The crack of the whip, the rumble of the wheel, galloping horse and bounding chariot!
Parallel translations
- WEB The noise of the whip, the noise of the rattling of wheels, prancing horses, and bounding chariots,
- KJV The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots.
- NKJV The noise of a whip And the noise of rattling wheels, Of galloping horses, Of clattering chariots!
- NASB The sound of the whip, The sound of the roar of the wheel, Galloping horses And bounding chariots!
- NLT Hear the crack of whips, the rumble of wheels! Horses’ hooves pound, and chariots clatter wildly.
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
The verse sounds out the noise of battle: cracking whips, rattling wheels, galloping horses, and bounding chariots. It conveys the onrush of the attacking army.
Overview
Nahum's rapid, sound-filled lines make the reader almost hear the assault descending on Nineveh. The chariots and horses that once spread Assyrian terror now thunder against the city itself. The vivid scene heightens the sense that judgment is rushing in with unstoppable force.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Jer 47:3at the sound of the galloping hooves of stallions, the rumbling of chariots, and the clatter of their wheels. The fathers will not turn back for their sons; their hands will hang limp.
- Nah 2:3–4The shields of his mighty men are red; the valiant warriors are dressed in scarlet. The fittings of the chariots flash like fire on the day they are prepared, and the spears of cypress have been brandished.
- Judg 5:22Then the hooves of horses thundered—the mad galloping of his stallions.
- Job 39:22–25He laughs at fear, frightened of nothing; he does not turn back from the sword.
- Isa 9:5For every trampling boot of battle and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 3:2 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.