Nahum 2
Commentary from 5 fathers
[one] who has been delivered from affliction has come up panting into thy presence, watch the way, strengthen [thy] loins, be very valiant in [thy] strength.
:
поне́же ѿвратѝ гдⷭ҇ь ᲂу҆кори́знꙋ і҆а́кѡвлю, ꙗ҆́коже ᲂу҆кори́знꙋ і҆и҃левꙋ: занѐ ѡ҆трѧса́ющїи ѡ҆трѧсо́ша ѧ҆̀ и҆ ло́зы и҆́хъ растли́ша.
Watch the road, brace your loins, be exceedingly courageous in your strength, because the Lord has turned away the insolence of Jacob, as the insolence of Israel. To those about to go very soon into Judea, and intending to go home, he necessarily adds that it is needful for the future both to watch the road and brace their loins, that is to be ready and prepared for the toils of the journey, and to be courageous against all hesitation, and to be seen to love being superior to long distances, using invincible eagerness for this. A sign of readiness is to have one's loins, as it were, well-ordered and girded. And indeed our Lord Jesus Christ says to the holy apostles, or rather to all who believe in him, "Let your loins be girded." For the posture is that of a traveler, and is most especially fitting for those who preach the divine gospel, and have their feet most ready for this. Therefore, he says, brace your loins, instead of, be prepared and, as it were, ready for a journey. For the Lord has turned away, he says, the insolence of Jacob as the insolence of Israel. Observe again in these words the distinction that is necessarily introduced. For by Jacob he means those who dwelt in Samaria, that is the ten tribes, over whom reigned those from the tribe of Ephraim and Manasseh, who came from Joseph, who was from Jacob; but by Israel he names those in Jerusalem, I mean Judah and Benjamin. And since, when Sennacherib had sacked Samaria, Jerusalem was not captured, as God at that time defended it and destroyed the Assyrian by the hand of an angel; and Cyrus released not only the captives from Samaria who had been carried away to Nineveh, but also those from Jerusalem, when Nebuchadnezzar had captured the land; the Prophet necessarily says that the Lord turned away the insolence of Jacob as the insolence of Israel. And by insolence he means slavery or servitude.
Commentary on Nahum
For the Lord has turned aside the pride of Jacob, as the pride of Israel: for they have utterly rejected them, and have destroyed their branches.
διότι ἀπέστρεψε Κύριος τὴν ὕβριν ᾿Ιακώβ, καθὼς ὕβριν τοῦ ᾿Ισραήλ, διότι ἐκτινάσσοντες ἐξετίναξαν αὐτοὺς καὶ τὰ κλήματα αὐτῶν, διέφθειραν
Ѻ҆рꙋ̑жїѧ си́лы и҆́хъ ѿ человѣ̑къ, мꙋ́жы си̑льныѧ и҆гра́ющыѧ во ѻ҆гнѝ: брѡзды̀ колесни́цъ и҆́хъ въ де́нь ᲂу҆гото́ванїѧ є҆гѡ̀, и҆ кѡ́нницы возмѧтꙋ́тсѧ на пꙋте́хъ,
3–7(Verse 3 and following) The shield of the strong is ablaze, the men of the army in scarlet; the fiery chariots are on the day of its preparation; and the drivers are asleep, they are disturbed on the journey, the chariots collide in the streets. Their appearance is like torches, like lightning running to and fro. They will remember their mighty men, they will rush on their way, they will quickly climb its walls, and the shelter will be prepared. The gates of the rivers are opened, and the temple is laid waste to the ground, and the captive soldier is taken away, and her maidservants threatened, moaning like doves, murmuring in their hearts. LXX: The arms of his power are from men, strong men mocking in fire, the reins of their chariots on the day of his preparation, and the horsemen will fear in the exits: and the chariots will be confounded, and they will collide in the streets. Their appearance is like lamps of fire, and like running lightning, and their nobles will be remembered, and they will flee in the days, and they will be weakened on their journey, and they will hasten to the walls, and they will prepare their defenses: the gates of the cities are open, and the royal palaces have fallen, and the wealth has been revealed; and she herself ascended, and her maids were led like doves speaking in their hearts. According to the history, the order follows against Nineveh, and the army of the Babylonians coming against it is described. Moreover, what it says: fiery reins of chariots, in burning cords, signifies the preparedness of speed, and is narrated as the parade of those preparing for battle. And now the Scripture weaves together things that Israel once suffered, things that Assyria did, and things that the Babylonians practice against the Assyrians. Therefore, he says, it is not surprising that they come so quickly to devastate, since the charioteers and strong men, either before or after, have been put to sleep, either in Israel or in Assyria. And returning to the order of description: The multitude of those coming is so great, that the marching column is mixed together on the path, and