하나님나라를 꿈꾸며(Kingdom of God)

8  gAre you better than hThebes1

that sat iby the Nile,

with water around her,

her rampart a sea,

and water her wall?

9  jCush was her strength;

Egypt too, and that without limit;

kPut and the lLibyans were her2 helpers.

10  mYet she became an exile;

she went into captivity;

nher infants were dashed in pieces

at the head of every street;

for her honored men olots were cast,

pand all her great men were bound in chains.

11  qYou also will be drunken;

you will go into hiding;

ryou will seek a refuge from the enemy.

12  All your fortresses are slike fig trees

with first-ripe figs—

if shaken they fall

into the mouth of the eater.

13  Behold, your troops

tare women in your midst.

The gates of your land

are wide open to your enemies;

fire has devoured your bars.

g [Amos 6:2]

h Jer. 46:25

1 Hebrew No-amon

i [Ezek. 29:3]

j See Dan. 11:43

k Gen. 10:6

l See 2 Chr. 12:3

2 Hebrew your

m Isa. 20:4

n Isa. 13:16

o Joel 3:3; Obad. 11

p [Ps. 149:8]

q Jer. 25:17, 27; [Ps. 75:8; Isa. 51:17; Obad. 16]

r [Jer. 4:5, 6]

s [Rev. 6:13]

t Isa. 19:16; Jer. 51:30

 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 나 3:8–13.

8 ◎네가 어찌 노아몬보다 낫겠느냐 그는 강들 사이에 있으므로 물이 둘렸으니 바다가 성루가 되었고 바다가 방어벽이 되었으며

9 구스와 애굽은 그의 힘이 강하여 끝이 없었고 붓과 루빔이 그를 돕는 자가 되었으나

10 그가 포로가 되어 사로잡혀 갔고 그의 어린 아이들은 길 모퉁이 모퉁이에 메어침을 당하여 부서졌으며 그의 존귀한 자들은 제비 뽑혀 나뉘었고 그의 모든 권세자들은 사슬에 결박되었나니

11 너도 술에 취하여 숨으리라 너도 원수들 때문에 피난처를 찾으리라

12 네 모든 산성은 무화과나무의 처음 익은 열매가 흔들기만 하면 먹는 자의 입에 떨어짐과 같으리라

13 네 가운데 1)장정들은 여인 같고 네 땅의 성문들은 네 원수 앞에 넓게 열리고 빗장들은 불에 타도다

1) 히, 백성

 The Holy Bible: New Korean Revised Version, electronic ed. (South Korea, n.d.), 나 3:8–13.

8절) 본문에서 나훔 선지자는 앗수르(니느웨)를 노아몬과 비교한다. 노아몬은 테베(Thebes)로 이집트의 위대한 도시로 1400여년 동안 세상에 강력한 영향력을 행사하던 난공불락의 도시였다. 테베는 니느웨와 같이 강 사이에 위치한 도시로 하르는 물줄기로 천연 요새를 삼아 오랫동안 번영하던 도시였다. 이곳은 지중해로부터 남쪽으로 650km떨어진 도시로 나일강의 동쪽 둑에 위치했다. 나일강은 마치 바다와 같이 광대한 넓이로 테베를 둘러싸고 있었다. 실제로 나일강의 폭이 800m나 되었기에 이 강이 성벽과 방어벽이 되었어 수성에 용이한 도시였다. 테베는 남서쪽으로는  사막으로 둘러싸여 있었고 동쪽으로 나아가면 홍해가 펼쳐져 있었다. 이 도시가 앗수르에게 663년에 정복된 일은 매우 불가사이한 일이었다. 선지자는 이렇게 막강해 보이던 도시 테베(노아몬)이 무너졌다면 상대적으로 별볼일 없어 보이는 니느웨가 멸망되는 것은 당연한 일이 아닌가라고 말하고 있는 것이다. 

‘노아몬’을 히브리어의 음역으로 그 의미는 ‘아몬 신의 보호아래 있는 도시’라는 의미이다. 

-  3:8 Are you better than Thebes …? Nineveh was not better fortified and did not appear more invincible than Thebes, a very important, powerful city located in southern Egypt (about 400 miles/644 km from the Mediterranean). Nile … water around her. This mighty river, along with canals and channels from the Nile that surrounded most of Thebes, was an aspect of the city’s strong defense system and its seeming invulnerability. Rampart a sea is a poetic reference to the Nile (cf. Isa. 19:5), which was about half a mile wide at Thebes. The Nile, canals, and channels formed a natural outer wall for the city. Nineveh did not have similar protection.

 Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 1717.

-  3:8 “The point of this taunt song is not to compare the relative strengths of the Assyrian and Egyptian empires, but to announce that human might is as nothing before the wrath of God.”48 People who thought of the power of Nineveh in legendary ways had difficulty understanding that Assyria could crumble. After all, those who heard Nahum’s message had only known of one power in the world—Assyria. From the time of Tiglath-pileser in 745 b.c., Assyria exerted influence over the ancient Near East. As a result, other people of the world thought of Assyria in epic proportions and assumed that no one could defeat the Assyrian power.

