Nahum 1 · Verse 2

Nahum 1:2

God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth; the Lord revengeth, and is furious; the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.
Nahum 1:2, King James Version

Nahum 1:2 in other translations

BSBThe LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging and full of wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on His foes and reserves wrath for His enemies.
WEBThe LORD is a jealous God and avenges. The LORD avenges and is full of wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries, and he maintains wrath against his enemies.
ASVJehovah is a jealous God and avengeth; Jehovah avengeth and is full of wrath; Jehovah taketh vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.
YLTA God zealous and avenging is Jehovah, An avenger is Jehovah, and possessing fury. An avenger is Jehovah on His adversaries, And He is watching for His enemies.
DARBYA jealous and avenging God is Jehovah: an avenger is Jehovah, and full of fury: Jehovah taketh vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.
BBEThe Lord is a God who takes care of his honour and gives punishment for wrong; the Lord gives punishment and is angry; the Lord sends punishment on those who are against him, being angry with his haters.
WebsterGod is jealous, and the LORD avengeth; the LORD avengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.

What does Nahum 1:2 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
2. jealous--In this there is sternness, yet tender affection. We are jealous only of those we love: a husband, of a wife; a king, of his subjects' loyalty. God is jealous of men because He loves them. God will not bear a rival in His claims on them. His burning jealousy for His own wounded honor and their love, as much as His justice, accounts for all His fearful judgments: the flood, the destruction of Jerusalem, that of Nineveh. His jealousy will not admit of His friends being oppressed, and their enemies flourishing (compare Ex 20:5; 1Co 16:22; 2Co 11:2). Burning zeal enters into the idea in "jealous" here (compare Nu 25:11, 13; 1Ki 19:10). the Lord revengeth ... Lord revengeth--The repetition of the incommunicable name Jehovah, and of His revenging, gives an awful solemnity to the introduction. furious--literally, "a master of fury." So a master of the tongue, that is, "eloquent." "One who, if He pleases, can most readily give effect to His fury" [Grotius]. Nahum has in view the provocation to fury given to God by the Assyrians, after having carried away the ten tribes, now proceeding to invade Judea under Hezekiah. reserveth wrath for his enemies--reserves it against His own appointed time (2Pe 2:9). After long waiting for their repentance in vain, at length punishing them. A wrong estimate of Jehovah is formed from His suspending punishment: it is not that He is insensible or dilatory, but He reserves wrath for His own fit time. In the case of the penitent, He does not reserve or retain His anger (Psa 103:9; Jr 3:5, 12; Mi 7:18).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 2 God is jealous - For his own glory. And - revengeth - His justice; by the destruction of his enemies. And is furious - So powerful in the manifestations of his judgments, that nothing can stand before him. He reserveth wrath - Though they seem to prosper for a time, and God appears to have passed by their crimes without notice, yet he reserveth - treasureth up - wrath for them, which shall burst forth in due time.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Nahum 1:1-8

About a hundred years before, at Jonah's preaching, the Ninevites repented, and were spared, yet, soon after, they became worse than ever. Nineveh knows not that God who contends with her, but is told what a God he is. It is good for all to mix faith with what is here said concerning Him, which speaks great terror to the wicked, and comfort to believers. Let each take his portion from it: let sinners read it and…

Read the full comment on Nahum 1:1-8 →

Nahum 1:2 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

אֵ֣ל'el[is] a GodH410
קַנּ֤וֹאka.No'jealousH7072
וְנֹקֵם֙ve.no.Kemand avengingH5358
יְהוָ֔הYah.wehYahwehH3068
נֹקֵ֥םno.Kem[is] avengingH5358
יְהוָ֖הYah.wehYahwehH3068
וּבַ֣עַלu.Va.'aland a lord ofH1167
חֵמָ֑הche.MahrageH2534
נֹקֵ֤םno.Kem[is] avengingH5358
יְהוָה֙Yah.wehYahwehH3068
לְצָרָ֔יוle.tza.Ravto opponents hisH6862
וְנוֹטֵ֥רve.no.Terand [is] maintainingH5201
ה֖וּאhu'heH1931
לְאֹיְבָֽיו\׃le.'o.ye.Vavto enemies hisH341

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Nahum 1:2

  • Exodus 20:5

    Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

  • Zechariah 8:2

    Thus saith the Lord of hosts; I was jealous for Zion with great jealousy, and I was jealous for her with great fury.

  • Psalms 94:1

    O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth; O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself.

  • Exodus 34:14

    For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

  • Joshua 24:19

    And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the Lord: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.

  • Isaiah 42:13

    The Lord shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies.

  • Deuteronomy 32:41-43

    If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me. I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh; and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy. Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people.

  • Deuteronomy 4:24

    For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.

  • Ezekiel 39:25

    Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Now will I bring again the captivity of Jacob, and have mercy upon the whole house of Israel, and will be jealous for my holy name;

  • Joel 2:18

    Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people.

  • 2 Peter 2:9

    The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:

  • Romans 12:19

    Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth. or, The Lord is ajealous God, and a revenger.
Ex 20:5; 34:14; De 4:24; Jos 24:19; Isa 42:13; Eze 38:18; 39:25
Joe 2:18; Zec 1:14; 8:2
revengeth.
De 32:35,42; Ps 94:1; Isa 59:17,18; Ro 12:19; 13:4; Heb 10:30
is furious. Heb. that hath fury.
Le 26:28; Job 20:23; Isa 51:17,20; 59:18; 63:3-6; 66:15
Jer 4:4; 25:15; 36:7; La 4:11; Eze 5:13; 6:12; 8:18; 36:6; Mic 5:15
Zec 8:2
reserveth.
De 32:34,35,41-43; Jer 3:5; Mic 7:18; Ro 2:5,6; 2Pe 2:9

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Nahum 1:1

    The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

  • Nahum 1:2

    God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth; the Lord revengeth, and is furious; the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.

  • Nahum 1:3

    The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

Read all of Nahum 1

Nahum 1:2 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Dios celoso y vengador es Jehová; vengador es Jehová, y Señor de ira; Jehová, que se venga de sus adversarios, y que guarda enojo para sus enemigos.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		C’est un ✶Dieu jaloux et vengeur que l’ Éternel; l’ Éternel est vengeur et plein de furie; l’ Éternel tire vengeance de ses adversaires et garde sa colère contre ses ennemis.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Ein eifernder und rächender Gott ist Jehova, ein Rächer ist Jehova und voll von Grimm; Jehova übt Rache an seinen Widersachern und trägt seinen Feinden nach.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Deus æmulator, et ulciscens Dominus: ulciscens Dominus, et habens furorem: ulciscens Dominus in hostes suos, et irascens ipse inimicis suis.