Nahum 2:12 (WEB)

Passage

The lion tore in pieces enough for his cubs, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his caves with the kill, and his dens with prey.

Nearby Context

Nahum 2:10 She is empty, void, and waste. The heart melts, the knees knock together, their bodies and faces have grown pale.

Nahum 2:11 Where is the den of the lions, and the feeding place of the young lions, where the lion and the lioness walked, the lion’s cubs, and no one made them afraid?

Nahum 2:12 The lion tore in pieces enough for his cubs, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his caves with the kill, and his dens with prey.

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lion", "tore", "pieces", "enough", "cubs", "strangled", "lionesses", and "filled". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lion" and "tore", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "Where is the den of the lions..." into verse 13's "Behold I am against you says Yahweh...", so "lion" and "tore" 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 "lion" and "tore" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.