The verse contrasts Nineveh's vast number of merchants, compared to the countless stars, with the fleeting, destructive nature of a locust swarm. This highlights that their immense commercial power, which they relied on, was actually a sign of their impending doom, just as locusts devour and then vanish, leaving desolation behind.
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)
Nineveh, once a hub of global commerce with merchants as numerous as the stars, is being addressed by Nahum. The prophet points out that this vast network of traders and the wealth they generated will not save the city. Instead, just as locusts descend to devour and then fly away, Nineveh's merchants and princes will be scattered, leaving destruction behind.
Nineveh boasted of its vast commercial power, a network so extensive it seemed to stretch endlessly. But what does this immense wealth truly signify?
The verse opens with a striking image: Nineveh's merchants are more numerous than the stars in the sky. This isn't just a casual exaggeration; it highlights the city's immense wealth and global reach through trade. Think of it like a modern superpower whose economic influence is felt across continents.
However, this abundance is immediately followed by a stark contrast. The comparison to merchants is tied to locusts – creatures known for consuming everything in their path and then disappearing as quickly as they arrived. This suggests that Nineveh's prosperity, while vast, was built on a foundation of exploitation and was inherently unstable.
Locusts are a powerful symbol in Scripture. What do they teach us about the true fate of Nineveh's power and its people?
The second part of the verse introduces the image of the locust. This isn't just about destruction; it's about transience. Locust swarms can devastate crops and landscapes, bringing ruin. But they don't stay. They move on, driven by instinct, leaving behind devastation but ultimately disappearing.
This comparison to the locust reveals the ultimate destiny of Nineveh. Their vast network of merchants, their economic might, and their influence were not enduring strengths. They were like a swarm that would come, consume, and then vanish. The wealth they amassed, built through perhaps exploitative practices, would not last. God's judgment meant that their power would be scattered and their place would soon be unknown, just like a locust swarm that has flown away.
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Understand the original words
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.
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.
Nahum's prophecy against Nineveh vividly portrays the city's immense commercial wealth and its vast network of merchants, using the metaphor of countless stars. However, it contrasts this prosperity with the ephemeral nature of locusts, which swarm and consume but are ultimately scattered and disappear, foretelling the sudden and complete destruction of the once-mighty empire.
c. 750-700 BC
Height of Neo-Assyrian Empire
The Neo-Assyrian Empire reached its zenith, controlling vast territories and boasting a prosperous economy fueled by extensive trade and tribute from conquered lands.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The Assyrian conquest of the northern Kingdom of Israel and the deportation of its people marked a significant expansion of Assyrian power and influence, bringing more resources and potential trade partners under their control.
c. 701 BC
Assyrian Invasion of Judah
Assyrian King Sennacherib campaigned in the Levant, besieging Jerusalem. While Jerusalem was not captured, this event highlighted Assyria's military might and its pervasive control over the region.
c. 670s BC
Assyrian Conquest of Egypt
Under Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal, the Neo-Assyrian Empire conquered Egypt, extending its dominion to its furthest limits and solidifying its position as the dominant world power.
c. 630s BC
Assyrian Empire Weakens
Internal strife, overextension, and the rise of powerful enemies like the Babylonians and Medes began to significantly weaken the Neo-Assyrian Empire.
c. 612 BC— this verse
Fall of Nineveh
A coalition of Babylonians and Medes besieged and destroyed the Assyrian capital, Nineveh, marking the decisive end of the Neo-Assyrian Empire and scattering its people and influence.
This passage directly parallels the imagery of the locust swarm in Nahum, describing a devastating, unstoppable force that consumes everything in its path. It highlights the destructive potential of these swarms, which can be metaphorically linked to the economic and military exploitation described in Nahum.
Revelation 18:11-14This passage describes the downfall of a great commercial city, much like Nineveh, and lists the merchants who weep and mourn for its loss. It echoes Nahum's theme of immense commercial prosperity being ultimately temporary and subject to divine judgment.
Isaiah 37:24In this related prophecy concerning Assyria's aggression, the king boasts of his vast conquests, comparing his success to a swarm of locusts. This connects to Nahum's critique of Nineveh's pride in its widespread influence and the eventual scattering of its forces.
Matthew 13:47-48Jesus uses the metaphor of a dragnet gathering fish of every kind, which are then separated into good and bad. This highlights the idea of a vast collection (like merchants or locusts) that will ultimately be judged and sorted, with only the valuable remaining, mirroring the transient nature of Nineveh's prosperity.
calvinNahum 3:16-17: "Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and flieth away."
Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are
Principes tui (vel, coronati; deducitur enim a rzk quod significat coronam; sed malo vertere, egregios, vel, praestantissimos quosque; principes ergo tui, vel, eximii…
barnesNahum 3:16: "Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and flieth away."
Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven - Not numerous only but glorious in the eyes of the world, and, as thou deemest, safe and inaccessible; yet in an instant all is gone. The commerce of Nineveh was carried back to prehistoric times, since its rivers bound together the mountains of Armenia with the Persian gulf, and marked out the line, by which the dist…
The verse contrasts Nineveh's vast number of merchants, compared to the countless stars, with the fleeting, destructive nature of a locust swarm. This highlights that their immense commercial power, which they relied on, was actually a sign of their impending doom, just as locusts devour and then vanish, leaving desolation behind.
Nineveh, once a hub of global commerce with merchants as numerous as the stars, is being addressed by Nahum. The prophet points out that this vast network of traders and the wealth they generated will not save the city. Instead, just as locusts descend to devour and then fly away, Nineveh's merchants and princes will be scattered, leaving destruction behind.
Nineveh, once a hub of global commerce with merchants as numerous as the stars, is being addressed by Nahum. The prophet points out that this vast network of traders and the wealth they generated will not save the city. Instead, just as locusts descend to devour and then fly away, Nineveh's merchants and princes will be scattered, leaving destruction behind.
"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…" — The verse contrasts Nineveh's vast number of merchants, compared to the countless stars, with the fleeting, destructive nature of a locust swarm. This highlights that their immense commercial power,…
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Last reviewed October 2026
