Nahum 1:13 (ASV)

Passage

And now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder.

Nearby Context

Nahum 1:11 There is one gone forth out of thee, that deviseth evil against Jehovah, that counselleth wickedness.

Nahum 1:12 Thus saith Jehovah: Though they be in full strength, and likewise many, even so shall they be cut down, and he shall pass away. Though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more.

Nahum 1:13 And now will I break his yoke from off thee, and will burst thy bonds in sunder.

Nahum 1:14 And Jehovah hath given commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name be sown: out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven image and the molten image; I will make thy grave; for thou art vile.

Nahum 1:15 Behold, upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! Keep thy feasts, O Judah, perform thy vows; for the wicked one shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "break", "yoke", "thee", "burst", "bonds", and "sunder". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "break" and "yoke", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "Thus saith Jehovah Though they be in..." into verse 14's "And Jehovah hath given commandment concerning thee...", so "break" and "yoke" belong inside that flow. In Nahum context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "break" and "yoke" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.