Nahum 3 11

Nahum 3:11 kjv

Thou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid, thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy.

Nahum 3:11 nkjv

You also will be drunk; You will be hidden; You also will seek refuge from the enemy.

Nahum 3:11 niv

You too will become drunk; you will go into hiding and seek refuge from the enemy.

Nahum 3:11 esv

You also will be drunken; you will go into hiding; you will seek a refuge from the enemy.

Nahum 3:11 nlt

And you, Nineveh, will also stagger like a drunkard.
You will hide for fear of the attacking enemy.

Nahum 3 verses

Nahum 3 11 Meaning

Nahum 3:11 foretells the utter reversal of fortune for Nineveh, the seemingly invincible capital of Assyria. It declares that Nineveh, which once made others drunk with its wrath and hid its victims, would itself become "drunk" with divine judgment, thrown into a stupor of confusion and helplessness. It would be forced into hiding due to shame and terror, losing all its former glory and security. In this state of weakness and exposure, Nineveh would desperately seek strength and allies, but its efforts would be futile against the overwhelming force of its enemies, whom God had raised up to execute His judgment.

Nahum 3 11 Context

Nahum chapter 3 vividly portrays the downfall of Nineveh, the capital of the oppressive Assyrian Empire. The preceding verses (Nah 3:1-10) depict the city as a "bloody city," full of lies and plunder, whose wickedness merits divine wrath. It highlights Nineveh's immense cruelty, especially through its conquests and enslavement of nations, paralleling its fate to that of No-amon (Thebes), a city previously thought invincible yet utterly destroyed by Assyria itself. Verse 11 functions as a direct address to Nineveh, declaring that the very experiences it inflicted upon others—like stripping them of their strength, exposing them to shame, and causing their terror—will now be its own portion. Historically, this prophecy was made perhaps fifty years before Nineveh's actual fall in 612 BC, which fulfilled Nahum's word, demonstrating God's sovereign control over nations and His justice against their wickedness and pride. The entire book is a theological assertion that the God of Israel is capable of, and will execute, judgment on powerful empires, even one as formidable as Assyria, affirming His righteous character and care for His people.

Nahum 3 11 Word analysis

• "You also": The Hebrew "אַף־גַּם־" ('aph gam-) intensifies the "also," emphasizing that Nineveh will certainly experience the very things it inflicted on others. This is a point of poetic justice, highlighting a dramatic reversal of fortune. It underscores divine retribution where the oppressor becomes the oppressed.

• "shall be drunken": The Hebrew word tiškărı̂ (from shakar, שָׁכַר) implies being intoxicated, confused, or stupefied. Here, it is metaphorical, signifying a state of bewilderment, helplessness, and collapse under the overwhelming judgment of God, akin to the effects of a strong wine or poison. It suggests loss of reason, power, and ability to resist, much like a person rendered unconscious. This is a divine judgment, causing spiritual and strategic paralysis.

• "you shall be hid": The Hebrew tih-yı̂ tāʿālāmy (from ʿālam, עָלַם) means to be concealed or disappear. In this context, it speaks of Nineveh's attempt to escape, or more poignantly, its actual obliteration and removal from the scene of power and prominence. It signifies a profound loss of identity, a forced retreat into obscurity due to terror and shame. Once mighty and visible, Nineveh would effectively vanish from history's center stage, hiding in its ruins, defeated.

• "you also": This repetition of "אַף־גַּם־" reiterates the idea of shared fate, strengthening the emphasis on poetic justice. It connects the "seeking strength" directly back to the initial "drunkenness" and "hiding," demonstrating the total cycle of reversal.

• "shall seek strength": The Hebrew tibaqshı̂ ‘oz (תְּבַקְשִׁ֥י עֹ֖ז) means to look for or earnestly desire strength/help. This contrasts sharply with Nineveh's prior self-sufficient arrogance and military might. It illustrates their desperation for assistance and allies, revealing their inherent weakness and vulnerability once divine favor is withdrawn and judgment descends. It implies a futile search, as no external aid will suffice against God's decree.

• "because of the enemy": The Hebrew mê’ôyêḇ (מֵאוֹיֵ֑ב) indicates the source of Nineveh's desperation. It clearly identifies the external military forces (like the Babylonians and Medes) as the agents of its downfall, through whom God's judgment is enacted. This phrase specifies the immediate cause of their terror and need, solidifying the idea that Nineveh is now on the receiving end of the same aggression it so liberally dished out.

• "you shall be drunken; you shall be hid": This phrase group signifies complete incapacitation and utter defeat. It’s not merely defeat but a humiliating fall from a position of absolute power into utter impotence and disappearance, all brought about by a divine decree that leaves no avenue for escape or recovery. This evokes imagery of someone who has no control over their senses or their destiny.

• "you also shall seek strength because of the enemy": This entire phrase encapsulates the culmination of Nineveh’s plight. It reveals a powerful empire reduced to a state of desperate plea, a former aggressor now scrambling for defense against an avenging enemy. It underscores the profound shift from predator to prey, illustrating that human and military might, when opposed to divine purpose, is ultimately insufficient.

Nahum 3 11 Bonus section

The specific choice of the term "drunken" (shakar) for Nineveh's state connects to ancient Near Eastern conquest narratives where victors would make the vanquished drink a cup symbolizing humiliation or wrath. This term therefore carries a double meaning of not only mental stupor but also of being made to suffer by a superior power, specifically God. Assyria had forced many nations to drink such bitter cups of war and subjugation, and now it would consume its own. The phrase "you shall be hid" can also evoke imagery of the obliteration of Nineveh, not merely its defeat but its disappearance from significance, a reality for over two millennia until archaeological rediscoveries. This ultimate obscurity contrasts sharply with its former widespread terror. This verse, therefore, speaks not just of military overthrow but a total eradication of power, prominence, and the very memory of its former might, a complete unmaking of a mighty empire by divine decree.

Nahum 3 11 Commentary

Nahum 3:11 delivers a stark and direct prophecy of Nineveh's total humiliation and defeat, functioning as a chilling mirror reflecting its own past atrocities back onto itself. The declaration that Nineveh would become "drunken" and "hid" conveys not just military defeat, but a profound psychological and existential collapse. This "drunkenness" is a stupor induced by divine judgment, robbing the city of its composure, strategic foresight, and strength, leaving it bewildered and vulnerable. The imperative to "be hid" suggests a forced disappearance, a complete obliteration from its once prominent place on the world stage, whether in a desperate attempt to escape or through utter desolation that leaves it uninhabited and forgotten.

The prophetic declaration that Nineveh "also shall seek strength" is deeply ironic, highlighting its reversal of fortune. The empire that relentlessly sought to conquer and absorb the strength of others would now, in its moment of crisis, be reduced to a desperate and futile search for help against its overwhelming "enemy." This external foe serves as the instrument of God's justice, turning Nineveh's former aggressive might against itself. The verse powerfully communicates God's righteous retribution: those who sow destruction will reap destruction, and those who exalt themselves through oppression will be brought low in ignominy and weakness. It stands as a testament to the divine principle that the Lord sovereignly orchestrates the rise and fall of nations according to His moral standard, demonstrating that no human power, however formidable, can escape His ultimate judgment.