Imagine living in Judah around 650 BC. For over a 100 years, the Assyrian army had burned our towns, and dragged our people away. They’d even carved pictures of it in stone to brag. Now imagine a preacher telling us, “God loves Assyria and Nineveh.” How would it feel?
God did love Nineveh once. He sent Jonah, and the city repented. But Nineveh went back to its cruelty, and now God sends a very different messenger. Nahum has one message from start to finish: Nineveh will fall. It’s a book written for victims.
So where’s Jesus in Nahum? He isn’t hidden in a corner. He’s at the centre of the book’s hardest question: what will God do about evil? Nahum’s answer is the gospel’s answer. God will do both things at once: He will judge evil, and He will shelter everyone who runs to Him. And Jesus is both that Judge and that shelter.
Here’s a bold claim: Nahum also gives us one of the clearest pictures of the cross in the Old Testament. It shows a God so just He must judge evil, and so good He opens a safe haven for everyone who runs to him.
Jesus in the Old Testament — Book 34 of 39
This post is the 34th instalment in our series tracing Christ through every book of the Old Testament. See the full series index.
Nahum at a Glance: The Basic Facts
| QUESTION | ANSWER |
|---|---|
| Who wrote it? | Nahum from Elkosh (Nahum 1:1). His name means “comfort”. |
| When? | Between 663 BC and 612 BC—after the city of Thebes fell, but before Nineveh fell. |
| What is it about? | Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria, the cruellest empire of its day. |
| Who first read it? | God’s people in Judah, who had suffered under Assyria for over a hundred years. |
| Main message | God will judge the cruel oppressor and set his people free. |
First, How Should We Look for Jesus in Nahum?
Nahum never uses the name “Jesus”. So is it fair to look for him here? Jesus Himself says yes. After He rose from the dead, He met two followers on the road to Emmaus. “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:27). Nahum is one of those Prophets.
Jesus also said the Scriptures bear witness about Him (John 5:39). The Old Testament is one long story, and it leads to one person. John Calvin, the great Bible teacher of Geneva, wrote on that verse: “We ought to read the Scriptures with the express design of finding Christ in them.”
But we must not invent hidden meanings. Sidney Greidanus, in Preaching Christ from the Old Testament, describes 7 honest roads from an Old Testament passage to Christ. 3 matter most for Nahum: following a big theme through the Bible, noticing where the New Testament echoes a passage, and spotting typology.
KEY WORDS EXPLAINED
Typology: A real person, event or place in the Old Testament that God designed as a picture of something greater in Christ. It is always rooted in real history.
Allegory: Giving a text a hidden meaning that the writer never meant. We avoid this.
Wrath: God’s settled, holy anger against evil. It is not a bad temper.
Timeline: Nineveh’s Story from Jonah to Revelation
- Around 760 BC: Jonah preaches in Nineveh. The city repents, and God spares it (Jonah 3:10).
- 722 BC: Assyria destroys the northern kingdom of Israel.
- 701 BC: King Sennacherib of Assyria attacks Judah and captures Lachish. His palace carvings show its prisoners tortured.
- 663 BC: Assyria destroys Thebes in Egypt. Nahum mentions this in Nahum 3:8.
- 663–612 BC: Nahum announces Nineveh’s fall.
- 612 BC: The Babylonians and the Medes destroy Nineveh. It is never rebuilt.
- About AD 30: Jesus says the Ninevites who repented under Jonah will judge his unbelieving generation (Matthew 12:41).
- The future: “Babylon the great”, the last proud world power, falls when Christ returns (Revelation 18).
By Nahum’s day, Assyrian kings boasted in stone about skinning enemies alive and piling up their heads. Nahum is God’s answer to that cruelty.
1. 2 Halves of One Great Promise
Nahum begins by describing God: “The LORD is a jealous and avenging God… The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, and the LORD will by no means clear the guilty” (Nahum 1:2–3).
These words echo Mount Sinai, where God showed Moses His glory and described Himself as “merciful and gracious, slow to anger… but who will by no means clear the guilty” (Exodus 34:6–7).
Now notice something amazing. Jonah and Nahum speak to the same city, and each quotes a different half of that description.
How Jonah and Nahum Each Quote Exodus 34:6–7
| COMPARE | JONAH | NAHUM |
|---|---|---|
| Which half? | The mercy half | The justice half |
| The words | “A gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Jonah 4:2) | “Slow to anger and great in power… will by no means clear the guilty” (Nahum 1:3) |
| What happens to Nineveh | Spared, because it repents | Destroyed, because it returns to evil |
| What it teaches | God loves to forgive | God will not ignore sin |
So how can God forgive guilty people and still “by no means clear the guilty”? The cross answers this. There God punished sin completely—but in Jesus, our substitute (someone who takes another person’s place). Because the penalty was truly paid, God can forgive without pretending sin doesn’t matter. Paul says God did this “so that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26).
JI Packer, in his classic Knowing God, wrote God’s wrath is “never the capricious, self-indulgent, irritable, morally ignoble thing that human anger so often is.” Nahum shows us God’s wrath. Jonah shows us His mercy. Jesus shows us both at once. Even “jealous” (Nahum 1:2) means fierce, protective love, like a husband’s for his wife—the same zeal that consumed Jesus when he cleared the temple (John 2:17).
2. The Lord Who Rebukes the Sea
Nahum pictures God arriving in a storm: “His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet. He rebukes the sea and makes it dry” (Nahum 1:3–4). Bible scholars call this a theophany—a moment when God shows Himself in a powerful, visible way.
Now travel forward to the Sea of Galilee. The disciples are in a boat in a terrible storm, and they wake the sleeping Jesus. “And He awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39).
Notice the word “rebuked”. In the Old Testament, it’s the LORD who rebukes the sea (Psalm 106:9; Nahum 1:4). The terrified disciples ask, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?” (Mark 4:41).
Nahum gives the answer: the LORD himself. New Testament scholar Richard Bauckham shows the Gospels place Jesus inside God’s own identity by having him do what only God can do. The Lord of the storm in Nahum 1 is sitting in that boat.
3. “Who Can Stand?”—Nahum’s Question and the Lamb’s Answer
Nahum asks a frightening question: “Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the heat of his anger?” (Nahum 1:6). The expected answer is: nobody.
John repeats it in Revelation. On judgement day, people beg the mountains to hide them “from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Revelation 6:16–17).
Did you notice who is angry? The Lamb—Jesus, who died on the cross. As he said, “The Father judges no one, but has given all judgement to the Son” (John 5:22).
But John doesn’t leave the question hanging. The very next chapter answers it.
THE QUESTION NAHUM ASKS AND THE ANSWER GOD GIVES
The question (Nahum 1:6): Who can stand before God’s anger?
The fear (Revelation 6:17): On judgement day, people ask the same question. No one can stand on their own goodness.
The answer (Revelation 7:9, 14): “A great multitude that no one could number, from every nation” stands before the throne—not because they are good, but because “they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb”.
4. A Stronghold for Everyone Who Runs to Him
In the middle of the storm comes one of the Bible’s sweetest verses: “The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who take refuge in Him” (Nahum 1:7).
The flood that sweeps away God’s enemies (Nahum 1:8) cannot reach those hiding in Him. And where’s this hiding place? Psalm 2 speaks of God’s King, his Son, and ends: “Blessed are all who take refuge in Him” (Psalm 2:12). The safe place is a person.
And when God “knows” someone, it means close, personal covenant love (a covenant is a binding promise-relationship). Jesus says, “I know my own” (John 10:14), but to others, “I never knew you” (Matthew 7:23). So the question isn’t whether we’re good enough. It’s whether we’re in the right shelter.
5. “I Will Afflict You No More”
To His suffering people, God makes a wonderful promise: “Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no more. And now I will break his yoke from off you and will burst your bonds apart” (Nahum 1:12–13).
A yoke—a wooden bar on the necks of oxen—was a picture of slavery. Why does God promise to stop afflicting His people? Because one day the affliction would fall on someone else. Isaiah says of the coming Servant: “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted” (Isaiah 53:4). Jesus took the affliction His people deserved, so it can never come back on them.
He also breaks a heavier yoke than Assyria’s—the yoke of sin and guilt—and offers His own: “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you” (Matthew 11:28–29). This is true freedom (Galatians 5:1).
6. The Feet of the One Who Brings Good News
Nahum 1:15 is the brightest verse in the book: “Behold, upon the mountains, the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace! Keep your feasts, O Judah; fulfil your vows, for never again shall the worthless pass through you; he is utterly cut off.”
Picture a runner coming over the hills, shouting: “The enemy is beaten! We have peace!” 3 things in this verse point straight to Jesus.
- The good news: In the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament used in Jesus’ day), “brings good news” shares its root with the word “gospel”. Isaiah uses almost the same sentence (Isaiah 52:7), and Paul applies it to preachers of Christ (Romans 10:15). Jesus is both messenger and message: “He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near” (Ephesians 2:17).
- The defeated enemy: The Hebrew word for “worthless” here is belial. By New Testament times it had become a name for Satan: “What accord has Christ with Belial?” (2 Corinthians 6:15). The final enemy “cut off” is not just Assyria’s king but the devil, defeated by Christ at the cross (Colossians 2:15).
- The feast: Judah may celebrate again. Paul writes, “Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival” (1 Corinthians 5:7–8).
7. The Fall of Nineveh and the Fall of Babylon the Great
Nahum 2 and 3 describe Nineveh’s fall in vivid detail. But Revelation shows Nineveh was a preview of something much bigger.
Nineveh in Nahum and “Babylon the Great” in Revelation
| WHAT NAHUM SAYS ABOUT NINEVEH | WHAT REVELATION SAYS ABOUT BABYLON THE GREAT |
|---|---|
| “Woe to the bloody city” (Nahum 3:1) | She is “drunk with the blood of the saints” (Revelation 17:6) |
| A prostitute who betrays nations with her “charms” (Nahum 3:4); the Hebrew word means sorcery | “All nations were deceived by your sorcery” (Revelation 18:23) |
| “You increased your merchants more than the stars” (Nahum 3:16) | “The merchants of the earth have grown rich” through her (Revelation 18:3) |
| “All who hear the news about you clap their hands” (Nahum 3:19) | “Rejoice over her, O heaven” (Revelation 18:20) |
Nineveh is a type—a real city that pictures every proud, cruel power that fights God and His people. The one who finally brings down “Babylon the great” is Jesus. John sees Him riding out on a white horse: “in righteousness He judges and makes war” (Revelation 19:11).
Tremper Longman III and Daniel G Reid, in their book God Is a Warrior, trace this “divine warrior” theme through the Bible: the God who fought for Israel is revealed as Jesus, who defeated evil powers at the cross and will finish the battle when He returns. O Palmer Robertson, in his commentary on Nahum, adds the book is God’s word about every oppressor in every age, not just one city.
DID NAHUM’S PROPHECY REALLY COME TRUE?
Indeed, it did. In 612 BC, Babylonians and Medes captured Nineveh, as Nahum said. A clay tablet called the Babylonian Chronicle records the fall. Archaeologists have found thick layers of ash—which fits Nahum 3:15: “There will the fire devour you.” It was never rebuilt.
Read more: [internal link to our Nineveh archaeology post]
Answering the Big Objections
- “Isn’t this just reading Jesus into the text?” No. Every link here comes from the New Testament’s own use of Nahum’s words or from a clear Bible-wide theme—exactly as Jesus taught (Luke 24:27).
- “Isn’t Nahum just angry nationalism?” No. God is “slow to anger” (Nahum 1:3) and judges real crimes—murder, lies and the crushing of nations (Nahum 3:1). Vengeance belongs to God alone: “never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God” (Romans 12:19).
- “Did God change his mind after Jonah?” No. God’s warnings carry a condition: “if that nation… turns from its evil, I will relent” (Jeremiah 18:8). Nineveh repented, then turned back to evil. Judgement delayed is not judgement cancelled (2 Peter 3:9–10).
- “Surely Jesus is too gentle to judge?” Jesus is “gentle and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29), yet the Bible speaks of “the wrath of the Lamb” (Revelation 6:16). A Saviour who never judged evil could never truly protect his people.
Jesus in Nahum: A Summary
Where Jesus Appears in Nahum, Verse by Verse
| PASSAGE | WHAT NAHUM SAYS | HOW IT POINTS TO JESUS |
|---|---|---|
| Nahum 1:2–3 | God is slow to anger but will not clear the guilty | At the cross, God is both just and forgiving (Romans 3:26) |
| Nahum 1:4 | God rebukes the sea | Jesus rebukes the storm (Mark 4:39) |
| Nahum 1:6 | Who can stand before God’s anger? | Only those washed by the Lamb (Revelation 7:9, 14) |
| Nahum 1:7 | God is a stronghold for those who hide in him | We find refuge in the Son (Psalm 2:12) |
| Nahum 1:12–13 | God will afflict his people no more | Jesus carried the affliction for us (Isaiah 53:4) |
| Nahum 1:15 | The feet of the one who brings good news | Jesus preached peace and is our peace (Ephesians 2:17) |
| Nahum 3 | The cruel city falls | Christ will bring down Babylon the great (Revelation 18–19) |
What Nahum Means for Us Today
Whenever we catch ourselves wondering whether God sees the evil in this world, Nahum answers: He not only sees it, but will judge it, and not one crime will escape Him.
But Nahum also asks us a question. Where will you stand when the storm comes? Not in our own strength—Nineveh tried, and fell. The only safe place is the stronghold of Nahum 1:7—and that stronghold has a name.
Jesus is the Judge who will end all evil, and the refuge who took the judgement for all who run to Him. Nahum’s name means “comfort”, and here is its deepest comfort: the one who will judge the world has already died for sinners. Run to Him today.
Tough Questions, Honest Answers
Who was Nahum, and when did he prophesy?
We know very little about Nahum himself. The Bible calls him “Nahum of Elkosh” (Nahum 1:1), but no one is sure where Elkosh was—suggestions include places in Galilee, in Judah and even near Nineveh. His name means “comfort”, which fits his message to suffering Judah. He wrote after Thebes fell in 663 BC (Nahum 3:8) and before Nineveh fell in 612 BC, probably during the reign of King Manasseh or King Josiah. That places him in the same general era as Zephaniah and the young Jeremiah. God often speaks through people we know little about, because what matters most isn’t the messenger but the message.
Where is Nineveh today?
The ruins of Nineveh lie on the east bank of River Tigris, opposite the modern city of Mosul in northern Iraq. Two large mounds mark the site: Kuyunjik and Nebi Yunus, which means “the prophet Jonah”. In 2014 the terrorist group ISIS blew up the shrine linked to Jonah on Nebi Yunus. Later, archaeologists found tunnels ISIS had dug under the mound, and these exposed parts of an Assyrian royal palace. Today the once-proud capital is a field of ruins—a silent witness that God’s word through Nahum came true.
Is Capernaum named after the prophet Nahum?
Capernaum comes from the Hebrew Kefar Nahum, which means “village of Nahum” or “village of comfort”. We do not know which Nahum it was named after—it may have been the prophet, or another man with the same name. Jesus made Capernaum his home base during his ministry (Matthew 4:13). Sadly, many there rejected him, and Jesus warned, “You will be brought down to Hades” (Matthew 11:23). It’s a striking irony that the “village of comfort” turned away from the true Comforter, but we shouldn’t build any teaching on a place name.
Is the Nahum in Jesus’ family tree the same person as the prophet?
No. Luke 3:25 names a Nahum among the ancestors of Jesus, but he lived long after the prophet—after the Jews returned from exile in Babylon. Nahum was a fairly common Jewish name. There’s no evidence that the prophet was an ancestor of Jesus. Still, the family tree reminds us that God worked through many ordinary people over many centuries to bring his Son into the world.
What does Nahum 1:9 mean when it says trouble “will not rise up a second time”?
In context, God is speaking about Assyria. He promises to make “a complete end” of it, so that it will never attack Judah again. The King James Version says “affliction shall not rise up the second time”, and many people apply this verse to their personal problems. We should be careful here, because God does not promise Christians a life without trials: “In the world you will have tribulation” (John 16:33). But the verse does point forward to a final, complete victory. When Christ returns, sin, death and suffering will end once for all, and God “will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 21:4).
Does Nahum 2:4 predict cars?
Some popular teachers claim that Nahum 2:4—“The chariots race madly through the streets… they gleam like torches; they dart like lightning”—describes modern cars with headlights. But the context is clear. Nahum is describing the chaotic battle for Nineveh in 612 BC, with chariots flashing in the sunlight. Reading modern machines into ancient verses is sometimes called “newspaper exegesis”, and it pulls our eyes away from what God actually said. Bible prophecy is not a set of riddles about technology. It points us to God’s saving plan in Christ.
Is it wrong for Christians to rejoice when evil people fall?
Proverbs 24:17 says, “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,” yet Nahum 3:19 shows people clapping at Nineveh’s fall, and Revelation 18:20 tells heaven to rejoice over Babylon. These passages do not contradict each other. Proverbs forbids personal gloating—enjoying someone’s pain because we hate them. Nahum and Revelation celebrate God’s justice being done and oppressed people being set free. God himself says, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live” (Ezekiel 33:11). So Christians may rejoice when evil is ended, while still praying for our enemies (Matthew 5:44) and hoping they turn to Christ before it is too late.
Related Reads
- Jesus in the Old Testament: Where He Appears In All 39 Books
- Jesus in the Book of Micah: 7 Pointers to Christ
- Jesus in the Book of Habakkuk: 7 Ways the Prophet Sees Christ
- Jesus in Jonah: The Storm, the Fish and the Saviour
- Nineveh Archaeology and the Bible: What the 2026 Digs Found
- God’s Cup of Wrath: What It Is and Who Must Drink It