cannot be distinguished. The chariots themselves, while not finding the way, collide with each other in the streets due to the multitude. The appearance of the Babylonians is like lamps, like lightning running around, so that they terrify their enemies before they defeat them with the sword. Then Assyria will remember its strong ones, and will seek out those who fell on the journeys, and will quickly climb the walls of Nineveh, and because of the very long siege will prepare tents to drive away the heat. But what does it profit to build a house, unless the Lord builds it? What does it profit to close the gates, which the Lord opens? The gates of Nineveh are open, which had a multitude of citizens like rivers, and its temple, that is, its kingdom, is destroyed, and its soldiers are taken captive, that is, they are all led into Babylon. But understand that the handmaids of Nineveh, by metaphor, are the smaller cities, villages, and castles. Indeed, even the captive women will threaten before the faces of the victors; and there will be so great a terror that not even a sob or a wail of pain will burst forth, but they will silently groan within themselves and, with a muffled murmur, swallow their tears in the manner of cooing doves. This is according to Hebrew tradition. Now let us come to the translators of the Septuagint. They examined, who shook off Jacob and Israel, and dispersed their scourges; they also broke the weapons which they had been accustomed to have in order to hurl insults, and with which they had oppressed the weak; and not only did they do this, but they also burned the strong men who were mocking in the fire. Consider if you can say that strong men deride in the fire, the opposite strengths that serve as burning darts of the devil, who once had strong men deriding in the fire Jacob and Israel, having chariots and horses on which they were carried swiftly into battle on the day of their preparation. Therefore, the reins of these chariots and the horsemen will be confused on their journeys, and they will collide in the streets, when the illumination of the Lord shines upon Jacob and Israel, both demons and those who serve their will, will be overthrown by the Lord. We can understand these things by his coming, when brave men and charioteers and horsemen were speaking: What have we to do with you, Son of David? Have you come here to torment us before the time? (Matth. VIII, 29) But since we have once received a prophecy against Nineveh concerning the end of the world, it is better that we say that the weapons of the power of the devil were then taken away from men, and his strong ministers, who deceived men in fire. For all those who adulterate, their hearts are like an oven; the chains by which they were led into vices and the chariot's wheels will be released. The horsemen will be fearful at the exits, which is at the end of the world, and they will be confused and the chariots will collide in the streets. For although there is a wide and spacious road that leads to death, they will not be able to find the right path due to the pressure of time. They will collide with each other and yet continue to breathe out their old fury, flashing here and there like lightning. I saw, said the Lord, Satan falling like lightning from heaven (Luke 10:18). When the devil and all his officials understand this, they will remember the end that was predicted in the past, and they will flee in those days. For they will not move about at night, but as the day dawns, darkness will be driven away, and they will be weakened on their journey, making no progress and not fulfilling their efforts, and they will hasten to the walls. Indeed, such a great terror of the coming Lord will invade them, and they will be so weak to resist that they will flee to the ends of the world, where the world is enclosed and surrounded like walls, and they will prepare themselves to resist. When someone flees from an enemy, not daring to resist them, and comes to a solitary place, if by chance the enemy pursues them, they are forced to fight back out of necessity. But as they ponder these things, everything they have obtained and possessed will be brought forth and the doors they had closed will be opened, and their kingdoms will fall, and their wealth, that is, their riches, will be revealed. However, the substance of the world itself and all its servants, after they submit themselves to Christ and begin to serve Him, will be led joyfully and with gladness, and from the depths of their hearts they will believe, so that they may be compared to the cleanliness of doves, and they will murmur or speak in their hearts. And then will be fulfilled what is said in the sixty-seventh psalm about the victory of the Savior: He ascended on high, he led captivity captive.
