Nahum 1 14

Nahum 1:14 kjv

And the LORD hath given a commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sown: out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven image and the molten image: I will make thy grave; for thou art vile.

Nahum 1:14 nkjv

The LORD has given a command concerning you: "Your name shall be perpetuated no longer. Out of the house of your gods I will cut off the carved image and the molded image. I will dig your grave, For you are vile."

Nahum 1:14 niv

The LORD has given a command concerning you, Nineveh: "You will have no descendants to bear your name. I will destroy the images and idols that are in the temple of your gods. I will prepare your grave, for you are vile."

Nahum 1:14 esv

The LORD has given commandment about you: "No more shall your name be perpetuated; from the house of your gods I will cut off the carved image and the metal image. I will make your grave, for you are vile."

Nahum 1:14 nlt

And this is what the LORD says concerning the Assyrians in Nineveh:
"You will have no more children to carry on your name.
I will destroy all the idols in the temples of your gods.
I am preparing a grave for you
because you are despicable!"

Nahum 1 verses

Nahum 1 14 Meaning

Nahum 1:14 declares a divine decree of utter destruction and erasure against Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. It pronounces an end to the city's legacy, promising that its name will no longer be perpetuated through descendants or memory. Furthermore, God Himself will actively dismantle their idolatrous religious practices, removing all forms of idols—both carved and cast—from their temples. The verse culminates in the horrifying pronouncement that God will make their grave, signifying not an honorable burial, but a public, humiliating site of utter ruin, because Nineveh is utterly contemptible and defiled in God's sight due to its wickedness and oppression.

Nahum 1 14 Context

Nahum's prophecy, "An oracle concerning Nineveh," focuses solely on the impending destruction of the great Assyrian capital. Unlike Jonah's prophecy a century earlier which brought Nineveh to repentance, Nahum's message is one of unadulterated judgment. Chapter 1 sets the theological foundation for this judgment, declaring the nature of Yahweh as a God of both wrath and compassion, but who will surely punish His adversaries (Nah 1:2-3). The initial verses paint a cosmic picture of God's immense power, before narrowing the focus to Nineveh. Verse 14 is a direct word from God to Nineveh, outlining the specifics of its catastrophic downfall. This prophecy would be historically fulfilled with the fall of Nineveh to the Babylonians and Medes in 612 BC, demonstrating the absolute sovereignty of God over human empires and the ultimate failure of their idolatrous practices.

Nahum 1 14 Word analysis

• The LORD has given commandment: YHWH (יהוה) – the covenant God of Israel. "Given commandment" translates Hebrew tzivvah (צוה), implying a decree or fixed ordinance. This emphasizes the divine origin and inevitability of the judgment. It is not a suggestion or possibility, but an unalterable pronouncement from the sovereign God.
• concerning you: Refers directly to Nineveh/Assyria, the subject of Nahum's oracle. The shift from a general description of God's wrath to a direct address makes the judgment personal and pointed.
• No more shall your name be perpetuated: The phrase "no more shall your name be perpetuated" (לא-ימריח שמך עוד - lo-yimshaakh shimcha od) signifies the absolute end of the Ninevite dynasty, lineage, and collective memory. Their identity and influence would cease to exist. This contrasts with God's promise to Abraham concerning an everlasting name (Gen 12:2). For an ancient Near Eastern kingdom, the perpetuation of its name through offspring, monuments, and ongoing power was paramount. Its termination is the ultimate humiliation and obliteration.
• from the house of your gods: Refers to the temples and shrines of the Assyrian pantheon. The "house of your gods" implies not just personal idols, but the very infrastructure of their state religion. The gods Assyrians worshipped included Assur, Ishtar, Nabu, etc., believed to grant them military success and prosperity.
• I will cut off: The Hebrew ve-hikraTti (והכרתי) is a strong verb indicating decisive, forceful cutting off or termination, often used for judgment or severing a covenant. This emphasizes God's direct, active, and complete destruction of their idolatry.
• the carved image and the metal image: These are pesel (פסל), an idol sculpted from wood or stone, and massekah (מסכה), a molten or cast idol, often from metal. By specifying both common types of idolatrous representations, the verse emphasizes a total dismantling of Nineveh's idolatry, leaving no form of false worship untouched or protected. It signifies God's complete triumph over the idols that Nineveh trusted in.
• I will make your grave: (אשים קברך - asim qivrecha) This phrase indicates that God Himself will be directly involved in creating Nineveh's burial place. This is not a respectful burial for the dead; rather, it suggests an ignominious end, a desolate site where the city and its inhabitants would be laid bare in disgrace. It evokes an open, public spectacle of utter ruin and desolation, symbolizing complete destruction and oblivion rather than dignified remembrance.
• for you are vile: (כי קלותָ - ki qalta) The Hebrew word qalal (קלל) implies being light, trivial, contemptible, or accursed. Here, it denotes utter vileness, a deep moral depravity that justifies God's severe judgment. Nineveh's brutality, pride, and oppression, rooted in their defiance of God and trust in false gods, made them despicable in the sight of the Holy God.

Nahum 1 14 Bonus section

The specific choice of the phrase "make your grave" (אשים קברך) is distinct from simply "you will die" or "be buried." It points to God's direct and intentional act of creating the desolate ruin that Nineveh would become, a permanent monument to their disgrace. This can be understood as an "open grave" – a visible site of devastation that forever serves as a testimony to their overthrow and worthlessness in God's eyes. It signifies a non-burial or mass grave situation, utterly devoid of honor or mourning, emphasizing their complete fall from prominence to abject nothingness. This aligns with archaeological findings of Nineveh, which indeed became a significant ruin after its fall, fulfilling this prophetic decree.

Nahum 1 14 Commentary

Nahum 1:14 delivers an irrevocable verdict against Nineveh, directly from Yahweh. It outlines a comprehensive judgment addressing both Nineveh's existence as a political entity and its religious foundations. The cessation of Nineveh's name implies the erasure of its very identity and memory from history, ensuring no continuation of its oppressive lineage or cultural legacy. This ultimate disgrace contrasts starkly with ancient cultural values of dynastic perpetuity and national glory.

The explicit targeting of their "house of gods" and the specific types of idols—carved and metal—underscores God's sovereignty over false deities. Assyria's reliance on its gods for power and success would prove utterly futile as Yahweh Himself would dismantle their religious apparatus. This is a profound polemic against the polytheistic worldview, demonstrating that the gods of Nineveh were impotent before the one true God.

Finally, "I will make your grave" speaks to the overwhelming shame and degradation of Nineveh's end. This is not a funeral but a definitive mark of utter destruction and a final resting place of contempt. The reason for such severe judgment, "for you are vile," connects Nineveh's ethical and religious depravity—their unrepented cruelty, pride, and idolatry—directly to their prophesied fate. This verse showcases divine justice, proving that persistent wickedness ultimately brings God's righteous wrath.