NAHUM (Hebrew: Naḥûm «Comforter»). - Seventh of the minor prophets in the canon of the Vulgate.

He was from 'Elqōš (Nah. 1:1), which St. Jerome (PL 25, 1232) places in Galilee (Driver, Cornely, Crampon); but St. Epiphanius (PG 43, 409), St. Cyril of Alexandria (ibid. 71, 780) and all moderns place it in Judea, as the internal examination of the book itself suggests (Bîr el-Qaws near Bejt Gibrîn).

N. announces to Judah the ruin of its most terrible enemy: Assyria.

In ch. 1 he celebrates the power of Jahweh, just and avenging, who saves his people and strikes the enemies. Divine justice is given particular prominence. In chs. 2-3 he describes the fall of Nineveh, imminent, and as a type recalls the past ruin of Thebes (Nō'-Amôn: Nah. 3:8 ff.; cf. Ezek. 30:14 ff.; St. Jerome [PL 25, 1260] erroneously translates Alexandria popularum). These two indications allow the prophecy of N. to be dated: after 663 (destruction of Thebes by Ashurbanipal) and before 612 B.C. (fall of Nineveh); closer, however (Nah. 3:18), to the latter (625-615).

N. is a contemporary of Zephaniah and of Jeremiah. Among modern critics the tendency prevails to distinguish in N. a psalm (ch. 1) and the prophecy; the latter is authentic; while the former, according to several (including A. van Hoonacker [v. bibl.], p. 420 f.), would be by a later author. The arguments adduced do not appear decisive. The alphabetic character of the psalm would document its later date (but cf. Lamentations, and Prov. 31:10-31); nor is such a character certain here: it is only hypothetically deduced from vv. 1-8. Its abstract theoretical nature, as opposed to the living and concrete prophecy, is sufficiently explained by the characteristics of the theme developed.

An attempt has been made to contrast N. with the other prophets: in N. every thought of morality would be lacking; but how is such a judgment possible when of N. only this very brief oracle is extant? (J. Touzard [v. bibl.], p. 59). "The poetry of N. is exquisite; of all the prophets he is the one who in nobility and vigor comes closest to Isaiah. His descriptions are picturesque and vivid; his thought is expressed in sculptural fashion" (S. R. Driver).

Bibliography22 works

BIBL.: Commentaries: \A. B. Davidson, Cambridge 1896 (1905); J. T. Beck, Gütersloh 1899; O. Happel, Würzburg 1902; A. Van Hoonacker, Les douze petits prophètes, Paris 1908, pp. 415-49; \J. M. P. Smith, Edinburgh 1912; H. Guthe, Tübingen 1923; W. Windfuhr, Der Kommentar des David Kimchi zum Propheten N., Giessen 1927; \G. Luzzi, La Bibbia, V, Florence 1929, pp. 383-97; G. G. V. Stonehouse, London 1929; \G. Smith, Groningen 1934; H. Bévénot, London 1937; A. E. Edelkort, Amsterdam 1937; J. Ridderbos, Kampen 1937; F. Horst, Tübingen 1938; H. Junker, Bonn 1938. Studies: P. Kleinert, N. und der Fall Nivives, in Theologische Studien und Kritiken, 83 (1910), pp. 501-34; U. Cassuto, Questionnelle bibliche: La patria del profeta N., in Giornale della Società asiatica italiana, 26 (1913-14), pp. 291-302; J. Touzard, L'âme juive pendant la période persane, in Revue biblique, 26 (1917), pp. 57-61; P. Humber, Essai d'analyse de N. 1, 2-3, in Zeitschrift für d. alttest. Wissenschaft, 44 (1926), pp. 266-80; id., La vision de N. 2, 4-11, in Archiv für Orientforschung, 5 (1928-29), pp. 14-19; id., Le problème du livre de N., in Rev. d'hist. et de philosophie religieuses, 12 (1932), pp. 1-15; A. Haldar, Studies in the book of N., Uppsala 1947; J. L. Mihelic, The concept of God in the book of N., in Interpretation, 2 (1948), pp. 199-208.

Francesco Spadafora

@incollection{ec8_nahum_ebr_nahum_consolatore, author = {Spadafora, Francesco}, title = {Nahum (Ebr. Nahûm «Consolatore»)}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {VIII}, pages = {1602--1603}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1952}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/nahum-ebr-nahum-consolatore} }

One of some 20,000 entries brought back from the twelve printed volumes (1948–54). Spotted something? Help us improve it.

About this entry