The Meaning of Nahum 1:8 Explained

Nahum 1:8

KJV: But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies.

YLT: And with a flood passing over, An end He maketh of its place, And His enemies doth darkness pursue.

Darby: But with an overrunning flood he will make a full end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies.

ASV: But with an over-running flood he will make a full end of her place, and will pursue his enemies into darkness.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

But with an overrunning  flood  he will make  an utter end  of the place  thereof, and darkness  shall pursue  his enemies. 

What does Nahum 1:8 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Nahum returned to the wrathful aspect of God"s character because that was the focus of his oracle. Without identifying Nineveh, the prophet described Yahweh destroying it totally and permanently, as with a tidal wave. Johnston showed that Nahum"s maledictions are unique among the prophets and probably key off the Neo-Assyrian treaty curses, which were unusually brutal in the ancient Near East. [1] Nahum probably described an unrestrained army invasion (cf. Isaiah 8:7-8; Jeremiah 47:2; Daniel 9:26; Daniel 11:40). However, when her enemies overthrew Nineveh, its rivers overflowed and washed away part of Nineveh"s walls. [2]
Using another figure, Yahweh said He would pursue His enemies until He caught up with them and killed them, even if it took all night. Normally battles ceased at nightfall and resumed at daybreak because fighting became so difficult at night. But the Lord would not let night stop Him from pursuing and slaying His enemies. They would not escape from Him simply because time passed. Darkness also has the metaphorical connotation of evil, spiritual lostness, and eternal judgment (e.g, Job 17:13; Psalm 82:5; Psalm 88:12; Proverbs 4:19; Proverbs 20:20; Isaiah 8:22; Isaiah 42:7; Jeremiah 23:12; Matthew 4:16; Matthew 8:12; John 3:19; Colossians 1:13; 1 Peter 2:9; Jude 1:6; Revelation 16:10).
The Lord is angry with those who abuse others, especially those who abuse His people, and He will punish them. This section stresses the justice, power, and goodness of Yahweh.
"We must keep in mind that the message of Nahum is not concretely applied to Assyria and Judah until later in the book. The psalm that occurs at the beginning of the book [3] presents a picture of God applicable for all times-he is the Warrior who judges evil." [4]
The first eight verses of Nahum are a partial acrostic.
"If an entire acrostic conveys completeness, half an acrostic may well be a prophetic way of indicating completeness with still more to come. Assyria faces imminent judgment, but only half of what is eventually in store for her." [5]

Context Summary

Nahum 1:1-15 - God's Goodness And Righteous Anger
The native city of Nahum was Elkosh, near the Lake of Galilee. The name Capernaum means literally "the village of Nahum." He lived about 150 years after Jonah, who also had been especially concerned with the sins and doom of Nineveh. Though as a Jew he must have dreaded Nineveh, which had already carried Samaria into captivity and was now menacing Jerusalem, he accounted its fate a grievous burden-"the burden of Nineveh." We must never speak of the doom of the ungodly, save from a broken heart.
Nahum 1:1-8 forms a magnificent preamble combining the goodness and severity of God. His dealings with mankind are wrapped in mystery, but He is good and the stronghold of His saints. In Nahum 1:9-15 we see how mad Assyria was to enter into conflict with Jehovah. The fate of thorns in fiercely burning flame is the emblem of their doom. Compare Nahum 1:14 with Isaiah 37:38. When the hour of anguish is past, let us not forget to pay our vows. [source]

Chapter Summary: Nahum 1

1  The majesty of God in goodness to his people, and severity against his enemies

What do the individual words in Nahum 1:8 mean?

But with flood an overflowing an utter end of He will make its place and His enemies will pursue darkness
וּבְשֶׁ֣טֶף עֹבֵ֔ר כָּלָ֖ה יַעֲשֶׂ֣ה מְקוֹמָ֑הּ וְאֹיְבָ֖יו יְרַדֶּף־ חֹֽשֶׁךְ

וּבְשֶׁ֣טֶף  But  with  flood 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֶׁטֶף  
Sense: flood, downpour.
עֹבֵ֔ר  an  overflowing 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: עָבַר 
Sense: to pass over or by or through, alienate, bring, carry, do away, take, take away, transgress.
כָּלָ֖ה  an  utter  end 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: כָּלָה  
Sense: completion, termination, full end, complete destruction, consumption, annihilation.
יַעֲשֶׂ֣ה  of  He  will  make 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
מְקוֹמָ֑הּ  its  place 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: מָקֹום  
Sense: standing place, place.
וְאֹיְבָ֖יו  and  His  enemies 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אֹיֵב  
Sense: (Qal) enemy.
יְרַדֶּף־  will  pursue 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: רָדַף  
Sense: to be behind, follow after, pursue, persecute, run after.
חֹֽשֶׁךְ  darkness 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֹשֶׁךְ  
Sense: darkness, obscurity.