Commentary on Nahum
[They have destroyed] the arms of their power from among men, their mighty men sporting with fire: the reins of their chariots [shall be destroyed] in the day of his preparation, and the horsemen shall be thrown into confusion
ὅπλα δυναστείας αὐτῶν ἐξ ἀνθρώπων, ἄνδρας δυνατοὺς ἐμπαίζοντας ἐν πυρί· αἱ ἡνίαι τῶν ἁρμάτων αὐτῶν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἑτοιμασίας αὐτοῦ, καὶ οἱ ἱππεῖς θορυβηθήσονται
и҆ смѧтꙋ́тсѧ колєсни́цы и҆ сплетꙋ́тсѧ на сто́гнахъ: ви́дъ и҆́хъ ꙗ҆́кѡ свѣщы̀ ѻ҆́гнєнны, и҆ ꙗ҆́кѡ мо́лнїѧ протека́ющаѧ.
in the ways, and the chariots shall clash together, and shall be entangled in each other in the broad ways: their appearance is as lamps of fire, and as gleaming lightnings.
ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς, καὶ συγχυθήσονται τὰ ἅρματα καὶ συμπλακήσονται ἐν ταῖς πλατείαις· ἡ ὅρασις αὐτῶν ὡς λαμπάδες πυρὸς καὶ ὡς ἀστραπαὶ διατρέχουσαι.
И҆ помѧнꙋ́тсѧ старѣ̑йшины и҆́хъ, и҆ побѣ́гнꙋтъ въ де́нь, и҆ и҆знемо́гꙋтъ въ пꙋтѝ свое́мъ, и҆ потща́тсѧ на забра̑ла є҆гѡ̀, и҆ ᲂу҆гото́вѧтъ прє́днїѧ стражбы̑ своѧ̑.
And their mighty men shall bethink themselves and flee by day; and they shall be weak as they go; and they shall hasten to her walls, and shall prepare their defences.
καὶ μνησθήσονται οἱ μεγιστᾶνες αὐτῶν καὶ φεύξονται ἡμέρας καὶ ἀσθενήσουσιν ἐν τῇ πορείᾳ αὐτῶν καὶ σπεύσουσιν ἐπὶ τὰ τείχη αὐτῆς καὶ ἑτοιμάσουσι τὰς προφυλακὰς αὐτῶν.
Врата̀ гра̑днаѧ ѿверзо́шасѧ, и҆ ца̑рства падо́ша, и҆ и҆мѣ́нїе ѿкры́сѧ.
But is this the only place we read of “substance”? Has it not also been said in another passage: “The gates of the cities are broken down, the mountains are fallen, and his substance is revealed”? What, does the word mean something created here also? Some, I know, are accustomed to say that the substance is substance in money. Then, if you give this meaning to the word, the mountains fell in order that someone’s possessions of money might be seen. But let us remember what mountains fell, those, namely, of which it has been said, “If you shall have faith as a grain of mustard seed you shall say to this mountain, ‘Be removed, and be cast into the sea!’ ” By mountains, then, are meant high things that exalt themselves.
Exposition of the Christian Faith 3.14.115-16
The gates of the cities have been opened, and the palaces have fallen into ruin,
πύλαι τῶν ποταμῶν διηνοίχθησαν, καὶ τὰ βασίλεια διέπεσε,
Сїѧ́ же восхожда́ше, и҆ рабы̑ни є҆ѧ̀ ведѧ́хꙋсѧ, ꙗ҆́кѡ голꙋби̑цы воркꙋ́ющѧ въ сердца́хъ свои́хъ:
and the foundation has been exposed; and she has gone up, and her maid-servants were led [away] as doves moaning in their hearts.
