Nahum 1:9 (GNV)

Passage

What doe ye imagine against the Lord? he wil make an vtter destruction: affliction shall not rise vp the seconde time.

Nearby Context

Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good and as a strong hold in the day of trouble, and he knoweth them that trust in him.

Nahum 1:8 But passing ouer as with a flood, he will vtterly destroy the place thereof, and darknesse shall pursue his enemies.

Nahum 1:9 What doe ye imagine against the Lord? he wil make an vtter destruction: affliction shall not rise vp the seconde time.

Nahum 1:10 For he shall come as vnto thornes folden one in another, and as vnto drunkards in their drunkennesse: they shall be deuoured as stubble fully dryed.

Nahum 1:11 There commeth one out of thee that imagineth euill against the Lord, euen a wicked counsellour.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "imagine", "against", "lord", "make", "vtter", "destruction", "affliction", and "shall". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "imagine" and "against", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "But passing ouer as with a flood..." into verse 10's "For he shall come as vnto thornes...", so "imagine" and "against" 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 "imagine" and "against" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.