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YOU ARE HERE: Study Programs >> Perek Yomi (A Chapter a Day) >> Questions to Guide You

Perek Yomi - Nahum

by Rabbi Robert Layman

The Prophet Nahum (Nahum in Hebrew, connoting "consolation") is virtually anonymous. There are no real clues as to his biography but scholars assume that he preached during the second half of the Seventh Century B.C.E. when Assyria was the major power in the Middle East and known for its extreme cruelty to the nations that it dominated. Nahum's condemnations are reserved exclusively for the Assyrian capital, Nineveh, whose downfall he predicts. He thus provides a remarkable contrast to the message of the Book of Jonah. None of his utterances are directed at the Jewish people except for a brief promise of peace and security.

Nahum makes extensive use of alliteration which can only be appreciated when read in Hebrew.

Chapter 1

  1. Is there any indication in the opening verses as to who Nahum was, when he prophesied, or any other biographical or chronological information?
  2. However, since reference is made to Ninveh, the major city of Assyria, and verse 2 speaks of that city as subject to Divine action, is it possible that the timing would be about 625 to 612 B.C.E. when Ninveh (and Assyria) were destroyed?
  3. In verse 2, appears the word "nokeym" which is usually translated as "vengeance"; might the term be also translated as retribution by way of God's action when human action is incapable of redressing injustice?
  4. Verse 3 speaks of dimensions of the Divine which appear as contraries if not contradictories; or might they be consistent with one another?
  5. Does verse 4 indicate an "attack upon nature" or, rather, an assertion of infinite power?
  6. According to verse 6 can anything/anyone withstand the "wrath" of Divinity?
  7. Yet, with the descriptions of power, and wrathfulness, what is the affirmation of verse 7?
  8. In verse 11 appears "from you has come forth negative thoughts regarding the Divine"; who is the "you"?
  9. Verse 13 makes reference to his "yoke" -- since the prophet has referred to Ninveh could this refer to Assyria and one of its conquests, Israel?
  10. In the closing verse (14) is the reference to Israel or Judea or, rather, to Assyria?

Chapter 2

  1. Does the first verse begin on a note of hope or warning or despair?
  2. To whom is this prophecy directed?
  3. Specifically, in verse 3, what does the prophet indicate as to Divine action?
  4. Verses 4 through 8 describe an attack but not on Judea or Israel; rather, according to verse 9, what city is being attacked?
  5. In verse 12 Ninveh is compared to "a lion's den," which would represent what reputation for Assyria?
  6. According to verse 14, what is the final destiny of Assyria and its capital Ninveh?
  7. What would motivate the prophet to so castigate the Assyrians?

Chapter 3

  1. Is the "city of blood" (that is, full of crime) identified?
  2. Destruction is promised in verses 2 and 3 and the reason is set forth in verse 4; why is the city being destroyed?
  3. In what verse, presently, does the prophet specifically indicate the city that he is describing?
  4. What is the purport of the comparison in verses 8 and 9?
  5. Why the reference in verse 13 to "women as your troops"?
  6. Verses 17 and 18 describe the former power of Assyria but, to what end?
  7. The final verse (19) summarizes the reason for the destruction of Ninveh -- it represents a just retribution for what action on the part of the Assyrians?
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