καὶ ἡ ὑπόστασις ἀπεκαλύφθη, καὶ αὕτη ἀνέβαινε, καὶ αἱ δοῦλαι αὐτῆς ἤγοντο καθὼς περιστεραὶ φθεγγόμεναι ἐν καρδίαις αὐτῶν.
и҆ нїнеѵі́а, а҆́ки кꙋпѣ́ль водна́ѧ во́ды є҆ѧ̀, и҆ ті́и бѣжа́ще не ста́ша, и҆ не бѣ̀ взира́ющагѡ.
8–9(Verses 8, 9.) And Nineveh is like a pool of water; its waters are fleeing. Stand! Stand! But there is no one who can turn back. Plunder the silver, plunder the gold; there is no end to the treasures, the desirable vessels. LXX: And Nineveh is like a pool of water; and they who flee do not stand; there is no one who looks back. They plunder silver, they plunder gold, and there is no end to its ornaments; it is burdened with all the vessels of its desire. It is evident that, when the cities of Nineveh (which Scripture calls her daughters) were led into captivity, Nineveh herself, which had nourished such great populations that it could be compared to the waters of the sea, now has a useless multitude because there is no one who resists and endures the attack of the Babylonians. For it had populations that only fled, and when the mother shouted, 'Stand, stand, close the gates, climb the walls, resist the enemies,' there was no one who would return, no one who would look back at the mother, but everyone turned their backs and abandoned the city to the spoils of the enemies. Where it is said to the Babylonians, because they fled, plunder the silver, and in such a long time gather riches and seize them by sudden devastation. For there is no end to riches, furniture, and vessels that were stored up in Nineveh; nor can you plunder as much as it offers itself for plundering. But because we have already said that Nineveh is splendid, that is, the world, let us see what kind of pool the world is. Scripture does not say that the waters of Nineveh are like the waters of the sea, nor like the waters of rivers, nor like the waters of springs, nor like the waters of wells, but like the waters of a pool: just as, in the book of Jeremiah, the people are accused who have forsaken the fountain of living water and have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that cannot hold water (Jeremiah 2): so also in Nineveh, all those waters that have fallen from the sky, leaving behind their former depth, have poured down into the lowest depths. For all the teachings of the world, which are outside the Church's source and sealed garden, cannot say: The river's current makes the city of God rejoice (Ps. 45:4): nor are they the waters that praise the name of the Lord above the heavens, although they may seem great, yet they are small and confined within a narrow boundary. Let no one be disturbed because we understand the pool in a negative sense, while that pool is understood in a positive sense, to which Isaiah the son of Amos the prophet is commanded to ascend. For there, with an addition, it is said: A pool of flowing water, and a pool of the cloth washer (Is. VII and XXXVI), which is accustomed to wash away filth and stains of clothing (or filth). Because it is placed on high, therefore the prophet is commanded to ascend to it, and to promise victory in the encounter with the king from the two burnt towers. It follows: The fleeing did not stand firm, namely the inhabitants of Nineveh. First, indeed, they should not have fled from God, then also if they had fled, at some point they should have stood firm: For there is a great difference between someone who flees and stands firm, and someone who, fleeing, never stands firm. For the one who stands firm has ceased to flee; the one who does not stand firm always remains in flight. In such a great crowd of those