Nahum 3 · Verse 14

Nahum 3:14

Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter, make strong the brickkiln.
Nahum 3:14, King James Version

Nahum 3:14 in other translations

BSBDraw your water for the siege; strengthen your fortresses. Work the clay and tread the mortar; repair the brick kiln!
WEBDraw water for the siege. Strengthen your fortresses. Go into the clay, and tread the mortar. Make the brick kiln strong.
ASVDraw thee water for the siege; strengthen thy fortresses; go into the clay, and tread the mortar; make strong the brickkiln.
YLTWaters of a siege draw for thyself, Strengthen thy fortresses, Enter into mire, and tread on clay, Make strong a brick-kiln.
DARBYDraw thee water for the siege, strengthen thy fortresses; go into the clay, and tread the mortar, make strong the brick-kiln.
BBEGet water for the time when you are shut in, make strong your towns: go into the potter's earth, stamping it down with your feet, make strong the brickworks.
WebsterDraw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the mortar, make strong the brick-kiln.

What does Nahum 3:14 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
14. Ironical exhortation to Nineveh to defend herself. Draw ... waters--so as not to be without water for drinking, in the event of being cut off by the besiegers from the fountains. make strong the brick-kiln--or "repair" [Maurer]; so as to have a supply of bricks formed of kiln-burnt clay, to repair breaches in the ramparts, or to build new fortifications inside when the outer ones are taken by the foe.

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 14 Draw thee waters for the siege - The Tigris ran near to Nineveh, and here they are exhorted to lay in plenty of fresh water, lest the siege should last long, and lest the enemy should cut off this supply. Go into clay, and tread the mortar - This refers to the manner of forming bricks anciently in those countries; they digged up the clay, kneaded it properly by treading, mixed it with straw or coarse grass, moulded the bricks, and dried them in the sun. I have now some of the identical bricks, that were brought from this country, lying before me, and they show all these appearances. They are compact and very hard, but wholly soluble in water. There were however others without straw, that seem to have been burnt in a kiln as ours are. I have also some fragments or bats of these from Babylon.

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 3:14 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.

מֵ֤יmeiwater ofH4325
מָצוֹר֙ma.tzOrsiegeH4692
שַֽׁאֲבִי\־sha.'a.vi-drawH7579
לָ֔ךְLakhfor yourself
חַזְּקִ֖יcha.ze.KistrengthenH2388
מִבְצָרָ֑יִךְmiv.tza.Ra.yikhfortifications yourH4013
בֹּ֧אִיBo.'igoH935
בַטִּ֛יטva.Titin the clayH2916
וְרִמְסִ֥יve.rim.Siand trampleH7429
בַחֹ֖מֶרva.Cho.meron the mortarH2563
הַחֲזִ֥יקִיha.cha.Zi.kitake hold ofH2388
מַלְבֵּֽן\׃mal.Bena brick moldH4404

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

Cross references for Nahum 3:14

  • Nahum 2:1

    He that dasheth in pieces is come up before thy face: keep the munition, watch the way, make thy loins strong, fortify thy power mightily.

  • 2 Chronicles 32:3-4

    He took counsel with his princes and his mighty men to stop the waters of the fountains which were without the city: and they did help him. So there was gathered much people together, who stopped all the fountains, and the brook that ran through the midst of the land, saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water?

  • Jeremiah 46:3-4

    Order ye the buckler and shield, and draw near to battle. Harness the horses; and get up, ye horsemen, and stand forth with your helmets; furbish the spears, and put on the brigandines.

  • Jeremiah 46:9

    Come up, ye horses; and rage, ye chariots; and let the mighty men come forth; the Ethiopians and the Libyans, that handle the shield; and the Lydians, that handle and bend the bow.

  • Joel 3:9-11

    Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord.

  • 2 Chronicles 32:11

    Doth not Hezekiah persuade you to give over yourselves to die by famine and by thirst, saying, The Lord our God shall deliver us out of the hand of the king of Assyria?

  • Isaiah 37:25

    I have digged, and drunk water; and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of the besieged places.

  • Isaiah 22:9-11

    Ye have seen also the breaches of the city of David, that they are many: and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool. And ye have numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses have ye broken down to fortify the wall. Ye made also a ditch between the two walls for the water of the old pool: but ye have not looked unto the maker thereof, neither had respect unto him that fashioned it long ago.

  • Isaiah 8:9

    Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Draw.
2Ch 32:3,4,11; Isa 22:9-11; 37:25
fortify.
2:1; Isa 8:9; Jer 46:3,4,9; Joe 3:9-11

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

Context

  • 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.

  • Nahum 3:15

    There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm: make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts.

Read all of Nahum 3

Nahum 3:14 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Provéete de agua para el cerco, fortifica tus fortalezas; entra en el lodo, pisa el barro, fortifica el horno.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Puise de l’eau pour le siège, fortifie tes lieux forts, entre dans la glaise et foule l’argile, répare le four à briques.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Schöpfe dir Wasser für die Belagerung; bessere deine Festungswerke aus! tritt den Ton stampfe den Lehm, stelle den Ziegelofen wieder her!
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Aquam propter obsidionem hauri tibi: exstrue munitiones tuas, intra in lutum, et calca, subigens tene laterem.