Nahum 3:15 · Bible study
Nahum 3:15 Commentary: The Locust's Ironic Judgment
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does Nahum taunt Nineveh to multiply like locusts while locust-like armies devour them? A study of the futility of human strength against divine judgment.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Nineveh's frantic preparations will not avert destruction; the locust-like enemy will consume them just as they multiplied like locusts.
- Key words: 'Cankerworm' (yeleq, young locust, devouring stage) and 'locust' (arbeh, swarming locust). The command 'multiply' is ironic concessive.
- Main debate: Whether the imperatives are purely sarcastic ('go ahead, multiply') or concessive ('though you multiply'). Most commentators take the ironic view.
- Theological theme: Divine sovereignty over nations, no human power, even the greatest empire, can withstand God's judgment.
- Best use: As a sobering reminder that self-reliance is futile; also as a call to trust in the only fortress that stands, God Himself.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
There the fire will devour you; the sword will cut you down and consume you like a young locust. Make yourself many like the young locust; make yourself many like the swarming locust!
WEB World English Bible 2000
There the fire will devour you. The sword will cut you off. It will devour you like the grasshopper. Multiply like grasshoppers. Multiply like the locust.
KJV King James Version 1769
There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm: make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off; it shall devour thee like the canker-worm: make thyself many as the canker-worm; make thyself many as the locust.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
There consume thee doth a fire, Cut thee off doth a sword, It doth consume thee as a cankerworm! Make thyself heavy as the cankerworm, Make thyself heavy as the locust.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off; it shall devour thee like the cankerworm. Make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locust.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
There shall the fire devour thee: thou shalt perish by the sword, it shall devour thee like the bruchus: assemble together like the bruchus, make thyself many like the locust.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Allí te consumirá el fuego, te talará la espada, te devorará como pulgón: multiplícate como langosta, multiplícate como langosta.
Ali o fogo te consumirá, a espada te cortará, te consumirá como o inseto devorador. Multiplica-te como o inseto devorador; multiplica-te como o gafanhoto.
Là, le feu te dévorera,
Aber das Feuer wird dich fressen und das Schwert töten; es wird dich abfressen wie ein Käfer, ob deines Volkes schon viel ist wie Käfer, ob deines Volkes schon viel ist wie Heuschrecken.
Het vuur zal u aldaar verteren; het zwaard zal u uitroeien, het zal u afeten, als de kevers, vermeerder u als sprinkhanen.
Là il fuoco ti divorerà, la spada ti distruggerà; ti divorerà come la cavalletta, fossi tu pur numerosa come le cavallette, fossi tu pur numerosa come le locuste.
Tam cię pożre ogień, wytnie cię miecz, pożre cię jako chrząszcze; zgromadź się jako chrząszcze, zbierz się jako szarańcza.
Там пожрет тебя огонь, посечет тебя меч, поест тебя как гусеница, хотя бы ты умножился как гусеница, умножился как саранча.
在那裡，火 必燒滅你；刀 必殺戮你，吞滅你 如同蝻子。任你加增 人數多如蝻子， 多如蝗蟲吧！
There the fire will make you waste; you will be cut off by the sword: make yourself as great in number as the worms, as great in number as the locusts.
Verse in Context
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this verse delivers a crushing ironic taunt. Barnes captures the tone: 'Make thyself many as the cankerworm… yet it shall not avail thee.' The imperatives are concessive or sarcastic, even if Nineveh gathers armies as thick as locust swarms, those armies will be devoured with the same ease that locusts consume a field. The Cambridge Bible observes the grammatical oddity: the first imperative is masculine, the second feminine, a shift 'scarcely possible in grammar' that suggests the text may be deliberately jarring. Calvin stresses the adverb 'there' (in the very fortresses they are strengthening), their trusted defenses become the site of destruction by fire. Gill amplifies the locust comparison: as locusts leave nothing green, so the sword of the enemy will make 'clear riddance' of Nineveh. Keil-Delitzsch note that the fire and sword embrace the whole judgment: fire consumes the city, sword the inhabitants. The consensus is clear: human preparation is not just useless, it becomes the stage for divine judgment.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Ironic taunt: Barnes, Calvin, and most Reformers read the imperatives as sarcastic commands that mock Nineveh's efforts; they are not real possibilities.
- Concessive imperative: Cambridge Bible and some grammarians treat the imperatives as concessive ('even if you multiply'), focusing on the grammatical mood.
- Moral warning: Matthew Henry and Wesley use the passage to warn against trusting in outward preparations while ignoring God.
What is clear: All interpreters agree that judgment is certain and that Nineveh's human preparations cannot reverse it — the locust-like destruction will come regardless.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The locust metaphor | Both sides agree that locusts symbolize overwhelming numbers and total consumption, either as the invading army or as Nineveh's gathered forces. | Some commentators (e.g., Gill) emphasize the locust as a type of the destroying enemy; others (e.g., Cambridge Bible) see the locust primarily as the swarming population of Nineveh, which will be consumed. |
| The imperatives: ironic or concessive? | All agree the commands are not literal encouragements but part of the rhetorical taunt. | Barnes and Calvin treat them as straightforward irony ('make yourself many, it won't help'). Cambridge Bible and some grammarians read them as concessive ('though you make yourself many'), which still ends in the same destruction. |
| Historical fulfilment in 612 BC | All agree the prophecy was fulfilled when Nineveh was destroyed by a coalition including Medes and Babylonians, with fire playing a key role. | Gill and Keil-Delitzsch note that Assyrian records confirm the fire; some modern historians debate the exact circumstances of the final siege, but the fact of destruction by fire is not in doubt. |
| Application for today | All see the passage as warning against pride and self-reliance before God. | Some traditions (e.g., Calvinist) emphasize God's sovereign judgment on nations; others (e.g., Wesleyan) focus on the call to repentance that Nineveh ignored, drawing lessons for individuals. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Nahum prophesies shortly before the fall of Nineveh in 612 BC, when a coalition of Medes, Babylonians, and others destroyed the Assyrian capital. The city was protected by massive walls, a sophisticated water system, and immense resources, described in 3:14 as drawing water for siege, strengthening fortresses, and making bricks. The ruins, as Keil-Delitzsch note, show clear evidence of fire, confirming the prophecy.
Locust imagery dominates this section. In the ancient Near East, locusts were a familiar terror, they arrived in swarms so dense they darkened the sky (Exodus 10:15), consumed every green thing, and then vanished. Joel's prophecy (1:4, 2:25) catalogues their stages (swarming locust, great locust, grasshopper, caterpillar), each devouring what the last left. By comparing Nineveh's soldiers to locusts that flee when the sun rises (3:17), Nahum reverses the image: the city that plundered like locusts will itself be plundered.
The irony cuts deep. Nineveh had 'multiplied merchants more than the stars' (3:16), but they scatter like locusts. The fortified walls, the stored water, the brick kilns, all the efforts of a proud empire, become the very place where fire devours. Calvin observes that 'the Lord pronounces accursed the arrogance of men, when they trust in their own resources.' The command to 'multiply like locusts' is a bitter mockery: gather all the strength you can; it will not save you.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentaries note one significant textual issue: the imperatives in 'make thyself many' shift between masculine and feminine forms, which the Cambridge Bible calls 'scarcely possible in grammar.' The Septuagint offers a shorter version of the verse, omitting some of the repetition. While the MT is stable, this grammatical anomaly may indicate textual disruption or deliberate rhetorical effect. The consulted sources do not propose any major variants beyond this.
Reception History
Nahum 3:15 has been read through the centuries as a stark warning against trusting in human strength. Early church fathers like Jerome used it to illustrate the downfall of proud empires. Reformation commentators, Calvin, Luther in his lectures, and later Matthew Henry, applied it to any nation or person who builds defenses apart from God. Gill's detailed notes connect the locust imagery to classical sources (Aristophanes, Diodorus Siculus), showing the metaphor's enduring power. In modern preaching, the verse appears in sermons on divine justice and the futility of self-reliance, often paired with the fall of other great cities throughout history. Its language has also influenced hymns about the brevity of human power, though no specific hymn title is universally attached.
Preaching This Verse
Three-Point Outline
- Futility of human preparation. Nineveh strengthens its walls and stockpiles water (v.14), but judgment is not stopped by ingenuity or resources.
- Certainty of divine judgment. Fire and sword are God's instruments, they devour as locusts devour the earth, completely and irresistibly.
- Irony of self-reliance. The command to multiply like locusts is a taunt: even if you gather the largest army, it will be eaten like grass. Only repentance could have turned judgment aside.
Five-Point Outline
- The scene: in the very place of your defenses, judgment falls.
- The means: fire and sword, total destruction.
- The comparison: as the locust devours without trace, so the enemy will consume you.
- The irony: you tried to become many like locusts, but you become prey to locust-like forces.
