Nahum

Nahum 3:15–17

¹⁵There 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!

¹⁶You have multiplied your merchants

more than the stars of the sky.

The young locust strips the land

and flies away.

¹⁷Your guards^c are like the swarming locust,

and your scribes^d like clouds of locusts

that settle on the walls on a cold day.

When the sun rises, they fly away,

and no one knows where.

Footnotes

c 3:17 Or princes
d 3:17 Or marshals

Read all of Nahum 3

Word by word

Each English word or phrase beside the Hebrew it translates, in the order of the English. Choose a number to open that word’s study.

Nahum 3:15

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
There	שָׁ֚ם	šām	Adverb	H8033 there, thither
the fire	אֵ֔שׁ	’êš	Noun - common singular	H784 fire
will devour you	תֹּאכְלֵ֣ךְ	tō·ḵə·lêḵ	Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular; second person feminine singular	H398 eat
the sword	חֶ֔רֶב	ḥe·reḇ	Noun - feminine singular	H2719 sword
will cut you down	תַּכְרִיתֵ֣ךְ	taḵ·rî·ṯêḵ	Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person feminine singular; second person feminine singular	H3772 cut off, cut down
and consume you	תֹּאכְלֵ֖ךְ	tō·ḵə·lêḵ	Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular; second person feminine singular	H398 eat
like a young locust	כַּיָּ֑לֶק	kay·yā·leq	Preposition-k, Article; Noun - masculine singular	H3218 locust
Make yourself many	הִתְכַּבֵּ֣ד	hiṯ·kab·bêḏ	Verb - Hitpael - Imperative - masculine singular	H3513 be heavy, weighty, burdensome, honoured
like the young locust	כַּיֶּ֔לֶק	kay·ye·leq	Preposition-k, Article; Noun - masculine singular	H3218 locust
make yourself many	הִֽתְכַּבְּדִ֖י	hiṯ·kab·bə·ḏî	Verb - Hitpael - Imperative - feminine singular	H3513 be heavy, weighty, burdensome, honoured
like the swarming locust	כָּאַרְבֶּֽה׃	kā·’ar·beh	Preposition-k, Article; Noun - masculine singular	H697 locust

Nahum 3:16

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
You have multiplied	הִרְבֵּית֙	hir·bêṯ	Verb - Hifil - Perfect - second person feminine singular	H7235 be, or become, much, many, great
your merchants	רֹֽכְלַ֔יִךְ	rō·ḵə·la·yiḵ	Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct; second person feminine singular	H7402 go about, from one to another
more than the stars	מִכּוֹכְבֵ֖י	mik·kō·wḵ·ḇê	Preposition-m; Noun - masculine plural construct	H3556 star
of the sky	הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם	haš·šā·mā·yim	Article; Noun - masculine plural	H8064 sky, aloft
The young locust	יֶ֥לֶק	ye·leq	Noun - masculine singular	H3218 locust
strips the land	פָּשַׁ֖ט	pā·šaṭ	Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular	H6584 strip off, make a dash, raid
and flies away	וַיָּעֹֽף׃	way·yā·‘ōp̄	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular	H5774 fly

Nahum 3:17

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
Your guards	מִנְּזָרַ֙יִךְ֙	min·nə·zā·ra·yiḵ	Noun - masculine plural construct; second person feminine singular	H4502 consecrated
are like the swarming locust	כָּֽאַרְבֶּ֔ה	kā·’ar·beh	Preposition-k, Article; Noun - masculine singular	H697 locust
and your scribes	וְטַפְסְרַ֖יִךְ	wə·ṭap̄·sə·ra·yiḵ	Conjunctive waw; Noun - masculine plural construct; second person feminine singular	H2951 scribe, marshal
like clouds of locusts	כְּג֣וֹב	kə·ḡō·wḇ	Preposition-k; Noun - masculine singular construct	H1462 locusts
that settle	הַֽחוֹנִ֤ים	ha·ḥō·w·nîm	Article; Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural	H2583 decline, bend down, encamp
on the walls	בַּגְּדֵרוֹת֙	bag·gə·ḏê·rō·wṯ	Preposition-b, Article; Noun - feminine plural	H1448 wall
on a cold	קָרָ֔ה	qā·rāh	Noun - feminine singular	H7135 id.
day	בְּי֣וֹם	bə·yō·wm	Preposition-b; Noun - masculine singular construct	H3117 day
When the sun	שֶׁ֤מֶשׁ	še·meš	Noun - common singular	H8121 sun
rises	זָֽרְחָה֙	zā·rə·ḥāh	Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular	H2224 rise, come forth
they fly away	וְנוֹדַ֔ד	wə·nō·w·ḏaḏ	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Pual - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular	H5074 retreat, flee, depart, stray, wander, flutter
and no	וְלֹֽא־	wə·lō-	Conjunctive waw; Adverb - Negative particle	H3808 not
one knows	נוֹדַ֥ע	nō·w·ḏa‘	Verb - Nifal - Perfect - third person masculine singular	H3045 know
where	אַיָּֽם׃	’ay·yām	Interrogative; third person masculine plural	H335 where?

Cross-references

Other passages that speak to the same thing. Point at one to read it.

Nahum 3:15 Joel 1:4 · Nahum 3:13 · Nahum 2:13

Nahum 3:17 Jeremiah 51:27 · Revelation 9:7

Cross-references from OpenBible.info, used under CC BY 4.0. The best-supported references for each verse are shown.

Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible.