Art thou better than populous No, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the sea?
Parallel translations
- WEB Are you better than No-Amon, who was situated among the rivers, who had the waters around her; whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was of the sea?
- BSB Are you better than Thebes, stationed by the Nile with water around her, whose rampart was the sea, whose wall was the water?
- NKJV Are you better than No Amon That was situated by the River, That had the waters around her, Whose rampart was the sea, Whose wall was the sea?
- NASB ¶Are you better than No-amon, Which was situated by the canals of the Nile, With water surrounding her, Whose rampart was the sea, Whose wall consisted of the sea?
- NLT Are you any better than the city of Thebes, situated on the Nile River, surrounded by water? She was protected by the river on all sides, walled in by water.
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
Nahum asks whether Nineveh is better than Thebes (No-Amon), a mighty city protected by waters that nonetheless fell. The example warns Nineveh of its own coming fate.
Overview
Thebes, the great Egyptian capital, was famously secure behind the waters of the Nile yet was conquered by Assyria itself in 663 BC. By recalling Thebes' fall, Nahum argues that Nineveh's defenses offer no greater protection. The lesson is that no fortress or natural barrier can shield a people whom God has appointed for judgment.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Amos 6:2Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border?
- Ezek 30:14–16And I will make Pathros desolate, and will set fire in Zoan, and will execute judgments in No.
- Isa 19:5–10And the waters shall fail from the sea, and the river shall be wasted and dried up.
- Ezek 31:2–3Son of man, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, and to his multitude; Whom art thou like in thy greatness?
- Jer 46:25–26The LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saith; Behold, I will punish the multitude of No, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with their gods, and their kings; even Pharaoh, and all them that trust in him:
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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 3:8 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.