Nahum 1:3 (KJV)

Passage

The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

Nearby Context

Nahum 1:1 The burden of Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite.

Nahum 1:2 God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.

Nahum 1:3 The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

Nahum 1:4 He rebuketh the sea, and maketh it dry, and drieth up all the rivers: Bashan languisheth, and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languisheth.

Nahum 1:5 The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lord", "slow", "anger", "great", "power", "acquit", and "wicked". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lord" and "slow", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "God is jealous and the LORD revengeth..." into verse 4's "He rebuketh the sea and maketh it...", so "lord" and "slow" 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 "lord" and "slow" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.