volume 9, issue 1, 2017, pages 44-65

DOI: https://doi.org/10.64438/sbsEOHI9855
Published online: 2017-06-01
Published in print: 2017-06-30

Abstract: The document The Inspiration and Truth of Sacred Scriptures of the Pontifical Biblical Commission is dealing, among other challenges of the interpretation of the Word of God, also with the question of violence and atrocity (124-131). In the past, the Book of the prophet Nahum was often labelled as “unethical” or “false”, precisely for the reason of describing, in this very short prophetic book, the destruction of Assyrian capital, Niniveh in a poetic and very vivid manner. Not only the description of violence and of the punishment for women, representing personification of Niniveh, is questionable, but also the formulation, stating that God himself executes this punishment (“Look, I am against you”). Based on the text of Nah 3,1-7, in our analysis we shall focus on some literary motives, metaphors and formulations to demonstrate, how this prophetic book, through them, represents the theological interpretation of the fall of the mighty Assyrian empire.