New King James Version
Nahum 2:11
11Where is the dwelling of the lions, And the feeding place of the young lions, Where the lion walked, the lioness and lion’s cub, And no one made them afraid?
Nahum 2:11 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feedingplace of the young lions, where the lion, even the old lion, walked, and the lion’s whelp, and none made them afraid?
- New International Version (NIV)Where now is the lions’ den, the place where they fed their young, where the lion and lioness went, and the cubs, with nothing to fear?
- English Standard Version (ESV)Where is the lions' den, the feeding place of the young lions, where the lion and lioness went, where his cubs were, with none to disturb?
- New Living Translation (NLT)Where now is that great Nineveh, that den filled with young lions? It was a place where people—like lions and their cubs— walked freely and without fear.
Context of Nahum 2:11
9Take spoil of silver! Take spoil of gold! There is no end of treasure, Or wealth of every desirable prize. 10She is empty, desolate, and waste! The heart melts, and the knees shake; Much pain is in every side, And all their faces are drained of color. Where is the dwelling of the lions, And the feeding place of the young lions, Where the lion walked, the lioness and lion’s cub, And no one made them afraid? 12The lion tore in pieces enough for his cubs, Killed for his lionesses, Filled his caves with prey, And his dens with flesh. 13“Behold, I am against you,” says the Lord of hosts, “I will burn your chariots in smoke, and the sword shall devour your young lions; I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voice of your messengers shall be heard no more.”
Read all of Nahum 2Nahum 2:11 word by word
אַיֵּה֙ מְע֣וֹן אֲרָי֔וֹת וּמִרְעֶ֥ה ה֖וּא לַכְּפִרִ֑ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר הָלַךְ֩ אַרְיֵ֨ה לָבִ֥יא שָׁ֛ם גּ֥וּר אַרְיֵ֖ה וְאֵ֥ין מַחֲרִֽיד׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- the dwellingמָעוֹןmâ‛ôn mâ‛îyn · habitationH4583
- of the lionsאֲרִי'ărîy 'aryêh · lionH738
- and the feedingplaceמִרְעֶהmir‛eh · pastureH4829
- of the young lionsכְּפִירkephîyr · lionH3715
- where the lionאַרְיֵה'ărîy 'aryêh · lionH738
- the old lionלָבִיאlâbîy' lebîyâ' lebâ'îym lebâ'ôth · lionH3833
- walkedהָלַךְhâlak · to go: wentH1980
- whelpגּוּרgûr gûr · whelpH1482
- afraidחָרַדchârad · to trembleH2729
Cross-references for Nahum 2:11
- Nahum 3:1Woe to the bloody city! It is all full of lies and robbery. Its victim never departs.
- Job 4:10The roaring of the lion, The voice of the fierce lion, And the teeth of the young lions are broken.
- Isaiah 5:29Their roaring will be like a lion, They will roar like young lions; Yes, they will roar And lay hold of the prey; They will carry it away safely, And no one will deliver.
- Jeremiah 2:15The young lions roared at him, and growled; They made his land waste; His cities are burned, without inhabitant.
- Jeremiah 4:7The lion has come up from his thicket, And the destroyer of nations is on his way. He has gone forth from his place To make your land desolate. Your cities will be laid waste, Without inhabitant.
- Jeremiah 50:17“Israel is like scattered sheep; The lions have driven him away. First the king of Assyria devoured him; Now at last this Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has broken his bones.”
- Ezekiel 19:2and say: ‘What is your mother? A lioness: She lay down among the lions; Among the young lions she nourished her cubs.
- Zephaniah 3:3Her princes in her midst are roaring lions; Her judges are evening wolves That leave not a bone till morning.
- Genesis 49:9Judah is a lion’s whelp; From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; And as a lion, who shall rouse him?
- Isaiah 31:4For thus the Lord has spoken to me: “As a lion roars, And a young lion over his prey (When a multitude of shepherds is summoned against him, He will not be afraid of their voice Nor be disturbed by their noise), So the Lord of hosts will come down To fight for Mount Zion and for its hill.
Commentaries on Nahum 2:11
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11Where is the dwelling of the lions - Nineveh, the habitation of bold, strong, and ferocious men. The feeding place of the young lions - Whither her victorious and rapacious generals frequently returned to consume the produce of their success. Here they walked at large, and none made them afraid. Wheresoever they turned their arms they were victors; and all nations were afraid of them.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feeding place of the young lions? - Great indeed must be the desolation, which should call forth the wonder of the prophet of God. He asks “where is it?” For so utterly was Nineveh to be effaced, that its place should scarcely be known, and now is known by the ruins which have been buried, and are dug up. The messengers of her king had asked, “Where are the gods of Hamath and of Arpad? of Sepharvaim, Hena, and…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-13Verses 11-13 The kings of Assyria had long been terrible and cruel to their neighbours, but the Lord would destroy their power. Many plead as an excuse for rapine and fraud, that they have families to provide for; but what is thus obtained will never do them any good. Those that fear the Lord, and get honestly what they have, shall not want for themselves and theirs. It is just with God to deprive those of children, or of comfort in them, who take sinful…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 11-13After describing Nineveh’s fall (Nahum 2:1–10), Nahum includes the first of three taunt songs (see also 3:8–13, 14–19). Taunt songs were a common form of poetry in the ancient Near East. In this song, Nahum uses sharp humor to compare Nineveh to a lion’s den. Sennacherib and other Assyrian kings often compared themselves to lions. They even decorated their palaces with images of lions and scenes of royal lion hunts. However, because God had become…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1111. dwelling of ... lions--Nineveh, the seat of empire of the rapacious and destructive warriors of various ranks, typified by the "lions," "young lions," "old lion" (or lioness [Maurer]), "the lion's whelp." The image is peculiarly appropriate, as lions of every form, winged, and sometimes with the head of a man, are frequent in the Assyrian sepulchres. It was as full of spoils of all nations as a lion's den is of remains of its prey. The question…Read the comment
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Nahum 2
- 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 King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries