What is the meaning of Nahum 1:10? They will be entangled as with thorns – Nahum pictures the Assyrians so hemmed in by God’s judgment that escape is impossible, just as a wanderer caught in brambles can neither move forward nor back. • Thorns in Scripture often signal sin’s curse and painful consequence (Genesis 3:18; Hosea 9:6). • They also portray a trap laid for the wicked: “Thorns and snares lie in the path of the perverse” (Proverbs 22:5). • The image stresses confusion and immobilization; their military strength, once feared, will be rendered useless (Psalm 118:12; Isaiah 10:17). In short, God’s justice will pin Nineveh in place so His hand can fall without resistance. and consumed like the drink of a drunkard – “Consumed” carries the idea of being totally spent, while the comparison to drunkenness highlights self–inflicted ruin. • Scripture links God’s wrath with a cup the wicked must drink (Psalm 75:8; Isaiah 51:17; Jeremiah 25:15). Assyria will swallow the very judgment it poured out on others. • Drunkards stagger and cannot think clearly; likewise the nation will reel in disorientation as Babylon’s armies close in (Habakkuk 2:16). • Just as alcohol passes quickly through the system, the destruction will be swift and complete (Psalm 37:20). God is not merely stopping their violence; He is making them taste the bitter consequences of it. like stubble that is fully dry – Dry stubble ignites at the smallest spark and vanishes in seconds. • Scripture repeatedly uses this picture for sudden, irreversible ruin (Exodus 15:7; Job 21:18; Isaiah 5:24; Malachi 4:1). • The phrase “fully dry” underlines how ripe Nineveh is for judgment; there is no moisture of repentance to slow the flames (Isaiah 1:31). • What seemed solid—walls, armies, wealth—will disappear as quickly as tinder in a wildfire (Obadiah 18). God’s holiness burns away everything that resists Him, leaving no trace of prideful opposition. summary Nahum 1:10 piles up three vivid images to show how decisively the Lord will deal with Assyria: trapped like a man tangled in thorns, staggering under the cup of His wrath, and vanishing like dry stubble in fire. The verse assures God’s people that no oppressor, however formidable, can outmaneuver or outlast the Almighty. His justice is certain, thorough, and perfectly timed, and those who trust Him can rest in that unshakable truth. |
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