Nahum 3 · Verse 15

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.
Nahum 3:15, King James Version

Nahum 3:15 in other translations

BSBThere the fire will devour you; the sword will cut you down and consume you like a young locust. Make yourself many like the young locust; make yourself many like the swarming locust!
WEBThere the fire will devour you. The sword will cut you off. It will devour you like the grasshopper. Multiply like grasshoppers. Multiply like the locust.
ASVThere shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off; it shall devour thee like the canker-worm: make thyself many as the canker-worm; make thyself many as the locust.
YLTThere consume thee doth a fire, Cut thee off doth a sword, It doth consume thee as a cankerworm! Make thyself heavy as the cankerworm, Make thyself heavy as the locust.
DARBYThere shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off; it shall devour thee like the cankerworm. Make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locust.
BBEThere the fire will make you waste; you will be cut off by the sword: make yourself as great in number as the worms, as great in number as the locusts.
WebsterThere shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the canker-worm: make thyself many as the canker-worm, make thyself many as the locusts.

What does Nahum 3:15 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
15. There--in the very scene of thy great preparations for defense; and where thou now art so secure. fire--even as at the former destruction; Sardanapalus (Pul?) perished with all his household in the conflagration of his palace, having in despair set it on fire, the traces of which are still remaining. cankerworm--"the licking locust" [Henderson]. make thyself many as the locusts--"the swarming locusts" [Henderson]; that is, however "many" be thy forces, like those of "the swarming locusts," or the "licking locusts," yet the foe shall consume thee as the "licking locust" licks up all before it.

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 15 Make thyself many as the cankerworm - On the locusts, and their operations in their various states, see the notes on Joel 2 (note). The multitudes, successive swarms, and devastation occasioned by locusts, is one of the most expressive similes that could be used to point out the successive armies and all-destroying influences of the enemies of Nineveh. The account of these destroyers from Dr. Shaw, inserted Joel 2, will fully illustrate the verses where allusion is made to locusts.

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 3:15 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.

שָׁ֚םShamthereH8033
תֹּאכְלֵ֣ךְto.khe.Lekhit will consume youH398
אֵ֔שׁ'EshfireH784
תַּכְרִיתֵ֣ךְtakh.ri.Tekhit will cut off youH3772
חֶ֔רֶבChe.rev[the] swordH2719
תֹּאכְלֵ֖ךְto.khe.Lekhit will consume youH398
כַּיָּ֑לֶקkai.Ya.leklike the locustH3218
הִתְכַּבֵּ֣דhit.ka.Bedmake yourself numerousH3513
כַּיֶּ֔לֶקkai.Ye.leklike the locustH3218
הִֽתְכַּבְּדִ֖יhit.ka.be.Dimake yourself numerousH3513
כָּאַרְבֶּֽה\׃ka.'ar.Behlike the locustH697

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

Cross references for Nahum 3:15

  • Joel 1:4

    That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm eaten; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpiller eaten.

  • 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 2:13

    Behold, I am against thee, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions: and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard.

  • Joel 2:25

    And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.

  • Zephaniah 2:13

    And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria; and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like a wilderness.

  • Exodus 10:13-15

    And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of Egypt: very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such. For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
shall the.
13; 2:13; Zep 2:13
it.
Joe 1:4; 2:25
make thyself many as the locusts.
Ex 10:13-15

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

Context

  • 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.

  • Nahum 3:16

    Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and flieth away.

Read all of Nahum 3

Nahum 3:15 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Allí te consumirá el fuego, te talará la espada, te devorará como pulgón: multiplícate como langosta, multiplícate como langosta.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Là, le feu te dévorera, l’épée te détruira; elle te dévorera comme l’yélek. Multiplie-toi comme l’yélek, multiplie-toi comme la sauterelle.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Dort wird das Feuer dich verzehren, wird das Schwert dich ausrotten, dich verzehren wie der Jelek Vermehre dich wie der Jelek, vermehre dich wie die Heuschrecken!
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Ibi comedet te ignis, peribis gladio, devorabit te ut bruchus: congregare ut bruchus, multiplicare ut locusta.