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.
Parallel translations
- WEB 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.
- BSB Look at your troops—they are like your women! The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire consumes their bars.
- NKJV Surely, your people in your midst are women! The gates of your land are wide open for your enemies; Fire shall devour the bars of your gates.
- NASB Behold, your people are women in your midst! The gates of your land are opened wide to your enemies; Fire consumes your gate bars.
- NLT Your troops will be as weak and helpless as women. The gates of your land will be opened wide to the enemy and set on fire and burned.
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
Nineveh's troops are called as weak as women, its gates thrown open to enemies, and its bars consumed by fire. Its defenses are utterly compromised.
Overview
The comparison reflects the loss of military resolve and strength, using the ancient idiom for soldiers stripped of courage rather than commenting on the worth of women. Open gates and burned bars mean the city lies defenseless before its foes. The verse drives home that God has removed every protection from the doomed city.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Jer 51:30The mighty men of Babylon have forborn to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned her dwellingplaces; her bars are broken.
- Isa 19:16In that day shall Egypt be like unto women: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the LORD of hosts, which he shaketh over it.
- Jer 50:37A sword is upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her; and they shall become as women: a sword is upon her treasures; and they shall be robbed.
- Nah 2:6The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved.
- Isa 45:1–2Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;
- Ps 147:13For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee.
- Ps 107:16For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.
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 3:13 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.