The shield of his mighty men is red; his soldiers are clothed in scarlet. The chariots come with flashing metal on the day he musters them; the cypress spears are brandished.
Nahum 2 shows an army on the move against Nineveh, bright with colour and racing at speed. Two questions come at once: whose soldiers are these, and why does the prophet describe them in such detail?
Where the verse stands in the book
Chapter 1 is only the run-up. One writer shows how two judgments run together here — Israel's and Nineveh's:
William KellyNahum 2 and Nahum 3 set out the main subject of Nahum's prophecy clearly and fully. The first chapter is a preface to it... So we also see the subject that goes with it: the judgment of Israel by their enemies. But the Assyrians carried out that judgment in a way that insulted God Himself. They did not only chasten His guilty people. So they must be prepared for their own doom.
Whose mighty men?
Commentators differ over whose army this is. One reading sees the invaders closing in on the city:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinAt the start of this chapter the prophet speaks to Nineveh. He urges her to make ready to defend herself, for the one who dashes in pieces has appeared before her walls... Then he describes the army laying siege. We read of their glittering weapons and their fast racing chariots, which dash along like lightning.
Another reading sees Nineveh's own weapons and chariots on her day of preparation. One writer notes how closely the prophecy fits what diggers later found in her ruins:
William KellyThis is a striking picture of the last scenes. Recent discoveries have shown us in fine detail how much scarlet and how many chariots Nineveh had, and all the preparation for war that marked her. And there is more. The way Nineveh was to fall is foreshown here most vividly and exactly.
Who destroyed Nineveh
One writer reads the scene as Nineveh's own preparation, and names the army that finally came:
William KellyHere follows a most lively description of how the Ninevites prepared to defend themselves against their enemies. Historically the foes who destroyed Nineveh were the Medes, as is well known. Human history gives little information about the circumstances, but it seems certain that Babylon helped.
A nation that lived by plunder
Why so much war-gear? A Bible dictionary reads this verse and the next as a picture of the nation itself:
Morrish Bible DictionaryThe verses that follow, and Nahum 2:3-4 as well, show that Nineveh was a warlike nation. It was always seeking to enrich itself by the spoil of other nations, among them Israel and Judah.
The colour of scarlet
The colour itself carries meaning. One commentator lists this verse among the places where Scripture uses scarlet:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinScarlet is the bright and flashing colour, which typifies the glory of the world (Dan. 5:7; Nahum 2:3; Rev. 17:3-4; 18:12, 16).
Nahum's message meets that glory head on:
J. N. DarbyIn NAHUM, God's indignation rises against the pride of human power and dominion. Nineveh — the Assyrian — is destroyed. That people will never be restored, and Judah is delivered at last.
Chariots, not cars
The speed and flash of these chariots has tempted some readers to find modern machines in the text. One writer answers them plainly:
Arno Clemens GaebeleinWe have heard even reputable Bible teachers claim that Nahum predicted the automobiles racing along our streets. Such fanciful, far-fetched and arbitrary applications of the Word of God do immense harm. Nahum does not anticipate the automobile, but gives a picture of the besiegers of Nineveh with their chariots, drawn by swift horses.
The scene beyond Nineveh
Nineveh fell long ago. One writer sees the prophecy reaching past that fall, and finds comfort in the prophet's own name:
Leslie M. GrantNahum ("Comfort") is a forceful prophecy of the judgment of Nineveh. Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, so it stands for that empire — the King of the North in a coming day. Egypt pictures for us the world in its smug independence of God. Assyria shows the world's savage opposition to Him... Notice that the determined greed of this enemy is fully matched by the unbending firmness of God's judgment.
Summary
- Display. The red shields and scarlet uniforms wear the colour that pictures "the glory of the world."
- Pride. God's indignation rises "against the pride of human power and dominion."
- Precision. The scarlet and the chariots match what diggers later found in Nineveh's ruins, and the way the city fell was foreshown "most vividly and exactly."
- Restraint. Chariots drawn by swift horses are chariots, not cars. Forcing more on the text "does immense harm."
- Comfort. Nahum's name means comfort. The enemy's "determined greed is fully matched by the unbending firmness of God's judgment," and Judah is "delivered at last."