NAM 2

Nahum 2:11

WEB

Where is the den of the lions, and the feeding place of the young lions, where the lion and the lioness walked with the lion’s cubs, and no one made them afraid?

BSB

Where is the lions’ lair or the feeding ground of the young lions, where the lion and lioness prowled with their cubs, with nothing to frighten them away?

KJV

Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feedingplace of the young lions, where the lion, even the old lion, walked, and the lion’s whelp, and none made them afraid?

Matthew Henry

Verses 11–13

Nahum 2:11–13

Here we have Nineveh's ruin, 1. Triumphed in by its neighbours, who now remember against it all the oppressions and abuse of power it had been guilty of in its pomp and prosperity (Nah 2:11, Nah 2:12): Where is the dwelling of the lions? It is gone; there appear no remnants, no footsteps, of it. Where is the feeding place of the young lions, where they glutted themselves with prey? The princes of Nineveh had been as lions, as beasts of prey; cruel tyrants are no better, nay, in this respect much worse - that, being men, humanity is expected from them; nay, if they were indeed lions, they would not prey upon those of their own kind. Savis inter se convenit ursae - Fierce bears agree together. But in the shape of men they had the cruelty of lions: they walked in Nineveh as a lion in the woods, and none made them afraid; every one stood in awe of them, and they were under no apprehensions of danger from any; though nobody loved them, every body feared them, and that was all they desired. Oderint, dum metuant - Let them hate, so that they do but fear. The king himself, as well as every prince, made it his business, by all the arts of violence and extortion, to enrich himself and raise his family; he did tear in pieces enough for his whelps (and no little would be enough for them) and he strangled for his lioness, killed all that came near him, and seized what they had for his children, for his wives and concubines, and filled his holes with prey and his dens with ravin, as lions are wont to do. Note, Many make it an excuse for their rapine and injustice that they have wives and children to provide for, whereas what is so got will never do them any good; those that fear the Lord, and get what they have honestly, shall not want a competency for themselves and theirs; verily they shall be fed, when the young lions, though dens and holes were filled with prey and ravin for them, shall lack, and suffer hunger, Psa 34:10. 2. It is avowed by the righteous Judge of heaven and earth; it is his doing, and let all the world take notice that it is so (Nah 2:13): Behold, I am against thee, saith the Lord of hosts. And what good can hosts do for her in her defence, when the Lord of hosts is against her for her destruction? The oppressors in Nineveh thought they only set their neighbours against them, who were not a match for them, and whom they could easily overpower; but it proved they set God against them, who is, and will be, the asserter of right and the avenger of wrong. God is against the princes of Nineveh, and then, (1.) These military preparations will stand them in no stead: I will burn their chariots in the smoke; he does not say in the fire, but, in contempt of them, the very smoke of God's indignation shall serve to burn their chariots; they shall be consumed as soon as the fire of his indignation is kindled, while as yet it does but smoke, and not flame out. Or, The drivers of the chariots shall be smothered and stifled with the smoke; then the chariots of their glory shall be the shame of their families, Isa 22:18. (2.) Their children, the hopes of their families, shall be cut off: The sword shall devour the young lions, whom they were so solicitous to provide for by oppression and extortion. Note, It is just with God to deprive those of their children, or (which is all one) of comfort in them, that take sinful courses to enrich them, and (as has been said of some) damn their souls to make their sons gentlemen. (3.) The wealth they have heaped up by fraud and violence shall neither be enjoyed by them nor employed for them: I will cut off thy prey from the earth; not only thou shalt not be the better for it, but no one else shall. Some understand it of the disabling of them for the future to prey upon their neighbours. (4.) Their agents abroad shall not have that respect from their neighbours and that influence upon them which sometimes they had had: The voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard, no more be heeded, which some think refers to Rabshakeh, one of Nineveh's messengers, that had blasphemed the living God, an iniquity which was remembered against Nineveh long after. Those are not worthy to be heard again that have once spoken reproachfully of God.

Cross-references: Nah 2:11 · Nah 2:12 · Ps 34:10 · Nah 2:13 · Isa 22:18

Hebrew interlinear

H346

אַיֵּהʼayêh/ah-yay'/

adv — where?

Derivation: prolonged from 335;

where?

KJV: where.

אַיֵּה

interr.adv — where?

אַיֵּה 46 interr.adv. Where?

