Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version Look at your troops— they are all weaklings. The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire has consumed the bars of your gates. New Living Translation Your troops will be as weak and helpless as women. The gates of your land will be opened wide to the enemy and set on fire and burned. English Standard Version Behold, your troops are women in your midst. The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire has devoured your bars. Berean Standard Bible Look at your troops—they are like your women! The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire consumes their bars. King James Bible Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars. New King James Version Surely, your people in your midst are women! The gates of your land are wide open for your enemies; Fire shall devour the bars of your gates. New American Standard Bible Behold, your people are women in your midst! The gates of your land are opened wide to your enemies; Fire consumes your gate bars. NASB 1995 Behold, your people are women in your midst! The gates of your land are opened wide to your enemies; Fire consumes your gate bars. NASB 1977 Behold, your people are women in your midst! The gates of your land are opened wide to your enemies; Fire consumes your gate bars. Legacy Standard Bible Behold, your people are women in your midst! The gates of your land are opened wide to your enemies; Fire consumes your gate bars. Amplified Bible Behold, your people are [as weak and helpless as] women in your midst! The gates of your land are opened wide to your enemies; Fire consumes the bars across your gates. Christian Standard Bible Look, your troops are like women among you; your land’s city gates are wide open to your enemies. Fire will devour the bars of your gates. Holman Christian Standard Bible Look, your troops are like women among you; the gates of your land are wide open to your enemies. Fire will devour the bars of your gates. American Standard Version Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women; the gates of thy land are set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire hath devoured thy bars. Contemporary English Version Your army is weak. Fire has destroyed the crossbars on your city gates; now they stand wide open to your enemy. English Revised Version Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women; the gates of thy land are set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire hath devoured thy bars. GOD'S WORD® Translation Look at your soldiers; they're women! The gates of your country are wide open to your enemies. Fire has destroyed the bars of your gates. Good News Translation Your soldiers are helpless, and your country stands defenseless before your enemies. Fire will destroy the bars across your gates. International Standard Version Look at your people— they are women! Your borders stand wide open to your enemies, while fire consumes the bars of your gates." Majority Standard Bible Look at your troops?they are like your women! The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire consumes their bars. NET Bible Your warriors will be like women in your midst; the gates of your land will be wide open to your enemies; fire will consume the bars of your gates. New Heart English Bible Look, your troops in your midst are women. The gates of your land are set wide open to your enemies. The fire has devoured your bars. Webster's Bible Translation Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open to thy enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars. World English Bible Behold, your troops among you are women. The gates of your land are set wide open to your enemies. The fire has devoured your bars. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionBehold, your people [are] women in your midst, "" To your enemies thoroughly opened "" Have been the gates of your land, "" Fire has consumed your bars. Young's Literal Translation Lo, thy people are women in thy midst, To thine enemies thoroughly opened Have been the gates of thy land, Consumed hath fire thy bars. Smith's Literal Translation Behold, thy people women in the midst of thee: the gates of thy land being opened were opened to thine enemies: a fire devoured thy bars. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleBehold thy people in the midst of thee are women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open to thy enemies, the fire shall devour thy bars. Catholic Public Domain Version Behold, women are at the center of your people. The gates of your land will be opened wide for your enemies; fire will devour your bars. New American Bible Indeed your troops are women in your midst; To your foes are open wide the gates of your land, fire has consumed their bars. New Revised Standard Version Look at your troops: they are women in your midst. The gates of your land are wide open to your foes; fire has devoured the bars of your gates. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleBehold, your people in the midst of you are cowards; they will open the gates of your land to your enemies; the fire shall devour your bars. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And your people within you are like women; the gates of your land shall be opened to your enemies, and fire will devour your bars OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women; The gates of thy land are set wide open unto thine enemies; The fire hath devoured thy bars. Brenton Septuagint Translation Behold, thy people within thee are as women: the gates of thy land shall surely be opened to thine enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Judgment Against Nineveh…12All your fortresses are fig trees with the first ripe figs; when shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater! 13Look at your troops— they are like your women! The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire consumes their bars. 14Draw your water for the siege; strengthen your fortresses. Work the clay and tread the mortar; repair the brick kiln!… Cross References Isaiah 19:16 In that day the Egyptians will be like women. They will tremble with fear beneath the uplifted hand of the LORD of Hosts, when He brandishes it against them. Jeremiah 50:37 A sword is against her horses and chariots and against all the foreigners in her midst, and they will become like women. A sword is against her treasuries, and they will be plundered. Jeremiah 51:30 The warriors of Babylon have stopped fighting; they sit in their strongholds. Their strength is exhausted; they have become like women. Babylon’s homes have been set ablaze, the bars of her gates are broken. Isaiah 13:7-8 Therefore all hands will fall limp, and every man’s heart will melt. / Terror, pain, and anguish will seize them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look at one another, their faces flushed with fear. Ezekiel 21:7 And when they ask, ‘Why are you groaning?’ you are to say, ‘Because of the news that is coming. Every heart will melt, and every hand will go limp. Every spirit will faint, and every knee will turn to water.’ Yes, it is coming and it will surely happen, declares the Lord GOD.” Isaiah 19:1 This is the burden against Egypt: Behold, the LORD rides on a swift cloud; He is coming to Egypt. The idols of Egypt will tremble before Him, and the hearts of the Egyptians will melt within them. Jeremiah 46:15 Why have your warriors been laid low? They cannot stand, for the LORD has thrust them down. Isaiah 10:18 The splendor of its forests and orchards, both soul and body, it will completely destroy, as a sickness consumes a man. Isaiah 3:1-3 For behold, the Lord GOD of Hosts is about to remove from Jerusalem and Judah both supply and support: the whole supply of food and water, / the mighty man and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the soothsayer and the elder, / the commander of fifty and the dignitary, the counselor, the cunning magician, and the clever enchanter. Isaiah 14:6 It struck the peoples in anger with unceasing blows; it subdued the nations in rage with relentless persecution. Isaiah 33:14 The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling grips the ungodly: “Who of us can dwell with a consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting flames?” Isaiah 13:15-16 Whoever is caught will be stabbed, and whoever is captured will die by the sword. / Their infants will be dashed to pieces before their eyes, their houses will be looted, and their wives will be ravished. Jeremiah 6:24 We have heard the report; our hands hang limp. Anguish has gripped us, pain like that of a woman in labor. Ezekiel 22:14 Will your courage endure or your hands be strong in the day I deal with you? I, the LORD, have spoken, and I will act. Isaiah 21:3-4 Therefore my body is filled with anguish. Pain grips me, like the pains of a woman in labor. I am bewildered to hear, I am dismayed to see. / My heart falters; fear makes me tremble. The twilight I desired has turned to horror. Treasury of Scripture Behold, your people in the middle of you are women: the gates of your land shall be set wide open to your enemies: the fire shall devour your bars. thy people. Isaiah 19:16 In that day shall Egypt be like unto women: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which he shaketh over it. Jeremiah 50:37 A sword is upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her; and they shall become as women: a sword is upon her treasures; and they shall be robbed. Jeremiah 51:30 The mighty men of Babylon have forborn to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned her dwellingplaces; her bars are broken. the gates. Nahum 2:6 The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved. Psalm 107:16 For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder. Isaiah 45:1,2 Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; … thy bars. Psalm 147:13 For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee. Jeremiah 51:30 The mighty men of Babylon have forborn to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned her dwellingplaces; her bars are broken. Jump to Previous Attackers Bars Burned Consumed Consumes Devour Devoured Devoureth Doors Doorways Enemies Fire Foes Gate Gates Locks Midst Open Opened Thoroughly Troops Wide WomenJump to Next Attackers Bars Burned Consumed Consumes Devour Devoured Devoureth Doors Doorways Enemies Fire Foes Gate Gates Locks Midst Open Opened Thoroughly Troops Wide WomenNahum 3 1. The destruction of Nineveh.Look at your troops—they are like your women! This phrase is a taunt directed at Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, highlighting the perceived weakness and vulnerability of its soldiers. In the ancient Near Eastern context, military strength was often associated with masculinity, and to compare troops to women was to suggest they lacked the courage and strength expected of warriors. This reflects the cultural norms of the time, where women were typically not involved in combat. The phrase underscores the impending defeat and humiliation of Assyria, a nation known for its military prowess and brutality. This imagery is consistent with other biblical passages that use similar language to describe the downfall of a once-mighty power (e.g., Isaiah 19:16). The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire consumes their bars. Persons / Places / Events 1. NinevehThe capital of the Assyrian Empire, known for its power and cruelty. Nahum prophesies its downfall. 