Nahum 1 · Verse 3

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.

Nahum 1:3, King James Version

Nahum 1:3 in other translations

BSB	The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. His path is in the whirlwind and storm, and clouds are the dust beneath His feet.
WEB	The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. The LORD has his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
ASV	Jehovah is slow to anger, and great in power, and will by no means clear the guilty: Jehovah hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
YLT	Jehovah is slow to anger, and great in power, And Jehovah doth not entirely acquit, In a hurricane and in a tempest is His way, And a cloud is the dust of His feet.
DARBY	Jehovah is slow to anger, and great in power, and doth not at all clear the guilty: Jehovah, — his way is in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
BBE	The Lord is slow to get angry and great in power, and will not let the sinner go without punishment: the way of the Lord is in the wind and the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
Webster	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.

What does Nahum 1:3 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

3. slow to anger, and great in power--that is, but great in power, so as to be able in a moment, if He pleases, to destroy the wicked. His long-suffering is not from want of power to punish (Ex 34:6, 7). not at all acquit--literally, "will not acquitting acquit," or treat as innocent. Lord hath his way in the whirlwind--From this to Na 1:5, inclusive, is a description of His power exhibited in the phenomena of nature, especially when He is wroth. His vengeance shall sweep away the Assyrian foe like a whirlwind (Pr 10:25). clouds are the dust of his feet--Large as they are, He treads on them, as a man would on the small dust; He is Lord of the clouds, and uses them as He pleases.

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 3 The Lord is slow to anger - He exercises much longsuffering towards his enemies, that this may lead them to repentance. And it is because of this longsuffering that vengeance is not speedily executed on every evil work. Great in power - Able at all times to save or to destroy. The Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm - These are the effects of his power; and when they appear unusual, they may be considered as the immediate effects of his power: and although he be in them to punish and destroy, he is in them to direct their course, to determine their operations, and to defend his followers from being injured by their violence. The pestilential wind which slew one hundred and eighty-five thousand of the Assyrians did not injure one Israelite. See 2Kgs 19:35. The clouds are the dust of his feet - This is spoken in allusion to a chariot and horses going on with extreme rapidity: they are all enveloped in a cloud of dust. So Jehovah is represented as coming through the circuit of the heavens as rapidly as lightning; the clouds surrounding him as the dust does the chariot and horses.

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 1:3 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.

יְהֹוָ֗הYah.wehYahwehH3068

אֶ֤רֶךְ'E.rekh[is] long ofH750

אַפַּ֙יִם֙'a.Pa.yimanger<s>H639

וּגְדָלu.ge.dol-and great ofH1419

כֹּ֔חַKo.achpowerH3581

וְנַקֵּ֖הve.na.Kehand certainly <to leave unpunished>H5352

לֹ֣אlo'notH3808

יְנַקֶּ֑הye.na.Kehhe will leave unpunishedH5352

יְהוָ֗הYah.wehYahwehH3068

בְּסוּפָ֤הbe.su.Fah[is] in storm-windH5492

וּבִשְׂעָרָה֙u.vis.'a.Rahand in stormH8183

דַּרְכּ֔וֹdar.Koway hisH1870

וְעָנָ֖ןve.'a.Nanand [is] cloudH6051

אֲבַ֥ק'a.Vak[the] dust ofH80

רַגְלָֽיו\׃rag.Lavfeet hisH7272

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

Cross references for Nahum 1:3

Psalms 147:5
Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.
Exodus 34:6-7
And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
Nehemiah 9:17
And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not.
Psalms 103:8
The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
Psalms 104:3
Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:
Psalms 145:8
The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy.
Psalms 97:2-5
Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne. A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about. His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled. The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
James 1:19
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
1 Kings 19:11-13
And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?
Zechariah 9:14
And the Lord shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south.
Job 10:14
If I sin, then thou markest me, and thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity.
Isaiah 66:15
For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

slow.
Ex 34:6,7; Ne 9:17; Ps 103:8; 145:8; Joe 2:13; Jon 4:2; Jas 1:19
great.
Job 9:4; Ps 62:11; 66:3; 147:5; Eph 1:19,20
and will.
Nu 14:18; Job 10:14
his way.
Ex 19:16-18; De 5:22-24; 1Ki 19:11-13; Job 38:1; Ps 18:7-15; 50:3
Ps 97:2-5; 104:3; Isa 19:1; 66:15; Da 7:13; Hab 3:5-15; Zec 9:14
Mt 26:64; Re 1:7

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

Context

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.
Nahum 1:4
He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth.

Read all of Nahum 1

Nahum 1:3 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Jehová es tardo para la ira, y grande en poder, y no tendrá al culpado por inocente. Jehová marcha entre la tempestad y turbión, y las nubes son el polvo de sus pies.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	L’ Éternel est lent à la colère et grand en puissance, et il ne tiendra nullement le coupable pour innocent. L’ Éternel, – son chemin est dans le tourbillon et dans la tempête, et la nue est la poussière de ses pieds.
German Elberfelder 1871	Jehova ist langsam zum Zorn und groß an Kraft, und er hält keineswegs für schuldlos den Schuldigen. Jehova-im Sturmwind und im Gewitter ist sein Weg, und Gewölk ist der Staub seiner Füße.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Dominus patiens, et magnus fortitudine, et mundans non faciet innocentem. Dominus in tempestate et turbine viæ ejus, et nebulæ pulvis pedum ejus.