Shortly before the fall of Nineveh in 612 B.C., Nahum uttered his prophecy against the hated city. To understand the prophet’s exultant outburst of joy over the impending destruction it is necessary to recall the savage cruelty of Assyria, which had made it the scourge of the ancient Near East for almost three centuries. The royal inscriptions of Assyria afford the best commentary on the burning denunciation of "the bloody city."' In the wake of their conquests, mounds of heads, impaled bodies, enslaved citizens, and avaricious looters testified to the ruthlessness of the Assyrians. Little wonder that Judah joined in the general outburst of joy over the destruction of Nineveh!
But Nahum is not a prophet of unrestrained revenge. God’s moral government of the world is asserted. Yahweh is the avenger but he is also merciful, a citadel in the day of distress. Nineveh’s doom was a judgment on the wicked city. Before many years passed, Jerusalem too was to learn the meaning of such a judgment.
The Book is divided as follows: The Lord’s Coming in Judgment (Nahum 1:2-2:1, 3) The Fall of Nineveh (Nahum 2:2-3:19)