It is decreed: She shall be led away captive, She shall be brought up; And her maidservants shall lead her as with the voice of doves, Beating their breasts.
Parallel translations
- WEB It is decreed: she is uncovered, she is carried away; and her servants moan as with the voice of doves, beating on their breasts.
- KJV And Huzzab shall be led away captive, she shall be brought up, and her maids shall lead her as with the voice of doves, tabering upon their breasts.
- BSB It is decreed that the city be exiled and carried away; her maidservants moan like doves, and beat upon their breasts.
- NASB It is set: She is stripped, she is led away, And her slave women are sobbing like the sound of doves, Beating their breasts.
- NLT Nineveh’s exile has been decreed, and all the servant girls mourn its capture. They moan like doves and beat their breasts in sorrow.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
It is decreed that the city, pictured as a queen or its people, is stripped and carried into exile while her servants mourn like doves. Nineveh's defeat and humiliation are settled.
Overview
The imagery of being uncovered and led away depicts the shame and captivity that conquered cities suffered. The moaning of servants like mourning doves captures the grief of utter defeat. The certainty conveyed by 'it is decreed' emphasizes that this judgment flows from God's unchangeable purpose.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Isa 59:11We all roar like bears, and moan bitterly like doves. We look for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far off from us.
- Isa 38:14I chattered like a swallow or a crane. I moaned like a dove. My eyes weaken looking upward. Lord, I am oppressed. Be my security.”
- Isa 32:12Beat your breasts for the pleasant fields, for the fruitful vine.
- Luke 23:48All the multitudes that came together to see this, when they saw the things that were done, returned home beating their breasts.
- Luke 23:27A great multitude of the people followed him, including women who also mourned and lamented him.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The certain judgment on Nineveh and the comfort that 'the LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble' point to Christ, who is both the refuge of his people and the judge of their enemies.
How Nahum 2:7 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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