Nahum

All that is known about the prophet Nahum is that he came from Elkosh, probably a town in Judah. Nahum’s name means “comfort.” The message he received from God—that Nineveh would be destroyed—indeed brought comfort to his hearers. Following Jonah’s warning, the cruel Assyrian capital had expressed repentance. That repentance was short-lived, however, and this time God’s judgment was unavoidable. Although God had used the Assyrians to punish the wayward southern kingdom, he would not allow Judah to be annihilated. God’s plan for the Messiah to come from the line of David could not be defeated. When Nineveh was destroyed in 612 B.C., the once powerful kingdom of Assyria came to an end. (Nahum 2:2)