Nahum 3:13 · Bible study
Nahum 3:13 Commentary: When God Removes a Nation’s Courage
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore the prophecy against Nineveh: the soldiers become women, gates thrown open, bars burned. What God’s judgment reveals about strength and trust.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God’s judgment robs an empire of its courage, leaving defenders helpless and defenses open.
- Key words: “women” (metaphor for demoralization), “gates of your land” (mountain passes), “bars” (gates’ locking mechanism).
- Main debate: Whether “gates of the land” refers to city gates or mountain passes; most commentators favor passes.
- Theological theme: God alone gives and removes national strength; human pride cannot survive divine judgment.
- Best use: A caution against trusting in human power, and a comfort that God will humble the oppressor.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Look at your troops— they are like your women! The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire consumes their bars.
WEB World English Bible 2000
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.
KJV King James Version 1769
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.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
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.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
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.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are [as] women: the gates of thy land are set wide open unto thine enemies; the fire devoureth thy bars.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
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.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
He aquí, tu pueblo será como mujeres en medio de ti: las puertas de tu tierra se abrirán de par en par á tus enemigos: fuego consumirá tus barras.
Eis que teu exército será como mulheres no meio de ti; as portas de tua terra se abrirão a teus inimigos; fogo consumirá teus ferrolhos.
Voici, ton peuple, ce sont des femmes au milieu de toi;
Siehe, dein Volk soll zu Weibern werden in dir, und die Tore deines Landes sollen deinen Feinden geöffnet werden, und das Feuer soll deine Riegel verzehren.
Ziet, uw volk zal in het midden van u tot vrouwen worden; de poorten uws lands zullen uw vijanden wijd geopend worden; het vuur zal uw grendelen verteren.
Ecco, il tuo popolo, in mezzo a te, son tante donne; le porte del tuo paese sono spalancate davanti ai tuoi nemici, il fuoco ha divorato le tue sbarre.
Oto lud twój są niewiastami w pośród ciebie; nieprzyjaciołom twoim szeroko otworzone będą bramy ziemi twojej, a ogień pożre zawory twoje.
Вот, и народ твой, как женщины у тебя: врагам твоим настежь отворятся ворота земли твоей, огонь пожрет запоры твои.
你地上 的人民 如同婦女；你國 中的關口 向仇敵 敞 開；你的門閂 被火 焚燒。
See, the people who are in you are women; the doorways of your land are wide open to your attackers: the locks of your doors have been burned away in the fire.
Verse in Context
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that the comparison of Assyrian soldiers to women is a metaphor for total loss of courage and military collapse. Barnes notes that “fierce, fearless, hard iron men” become “women”, not in tenderness, but in weakness and fear. Calvin explains that God enervates men, stripping them of courage when he gives them over to destruction. Clarke and Gill both read the verse as describing soldiers who lose all heart, running away in panic. The point is not about women themselves; the taunt uses a cultural contrast familiar in the ancient Near East. As Cambridge Bible observes, the phrase appears elsewhere (Isaiah 19:16, Jeremiah 50:37, Jeremiah 51:30) to depict divinely inflicted demoralization. The gates of the land refer to mountain passes and fortified entries (Barnes cites Greek and Latin parallels: πύλαι of Cilicia, “Caucasian gates”). Fire devouring the bars shows that even defensive structures fall to the advancing enemy. The prophetic “Behold” insists that this reversal, from ruthless empire to helpless target, is God’s doing.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: God is the agent: he removes courage and exposes defenses, demonstrating that human strength is dependent on his will.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 'women' comparison | The phrase is a metaphor for loss of courage and military weakness, not an insult to women. | Some readers interpret it as denigrating women; historical commentators unanimously reject that and treat it as a cultural taunt against cowardice. |
| Identity of 'gates of your land' | They are the entrances and defensive passes into the region of Assyria. | Barnes and Jamieson-Fausset-Brown see them as mountain passes (like the Caucasian Gates); Gill also allows that it may refer to the river gates that burst in Nahum 2:6. |
| Literal vs metaphorical bars | Fire consumes the bars, signifying the breakthrough of defenses. | Some read it as literal burning of gate bars during siege; others take it metaphorically as the collapse of all defensive structures. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Nineveh in the seventh century BC was the capital of the Assyrian Empire, a military superpower famed for its cruelty and siege technology. The city lay on the eastern bank of the Tigris River, surrounded by fortified walls up to 30 meters high. Beyond the city, Assyria’s security depended on controlled passes through the mountains that bordered its heartland. These passes were called “gates of the land”, natural choke points that, if held, could stop invading armies. Barnes points to such passes in the Caucasus and at Thermopylae, where a few defenders could hold back many. The bars of these gates were often made of wood reinforced with iron, and setting fire to them was a common siege tactic.
