Nahum 2:12 (ASV)

Passage

The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his caves with prey, and his dens with ravin.

Nearby Context

Nahum 2:10 She is empty, and void, and waste; and the heart melteth, and the knees smite together, and anguish is in all loins, and the faces of them all are waxed pale.

Nahum 2:11 Where is the den of the lions, and the feeding-place of the young lions, where the lion [and] the lioness walked, the lion`s whelp, and none made them afraid?

Nahum 2:12 The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his caves with prey, and his dens with ravin.

Nahum 2:13 Behold, I am against thee, saith Jehovah of hosts, and I will burn her chariots in the smoke, and the sword shall devour thy young lions; and I will cut off thy prey from the earth, and the voice of thy messengers shall no more be heard.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lion", "tear", "pieces", "enough", "whelps", "strangled", "lionesses", and "filled". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lion" and "tear", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "Where is the den of the lions..." into verse 13's "Behold I am against thee saith Jehovah...", so "lion" and "tear" 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 "lion" and "tear" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.