fleeing, there was none who would look back, and repent, and hear the Lord speaking: Return to me, my children, returning, and I will heal your contritions (Jerem. III, 22). Hence also the Holy One speaks in the Psalms: Flight has perished from me (Ps. CXLI, 5). Indeed, I think this also signifies the mystery of leprosy, above which it is said in Leviticus: When a leper has been separated from the priest outside the camp: if the leprosy should stand firm, it [the person] is to be a clean human (Levit. XIII and XIV), and he who had been cast out like a leper is to be cleansed, and to return to camp, and to dwell among the people. But if, the text says, the leprosy has spread, that is, if it does not stand firm but grows and makes progress in evil, and has changed the color of its former health, then the leprosy is most plainly proved by the one who has the knowledge to examine and cleanse the leprosy. But we are also instructed by the true Solomon to dwell in Jerusalem, and to never go out from it. But if that which had been subjected before us flees from us, and goes to other nations, let us not go out of the walls of our city, nor follow the tracks of the fugitives: lest while we wish to save those who are fleeing, we ourselves perish: rather, let us allow them to bury their own dead (Matth. VIII): and let us cut off and cast away from us the eye, hand, and foot that causes scandal, while it is still possible (Marc. IX). Now, what is said: They plundered silver, they plundered gold, and there was no end to their treasures: it refers to the waters of Nineveh, and to those who fled and did not stand firm: there was no one who would look back; and not content with having fled and not looked back, they also plundered silver, whatever eloquence seemed to be in the world: they plundered gold, whatever brilliant sentiments there were in the doctrine of the age, so that they might adorn Nineveh, so that they might compose their teachings with the full flower of all senses and words. Therefore, Nineveh was weighed down with all the treasures of its desires; for the more it possessed a great amount of gold and silver wealth, and various valuable possessions, which were heavy, the more it itself was weighed down, for it loved things that were heavy. Hence, in the book of Zechariah, iniquity sits on a weighed-down talent (Zach. V); and the Egyptians, who were heavy with sins, were submerged in the sea like lead (Exod. XIV). And in the persona of a sinner it is said in the psalm: They were weighed down on me like a heavy burden (Ps. XXXVII, 5). And Peter, who before lightly stepped on the waves: after being weighed down by unbelief, was swallowed up by the waves, is lifted up by the hand of the Lord (Matth. XIV).
Commentary on Nahum
And [as for] Nineve, her waters [shall be] as a pool of water: and they fled, and staid not, and there was none to look back.
καὶ Νινευή, ὡς κολυμβήθρα ὕδατος τὰ ὕδατα αὐτῆς, καὶ αὐτοὶ φεύγοντες οὐκ ἔστησαν, καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ ἐπιβλέπων.
Расхища́хꙋ сребро̀, расхища́хꙋ зла́то, и҆ не бѧ́ше конца̀ и҆мѣ́нїѧ є҆ѧ̀: ѡ҆тѧготи́шасѧ па́че всѣ́хъ сосꙋ́дѡвъ вожделѣ̑ннаѧ є҆ѧ̀.
They plundered the silver, they plundered the gold, and there was no end of their adorning; they were loaded [with it] upon all their pleasant vessels.
διήρπαζον τὸ ἀργύριον, διήρπαζον τὸ χρυσίον, καὶ οὐκ ἦν πέρας τοῦ κόσμου αὐτῆς· βεβάρυνται ὑπὲρ πάντα τὰ σκεύη τὰ ἐπιθυμητὰ αὐτῆς.
И҆стрѧсе́нїе и҆ вострѧсе́нїе, и҆ воскипѣ́нїе и҆ се́рдца сокрꙋше́нїе, и҆ разслабле́нїе колѣ́нъ и҆ бѡлѣ́зни по всѣ̑мъ чре́слѡмъ, и҆ лицѐ всѣ́хъ, а҆́ки ѡ҆пале́нїе котла̀.