The Assyrians themselves had a reputation for ferocity. Monuments from Nineveh depict warriors leading captives, storming cities, and impaling enemies. To call such troops “women” was the sharpest possible insult in that culture, not a statement about women’s worth, but a taunt of cowardice. The historical irony is sharp: the same empire that boasted of its strength would be reduced to terrified people who could not even guard their own passes.
Keil and Delitzsch connect this verse to the fate of No-amon (Thebes) in verses 8-10. If Egypt’s great city fell despite its allies and rivers, Nineveh would fall too. The picture of “fire devouring your bars” may also echo the river gates opening (Nahum 2:6), a flood that breached the walls and exposed the city to destruction.
Nahum wrote shortly after Thebes fell (663 BC) but before Nineveh’s final destruction in 612 BC. His prophecy functioned as both a warning and a consolation to Judah: the oppressor would not escape God’s justice.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Nahum 3:13. The verse is stable across the Masoretic Text and the major ancient versions.
Reception History
Nahum 3:13 has been read within the broader narrative of God’s judgment on Nineveh, often seen as the dark counterpart to Jonah’s mercy. Early Christian writers like Jerome interpreted the verse as a warning that worldly power falls when God withdraws his favor. During the Reformation, Calvin used it to illustrate God’s sovereignty over human courage and the futility of trusting in armies. In modern times, the verse has been cited in sermons on national repentance and in discussions of the limits of military might. The image of soldiers becoming women has caused some debate around gender, but careful interpreters consistently explain the metaphor in its ancient cultural context.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God holds the hearts of armies in his hand. The Assyrian soldier, fierce, victorious, becomes a trembling figure. Courage is not a human possession; God gives and removes it. (Prov 21:1)
- Human security is an illusion. The gates of the land, the bars, the fortresses, all look strong, but fire and the enemy consume them. Trusting in any earthly defense is foolish.
- God’s purpose cannot be resisted. The command “Behold” challenges the Ninevites to see the unbelievable. What they thought impossible, their army defeated, their land open, becomes real. God’s word overrules every human plan.
Five-point outline
- The boast of human strength (Assyria)
- God’s sovereign removal of courage (women metaphor)
- Open gates: every defense fails
- Fire consuming bars: total ruin
- The assurance: God’s justice will visit every oppressor
Illustration hooks
- The demoralized sports team. A team that once dominated suddenly cannot score, can’t defend. The same players, but something has left them. This is what happens when God withdraws courage.
- Cybersecurity breach thinking you are safe. A company with firewalls, encryption, and security guards, but a single stolen password opens everything. The strongest defenses count for nothing when the enemy gets through.
- The collapse of an empire’s morale. History records armies that simply stopped fighting (e.g., the French army in 1940). Not because they lacked weapons, but because the will was gone. Nahum gives the theological reason: God enervates.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does this verse insult women? No, the metaphor uses a cultural stereotype of the time to picture shame and weakness. It does not degrade women but confronts the proud.
- How do I know if I am trusting in my own strength? Look at what you rely on: skills, money, reputation, relationships. Are these your “bars” and “gates”?
- Can God still turn a strong person into weak? Yes, and sometimes that is mercy. Pride that rests on human ability must be broken so we rest in God.
