Nineveh, the ancient capital of the Assyrian Empire, is a city of great significance in biblical history. It is renowned not only for its grandeur and might but also for the prophetic declarations concerning its downfall. The Bible provides several predictions regarding the destruction of Nineveh and its people, primarily through the prophets Nahum and Zephaniah.

Nahum's Prophecy

The Book of Nahum is dedicated almost entirely to the pronouncement of judgment against Nineveh. Nahum, whose name means "comfort," delivers a message that would indeed comfort Judah, as it foretells the end of their oppressor. Nahum 1:1-3 introduces the prophecy: "This is the burden against Nineveh, the book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite: The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging and full of wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on His foes and reserves wrath for His enemies. The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished."

Nahum vividly describes the impending destruction, emphasizing the totality and inevitability of Nineveh's fall. In Nahum 3:5-7 , the LORD declares, "Behold, I am against you, declares the LORD of Hosts. I will lift your skirts over your face; I will show the nations your nakedness and the kingdoms your shame. I will pelt you with filth and treat you with contempt; I will make a spectacle of you. Then all who see you will recoil from you, saying, ‘Nineveh is devastated; who will mourn for her?’ Where can I find anyone to comfort you?"

Zephaniah's Prophecy

The prophet Zephaniah also speaks of Nineveh's destruction. In Zephaniah 2:13-15 , the prophecy is clear: "And He will stretch out His hand against the north and destroy Assyria, leaving Nineveh utterly desolate and dry as the desert. Herds will lie down in her midst, creatures of every kind. Both the desert owl and the screech owl will roost on her columns. Their calls will echo through the windows; rubble will be in the doorways; the beams of cedar will be exposed. This carefree city that dwells securely, that thinks to herself: ‘I am it, and there is none besides me,’ what a ruin she has become, a lair for wild beasts! Everyone who passes by her hisses and shakes his fist."

Historical Fulfillment

The prophecies concerning Nineveh's destruction were fulfilled in 612 B.C. when a coalition of Babylonians, Medes, and Scythians besieged and sacked the city. The once-mighty Nineveh was left in ruins, never to regain its former glory. The archaeological evidence unearthed in the 19th and 20th centuries corroborates the biblical account of Nineveh's sudden and complete destruction, aligning with the prophetic declarations made centuries earlier.

The predictions concerning Nineveh serve as a testament to the sovereignty and justice of God, who holds nations accountable for their actions. The fall of Nineveh is a powerful reminder of the consequences of pride and wickedness, as well as the certainty of divine judgment.Nahum 1:12
Thus said the LORD; Though they be quiet, and likewise many, yet thus shall they be cut down, when he shall pass through. Though I have afflicted you, I will afflict you no more.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Nahum 3:3
The horseman lifts up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcasses; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble on their corpses:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

The Hebrew Prophecies.
... Among these predictions, those in Isaiah 29:1 ... uttered his oracle against Nineveh;
of Obadiah ... upon several interesting critical inquiries respecting the component ...
/.../gladden/who wrote the bible/chapter v the hebrew prophecies.htm

Remaining Books of the Old Testament.
... is the wonderful prophecy of Moses respecting the history of ... Such also are the
predictions of the utter and ... the prophecy of the overthrow of Nineveh, Nahum, chs ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xi remaining books of.htm

The City of God. Index of Subjects.
... the error of his forefathers, the destruction of which he ... Peter says of, [955]437;
predictions respecting, [956]441 ... 978]343; promises of God respecting, [979]348 ...
/.../augustine/on christian doctrine in four books /the city of god index.htm

The Medes and the Second Chaldaean Empire
... exchanged with provincial governors, augural predictions, consultation of ... escaping
it; did not Nineveh owe the ... Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the ...
/.../chapter iiithe medes and the.htm

An Analysis of Augustin's Writings against the Donatists.
... it is a part of the predictions which foretold ... perform the ceremony, but it is to
destruction: there is ... on the part of the Donatists respecting the restriction ...
/.../chapter ii name analysis of.htm

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