(Verse 10) She is scattered and torn and ripped apart, with a wasting heart, and knees loosened, and weakness in all the kidneys, and the faces of all like the darkness of a pot. LXX: Shaking, trembling, and bubbling, and the breaking of the heart, and knees loosened, and pains over every loin, and the faces of all like the burning of a pot. Under the metaphor of a captive woman, Nineveh is described as scattered, torn, and ripped apart: with a wasting heart, loosened knees, and broken kidneys, and the faces of all its inhabitants, due to the terror of the enemies and the magnitude of fear, appear burnt, wasted, and deformed with paleness. Furthermore, according to the Septuagint, a higher understanding is needed of what the terms 'excussio' and 'rediscussio' signify. As for the people of God, it is as if a person has sinned at some point and returns to their previous state, as Jerusalem is said to them: Shake off the dust from your feet and arise, Jerusalem (Isaiah 52:2). And for someone who is such, that after being shaken off, they may deserve to pass into the arrows of God and be aimed against the enemies by the Lord, it is sung about them: Like arrows in the hand of a mighty one, so are the children of those who are shaken off (Psalm 127:4). And when his footsteps, as though entering upon the earth, are sprinkled with dust, we hear from the Savior: Shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony to them (Mk. 6:11): doubtless he speaks of those who refuse to receive the preachers. But as for Nineveh, which was burdened with all the vessels of its desires, it is not merely shaken off once, but frequently. And after it has been shaken off again, and its surface has been cleaned (so that no impurity remains inside), there is even a boiling, which is more significantly called ἐκβρασμὸς in Greek: for properly speaking, ἐκβρασμὸς is used in such cases, when what was hidden inside erupts to the surface. And the pimples that also arise on the lips after an illness are called ἐκβράσματα, and it seems to indicate health, that the disease has erupted on the surface. But not only is this remedy applied in Nineveh, so that it is frequently shaken off and the hidden illness within its vital organs is forced to leave; but also the breaking and dissolution of the heart and knees ((or kidneys)) is proclaimed, just as the hard and stony heart of Pharaoh was broken, which as long as he had it, he did not let the people of God go (Exodus VII and thereafter): so too the broken heart of Nineveh is softened and transformed into flesh, and the stiff knees that were not previously bowed to God are dissolved, and bend to God: from which all fatherhood in heaven and on earth is named: and at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth (Philippians II, 10). So after they come to know their creator, let them hear: Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees (Isaiah 35:3). And he says, 'Pain upon every loin.' We have already said that intercourse is signified by the loin, and that all works related to mingling are designated by the term 'loins.' Therefore, in the consummation, there will be great pains in the loins, because all the power of the dragon is in the loins (Job 40:11). And for all these things, because of which there is shaking, shaking again, bubbling, and breaking of the heart, dissolving of the knees, pains of the loins, the faces of all will be like the scorching of a pot, so that it either becomes close to fire and heat, or loses the shine of oil and turns black like coal, and is covered with eternal confusion, from which the saint is far off, saying, 'The light of your face has shone upon us, Lord' (Psalm 4:7). For when the face of God is revealed, He is contemplated in His glory (2 Corinthians III). And I think, just as the glory of the sun is different from the glory of the moon and from the glory of the stars, and one star differs from another in brightness (1 Corinthians XV, 41), so in the resurrection of the dead, there will be a great distance between the glory of the saints and the darkness of sinners.
Commentary on Nahum
[There is] thrusting forth, and shaking, and tumult, and heart-breaking, and loosing of knees, and pangs on all loins; and the faces of all [are] as the blackening of a pot.
ἐκτιναγμὸς καὶ ἀνατιναγμὸς καὶ ἐκβρασμὸς καὶ καρδίας θραυσμὸς καί ὑπόλυσις γονάτων καὶ ὠδῖνες ἐπὶ πᾶσαν ὀσφύν, καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον πάντων ὡς πρόσκαυμα χύτρας.
Гдѣ̀ є҆́сть вита́лище львѡ́въ и҆ па́жить сꙋ́щаѧ льви́чищємъ; ка́мѡ и҆́де ле́въ, є҆́же влѣ́зти та́мѡ льви́чищꙋ, и҆ не бѧ́ше ᲂу҆страша́ющагѡ.
