Best Resources on Nahum
The book of Nahum is a collection of prophetic oracles that proclaim the fall of Nineveh, a prominent city of the Assyrian Empire. Nahum poetically portrays Nineveh’s demise at the hands of the Babylonians. To do so, he employs images that are common in the Prophetic Books, such as devouring lions (Nah 2:11–12), shameless prostitutes (Nah 3:4–6), and swarming locusts (Nah 3:14–17).
—Faithlife Study Bible, Lexham Press
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Best Commentaries on Nahum
O. Palmer Robertson, New International Commentary on the Old Testament (NICOT), Eerdmans, 1990, 384 pp.
In this commentary, Robertson combines the insights of biblical theology with a keen awareness of the age in which we live. After first dealing with the relevant background issues of Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah—redemptive-historical setting, theological perspective, date and authorship, and so on—Robertson applies the care and precision of an exegete and the concern of a pastor to his verse-by-verse exposition of each book. The result is a relevant confrontation with the ancient call to repentance and faith—a confrontation greatly needed in today’s world.
- Level: Intermediate
- Type: Expository
Kenneth L. Barker and Waylon Bailey, New American Commentary (NAC), B&H, 1999, 320 pp.
There are all kinds of evil that permeate this world. During Old Testament times, God sent his prophets to speak against this evil. These books also show us how God deals with wickedness but also makes glad the hearts who trust in him. The goal of this commentary is for the reader to see the parts (each verse) as well as the whole (the passage).
- Level: Intermediate
- Type: Expository
James K. Bruckner, NIV Application Commentary (NIVAC), Zondervan, 2004, 368 pp.
The prophetic books of Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah are brief but powerful. They comfort us with the assurance that, when nothing in this life makes sense, God is still in control. They toughen our faith in the face of the world’s ugly realities. And they reveal the complexities of humans in relation to God. Jonah ran from his divine commission. Habakkuk questioned God concerning his ways. Repenting under Jonah’s message, the city of Nineveh ultimately backslid and reaped the doom prophesied by Nahum. And Zephaniah’s remnant depicts a faith that remains faithful. We needn’t look too hard to find our own world and concerns mirrored in these books.
- Level: Intermediate
- Type: Devotional
David W. Baker, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (TOTC), InterVarsity Press, 1988, 98 pp.
Nahum’s prophecy of Nineveh’s coming destruction. Habakkuk’s probing dialogue with the Lord of Israel. Zephaniah’s warning to Jerusalem’s last great king. The texts of these minor but important prophets receive a fresh and penetrating analysis in this introduction and commentary. David W. Baker considers each book’s historical setting, composition, structure, and authorship, as well as important themes and issues. Each book is then expounded passage by passage in the concise and informative style that has become the hallmark of the Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries.
- Level: Basic
- Type: Devotional
J. J. M. Roberts, Old Testament Library (OTL), Westminster John Knox Press, 1991, 224 pp.
This commentary builds on the work of previous scholarship and addresses contemporary issues. It gives serious attention to questions of textual criticism, philology, history, and Near Eastern backgrounds and is sensitive to the literary conventions characteristic of the prophetic literature of the Old Testament. The book is an earnest attempt to hear the message of the ancient prophets, a message that remains relevant today.
- Level: Basic
- Type: Devotional
Best Books on Nahum
Handbook on the Prophets
The prophetic books of the Bible contain some of the most difficult passages in the entire Old Testament and can prove especially confusing for those new to this corpus. Handbook on the Prophets offers a thorough and insightful introduction for the beginning student of the Old Testament prophetic literature. Robert Chisholm guides students through the important and often complex writings of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, and the Minor Prophets.
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T&T Clark Study Guides: Micah, Nahum and Obadiah
Mason here provides a valuable basic orientation to the modern reading of these short and often difficult minor prophets. By carefully surveying and evaluating the historical-critical options that have been proposed during the last century, he outlines the message of these books within a postexilic, canonical context. Although scholars hold diverging assumptions about the authorship of Micah, Mason asserts that the book must be read as a coherent whole. Mason views the work as a postexilic tract that reinterprets the prophet’s message in the light of the situation after the exile. For Nahum and Obadiah, whose apparent theology of hate for foreigners has limited their interpretive appeal, the argument that the books were designed to function as part the Book of the Twelve—the singular book of prophets from Amos through Jonah referred to as the “Twelve Prophets” in the Wisdom of Ben Sirach—must be taken seriously.
