Passage
For Jehovah restoreth the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel; for the emptiers have emptied them out, and destroyed their vine-branches.
Nahum 2:2 (ASV)
Nearby Context
Nahum 2:1 He that dasheth in pieces is come up against thee: keep the fortress, watch the way, make thy loins strong, fortify thy power mightily.
Nahum 2:2 For Jehovah restoreth the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel; for the emptiers have emptied them out, and destroyed their vine-branches.
Nahum 2:3 The shield of his mighty men is made red, the valiant men are in scarlet: the chariots flash with steel in the day of his preparation, and the cypress [spears] are brandished.
Nahum 2:4 The chariots rage in the streets; they rush to and fro in the broad ways: the appearance of them is like torches; they run like the lightnings.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "jehovah", "restoreth", "excellency", "jacob", "israel", "emptiers", and "emptied". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "jehovah" and "restoreth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 1's "He that dasheth in pieces is come..." into verse 3's "The shield of his mighty men is...", so "jehovah" and "restoreth" 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 "jehovah" and "restoreth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.