Nahum study section
Nahum word studies
A handful of Hebrew words carry the theology of Nahum. Tap the speaker next to any word to hear it pronounced.
Key words
קַנּוֹא (qanno): “Jealous”
Usage: Nahum 1:2
Meaning: Jealous, zealous; brooking no rival, fiercely committed to what is rightly His.
Theological Significance: God’s jealousy is His holy zeal for His own glory and for His people. It undergirds His judgment on those who oppress them, and is fulfilled in Christ, who is zealous for His Father’s house and His bride (Nahum 1:2; John 2:17).
נָקַם (naqam): “To Avenge, Take Vengeance”
Usage: Nahum 1:2
Meaning: To avenge, take vengeance, repay wrong. God is “avenging and wrathful.”
Theological Significance: Vengeance belongs to God alone, who repays evil justly. His people entrust their cause to Him rather than avenging themselves, awaiting the final justice Christ will execute (Nahum 1:2; Romans 12:19).
נָקָה (naqah): “To Clear, Acquit”
Usage: Nahum 1:3
Meaning: To clear, hold innocent, leave unpunished. God “will by no means clear the guilty.”
Theological Significance: God’s justice cannot simply overlook sin. This truth drives us to the cross, where the guilt of God’s people is not ignored but borne by Christ, so that God is both just and the justifier (Nahum 1:3; Romans 3:26).
מָעוֹז (maoz): “Stronghold, Refuge”
Usage: Nahum 1:7
Meaning: A stronghold, fortress, place of safety and refuge. “The LORD is... a stronghold in the day of trouble.”
Theological Significance: God is the secure refuge for those who trust Him, even as judgment falls on His enemies. This refuge is found fully in Christ, in whom His people are hidden and kept safe (Nahum 1:7; Colossians 3:3).
מְבַשֵּׂר (mevasser): “One Who Brings Good News”
Usage: Nahum 1:15
Meaning: A herald, bearer of good tidings. “The feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace.”
Theological Significance: The herald of the tyrant’s fall foreshadows the preachers of the gospel of Christ, whose “beautiful feet” carry the good news of peace to the world (Nahum 1:15; Isaiah 52:7; Romans 10:15).
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