2. Assyrian Troops Represented as weak and ineffective, likened to women in the context of ancient warfare. 3. Enemies of Nineveh The forces that will invade and conquer Nineveh, fulfilling Nahum's prophecy. 4. Gates of the Land Symbolic of the city's defenses, which are described as being wide open to invaders. 5. Fire Represents destruction and judgment, consuming the city's defenses. Teaching Points The Illusion of StrengthEarthly power and military might are ultimately futile against God's judgment. Divine Judgment is Inevitable God's justice will prevail, and no human defense can withstand His decrees. Vulnerability of the Proud Pride and self-reliance lead to vulnerability and downfall. The Role of Women in Ancient Warfare Understanding cultural context: In ancient times, women were not typically warriors, highlighting the perceived weakness of Nineveh's defenses. Spiritual Preparedness Just as Nineveh's gates were open to enemies, we must guard our spiritual lives against sin and temptation.(13) Thy people . . . are women, not in their notoriously effeminate and luxurious habits (see Layard, p. 360), but with reference to their panic-stricken condition at the time of the catastrophe. They are fearful as women (comp. Jeremiah 50:37; Jeremiah 51:30), because they find avenues laid open to the enemy, and the remaining defences consuming in the flames.Verse 13. - The reason why the fortresses are so readily taken is now given. Are women. The Assyrians were essentially a brave nation, but they should be now no more able to resist the enemy than if they were women (comp. Isaiah 19:16; Jeremiah 1:37; 51:30). The gates of thy land. The various approaches and passes which lead into Assyria (comp. Jeremiah 15:7; Micah 5:6). So Strabo (11:12. 13) speaks of certain mountain passes as "the Caspian gates" and Xenophon ('Anab.' 1:4. 4) mentions "the gates of Cilicia and Syria." The famous defile that led into Greece was called Thermopylae The fire shall devour thy bars. Hitzig, Keil, and others take the "bars" metaphorically, meaning the forts and castles which defend the passes; but the literal sense is the most natural, as in the parallel passage, Jeremiah 51:30 (see note on Amos 1:5). It was the Assyrians' custom to set fire to the gates of any city that they attacked (see Bonomi, 'Nineveh and its Palaces,' pp. 178, 185, 192). "It is incontestable," says Bonomi, in another place, "that, during the excavations, a considerable quantity of charcoal, and even pieces of wood either half burnt or in a perfect state of preservation, were found in many places. The lining of the chambers also bears certain marks of the action of fire. All these things can be explained only by supposing the fall of a burning roof, which calcined the slabs of gypsum, and converted them into dust .... It must have been a violent and prolonged fire to be able to calcine not only a few places, but every part of these slabs, which were ten feet high and several inches thick. So complete a decomposition can be attributed but to intense heat" (ibid., p. 213). Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew Behold,הִנֵּ֨ה (hin·nêh) Interjection Strong's 2009: Lo! behold! your troops עַמֵּ֤ךְ (‘am·mêḵ) Noun - masculine singular construct | second person feminine singular Strong's 5971: A people, a tribe, troops, attendants, a flock are like your women; נָשִׁים֙ (nā·šîm) Noun - feminine plural Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female the gates שַׁעֲרֵ֣י (ša·‘ă·rê) Noun - masculine plural construct Strong's 8179: An opening, door, gate of your land אַרְצֵ֑ךְ (’ar·ṣêḵ) Noun - feminine singular construct | second person feminine singular Strong's 776: Earth, land are wide open פָּת֥וֹחַ (pā·ṯō·w·aḥ) Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute Strong's 6605: To open wide, to loosen, begin, plough, carve to your enemies; לְאֹ֣יְבַ֔יִךְ (lə·’ō·yə·ḇa·yiḵ) Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct | second person feminine singular Strong's 341: Hating, an adversary fire אֵ֖שׁ (’êš) Noun - common singular Strong's 784: A fire consumes אָכְלָ֥ה (’ā·ḵə·lāh) Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular Strong's 398: To eat their bars. בְּרִיחָֽיִך׃ (bə·rî·ḥā·yiḵ) Noun - masculine plural construct | second person feminine singular Strong's 1280: A bolt Links Nahum 3:13 NIVNahum 3:13 NLT Nahum 3:13 ESV Nahum 3:13 NASB Nahum 3:13 KJV Nahum 3:13 BibleApps.com Nahum 3:13 Biblia Paralela Nahum 3:13 Chinese Bible Nahum 3:13 French Bible Nahum 3:13 Catholic Bible OT Prophets: Nahum 3:13 Behold your troops in your midst (Nah. 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