Nahum 1:8 (KJV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

Nahum 1:9 What do ye imagine against the LORD? he will make an utter end: affliction shall not rise up the second time.

Nahum 1:10 For while they be folden together as thorns, and while they are drunken as drunkards, they shall be devoured as stubble fully dry.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "darkness", "overrunning", "flood", "make", "utter", "place", "thereof", and "shall". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "darkness" and "overrunning", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "The LORD is good a strong hold..." into verse 9's "What do ye imagine against the LORD...", so "darkness" and "overrunning" 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 "darkness" and "overrunning" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.