Nahum 2:13 (LSB)

Passage

“Behold, I am against you,” declares Yahweh of hosts. “And I will burn up her chariots in smoke, and a sword will devour your young lions; and I will cut off your prey from the land, and no longer will the voice of your messengers be heard.”

Nearby Context

Nahum 2:11 Where is the den of the lions And the feeding place of the young lions, Where the lion, lioness, and lion’s cub prowled, With nothing to make them tremble?

Nahum 2:12 The lion tore enough for its cubs And strangled enough for its lionesses And filled its lairs with torn up prey And its dens with torn up flesh.

Nahum 2:13 “Behold, I am against you,” declares Yahweh of hosts. “And I will burn up her chariots in smoke, and a sword will devour your young lions; and I will cut off your prey from the land, and no longer will the voice of your messengers be heard.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "behold", "against", "declares", "yahweh", "hosts", "burn", "chariots", and "smoke". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "behold" and "against", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The prior verse says "The lion tore enough for its cubs...", giving immediate footing for "behold" and "against". In Nahum context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

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