Cush and Egypt were her boundless strength. Put and Libya were her helpers.
Parallel translations
- KJV Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers.
- BSB Cush and Egypt were her boundless strength; Put and Libya were her allies.
- NKJV Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, And it was boundless; Put and Lubim were your helpers.
- NASB Ethiopia was her might, Egypt too, without limits. Put and Lubim were among her helpers.
- NLT Ethiopia and the land of Egypt gave unlimited assistance. The nations of Put and Libya were among her allies.
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
Thebes had the immense strength of Cush and Egypt, with Put and Libya as allies, yet still fell. Even powerful alliances could not save her.
Overview
The catalog of mighty nations and allies emphasizes how formidable Thebes truly was. Despite this strength, the city was conquered, proving that human alliances cannot withstand God's purposes. The point presses home that Nineveh's allies and resources will likewise fail her.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Ezek 27:10Persia and Lud and Put were in your army, your men of war: they hanged the shield and helmet in you; they showed your beauty.
- Ezek 30:5Ethiopia, and Put, and Lud, and all the mixed people, and Cub, and the children of the land that is allied with them, shall fall with them by the sword.
- Gen 10:6The sons of Ham were: Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
- Isa 20:5They will be dismayed and confounded, because of Ethiopia their expectation, and of Egypt their glory.
- Jer 46:9Go up, you horses; and rage, you chariots! Let the mighty men go out: Cush and Put, who handle the shield; and the Ludim, who handle and bend the bow.
- Ezek 38:5Persia, Cush, and Put with them, all of them with shield and helmet;
- 2 Chr 12:3with twelve hundred chariots, and sixty thousand horsemen. The people were without number who came with him out of Egypt: the Lubim, the Sukkiim, and the Ethiopians.
- 1 Chr 1:8The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 3:9 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.