- The outcome: nothing you do can reverse it, 'thy wound is grievous' (3:19).
Illustration Hooks
- Building a fortress on sand. A homeowner reinforces a house against a storm, but the foundation is cracked, all the repairs only make the collapse more dramatic. Nineveh’s preparations were on the wrong foundation.
- The accountant and the audit. A business owner fudges numbers to look profitable, but the auditor arrives with real documents. The multiplied figures become evidence, not protection.
Questions Your Congregation Is Asking
- If God judges whole nations, does He still judge nations today? How do we live as Christians in a nation that trusts in its own strength?
- What does it mean to prepare for something that will fail anyway? Are there areas of my life where I am building without consulting God?
Leading a Discussion
This passage confronts us with the hard truth that no amount of human effort can stand against God's judgment. Nineveh was wealthy, fortified, and confident, yet God's word through Nahum reduced it to ash. The locust imagery reminds us that even the strongest armies are as fragile as insects when the Creator acts. As you discuss, consider where you or your community might be trusting in resources rather than in God.
Discussion Questions
- Read Nahum 3:14-15. What do the actions in verse 14 (drawing water, strengthening fortresses) tell us about Nineveh's mindset?
- Why does the prophet use the locust in two different ways, as a devourer and as the thing to multiply?
- Calvin says that trust in our own resources is 'accursed.' Do you agree? What does wise preparation look like, versus trusting in preparation?
- How does the cross of Christ change the way we read a judgment passage like this?
- Where in your life do you find yourself 'multiplying like locusts', building up shields that cannot ultimately protect?
- This passage ends (3:19) with a note of finality: no healing, all clapping. How does this shape our view of God's justice and mercy?
- What does it mean to 'flee to the stronghold' of the Lord (Nah 1:7) rather than to one's own fortress?
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Exodus 10:13 | Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, and Yahweh brought an east wind on the land all that day, and all night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. |
| Exodus 10:15 | For they covered the surface of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened, and they ate every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left. There remained nothing green, either tree or herb of the field, through all the land of Egypt. |
| Joel 1:4 | What the swarming locust has left, the great locust has eaten. What the great locust has left, the grasshopper has eaten. What the grasshopper has left, the caterpillar has eaten. |
| Joel 2:25 | I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the great locust, the grasshopper, and the caterpillar, my great army, which I sent among you. |
| Nahum 2:13 | “Behold, I am against you,” says Yahweh of Armies, “and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword will devour your young lions; and I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers will no longer be heard.” |
| Nahum 3:13 | 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. |
| Zephaniah 2:13 | He will stretch out his hand against the north, destroy Assyria, and will make Nineveh a desolation, as dry as the wilderness. |
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 comparing the enemy forces to cankerworms shows they come in many swarms that cause total destruction. This image helps explain how the attackers attack Nineveh over time.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that people think their defenses can protect them from God’s wrath but that fire will still consume them. They build strong defenses hoping their works will last forever yet their souls will be taken that night just as worms eat grass.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin notes that the word there highlights the specific location where destruction will occur. He adds that human efforts (such as frugality and strong defenses) will not save them because the Lord pronounces such trust in own resources as cursed.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges notes the text may be out of order and that the commands to become many are likely meant as a concession. It suggests the city and its people will be destroyed by great numbers of insects just as the young locusts were.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
Geneva Bible Notes notes that the sword will destroy the people even though they are many. They explain that the weapon will eat them up just as insects consume plants.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill reads God's words to Nineveh as heavy irony. The command to multiply like locusts is sarcastic: gather every soldier you can, because fire and the enemy's sword will still devour you as completely as locusts strip the land. Nineveh's immense preparations are worthless against this judgment.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
The commentator notes that no amount of military strength can protect one from destruction. He explains that even a large army will be destroyed just as insects are eaten by locusts.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch emphasize that the prophet's command to prepare water and fortifications is purely rhetorical, underscoring the certainty of a long, hopeless siege. The fire and sword will devour Nineveh "like the locust," meaning the enemy will consume the city as locusts devour fields—not that the locusts themselves are consumed.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that the city’s pride in its many helpers and riches makes it think it is safer than God. It will still be destroyed by fire and sword just as the insects are destroyed.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley stresses that no fortified stronghold can withstand God's judgment. He compares God's destruction of enemies to a canker-worm easily eating a green herb. Even if the enemy is countless, multiplying makes no difference; all resistance is futile.