H4583

מָעוֹןmâʻôwn/maw-ohn'/

n-m — abode, retreat

Derivation: or מָעִין; (1 Chronicles 4:41), from the same as 5772;

an abode, of God (the Tabernacle or the Temple), men (their home) or animals (their lair); hence, a retreat (asylum)

KJV: den, dwelling((-) place), habitation.

מָעוֹן

n.[m.] — dwelling

מָעוֹן n.[m.] dwelling, habitation

H738

אֲרִיʼărîy/ar-ee'/

n-m — lion

Derivation: or (prolonged) אַרְיֵה; from 717 (in the sense of violence);

a lion

KJV: (young) lion, pierce (from the margin).

אֲרִי

n.m — lion

אֲרִי n.m. lion

אַרְיֵה

n.m — lion

אַרְיֵה n.m. lion

H4829

מִרְעֶהmirʻeh/meer-eh'/

n-m — pasture, haunt

Derivation: from 7462 in the sense of feeding;

pasture (the place or the act); also the haunt of wild animals

KJV: feeding place, pasture.

מִרְעֶה

n.m — pasturage

מִרְעֶה n.m. pasturage, pasture

H1931

הוּאhûwʼ/hoo/

p — he, she, it, self, same, this, that, as, are

Derivation: of which the feminine (beyond the Pentateuch) is הִיא; he a primitive word, the third person pronoun singular;

he (she or it); only expressed when emphatic or without a verb; also (intensively) self, or (especially with the article) the same; sometimes (as demonstrative) this or that; occasionally (instead of copula) as or are

KJV: he, as for her, him(-self), it, the same, she (herself), such, that (...it), these, they, this, those, which (is), who.

הוּא

m — he

הוּא m. הִיא f., pron. of the 3rd ps. sing. he, she, used also (in both genders) for the neuter it

1. an emph. he (she, it, they), sometimes equivalent to himself (herself, itself, themselves), or (esp. with the art.) that (those)

2. It resumes the subj. with emph.

3. Where, however, the pron. follows the pred., its position gives it the minimum of emphasis, and it expresses (or resumes) the subject as unobtrusively as possible

4. It anticipates (as it seems) the subject

5. As an emph. predicate, of God

6. In a neuter sense, that, it (of an action, occurrence, matte, etc.)

7. With the art.: so regularly when joined to a subst. defined itself by the art.

H3715

כְּפִירkᵉphîyr/kef-eer'/

n-m — village, young lion

Derivation: from 3722;

a village (as covered in by walls); also a young lion (perhaps as covered with a mane)

KJV: (young) lion, village. Compare 3723.

כְּפִיר

n.m — young lion

כְּפִיר n.m. young lion

כְּפִירִים

villages

כְּפִירִים Ne 6:2, prob. = foregoing [כְּפִירָה] (𝔊 al. n. appell. = villages).

H834

אֲשֶׁרʼăsher/ash-er'/

r — who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

Derivation: a primitive relative pronoun (of every gender and number);

who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.

KJV: × after, × alike, as (soon as), because, × every, for, + forasmuch, + from whence, + how(-soever), × if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), × though, + until, + whatsoever, when, where (+ -as, -in, -of, -on, -soever, -with), which, whilst, + whither(-soever), who(-m, -soever, -se). As it is indeclinable, it is often accompanied by the personal pronoun expletively, used to show the connection.

אֲשֶׁר

part. of relation — who

אֲשֶׁר part. of relation A sign of relation, bringing the clause introduced by it into relation with an antecedent clause.

בַאֲשֶׁר

adv — in which

בַאֲשֶׁר

a. in (that) which

b. adv. in (the place) where

c. conj. in that, inasmuch as

d. on account of whom?

כַּאֲשֶׁר

conj — according as

כַּאֲשֶׁר conj. according as, as, when

1. according to that which, according as, as

2. with a causal force, in so far as, since

3. with a temporal force, when

מֵאֲשֶׁר

adv — who

מֵאֲשֶׁר

a. from (or than) that which

b. adv. from (the place) where

c. conj. from (the fact) that …, since

H1980

הָלַךְhâlak/haw-lak'/

v — walk

Derivation: akin to 3212; a primitive root;

to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively)

KJV: (all) along, apace, behave (self), come, (on) continually, be conversant, depart, be eased, enter, exercise (self), follow, forth, forward, get, go (about, abroad, along, away, forward, on, out, up and down), greater, grow, be wont to haunt, lead, march, × more and more, move (self), needs, on, pass (away), be at the point, quite, run (along), send, speedily, spread, still, surely, tale-bearer, travel(-ler), walk (abroad, on, to and fro, up and down, to places), wander, wax, (way-) faring man, × be weak, whirl.

