New American Standard Bible 2020
Nahum 3:14
141Draw for yourself water for a siege! 2Strengthen your fortifications! Go into the clay and tread the mortar! Take hold of the brick mold!
Nahum 3:14 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the morter, make strong the brickkiln.
- New International Version (NIV)Draw water for the siege, strengthen your defenses! Work the clay, tread the mortar, repair the brickwork!
- English Standard Version (ESV)Draw water for the siege; strengthen your forts; go into the clay; tread the mortar; take hold of the brick mold!
- New King James Version (NKJV)Draw your water for the siege! Fortify your strongholds! Go into the clay and tread the mortar! Make strong the brick kiln!
Context of Nahum 3:14
12All your fortifications are fig trees with ripe fruit-- When shaken, they fall into the eater’s mouth. 13Behold, your people are women in your midst! The gates of your land are opened wide to your enemies; Fire consumes your gate bars. Draw for yourself water for a siege! Strengthen your fortifications! Go into the clay and tread the mortar! Take hold of the brick mold! 15There fire will consume you, The sword will cut you down; It will consume you as the creeping locust consumes a crop. Multiply yourself like the creeping locust, Multiply yourself like the migratory locust. 16You have made your traders more numerous than the stars of heaven-- The creeping locust sheds its skin and flies away.
Read all of Nahum 3Nahum 3:14 word by word
מֵ֤י מָצוֹר֙ שַֽׁאֲבִי־לָ֔ךְ חַזְּקִ֖י מִבְצָרָ֑יִךְ בֹּ֧אִי בַטִּ֛יט וְרִמְסִ֥י בַחֹ֖מֶר הַחֲזִ֥יקִי מַלְבֵּֽן׃Read the interlinear
- Drawשָׁאַבshâ'ab · to drawH7579
- for yourself waterמַיmayim · waterH4325
- for a siegeמָצוֹרmâtsôr mâtsûr · siegeH4692
- Strengthenחָזַקchâzaq · to strengthen: strengthenH2388
- your fortificationsמִבְצָרmibtsâr mibtsârâh · fortificationH4013
- Goבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- into the clayטִיטţîyţ · mudH2916
- and treadרָמַסrâmas · to trampleH7429
- the mortarחֹ֫מֶרchômer · clayH2563
- Takeחָזַקchâzaq · to strengthen: holdH2388
- holdחָזַקchâzaq · to strengthen: strengthenH2388
- of the brickמַלְבֵּןmalbên · brickH4404
Cross-references for Nahum 3:14
- 2 Chronicles 32:3he decided with his officers and his warriors to cut off the supply of water from the springs which were outside the city, and they helped him.
- Isaiah 22:9And you saw that the breaches In the wall of the city of David were many; And you collected the waters of the lower pool.
- Isaiah 37:25I dug wells and drank waters, And with the sole of my feet I dried up All the canals of Egypt.’
- Nahum 2:1The one who scatters has come up against you. Keep watch over the fortress, watch the road; Bind up your waist, summon all your strength.
- Isaiah 8:9“Be broken, you peoples, and be shattered; And listen, all remote places of the earth. Get ready, yet be shattered; Get ready, yet be shattered.
- Jeremiah 46:3“Set up the buckler and shield, And advance to the battle!
- Joel 3:9Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare for holy war; stir up the warriors! Have all the soldiers come forward, have them come up!
Commentaries on Nahum 3:14
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 14Draw thee waters for the siege - The Tigris ran near to Nineveh, and here they are exhorted to lay in plenty of fresh water, lest the siege should last long, and lest the enemy should cut off this supply. Go into clay, and tread the mortar - This refers to the manner of forming bricks anciently in those countries; they digged up the clay, kneaded it properly by treading, mixed it with straw or coarse grass, moulded the bricks, and dried them in the sun. I…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 14Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strongholds - This is not mere mockery at man‘s weakness, when he would resist God. It foretells that they shall toil, and that, heavily. Toil is added upon toil. Nineveh did undergo a two years‘ siege. Water stands for all provisions within. He bids them, as before Nahum 2:1, strengthen what was already strong; strongholds, which seemed to “cut off” all approach. These he bids them strengthen, not repairing…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 8-19Verses 8-19 Strong-holds, even the strongest, are no defence against the judgments of God. They shall be unable to do any thing for themselves. The Chaldeans and Medes would devour the land like canker-worms. The Assyrians also would be eaten up by their own numerous hired troops, which seem to be meant by the word rendered "merchants." Those that have done evil to their neighbours, will find it come home to them. Nineveh, and many other cities, states…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 14Draw … strengthen: Nahum used sarcasm (sharp words meant to mock) to show that no amount of preparation could protect the Assyrians from God’s judgment. He also used this same sarcastic tone in Nahum 2:11–13.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1414. Ironical exhortation to Nineveh to defend herself. Draw ... waters--so as not to be without water for drinking, in the event of being cut off by the besiegers from the fountains. make strong the brick-kiln--or "repair" [Maurer]; so as to have a supply of bricks formed of kiln-burnt clay, to repair breaches in the ramparts, or to build new fortifications inside when the outer ones are taken by the foe.Read the comment
Topics related to Nahum 3:14
In the dictionaries
Notes
- 1. Nahum 3:14 2 Chr 32:3, 4 ↩
- 2. Nahum 3:14 Nah 2:1 ↩
Commentaries on Nahum 3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New American Standard Bible 2020 — © 1960–2020 The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Commentaries