Nahum 1:6 (KJV)

Passage

Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.

Nearby Context

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.

Nahum 1:6 Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.

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

Nahum 1:8 But with an overrunning flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof, and darkness shall pursue his enemies.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "stand", "before", "indignation", "abide", "fierceness", "anger", "fury", and "poured". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "stand" and "before", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "The mountains quake at him and the..." into verse 7's "The LORD is good a strong hold...", so "stand" and "before" 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 "stand" and "before" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.