New King James Version
Nahum 1:3
3The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, And will not at all acquit the wicked. The Lord has His way In the whirlwind and in the storm, And the clouds are the dust of His feet.
Nahum 1:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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.
- New International Version (NIV)The Lord is slow to anger but great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet.
- English Standard Version (ESV)The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
- New Living Translation (NLT)The Lord is slow to get angry, but his power is great, and he never lets the guilty go unpunished. He displays his power in the whirlwind and the storm. The billowing clouds are the dust beneath his feet.
Context of Nahum 1:3
1The burden against Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite. 2God is jealous, and the Lord avenges; The Lord avenges and is furious. The Lord will take vengeance on His adversaries, And He reserves wrath for His enemies; The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, And will not at all acquit the wicked. The Lord has His way In the whirlwind and in the storm, And the clouds are the dust of His feet. 4He rebukes the sea and makes it dry, And dries up all the rivers. Bashan and Carmel wither, And the flower of Lebanon wilts. 5The mountains quake before Him, The hills melt, And the earth heaves at His presence, Yes, the world and all who dwell in it.
Read all of Nahum 1Nahum 1:3 word by word
יְהֹוָ֗ה אֶ֤רֶךְ אַפַּ֙יִם֙ וּגְדָל כֹּ֔חַ וְנַקֵּ֖ה לֹ֣א יְנַקֶּ֑ה יְהוָ֗ה בְּסוּפָ֤ה וּבִשְׂעָרָה֙ דַּרְכּ֔וֹ וְעָנָ֖ן אֲבַ֥ק רַגְלָֽיו׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- The Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- slowאָרֵךְ'ârêk · slowH750
- to angerאַף'aph · face: angerH639
- and greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
- in powerכֹּחַkôach kôach · strengthH3581
- and will not at allנָקָהnâqâh · to clearH5352
- his wayדֶּ֫רֶךְderek · way: journeyH1870
- in the whirlwindסוּפָהsûphâh · whirlwindH5492
- and in the stormשְׂעָרָהώe‛ârâh · stormH8183
- and the cloudsעָנָן‛ânân · cloudH6051
- the dustאָבָק'âbâq · dustH80
- of his feetרֶ֫גֶלregel · footH7272
Cross-references for Nahum 1:3
- Exodus 34:6And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,
- Nehemiah 9:17They refused to obey, And they were not mindful of Your wonders That You did among them. But they hardened their necks, And in their rebellion They appointed a leader To return to their bondage. But You are God, Ready to pardon, Gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, Abundant in kindness, And did not forsake them.
- Psalms 103:8The Lord is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
- Psalms 145:8The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, Slow to anger and great in mercy.
- Joel 2:13So rend your heart, and not your garments; Return to the Lord your God, For He is gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, and of great kindness; And He relents from doing harm.
- Jonah 4:2So he prayed to the Lord, and said, “Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm.
- James 1:19So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;
- Job 9:4God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered?
- Psalms 62:11God has spoken once, Twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God.
- Psalms 66:3Say to God, “How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You.
- Psalms 147:5Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.
- Ephesians 1:19and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power
- Numbers 14:18‘The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.’
- Job 10:14If I sin, then You mark me, And will not acquit me of my iniquity.
- Exodus 19:16Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.
- Deuteronomy 5:22“These words the Lord spoke to all your assembly, in the mountain from the midst of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, with a loud voice; and He added no more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me.
Commentaries on Nahum 1:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3The Lord is slow to anger - He exercises much longsuffering towards his enemies, that this may lead them to repentance. And it is because of this longsuffering that vengeance is not speedily executed on every evil work. Great in power - Able at all times to save or to destroy. The Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm - These are the effects of his power; and when they appear unusual, they may be considered as the immediate effects of his…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3The Lord is slow to anger - Nahum takes up the words of Jonah Jonah 4:2 as he spoke of God‘s attributes toward Nineveh, but only to show the opposite side of them. Jonah declares how God is “slow to anger,” giving men time of repentance, and if they do repent, “repenting Him also of the evil;” Nahum, that the long-suffering of God is not “slackness,” that “He is long-suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3slow to anger: God's patience with disobedience is linked to his faithful love (Exodus 34:6; Numbers 14:18; Psalm 103:8; Joel 2:13). This trait disappointed Jonah, who wanted Nineveh destroyed immediately (Jonah 4:2). Because God is patient, he sometimes delays the deserved punishment of sinners (Nehemiah 9:29–30; Romans 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9), but those who continue to sin will ultimately face God's judgment (Exodus 34:7; Romans 14:10; 2 Corinthians 5:10…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. slow to anger, and great in power--that is, but great in power, so as to be able in a moment, if He pleases, to destroy the wicked. His long-suffering is not from want of power to punish (Ex 34:6, 7). not at all acquit--literally, "will not acquitting acquit," or treat as innocent. Lord hath his way in the whirlwind--From this to Na 1:5, inclusive, is a description of His power exhibited in the phenomena of nature, especially when He is wroth. His…Read the comment
Topics related to Nahum 1:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Nahum 1
- 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
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries