Nahum 1:1-8

“The oracle against Nineveh; the book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite: The Lord is a zealous and avenging God; the Lord is avenging and very angry. The Lord takes vengeance against his foes; he sustains his rage against his enemies. The Lord is slow to anger but great in power; the Lord will certainly not allow the wicked to go unpunished. He marches out in the whirlwind and the raging storm; dark storm clouds billow like dust under his feet. He shouts a battle cry against the seaand makes it dry up; he makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither; the blossom of Lebanon withers. The mountains tremble before him, the hills convulse; the earth is laid waste before him, the world and all its inhabitants are laid waste. No one can withstand his indignation! No one can resist his fierce anger! His wrath is poured out like volcanic fire, boulders are broken up as he approaches. The Lord is good – indeed, he is a fortress in time of distress, and he protects those who seek refuge in him. But with an overwhelming flood he will make a complete end of Nineveh; he will drive his enemies into darkness.”

— ‭‭Nahum‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬-‭8‬‬ 

Nahum and Jonah are the two books that deal with Nineveh. So much of the interpretation of these two books concerns dating. Which one was written first affects our understanding. Most conservative scholars will place Jonah around the lifetime of the prophet (assuming he wrote it). There are good arguments against this, as in not many prophets write their books in the third person. The sequence is then that Jonah went to preach repentance, it “worked,” but not for long. Nahum comes along and announces judgment that is coming regardless of their response. 

If Nahum is first, then scholars put Jonah as written more in the exile period. Nahum announced the fall and destruction of Nineveh, and the Jonah comes later to use the Assyrians as an example of just how great God’s love/compassion is. To a people in exile, wondering about all these foreign oppressors, the author uses their worst historical enemy (and somewhat recent) to let them know that God has forgiveness for even the worst.

Zealous: Also jealous. This is a very human trait, and the NET lists all the ways it’s used. Not often is it in a good context. They describe God as protective of His people and in judging their enemies. 

This type of anger/ wrath is odd to identify, and not typically something we see in descriptions of God. Especially for v. 7 to be focus verse of the day. How can these two things coexist, and not in a salvation conversation. I would think it does go back to His covenant with Israel and His protection of them. He can be angry against those who oppose them. This whole scene though is using human attributes and war imagery to describe a deity. This is very common in ancient near eastern writings. This may be more about how Israel is perceiving their God in relation to those of other nations as opposed to inherent, natural qualities of YHWH.

God is marching and walking on the storm clouds. He is Lord over creation, and this certainly has the imagery of other gods, too. There were storm gods, war gods, etc. These descriptions of YHWH find a home when compared to other civilizations and their gods.

Lots of phrases about his wrath, indignation, and fury against the enemies. Attacking Israel was attacking their god. So yeah, if I wanted protection, I would turn to YHWH. He knows how to lead and help His people. All those who oppose Him will be on the losing end.