Difference between revisions of "Book of Nahum"
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| + | Very little is known about Nahum, other than that his name means "compassion" or "comfort" and he identifies himself as an "Elkoshite". "Nowhere else in the canonical Scriptures does his name occur, and extracanonical Jewish writers are hardly less reticent."<ref>Souvay, Charles op cit.</ref> Rev. George McCurdy in his ''Minor Prophets: Major Messages'', summarizes Dr. Greg Herrick's four theoretical explanations: | ||
| + | *Some scholars have argued, on the basis of the etymology of ''Capernaum'' ("village of naum") that that was the city from which Nahum came (Caper-naum). Thus the city was named after its most celebrated citizen. | ||
| + | *Second, eastern medieval tradition has identified a site opposite the ruins of Nineveh on the Tigris River for both the birthplace and tomb of Nahum - though the evidence for this position is quite weak. | ||
| + | *Third, [[Jerome]] (ca 347-419) suggests that ''Elkosh'' was ''El Kause'' and is to be identified with Elkesi in [[Galilee]]. | ||
| + | *Finally, there are still others who argue for a town in Judah called Elcesei - a town half way between [[Jerusalem]] and [[Gaza]]. This final interpretation has some merit for it seems that although the book of Nahum is directed against the Assyrians, it was written for the Jews in the south, in Judah. Further archaeological studies may confirm its location, but for now the information is too slight to be dogmatic.<ref>Herrick, G. quoted in McCurdy, op cit.</ref> | ||
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Revision as of 11:29, July 28, 2008
The Book of Nahum is a book in the Old Testament, and the seventh of the minor prophets. Nahum is closely-linked with Jonah, both of whom bring messages of destruction to Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian empire. It differs from the other prophetic books in that it doesn't contain detailed prophecies, nor does it "upbraid the people for their failings, which are two things that most of the other prophets do. The Book of Nahum is a short book [consisting of] a series of three poems", the first of which is an acrostic poem.[1]
Contents
Language
The book was written entirely in Hebrew. Due to its lyrical construction, many commentators have described it as a psalm. The first section is an "acrostic", or alphabetical, poem, each line beginning with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Although this does not continue throughout the whole of the book, scholars have concluded that this was due one of three factors, or a combination thereof:
- the writer abandoned halfway his undertaking to write acrostically
- the parts were worked out separately from an unacrostic original
- the upper margin was first used, and then the side margin, causing the text to become "overcrowded and blurred, this later on causing in the second part of the psalm an inextricable confusion from which the first was preserved"[2]
The book's composition is unusual in that while it contains "fierce denunciations of Judah's enemy" it lacks "many elements commonly ascribed to the Hebrew prophets, most particularly in any declaration of Judah's sin as seen in the light of covenant obligations."[3]
Rev. Ormond Odhner, in his notes on Pre-Advent Churches, says that Nahum's "work is unmitigated gloating over the fierce wrath that Jehovah has brought upon His enemies. But for all of that, it is a piece of exceptionally beautiful poetry, written in a quick and rapid meter, and at times throwing up one piece of sensual imagery after another in such quick succession that the prophet did not even bother to finish his sentence." The Interpreter's Bible Dictionary says: "Nahum's poetic genius ranks with the highest in the Hebrew Bible. He sketches scenes of warfare with the vivid sense of the picturesque or horrible detail. Nahum is different from the other literary prophets of the Old Testament." In A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Micah, Zephaniah and Nahum, J.M.P. Smith writes: "Though the rhythm and metre of Nahum are not smooth and regular as is the case with some Hebrew prophets, yet in some respects the poetry of Nahum is unsurpassed in the Old Testament. His excellence is not in sublimity of thought, depth of feeling, purity of motive, or insight into truth and life. It is rather in his descriptive powers. He has an unexcelled capacity to bring a situation vividly before the mind's eye. Accurate and detailed observation assists in giving his pictures verisimilitude."[4]
Author
Very little is known about Nahum, other than that his name means "compassion" or "comfort" and he identifies himself as an "Elkoshite". "Nowhere else in the canonical Scriptures does his name occur, and extracanonical Jewish writers are hardly less reticent."[5] Rev. George McCurdy in his Minor Prophets: Major Messages, summarizes Dr. Greg Herrick's four theoretical explanations:
- Some scholars have argued, on the basis of the etymology of Capernaum ("village of naum") that that was the city from which Nahum came (Caper-naum). Thus the city was named after its most celebrated citizen.
- Second, eastern medieval tradition has identified a site opposite the ruins of Nineveh on the Tigris River for both the birthplace and tomb of Nahum - though the evidence for this position is quite weak.
- Third, Jerome (ca 347-419) suggests that Elkosh was El Kause and is to be identified with Elkesi in Galilee.
- Finally, there are still others who argue for a town in Judah called Elcesei - a town half way between Jerusalem and Gaza. This final interpretation has some merit for it seems that although the book of Nahum is directed against the Assyrians, it was written for the Jews in the south, in Judah. Further archaeological studies may confirm its location, but for now the information is too slight to be dogmatic.[6]
Provenance
To whom written
Structure and content
External links
References
- ↑ Prof. Christine Hayes. 8 November 2006. Introduction to the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) Lecture 18 Transcript. Yale University. Retrieved 28 July 2008.
- ↑ Souvay, Charles. "Nahum" The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. Retrieved 28 July 2008.
- ↑ de Vries, S. J. The Acrostic of Nahum in the Jerusalem Liturgy Vetus Testamentum, Vol. 16, Fasc. 4 (October 1966), pp. 476-481.
- ↑ Rev. George McCurdy Minor Prophets: Major Messages (2006) Dove Press.
- ↑ Souvay, Charles op cit.
- ↑ Herrick, G. quoted in McCurdy, op cit.