הָלַךְ

vb — go

הָלַךְ 1546 vb. go, come, walk

Qal Impf. usually (629 t.) as if from ילך

I. lit.

1. of persons

2. Also of animals, in similar meanings and combinations

3. in like manner of inanimate things

4. The inf. abs. is often used

a. as in other vbs., quite independently

b. to intensify meaning of finite form

c. most noteworthy is the joining of the Inf. abs.

(1). with a following Inf. abs. denoting a simutaneous action or process, and so emphasizing duration or continuance

(2). with a foll. vb. fin. c. ו consec. (rare)

(3). in cases where vb. fin. is foll. by Inf. abs. adj. denoting progress, advance

(4). twice, where vb. fin. is not הלך, but another vb. denoting motion

(5). quite by itself

(6). 13 t. the Inf. abs. = Imv. & is followed by Pf. consec.

d. akin to the use of Inf. abs. are some instances of Pt.

5. In combination with other verbal forms

II. Fig.; the most common uses follow; in most the origin in a literal meaning is evident:

1. pass away, die

2. live (‘walk’), in general

3. of moral and religious life

4. other fig. uses

Pi. (chiefly poet. and late)

1. walk in or with a throng

2. also of walking about = living

3. depart, go entirely away

4. fig. of mode of life, action, etc.

Hithp. walk, walk about, move to and fro

Hiph.

1. lead, bring

2. lead away

3. carry, bring

4. fig. of influence on character

5.

a. cause to walk, go

b. cause to flow, run

c. cause to depart, retire, go back

H3833

לָבִיאlâbîyʼ/law-bee'/

n — lion

Derivation: or (Ezekiel 19:2) לְבִיָּא; irregular masculine plural לְבָאִים; irregular feminine plural לְבָאוֹת; from an unused root meaning to roar; compare 738

a lion (properly, a lioness as the fiercer (although not a roarer;))

KJV: (great, old, stout) lion, lioness, young (lion).

לְבִי

n.[m.,f.] — lion

[לְבִי] n.[m.,f.] lion

לְבִיָּא

n.f — lioness

לְבִיָּא n.f. lioness;—Ez 19:2 fig. of mother of Isr.

לָבִיא

n. [m.] — lion

לָבִיא n. [m.] lion, poss. also [f.] lioness

H8033

שָׁםshâm/shawm/

adv — there, then, thither, thence

Derivation: a primitive particle (rather from the relative pronoun, 834);

there (transferring to time) then; often thither, or thence

KJV: in it, thence, there (-in, of, out), thither, whither.

שָׁם

adv — there

שָׁם adv. there, thither

H1482

גּוּרgûwr/goor/

n-m — cub, lion

Derivation: or (shortened) גֻּר; perhaps from 1481;

a cub (as still abiding in the lair), especially of the lion

KJV: whelp, young one.

גּוּר

n.m — whelp

גּוּר n.m. whelp, young

1. lion’s whelps

2. young of jackals

H369

אַיִןʼayin/ah'-yin/

np — nonentity

Derivation: as if from a primitive root meaning to be nothing or not exist;

a nonentity; generally used as a negative particle

KJV: else, except, fail, (father-) less, be gone, in(-curable), neither, never, no (where), none, nor, (any, thing), not, nothing, to nought, past, un(-searchable), well-nigh, without. Compare 370.

אַ֫יִן

subst — nothing

אַ֫יִן, אָ֑֫יִן cstr. אֵין subst. prop. nothing, nought

1. to nothing, as nothing

2. cstr. אֵין, very freq. as particle of negation, is not, are not, was not, were not

3. אֵין לְ׳, with subst., or pron., there is (was) not to … = … have, has, had, etc. not

4. in circumst. clauses

5. with inf. and ל׳, it is not to

6. with prefixes

H2729

חָרַדchârad/khaw-rad'/

v — shudder, fear, hasten

Derivation: a primitive root;

to shudder with terror; hence, to fear; also to hasten (with anxiety)

KJV: be (make) afraid, be careful, discomfit, fray (away), quake, tremble.

חָרַד

vb — tremble

חָרַד vb. tremble, be terrified

Qal

1. tremble, quake

2. tremble, of persons

3. be anxiously careful

4. with preps. pregn. = go or come trembling

Hiph. drive in terror, rout as army

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