Nahum 1:8 (ASV)

Passage

But with an over-running flood he will make a full end of her place, and will pursue his enemies into darkness.

Nearby Context

Nahum 1:6 Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken asunder by him.

Nahum 1:7 Jehovah is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that take refuge in him.

Nahum 1:8 But with an over-running flood he will make a full end of her place, and will pursue his enemies into darkness.

Nahum 1:9 What do ye devise against Jehovah? he will make a full end; affliction shall not rise up the second time.

Nahum 1:10 For entangled like thorns, and drunken as with their drink, they are consumed utterly as dry stubble.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "darkness", "over-running", "flood", "make", "full", "place", "pursue", and "enemies". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "darkness" and "over-running", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "Jehovah is good a stronghold in the..." into verse 9's "What do ye devise against Jehovah he...", so "darkness" and "over-running" 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 "darkness" and "over-running" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.