Old Testament minor prophet. He seems to have been an Israelite or Judaean who had been a captive in Nineveh, and prophesied the destruction of Nineveh by the Medes in 612 BC.
Nahum (נחום) was a minor prophet whose prophecy is recorded in the Hebrew Bible. He wrote about the end of the Assyrian Empire, and its capital city, Nineveh, in a vivid poetic style. One account suggests that his writings are a prophecy written in about 615 BC, just before the downfall of Assyria, while another account suggests that he wrote this passage as a New Year liturgy for the autumn festival just after the unfortunate downfall in 612 BC.
Historical context
Archaeological digs have uncovered the splendor of Nineveh in its zenith under Sennacherib (705-681 BC), Esarhaddon (681-669 BC), and Ashurbanipal (669-633 BC). The Babylonian chronicle of the fall of Nineveh tells the story of the end of Nineveh. Assyria lasted a few more years after the loss of its fortress, but attempts by Egyptian Pharaoh Neco II to rally the Assyrians failed and it seemed to be all over by 609 BC.
Theme
Nahum’s thought is warning the Niniviites of the coming events but he is partly in favor of the destruction. Nahum's prophecy seems to be for modern Assyrians rather than the fall of Nineveh in 612 BC. The prophet Jonah shows us where God shows concern for the people of Nineveh.
The book
Chapters 1:10-2:2 contain alternating oracles to Nineveh and Judah, and he also proclaim one who will publish peace and good tidings upon the mountains, perhaps Jesus of Nazareth as the mountainous region in North of Mesopotamia was among the first to accept his preaching of love thy neighbour and this was to be seen as a sign as Jesus himself proclaimed Jona was a sign to the world since the supposed most cruel nation repented at his preaching. "The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment for they repented at the preaching of Jonah" Jesus to his disciples.
Chapters 2:3-3:19 describe the sack of Nineveh. Nineveh is compared to Thebes, the Egyptian city that Assyria itself had destroyed. Nineveh is compared to a lion’s den where the lioness and young await the return of the lion with his kill.
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