(Verse 11) Where is the den of the lions, and the feeding ground of the lion cubs, to which the lion went to enter there with its lion cub, and there is no one to drive them away? The lion has taken enough for its cubs, and has killed for its lionesses; and it has filled its dens with prey and its lair with the spoils. Concerning dens and lionesses, seventy are carried off in translation, and the same meaning holds for the rest. However, it is still said about Nineveh: that it was the dwelling place of kings and the court of nobles; to which the Babylonian lion king, that is, Nebuchadnezzar, went, along with his lion cub, his sub-rulers, and there was no one to resist them. The lion captured its own cubs sufficiently, and killed its own lionesses. Likewise, Nabuchodonosor rightfully possessed all the spoils of victory, and he delivered the captured captives into slavery to his free cities or certainly to his wives, and he filled his caves with booty, or as it is said in Hebrew, his pits, and his den with plunder, fully enriching it with treasures, cities, gold, silver, clothes, and all kinds of ornaments, so that he would possess what he had in Nineveh, and conquered Babylon. But according to the ἀναγωγή (i.e., interpretation), both in Jonah and in this Prophet, we have interpreted the world as Nineveh; and according to John: The whole world is set in the evil one (1 John 5:18); after the world has passed through the dwelling place of beasts, and in which lions were fed, then amazed and rejoicing we will say: Where is the dwelling place of the lions that the devil went to, about which Peter speaks: Your adversary (or our adversary) the devil is like a roaring lion, prowling around, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). And the lion's cub, the Antichrist, and all perverse teachings, a contrary word. You have heard, says John, the Antichrist will come: but now there are many Antichrists (I John 2): for as many false doctrines as there are, there are as many Antichrists. And before the coming of Christ there was no one who expelled; but after our Lord came and entered Nineveh, he saw Satan falling from heaven like lightning (Luke 10): and Lucifer, who rose in the morning, fell from heaven (Isaiah 14). For the true Samson came to the Philistines; and while he was going to Thamna, which means his consummation, to take as his wife the poor girl from the nations, Delilah, he killed a lion to whom his consummation had come, and when it was dead, he ate the sweet honey. And the true David, keeping his father's sheep, seized the lion and killed it (1 Samuel 17); and Banias, which means the builder of the Lord (1 Chronicles 11), went down into the lake of this age, which is accustomed to refresh the hot waters, and killed the lion. And in the vision of Isaiah, which is seen against quadrupeds, first the distress of these beasts is mentioned: In tribulation and distress, a lion and the whelp of a lion (Isa. XXXV). This lion, before being killed by Christ, captured many as prey for his cubs: and he killed his lion cubs, his attendants, that is, demons. See the assemblies of the heretics and you will not find many captured by the lion. Consider the dead who have left life, and you will not call their churches the shepherd's flock, but rather the lion's dens, which are filled with corpses and the blood of the dead. You have set darkness (says David), and it became night: in it all the beasts of the forests will pass by. Lion's whelps roar and seek food from God. The lion is difficult to find during the day, but he always prowls at night, in order to snatch from the Church of Christ, in order to be satiated with the chosen ones, according to Habakkuk's foods. Finally, Judas was from the sheepfold of Christ, and he was snatched by the lion and suffocated by hanging. But that prophet, to whom the Lord had commanded not to eat bread in that region where the golden calves were, and who falsely claimed that he did not eat, was struck by a lion (3 Kings 13). Jeremiah also speaks about sinners: The lion has struck them from the forest, and the wolf has dispersed them even to their houses, and the leopard has watched over their cities. Everyone who goes out from them shall be caught (Jeremiah 5:6). Take note that no one shall be caught except those who have gone out from the cities of God. In the fourth book of Kings (verse 17), the inhabitants of the cities of Samaria, not knowing the judgment of God, were being killed by lions until they learned to worship God and were freed from the lions. For this reason, I believe and whatever is captured by beasts should not be offered in the sacrifices to God (Leviticus 22:8), and it is said by the prophet: 'Unclean and captured by a beast has not entered into my mouth' (Ezekiel 4:14). Therefore, the lion was slain, and the false doctrines were refuted, the food came out of the one who was eating, and the sweet came out of the strong (Judges 14).
Commentary on Nahum
Where is the dwelling-place of the lions, and the pasture that belonged to the whelps? where did the lion go, that the lion’s whelp should enter in there, and there was none to scare [him] away?
