Глава 2

Nahum.2:1. Come up and breathe into your face, take away from insult: The culprit of this for you is God, who with His wave, as if by some kind of breath, crushed them, and freed you from their dominion. For just as he breathed into Adam the “breath of life” and made him “a living soul” (Gen. 2:7): so he will grant you salvation with the breath of life. After the resurrection, the Lord Christ gave this to the sacred Apostles. since Adam destroyed what he received with the Divine breath, that is, what was in him in the image of God; therefore, the Lord Christ himself, having renewed this image, again gave it to the sacred Apostles, and through them to all believers. For I will “breathe” on them and say: “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22). Therefore, since the Old Testament was an image of the New Testament, by the crushed kingdom of the Assyrians we mean the torment of the devil, stopped by the Lord Christ, and by Judas, who laughs at the king of Assyria and celebrates, the universe rejoicing in salvation, as having received spiritual grace in the Master’s breath, and delivered from the bitter torment of demons. But let's return to the historical meaning. see the way, strengthen your loins, grow strong in strength: Nahum.2:2. For now the Lord turn away the reproach of Jacob, as the reproach of Israel: God does not say this to the Assyrian king, as others thought, but continues to speak to Judah, and commands him to look at the path, wait for the messengers, listen to the good news they bring, and instead of the previous fear, take courage. For he expressed this with the words: “strengthen your loins,” that is, put aside your former fear. So the blessed Elijah “stretched his loins and flowed before” the chariot of Achaav (1 Kings 18:46). This is what God says to Job: “Gird up your loins like a man” (Job 38:3). And the divine Paul advises to gird up “your loins with truth” (Eph. 6:14). Therefore, here God commands Judah to be trustworthy: “before the Lord turn away the reproach of Jacob, as the reproach of Israel.” You should know that Jacob was given the name Jacob by his parents, and the name Israel was given by God, and both were given the name by the people descended from Jacob. Therefore, God says: for the disasters that you, Jacob, suffered from the Assyrians, I will punish them for the sake of the virtue of our forefather, according to which I gave it the name Israel. I shook them beforehand, and destroyed their vines. Nahum.2:3. Their weapons of strength come from men, Just as shaking grape vines destroy all the fruit, so the enemies who invaded them crushed their dominion, took away all their weapons, and forced those who escaped death into slavery. And showing that they would endure this not because of weakness, but because of the sentence pronounced by God on them, the Prophet added: strong men playing in the fires: For they had so much courage that they dared to go into the very fire. the fords of their chariots in the day of their preparation, and the cavalry will be troubled in the way, Nahum.2:4. and the chariots will be confused and entangled on stacks: Neither the multitude of chariots prepared nor the strength of the cavalry will bring you the slightest benefit; because all this, with the confusion caused by the invasion of enemies, will become useless, intertwining with one another on the paths, and being trampled by one another. Their appearance is like fiery candles, and like flowing lightning. Although in former times you had a courageous heart, you expressed courage in your eyes, and how with candles and lightning you terrified your subjects; but when enemies attack, instead of courage, fear will take over you. The Prophet expressed this in added words, for he says: Nahum.2:5. And their elders will be remembered, and they will flee in the day, and they will be exhausted on their journey, and they will strive for their guard, and they will prepare their first watch. Those who in ancient times thought highly of their dominion will use all means to escape, and without having time to do so, they will again ascend the fortifications and take care of the protection of the city; however, with all this, the city gates will be open, and the royal palaces will be occupied by enemies, and the treasures in them will be plundered. For the Prophet expressed this when he said: Nahum.2:6. and the estate was opened, that is, what was previously kept in secrecy and closed with many locks has become open to everyone. Nahum.2:7. This one is ascending, The prophet means Nineveh; because he predicts about it. and her slaves are led like doves cooing in their hearts: The cities and villages subject to Nineveh will share her captivity, sighing in their hearts and imitating the voice of doves. Nahum.2:8. and Nineveh, like a font of water, its waters: neither is it that runth away, nor is it that seeth. With so many people inhabiting this city that it was like a font filled with water and pouring out excess, everyone had one thing in mind - to run, not even daring to look back. Then the Prophet describes the former iniquities of the Ninevites. Nahum.2:9. I plundered the silver, I plundered the gold, and not before the end of her property: What was collected was bad will be handed over to others. For weighed down more than all the sucks she desired. Their treasures will be attacked by many enemies. The Prophet speaks of the future as if it had happened, according to the manner of expression that is especially characteristic of Scripture. Nahum.2:10. Shaking, and shaking, and boiling, and contrition of hearts, and weakening of the knees, and pain in all the loins, and the face of everyone, like the scorching of a cauldron. What usually happens during earthquakes, when the structure of the earth shakes and shakes, the same, says the Prophet, will happen when enemies attack; because when the hearts are struck with fear, and the joints of the knees are weakened, everyone will suffer, like the distributing wife, the faces from the thickening of the blood will take on a leaden color and will become like that side of the cauldron that is always turned towards the fire. Nahum.2:10. Where is the habitat of lions, and where is the pasture of the lioness? And the Prophet calls Nineveh a habitat of lions, “lions” - kings, “lionesses” - their sons, and “pastures” - the cities subject to them; He says: why do you, like lions who lived in ancient times in Nineveh, fearlessly attacking everyone and getting food from the lionesses, now, after the invasion of your enemies, do nothing like that? And maintaining the same image of speech, he continues: Were you absent, stirring up an army against someone, when a horde of opponents attacked? But this did not happen; for the Prophet says: there are skinny lions, and not more terrifying. Not only were you at home then, but there were all the military leaders who had never feared anyone before, but destroyed other kingdoms, collected tribute from them, and provided food for children. The Prophet expressed this by adding: Nahum.2:12. The lion is pleased with his lionesses, and strangles his lionesses: and fill your nest with catches, and your vitals with theft. It is the custom of these animals to strangle the animals they catch and bring them as food to their children. And the Assyrians, crushing entire kingdoms of other peoples, collected tribute from them. For this iniquity I will punish you, says God. Nahum.2:13. Behold, I am upon you, says the Lord Almighty, and I will burn up your multitude with smoke, and your lions will girdle their weapons: and I will consume your catch from the earth, and no one will hear your deeds. Because the Prophet above figuratively mentioned lions and lionesses, hunting and pasture; then, in accordance with this, the extermination of the Assyrians is foreshadowed allegorically. And since the hunters, when the animals are hiding in some caves and do not want to appear outside, bringing smoke to the entrances to the caves, force them to come out and take the emerging beast with spears; then, accordingly, God said that he would give over the entire multitude to smoke, and the lions to the sword; This means the burning of the city and the killing of the kings, after which the hunt ended.