The Tigris River flowed close to the walls of Nineveh, and two of its tributaries, the Khosr and the Tebiltu, passed through the city. Virtually all of Nineveh"s15 gates also contained passages for the waters from one of these tributaries or its canals. They were called "gates of the river." [1][source]
Sennacherib had built a double dam and reservoir system to the north of the city to control the amount of water that entered it and to prevent flooding. [2] Nahum may have seen the invader opening these dam gates and flooding the city. However, ancient historians wrote that flooding from heavy rains also played a role in Nineveh"s fall. [source][source][source]
"Diodorus wrote that in the third year of the siege heavy rains caused a nearby river to flood part of the city and break part of the walls (Bibliotheca Historica 2269; 22713). Xenophon referred to terrifying thunder (presumably with a storm) associated with the city"s capture (Anabasis, 3412). Also the Khosr River, entering the city from the northwest at the Ninlil Gate and running through the city in a southwesterly direction, may have flooded because of heavy rains, or the enemy may have destroyed its sluice gate." [3][source]
Other possibilities are that Nahum saw fortified bridges, the city gates that lay below the nearby Tigris River, sluice gates that emptied water into moats, other breaches in Nineveh"s walls made by water, or floodgates that controlled the Khosr within the city. [4][source]
The palace the prophet saw washed away was perhaps that of Ashurbanipal, which stood in the north part of Nineveh. [5] However, Nineveh contained many palaces and temples, and the Hebrew word hekal, used here, describes both types of structures. Assyria had ruined many enemy cities, palaces, and temples, but now this fate would befall Nineveh. [source][source][source]
Context Summary
Nahum 2:1-13 - A Cruel City To Be Overthrown
This is a prophetic foreview of the overthrow of Nineveh by the Medo-Babylonians. God had used her for the chastisement of His people; now, in turn, she must be cast away for her sins. The attacking soldiers wore crimson tunics, and the chariot wheels were armed with scythes, that flashed as they revolved. The streets might be filled with chariots mustering for defence, but all must be in vain since the scaling-ladders were already against the walls, and the gates of the rivers would soon be opened. Huzzab was Nineveh's queen, and represents the condition of the city, going into captivity as a slave, with bare face and legs. Note the comparison of Nineveh to a den of lions filled with bones. Fire and sword completed her ruin. This is the lot of the enemies of God's people. See Isaiah 54:16-17. But if God is true to His threatenings, how much more is He true to His promises! [source]
Chapter Summary: Nahum 2
1The fearful and victorious armies of God against Nineveh
What do the individual words in Nahum 2:6 mean?
The gatesof the riversare openedand the palaceis dissolved