces, they would be as easily devoured and scattered as locusts by their enemies.
Nahum has been detailing Nineveh's impending doom, highlighting its arrogance and reliance on fortifications and wealth. The prophet previously commanded Nineveh to prepare for siege, but now reveals that all such efforts will be futile. The verses leading up to this passage describe the city's preparations for defense, while what follows will compare its destruction to a swarm of locusts.
Nineveh is desperately preparing, fortifying its defenses, thinking it's safe. But the prophet points to a chilling reality: judgment is coming to the very places they feel most secure.
The word "There" in Nahum 3:15 isn't just a casual reference to location. It's dripping with irony.
Secure in Their Strength
Nineveh had built mighty walls, stockpiled resources, and gathered armies. They were convinced their fortifications and preparations meant safety. Calvin notes they were told to 'draw waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds,' essentially making every effort to secure themselves.
Judgment Finds Them
But "there," right in the heart of their supposed security – amidst their brick molds and strongholds – is precisely where the fire and sword will find them. Barnes emphasizes that "all is toil within" as "the fire of God's wrath falls and consumes at once." Their defenses become the very stage for their destruction.
The imagery of locusts and cankerworms is stark and unsettling. Why does Nahum compare Nineveh's destruction to these tiny creatures?
The comparison of Nineveh's destruction to insects like locusts and cankerworms serves multiple powerful purposes:
Divine Ease and Thoroughness
The text states the enemy will "eat thee up like the cankerworm." This highlights how easily and completely Nineveh will be destroyed. Clarke explains that these insects can "devour a meadow or standing corn" in a short time. It implies that God’s judgment will sweep through Nineveh with overwhelming and effortless efficiency, consuming everything.
The Enemy's Number vs. Nineveh's Illusion
Then comes the shocking command: "Multiply yourselves like the locust; multiply like the grasshopper!" This is deeply ironic. The prophet sarcastically tells Nineveh to try and match the enemy's overwhelming numbers. Poole points out, "They are innumerable; be thou so if thou canst; all will be to no purpose." It underscores that no matter how many soldiers Nineveh gathers or how they try to bolster their forces, they cannot withstand the vastness and divine backing of the invading army.
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 describes the utter destruction of Nineveh, emphasizing how its formidable defenses and population would be overwhelmed by fire and sword, much like a devastating locust swarm.
c. 7th Century BC
Assyrian Empire at its Height
The Neo-Assyrian Empire, with its capital at Nineveh, was a dominant world power, known for its military might and vast territories.
c. 625 BC
Rise of the Neo-Babylonian Empire
Following a period of turmoil, Babylon re-emerged as a major power under Nabopolassar, forming an alliance with the Medes.
c. 615-605 BC
Assyrian Decline and Babylonian Advances
The Assyrian Empire faced increasing pressure from internal revolts and external enemies, particularly the Babylonians and Medes.
612 BC— this verse
Fall of Nineveh
A coalition of Babylonians and Medes besieged and captured Nineveh, the Assyrian capital, marking a decisive blow to the empire. This event is the direct context for Nahum's prophecy.
This passage uses the same imagery of locusts devouring crops to describe devastating destruction, highlighting the overwhelming and consuming nature of the judgment described in Nahum.
Jeremiah 51:14Jeremiah uses the image of filling oneself 'like a swarm of locusts' to describe the overwhelming numbers of the enemy coming against Babylon, a similar concept of immense, destructive multitudes seen in Nahum's prophecy.
Ezekiel 29:18-19Here, Nebuchadnezzar is described as being given Egypt as his payment, with the spoils of war compared to an army devouring everything, similar to the consuming imagery of locusts and fire in Nahum.
Revelation 9:3-4This apocalyptic vision depicts locusts emerging from smoke to torment people for a period, echoing the theme of destructive, numerous, and tormenting forces unleashed by divine judgment.
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 verse uses a striking, almost ironic, command: "Multiply yourselves like the locust; multiply like the grasshopper!" This isn't an encouragement to grow, but a taunt, implying that even if Nineveh amassed countless forces, they would be as easily devoured and scattered as locusts by their enemies.
Nahum has been detailing Nineveh's impending doom, highlighting its arrogance and reliance on fortifications and wealth. The prophet previously commanded Nineveh to prepare for siege, but now reveals that all such efforts will be futile. The verses leading up to this passage describe the city's preparations for defense, while what follows will compare its destruction to a swarm of locusts.
Nahum has been detailing Nineveh's impending doom, highlighting its arrogance and reliance on fortifications and wealth. The prophet previously commanded Nineveh to prepare for siege, but now reveals that all such efforts will be futile. The verses leading up to this passage describe the city's preparations for defense, while what follows will compare its destruction to a swarm of locusts.
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A Mirror of Their Own Sin
Interestingly, some commentators, like Ellicott, suggest Nineveh itself had been a "locust-pest" to the nations. Their judgment is a mirror reflecting their own destructive behavior back upon them.
nezer · Hebrew Noun
Leaders, commanders, or officials of a nation; those invested with authority who are held responsible for the conduct and eventual judgment of their people.
ṭapsar · Hebrew Noun
Individuals tasked with administrative duties, record-keeping, or the interpretation of law; here, representing the bureaucratic weight of the Assyrian state.
609 BC
Final Collapse of Assyria
The last remnants of Assyrian power were defeated by the Babylonians and Egyptians at the Battle of Carchemish, effectively ending the empire.
"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 verse uses a striking, almost ironic, command: "Multiply yourselves like the locust; multiply like the grasshopper!" This isn't an encouragement to grow, but a taunt, implying that even if Nineve…