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Among the Prophets: Language, Image and Structure in the Prophetic Writings
Prophetic symbolism is one of the key topics of this volume. This is considered an attractive and stimulating volume which reflects the liveliness of current research on the prophetic literature.
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"Who Will Lament Her?" The Feminine and the Fantastic in the Book of Nahum
This volume focuses on the book of Nahum, examining not only the issues and context but also the narrative voice and how it differs from the other prophet books in the Old Testament. Lanner studies the book as a whole, looking at the setting, cultural issues, and purpose of the text. In the latter half of the book, she presents her findings on identity and gender. "Who Will Lament Her?" The Feminine and the Fantastic in the Book of Nahum is an important study on this particular minor prophet.
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Forms of the Old Testament Literature Series: Minor Prophets, Part 2 (FOTL)
In this volume, Floyd presents a complete form-critical analysis of the last six books in the Minor Prophets: Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. By looking carefully at the literary genre and internal structure of each book, Floyd uncovers the literary conventions that help shape the composition of these prophetic books in their final form. His approach yields fresh views of how the parts of each book fit together to make up the whole—particularly with respect to Nahum, Haggai, and Malachi—and provides a basis for reconsidering how each book is historically related to the time of the prophet for whom it is named. This work will be useful to scholars because it advances the discussion regarding the holistic reading of prophetic books and to pastors and students because it shows how analysis of literary form can lead to a more profound understanding of the messages of the Minor Prophets.
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Mobile Ed: OT204 Social World of the Old Testament (4 hour course)
In an age of international travel and migration, we’re familiar with people who look, sound, eat, and believe differently than we do. To become friends, it’s helpful to understand where they come from and how they do things differently, or the same, as we do. In the same way it is necessary to understand someone who comes from a different place than we do, how much more necessary is it to understand someone who is from not only a different geographical place but also a different time than we are? The Old Testament starts at the beginning of the world. This course will undertake the task of crossing the bridges of geography, climate, time, and a landscape unknown to us: ancient Israel. Throughout the course, David W. Baker will address aspects of life from our own culture and time, as well as family structure and societal systems from ancient Israelite life. As we Learn more about the social world of the Old Testament, we will be struck not only by our differences but also by our common humanity and that we share the same dreams, hopes, and fears as they did.
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Mobile Ed: BI205 Old Testament Exegesis: Understanding and Applying the Old Testament (15 hour course)
Embark on a journey of OT Hebrew exegesis with Jason DeRouchie. The books of the OT were the only Scriptures Jesus had. It was books like Genesis, Deuteronomy, Isaiah, and Psalms that shaped Jesus’ upbringing and that guided his life in ministry as the Jewish Messiah. It was these Scriptures that Jesus identified as God’s Word and he considered to be authoritative; it was these Scriptures he believed called people to know and believe in God and guarded them against doctrinal error and hell. This course will give you the tools you need to access meaning in the OT, then apply it to your life. It will help you to grow in reading God’s living Word for depth and not just distance.
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Mobile Ed: OT203 Literary World of the Old Testament (6 hour course)
Join David W. Baker on a whirlwind tour to explore the Old Testament from many different angles and how it relates to ancient Near Eastern literature. From creation accounts and stories of destruction to Wisdom Literature, discover different biblical literary genres that have parallels in ancient Near Eastern literature. Explore extrabiblical historical texts that mention key events and figures from the Old Testament. Understand how Israel fits into and is impacted by its ancient Near Eastern environment but also how it is separate and unique, mainly on a theological level but also by its distinct worldview.
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Mobile Ed: OT102 Introducing the Old Testament: Its Poetry and Prophecy (6 hour course)
This course provides a practical foundation for reading the poetry and prophecy of the Old Testament. Dr. David Baker begins by discussing poetic writing in general, then the elements specific to both Hebrew and English poetry. Applying these elements to the text, he examines the content, structure, and themes of the Psalms, Proverbs, Lamentations, Job, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs. Dr. Baker then turns to the prophetic books, providing historical background, theological motifs, and the structure and content of specific books. He shows that these ancient messages remain relevant in modern life.
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