Nahum 3 · Verse 13

Nahum 3:13

Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars.
Nahum 3:13, King James Version

Nahum 3:13 in other translations

BSBLook at your troops— they are like your women! The gates of your land are wide open to your enemies; fire consumes their bars.
WEBBehold, your troops among you are women. The gates of your land are set wide open to your enemies. The fire has devoured your bars.
ASVBehold, thy people in the midst of thee are women; the gates of thy land are set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire hath devoured thy bars.
YLTLo, thy people are women in thy midst, To thine enemies thoroughly opened Have been the gates of thy land, Consumed hath fire thy bars.
DARBYBehold, thy people in the midst of thee are as women: the gates of thy land are set wide open unto thine enemies; the fire devoureth thy bars.
BBESee, the people who are in you are women; the doorways of your land are wide open to your attackers: the locks of your doors have been burned away in the fire.
WebsterBehold, thy people in the midst of thee are women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open to thy enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars.

What does Nahum 3:13 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
13. thy people--thy soldiers. women--unable to fight for thee (Is 19:16; Jr 50:37; 51:30). gates on thy land--the fortified passes or entrances to the region of Nineveh (compare Jr 15:7). Northeast of Nineveh there were hills affording a natural barrier against an invader; the guarded passes through these are probably "the gates of the land" meant. fire shall devour thy bars--the "bars" of the fortresses at the passes into Assyria. So in Assyrian remains the Assyrians themselves are represented as setting fire to the gates of a city [Bonomi, Nineveh, pp. 194, 197].

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 13 Thy people - are women - They lost all courage, and made no resistance. O vere Phrygiae, neque enim Phryges: "Verily, ye are Phrygian women, not Phrygian men." So said Numanus to the Trojans. Virg., Aen. ix.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Nahum 3:8-19

Strong-holds, even the strongest, are no defence against the judgments of God. They shall be unable to do any thing for themselves. The Chaldeans and Medes would devour the land like canker-worms. The Assyrians also would be eaten up by their own numerous hired troops, which seem to be meant by the word rendered "merchants." Those that have done evil to their neighbours, will find it come home to them. Nineveh, and…

Read the full comment on Nahum 3:8-19 →

Nahum 3:13 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.

הִנֵּ֨הhi.Nehthere!H2009
עַמֵּ֤ךְ'a.Mekhpeople yourH5971
נָשִׁים֙na.Shim[are] womenH802
בְּקִרְבֵּ֔ךְbe.kir.Bekhin midst yourH7130
לְאֹ֣יְבַ֔יִךְle.'O.ye.Va.yikhto enemies yourH341
פָּת֥וֹחַpa.To.achcertainly <to open>H6605
נִפְתְּח֖וּnif.te.Chuthey will be openedH6605
שַׁעֲרֵ֣יsha.'a.Rei[the] gates ofH8179
אַרְצֵ֑ךְ'ar.Tzekhland yourH776
אָכְלָ֥ה'a.khe.Lahit will consumeH398
אֵ֖שׁ'eshfireH784
בְּרִיחָֽיִך\׃be.ri.Cha.yikhbars yourH1280

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

Cross references for Nahum 3:13

  • Jeremiah 51:30

    The mighty men of Babylon have forborn to fight, they have remained in their holds: their might hath failed; they became as women: they have burned her dwellingplaces; her bars are broken.

  • Jeremiah 50:37

    A sword is upon their horses, and upon their chariots, and upon all the mingled people that are in the midst of her; and they shall become as women: a sword is upon her treasures; and they shall be robbed.

  • Isaiah 19:16

    In that day shall Egypt be like unto women: and it shall be afraid and fear because of the shaking of the hand of the Lord of hosts, which he shaketh over it.

  • Nahum 2:6

    The gates of the rivers shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved.

  • Isaiah 45:1-2

    Thus saith the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:

  • Psalms 107:16

    For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder.

  • Psalms 147:13

    For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
thy people.
Isa 19:16; Jer 50:37; 51:30
the gates.
2:6; Ps 107:16; Isa 45:1,2
thy bars.
Ps 147:13; Jer 51:30

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

Context

  • Nahum 3:12

    All thy strong holds shall be like fig trees with the firstripe figs: if they be shaken, they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater.

  • Nahum 3:13

    Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars.

  • Nahum 3:14

    Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter, make strong the brickkiln.

Read all of Nahum 3

Nahum 3:13 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		He aquí, tu pueblo será como mujeres en medio de ti: las puertas de tu tierra se abrirán de par en par á tus enemigos: fuego consumirá tus barras.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Voici, ton peuple au-dedans de toi est comme des femmes; les portes de ton pays sont grandes ouvertes à tes ennemis, le feu dévore tes barres.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Siehe, dein Volk ist zu Weibern geworden in deiner Mitte; deinen Feinden sind die Tore deines Landes weit aufgetan, Feuer verzehrt deine Riegel.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Ecce populus tuus mulieres in medio tui: inimicis tuis adapertione pandentur portæ terræ tuæ, devorabit ignis vectes tuos.