ποῦ ἐστι τὸ κατοικητήριον τῶν λεόντων καὶ ἡ νομὴ ἡ οὖσα τοῖς σκύμνοις, οὗ ἐπορεύθη λέων τοῦ εἰσελθεῖν ἐκεῖ, σκύμνος λέοντος καὶ οὐκ ἦν ὁ ἐκφοβῶν;
Ле́въ восхи́ти довѡ́льнаѧ льви́чищємъ свои̑мъ и҆ ᲂу҆давѝ льви́цамъ свои̑мъ, и҆ напо́лни лови́твы гнѣздо̀ своѐ и҆ вита́лище своѐ похище́нїѧ.
The lion seized enough prey for his whelps, and strangled for his [young] lions, and filled his lair with prey, and his dwelling-place with spoil.
λέων ἥρπασε τὰ ἱκανὰ τοῖς σκύμνοις αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπέπνιξε τοῖς λέουσιν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔπλησε θήρας νοσσιὰν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ κατοικητήριον αὐτοῦ ἁρπαγῆς.
Сѐ, а҆́зъ на тѧ̀, гл҃етъ гдⷭ҇ь Вседержи́тель, и҆ пожгꙋ̀ ды́момъ мно́жество твоѐ, и҆ львы̀ твоѧ̑ поѧ́стъ ѻ҆рꙋ́жїе: и҆ потреблю̀ ѿ землѝ лови́твꙋ твою̀, и҆ не ᲂу҆слы́шатсѧ ктомꙋ̀ дѣла̀ твоѧ̑.
(v. 13) Behold, I am coming to you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will set fire to your chariots until they are smoking, and the sword will devour your young lions, and I will eliminate your plunder from the land, and the voice of your messengers will no longer be heard. (LXX: Behold, I am coming to you, says the Almighty Lord, and I will set fire to your multitude until it is smoke, and the sword will devour your lions, and I will take away your plunder from the land, and your works will no longer be heard.) O Nineveh, all that has been said, with me as the author, you will suffer. I, the Lord, will set fire to your chariots until they are smoking and consumed, and I will make even your nobles and officials be devoured by the sword. You will no longer ravage the lands, nor demand tribute, and your messengers will not be heard throughout your provinces. Even if I do not hear the angels, who are your guardians, praying continuously for your protection. But these same words are also spoken to the world, where there is a multitude that travels along a broad and spacious road leading to death (Matthew 7), which the Lord threatens to set ablaze, suffocating in the smoke of its own wickedness (or excessive goodness). The sword will also devour lions, the living word of God, sharp and polished on all sides. It promises to take away its prey from the land, so that no one in Nineveh will be captured, and like a merciful one, it removes evil deeds and suppresses them, so that the sound of their voice and noise can no longer be heard. Hence it says: And your deeds will no longer be heard.
Commentary on Nahum
Behold, I am against thee, saith the Lord Almighty, and I will burn up thy multitude in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy lions; and I will utterly destroy thy prey from off the land, and thy deeds shall no more at all be heard of.
ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἐπὶ σέ, λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτωρ, καὶ ἐκκαύσω ἐν καπνῷ πλῆθός σου, καὶ τοὺς λέοντάς σου καταφάγεται ῥομφαία, καὶ ἐξολοθρεύσω ἐκ τῆς γῆς τὴν θήραν σου, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀκουσθῇ οὐκέτι τὰ ἔργα σου. * The verse numbering for chapter
1* Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that brings glad tidings, and publishes peace! O Juda, keep thy feasts, pay thy vows: for they shall no more pass through thee to [thy] decay. It is all over with him, he has been removed,
:
Взы́де вдыха́ѧй въ лицѐ твоѐ, ѿе́млѧй ѿ ѡ҆скорбле́нїѧ: ᲂу҆смотрѝ пꙋ́ть, ᲂу҆крѣпѝ чрє́сла, возмꙋжа́й крѣ́постїю ѕѣлѡ̀: