Nahum 3:5 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Nahum 3:5
Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.
an oracle · noun, common masculine singular construct
LORD
יְהוָ֣הYah.weh
H3068
Jehovah · proper noun, a title
hosts
צְבָא֔וֹתtze.va.'ot
H6635
a mass of persons (or figuratively · noun, common feminine plural absolute
discover
וְגִלֵּיתִ֥יve.gi.lei.Ti
H1540
to denude (especially in a disgraceful sense) · conjunction + verb, piel sequential perfect, 1st person common singular
skirts
שׁוּלַ֖יִךְshu.La.yikh
H7757
a skirt · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person feminine singular
face
פָּנָ֑יִךְpa.Na.yikh
H6440
the face (as the part that turns) · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person feminine singular
shew
וְהַרְאֵיתִ֤יve.har.'ei.Ti
H7200
to see · conjunction + verb, hiphil sequential perfect, 1st person common singular
nations
גוֹיִם֙go.Yim
H1471
a foreign nation · noun, common masculine plural absolute
nakedness
מַעְרֵ֔ךְma'.Rekh
H4626
a nude place · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person feminine singular
kingdoms
וּמַמְלָכ֖וֹתu.mam.la.Khot
H4467
dominion · conjunction + noun, common feminine plural absolute
shame
קְלוֹנֵֽךְke.lo.Nekh
H7036
disgrace · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person feminine singular
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Jeremiah 13:26 Therefore will I discover thy skirts upon thy face, that thy shame may appear.
Jeremiah 13:22 And if thou say in thine heart, Wherefore come these things upon me? For the greatness of thine iniquity are thy skirts discovered, and thy…
Ezekiel 23:29 And they shall deal with thee hatefully, and shall take away all thy labour, and shall leave thee naked and bare: and the nakedness of thy w…
Isaiah 47:2-3 Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers.
Ezekiel 16:37 Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that th…
Nahum 2:13 Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts, and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions: a…
Habakkuk 2:16 Thou art filled with shame for glory: drink thou also, and let thy foreskin be uncovered: the cup of the LORD’s right hand shall be turned u…
Ezekiel 23:25 And I will set my jealousy against thee, and they shall deal furiously with thee: they shall take away thy nose and thine ears; and thy remn…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Nahum 3:1-7
Here is, I. Nineveh arraigned and indicted. It is a high charge that is here drawn up against that great city, and neither her numbers nor her grandeur shall secure her from prosecution. 1. It is a city of blood, in which a great deal of innocent blood is shed by unrighteous war, or under colour and pretence of public justice, or by suffering barbarous murders to go unpunished; for this the righteous God will make inquisition. 2. It is all full of lies; truth is banished from among them; there is no such thing as honesty; one knows not whom to believe nor whom to trust. 3. It is all full of robbery and rapine; no man cares what mischief he does, nor to whom he does it: The prey departs not,…
I will discover thy skirts upon thy face--that is, discover thy nakedness by throwing up thy skirts upon thy face (the greatest possible insult), pulling them up as as high as thy head (Jer 13:22; Eze 16:37-41). I will treat thee not as a matron, but as a harlot whose shame is exposed; her gaudy finery being lifted up off her (Isa 47:2-3). So Nineveh shall be stripped of all her glory and defenses on which she prides herself.
Adam Clarke on Nahum 3:5
I will discover thy skirts upon thy face - It was an ancient, though not a laudable custom, to strip prostitutes naked, or throw their clothes over their heads, and expose them to public view, and public execration. This verse alludes to such a custom.
John Gill on Nahum 3:5
Behold, I am against thee, saith the Lord of hosts,.... Because her doings were against him; See Gill on Nahum 2:13,
and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face; turn up the skirts of her garments over her head, and thereby discover what should be concealed, than which nothing is more disagreeable and abominable to modest persons; it is here threatened she should be used in character as a harlot, or as women oftentimes are by rude soldiers, when a city is taken by them:
and I will show the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame; all her charms shall be taken away, and she become odious as a harlot to her former lovers; all her impostures, arts, and tricks, and shameful actions,…
The Church Fathers
(Verse 5, 6.) Behold, I am coming to you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will reveal your shame before your face, and I will show your nakedness to the nations, and your disgrace to the kingdoms. And I will cast abominations upon you, and afflict you with insults, and make you an example. LXX: Behold, I am coming to you, says the Lord Almighty, and I will uncover your backside over your face, and I will show your confusion to the nations, and your disgrace to the kingdoms, and I will cast abomination upon you according to your uncleanness, and make you an example. Because you have sold, O Nineveh, nations in your fornications, and families in your sorceries, and have spread your feet as a public whore to all divided lands: therefore I myself will come to you to overthrow you, I will not send an angel, I will not trust others to judge you. I will uncover your private parts before your face, so that what you did not see before will be placed before your eyes. I will show your nakedness to the nations, and your shame to the kingdoms, so that those who fornicated with you will despise you, mock you, and treat you with contempt, and you will be an example to all who see you. But all these things are narrated under the metaphor of the adulterous woman, who, when she is caught, is brought into the middle and exposed before the eyes of all. Indeed, this is fully described through a prophetic sermon in the Book of Ezekiel, also concerning Jerusalem. However, they are more truly and usefully said about the world, to which the true doctor came from heaven, both to cut off and to heal. Behold, I am your Lord almighty, and because I am almighty, I can heal all diseases. And what is impossible for others is possible for me. I will reveal your behind on your face, that is, my virtues, precepts, and teachings, which you have cast behind your back. Although you do not deserve it, I will make you see. For I had commanded you concerning my teachings, that they should always be moved before your eyes, bound and hanging. But you, despising the command of the one who orders, left them behind your tracks, so that not only did you not do them, but you did not even deign to see what I had commanded. Indeed, I will make you see and understand your errors, which before, when you were blind and reckless, you thought were virtues. After this, I will also reveal your nakedness to the…
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Nineveh · Predictions respecting: Degradation and contempt put on — Predictions respecting: Degradation and contempt put on
Sorcery · .By the Ninevites — .By the Ninevites
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Nahum 3:5-6
5. Behold, I am against thee, saith the Lord of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.
5. Ecce Ego ad te, inquit Jehova exercituum, et retegam fimbrias tuas super faciem tuam, et ostendam gentibus nuditatem tuam, et regnis foeditatem tuam:
6. And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock.
6. Et projiciam super te sordes (vel, inquinamenta) et ignominia afficiam te, et ponam te quasi stercus (alii vertunt; alii autem, quasi exemplum; dicam postea de ipsa voce.)
The Prophet confirms here what he has said of the fall of Nineveh; but, as it wa…
The Lord will plunge Nineveh into shameful misery in consequence. Nah 3:5. "Behold, I come to thee, is the saying of Jehovah of hosts; and uncover thy skirts over thy face, and let nations see they nakedness, and kingdoms thy shame. Nah 3:6. And cast horrible things upon thee, and shame thee, and make thee a gazing-stock. Nah 3:7. And it comes to pass, every one who sees thee will flee before thee, and say, Is Nineveh laid waste? Who will bewail her? whence do I seek comforters for thee?" Nah 3:5.a as in Nah 2:13. The punishment of Nineveh will correspond to her conduct. Her coquetry shall be repaid to her by the uncovering of her nakedness before the nations (cf. Jer 13:26; Isa 47:3; Hos 2:…
Twice God tells Nineveh, I am your enemy (also 2:13). Nineveh’s judgment stands as a historical reminder that the Lord abhors sin and will deal with people and nations according to their deeds (Pss 9:7-8; 62:12; Jer 46:28; Acts 17:31). One day, God’s justice will fall worldwide on those who have rebelled against him (Rev 17–19).
Rashi on Nahum 3:5
your skirts Heb. שׁוּלַיִךְ. They are the hems of a woman’s garments.
your nakedness Heb. מַעֲרֵךְ, your exposure, as in (Micah 1:11) “With your private parts exposed (עֶרְיָה).”
