Nahum

Author: Nahum
Date of Writing: 7th century BC
Type of Book: Prophetic
Theme: Ninevah's destruction

Nahum was a prophet of whom we know very little. His name means "comforter". He was from a city called Elkosh. There were several cities called Elkosh, one of which was several miles north of Ninevah. If Nahum was from this particular location, it is possible that he may have been taken captive by the Assyrians and brought there. The city of Capernaum in the Galilee region, where Jesus spent most of His time in ministry, is also thought by some to be where Nahum was from. Capernaum means "the city of Nahum". But we really don't know for sure.

The prophecies of Nahum were all directed against Ninevah, which was the capital city of the Assyrian Empire. The Assyrians had overthrown the northern tribes of Israel. They were an extremely cruel people, who tortured and humiliated anyone they captured to provoke fear in other nations.

In the eight century BC, the prophet Jonah had gone to Ninevah and preached against their horrible and ungodly practices, pronouncing God's judgment upon them. At that time the people of Ninevah had repented, and God spared them from imminent judgment. About 150 years after Jonah, in the seventh century BC, the people of Ninevah had completely turned away from God and had gotten even worse. So God raised up the prophet Nahum to once again pronounce His judgment.

This time there was no repentance; and shortly after the prophecy of Nahum, the Babylonians conquered the Assyrian Empire, and the great city of Ninevah was destroyed. In fact, it was so thoroughly destroyed that for many years critics said Ninevah was a mythical city that never really existed. Eventually the ruins of the city were found, confirming the accuracy of the Bible.

-from Pastor Chuck Smith: The Word for Today Bible