The prophet uses a striking image of locusts to reveal the superficiality of Nineveh's power: their leaders are like insects that appear numerous and impressive in the "cold" (times of ease or vulnerability), but instantly vanish with the first hint of "sun" (danger or conflict), leaving no trace behind. This highlights that their strength is not true substance but a deceptive, temporary presence that offers no real support.
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. Your shepherds are asleep, O king of Assyria; your nobles slumber. Your people are scattered on the mountains with none to gather them.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Nahum's prophecy continues to describe the impending destruction of Nineveh, detailing the weakness of its leaders and people. Just as the preceding verses lamented Nineveh's extensive trade and the spoils of war, this passage reveals the superficiality of its power, comparing its princes and captains to swarms of locusts that are present but ultimately fleeting. The imagery contrasts their supposed strength with their inevitable and complete disappearance, underscoring the prophet's message of utter ruin.
Nahum paints a vivid, almost comical, picture of Nineveh's leadership. They seem impressive at first glance, but what's really going on beneath the surface?
Nahum uses the imagery of locusts and grasshoppers to describe Nineveh's princes and scribes (or high officials). Think of them as the 'brass' of the empire, the ones in charge, the ones who seem to hold all the power and make all the decisions.
A Swarm of Ineffectual Leaders
Ask a follow-up
The scene shifts to a peculiar image: leaders hiding 'in the cold' only to vanish with the sun. What does this natural phenomenon reveal about Nineveh's ultimate fate?
The verse vividly captures the transient nature of Nineveh's power using the behavior of locusts in changing temperatures.
A Temporary Refuge, A Sudden End
Understand the original words
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.
roʿeh · Hebrew Noun
Political or military leaders (lit. "shepherds" of the people) who are expected to protect and guide; their "sleep" denotes neglect of duty and loss of power.
addir · Hebrew Noun
People of high status or dignity within a society; when they "slumber," it signifies the collapse of the social and political structure of a nation.
naphats · Hebrew Verb
The dispersion of a people, often as a result of divine judgment, leaving them without protection or communal cohesion.
Nahum's vivid imagery of princes and captains as locusts highlights the devastating, yet ultimately transient, nature of Assyria's military might and administrative reach. Their power, though vast and destructive, would vanish like a swarm of insects at the first sign of true trouble, leaving no trace.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Northern Kingdom
The Assyrian Empire, under Sargon II, conquers the Northern Kingdom of Israel, deporting a significant portion of its population and resettling the land with foreigners. This marks a period of Assyrian dominance in the region.
c. 701 BC
Assyrian Campaign Against Judah
Sennacherib, Sargon II's successor, invades Judah, capturing many cities and besieging Jerusalem. Although Jerusalem is spared, Judah is significantly weakened and becomes a vassal state.
c. 670s BC
Assyrian Sack of Thebes
The Neo-Assyrian Empire, under Esarhaddon, invades and sacks the wealthy Egyptian city of Thebes, demonstrating the vast reach and military might of Assyria.
c. 663 BC
Assyrian Sack of Thebes (Second Invasion)
Ashurbanipal, continuing his father's policies, again sacks Thebes, further consolidating Assyrian power and plunder, highlighting the empire's oppressive nature.
c. 612 BC— this verse
Fall of Nineveh
A coalition of Babylonians, Medes, and Scythians besieges and destroys the Assyrian capital, Nineveh, marking the effective end of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. This event is the direct context for Nahum's prophecy.
c. 605 BC
First Babylonian Captivity of Judah
Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon conquers Jerusalem and deports many of its citizens, including King Jehoiachin, to Babylon. This event follows the collapse of Assyrian power.
This passage also uses imagery of locusts to describe armies, specifically calling for them to be marshaled against Babylon, mirroring Nahum's imagery of overwhelming but ultimately fleeting forces.
Joel 2:2Joel describes a devastating plague of locusts as a sign of God's judgment, paralleling Nahum's use of locusts to depict the destructive nature of Nineveh's leadership and their eventual, complete disappearance.
Exodus 10:19This verse describes the complete removal of the plague of locusts from Egypt, illustrating the total disappearance of Nineveh's forces that Nahum predicts – 'their place is not known where they are.'
Job 20:5-9This passage speaks of the wicked's triumph being short-lived, likening their eventual demise to a dream that vanishes, reflecting Nahum's image of the princes and captains disappearing as if they were never there.
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 3:17: "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."
Thy crowned are as the locust, and thy captains as the great locusts - What he had said summarily under metaphor, the prophet expands in a likeness. "The crowned" are probably the subordinate princes, of whom Sennacherib said, "Are not my princes altogether kings?" Isaiah 10:8 . I…
The prophet uses a striking image of locusts to reveal the superficiality of Nineveh's power: their leaders are like insects that appear numerous and impressive in the "cold" (times of ease or vulnerability), but instantly vanish with the first hint of "sun" (danger or conflict), leaving no trace behind. This highlights that their strength is not true substance but a deceptive, temporary presence that offers no real support.
Nahum's prophecy continues to describe the impending destruction of Nineveh, detailing the weakness of its leaders and people. Just as the preceding verses lamented Nineveh's extensive trade and the spoils of war, this passage reveals the superficiality of its power, comparing its princes and captains to swarms of locusts that are present but ultimately fleeting. The imagery contrasts their supposed strength with their inevitable and complete disappearance, underscoring the prophet's message of utter ruin.
Nahum's prophecy continues to describe the impending destruction of Nineveh, detailing the weakness of its leaders and people. Just as the preceding verses lamented Nineveh's extensive trade and the spoils of war, this passage reveals the superficiality of its power, comparing its princes and captains to swarms of locusts that are present but ultimately fleeting. The imagery contrasts their supposed strength with their inevitable and complete disappearance, underscoring the prophet's message of utter ruin.
"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. Your shepherds are asleep,…" — The prophet uses a striking image of locusts to reveal the superficiality of Nineveh's power: their leaders are like insects that appear numerous and impressive in the "cold" (times of ease or vulner…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026