Leading a Discussion
Nahum 3:13 paints a vivid picture of a city that has lost everything it trusted. The soldiers have no courage, the gates cannot keep the enemy out, and the bars burn. This is not simply a military defeat: it is a theological statement about God’s control over every source of human security. As you discuss this verse, look for what the Ninevites thought made them safe, and where you may be trusting the same things.
Discussion questions
- What specific images in this verse would have shocked the Ninevites most? Why?
- Read Isaiah 19:16 and Jeremiah 51:30. How do those passages use the same comparison? What do they tell us about God’s power?
- If the Assyrian army was truly as strong as history records, what does it mean for God to “make them women”? What does that reveal about courage?
- The “gates of the land” are the mountain passes that defended Assyria. What are the “gates” we trust today, money, education, health, relationships? How would it feel for those to be “wide open” to trouble?
- Fire consumes the bars, the defenses that hold the gates shut. What happens when the very things we rely on to hold our lives together are destroyed? Who or what remains?
- In the middle of judgment, the call is still to behold: to see God’s hand. How can we practice “beholding” during times when our own security is shaken?
- How does this verse shape your understanding of God’s character? Does it make you uncomfortable? In what way might it bring hope to those who have been oppressed by “Assyrias” in their own lives?
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Psalms 107:16 | For he has broken the gates of bronze, and cut through bars of iron. |
| Psalms 147:13 | For he has strengthened the bars of your gates. He has blessed your children within you. |
| Isaiah 19:16 | In that day the Egyptians will be like women. They will tremble and fear because of the shaking of Yahweh of Armies’s hand, which he shakes over them. |
| Isaiah 45:1 | Yahweh says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held to subdue nations before him and strip kings of their armor, to open the doors before him, and the gates shall not be shut: |
| Isaiah 45:2 | “I will go before you and make the rough places smooth. I will break the doors of bronze in pieces and cut apart the bars of iron. |
| Jeremiah 50:37 | A sword is on their horses, on their chariots, and on all the mixed people who are in the middle of her; and they will become as women. A sword is on her treasures, and they will be robbed. |
| Jeremiah 51:30 | The mighty men of Babylon have stopped fighting, they remain in their strongholds. Their might has failed. They have become as women. Her dwelling places are set on fire. Her bars are broken. |
| Nahum 2:6 | The gates of the rivers are opened, and the palace is dissolved. |
Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that the speaker calls the people women because they lacked courage and refused to fight. He says they are truly women rather than men. This shows their failure to act as strong warriors.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that the description of the people as women means they lack manly strength and courage. He says this shows that when sin rules no one has power to resist and the land becomes fully open to enemies. Your spirit can be protected by keeping it free from worldly temptations.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin notes God often weakens people’s hearts so they lack courage before his judgment. He explains the word behold here stresses the extreme weakness of the Assyrians.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Christians who hold this view see the Assyrians described as women because their army is utterly helpless. They also understand the gates of the land to mean the paths into the country.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
Geneva Bible Notes sees this as a warning that the city’s leaders will abandon God and trust human strength. They expect protection from their own armies but will fail because they rely on themselves instead of God.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill highlights that the people, once trusted for their numbers and military strength, become as weak and fearful as women, losing all courage even on their own ground. Their gates are abandoned to the enemy and their bars consumed by fire, leaving the city completely exposed and defenseless.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
Jamieson Fausset Brown notes that Assyria’s own people will set fire to the gates of their own city. This shows they will destroy themselves rather than be saved.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch see the comparison of Nineveh to Noam as a direct prediction that the city will suffer the same fate (vanish completely) as that nation. This destruction will happen through divine wrath so that the Assyrians can easily take the city without any resistance.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that the Assyrian king will find his own people inside his city rather than outside defending it. His people will be women inside the walls while the gates stay open for enemies.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley reads the description of the people as women to mean they were thoroughly cowardly, not literally female. He then explains that the gates were the strong borders of the land, and their being wide open was due either to fear or to betrayal by the guards who should have been securing them.