Assyria’s drive deep into Egypt to conquer Thebes proved to be one of the military wonders of the ancient world. Egypt relied on its geography to protect itself. Protected by deserts to the south and west and the Nile and the Red Sea to the east and the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt seemed impenetrable.49 Only the marshy area in the land of Goshen where the Suez Canal now lies gave Egypt any sense of vulnerability. During the time preceding the exodus of the people of Israel from Egypt, the pharaoh worried about the large number of slaves in that area of Egypt and what would happen should an invader convert these slaves to help raid Egypt. This formed part of the background for the pharaoh’s attempt to limit the Hebrew population by killing male children born to the Hebrews (Exod 2).

Because of its location and fortifications, Nineveh thought of itself as similarly protected from invaders. A series of canals protected Nineveh from outside attack. The Nile, a half-mile wide at Thebes, protected this capital of Egypt. Thebes, the Greek name for the city, lay on the east bank of the Nile about four hundred miles (650 km) south of Cairo. In the Hebrew text the name for the city is No-Amon, meaning “the city under the care of the god Amon.”50 The ruins of Luxor and Karnak testify of the greatness of the city, often called the greatest city of the ancient world.51

When Nahum spoke of the water surrounding the city, he probably wanted to convey the similarities between Thebes and Nineveh. Both cities were situated by great rivers of the world, and both derived from those rivers protection as well as secure sources of water during attack. Although as far as we know Thebes did not have the system of canals that Nineveh used for its protection, the cities were similar in their dependence on water.

For Thebes, like Nineveh, “the river was her defense, the waters her wall.”52 The words for “defense” and “wall” both refer to fortifications of a city. “Defense” conveys the idea of protection against the enemy, but the word misses the significance of the Hebrew term, which refers to a “rampart” or an outer wall of fortification as found in 2 Sam 20:15. The Hebrews often called the rampart a “son of a wall,” meaning a smaller wall than the main defensive area of the city. “At Thebes, Nahum declares, the first defense before the walls of the city was ‘the sea.’ ”53

The context shows Nahum’s point. “He does not stress moral or political superiority but the advantages of strategic location.”54 Nahum intended to convey the idea that Nineveh, like Thebes, depended on the waters as both the outer fortification and the main defense. After all, what could be a better defense than a half-mile wide river? Who could hope to penetrate such a natural barrier? Yet Assyrian force accomplished just such a mission.55 Nahum made his point quite clear. If Thebes could fall, Nineveh could be overrun as well.

Nahum wanted to show that Nineveh could be defeated. Was Nineveh any better than Thebes? Thebes “was the first great city of the Orient, and it remained one of the world’s leading cities for over fourteen hundred years.”56 Thebes, too, appeared invincible. Both cities depended on water for protection, and both survived for centuries. Nahum asserted that as Thebes fell so also Nineveh would fall. He addressed the people of Nineveh by asking the rhetorical question, “Are you better than No-Amon?” Of course not! As No-Amon (Thebes) fell to Assyria in 663 b.c., so Nineveh would also fall. Reputation, intimidation, and fortifications could not stand before the mighty God.

48 Achtemeier, Nahum–Malachi, 26.

49 Robertson describes the situation: “The wall of water that surrounded Thebes provided a year-round buffer difficult for any invader to overcome (v. 8). The coterie of kindred nations that encompassed the capital city of Thebes added military and political difficulties for any potential enemy (v. 9)” (Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, 112). R. J. Coggins and S. P. Re’emi warn against searching Nahum’s descriptions for absolutely accurate details of geography and history. “Themes which cannot be accurate historically or geographically are juxtaposed for literary effect. Thus the expression ‘her rampart a sea’ cannot be taken literally, for Thebes is almost 645 km (400 mi.) from the nearest sea, but it summons up the idea of Yam, the primordial sea whose power is overthrown by Yahweh” (Israel among the Nations, ITC [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1985], 52). On the other side Maier argues: “It should be evident from Nahum’s presentation, however, that he was well informed regarding the major factors in No-Amon’s situation. His words contain nothing fantastic” (The Book of Nahum, 316–17).

50 The name “populous No” of the KJV comes from the identification by Jerome. Thebes is often called No (נֹא) from the Egyptian word “city” (Jer 46:25; Ezek 30:14–16). Jerome apparently used a rabbinic interpretation for his usage of the name. Jerome, in fact, later identified No with Alexandria, a clear misidentification. No-Amon or Thebes serves the translator better for its accuracy. Note R. L. Smith (Micah–Malachi, 87–88) for further discussion of the use of the name.

51 Clark and Hatton, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, 49.

52 J. D. W. Watts claims that “the elaborate references to streams and water seem to go beyond a factual description of the city’s position. The Egyptians thought of Thebes as a sacred city, built on the first dry land to emerge from the primeval waters. They considered the river Nile to be the supreme manifestation of creation’s blessings, and based their faith and security on its powers. Nahum sees it, rather, as a symbol of their arrogant and heathen attitude against the Lord” (“The Books of Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah,” in The Cambridge Bible Commentary on the New English Bible [Cambridge: University Press, 1975], 118–19).

53 Maier, The Book of Nahum, 317.

54 Ibid., 314. See his comparison between Thebes and Nineveh (p. 319).

55 Nahum described the rampart as a “sea” (יַם). Of course, the Nile was not a sea in the technical sense, just as the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea are anot really seas. But in its significance the Nile served as the “sea” and outer defense for Thebes. No one should think that it could be overcome. The last phrase of Nah 3:8 (מִיָּ֖ם חוֹמָתָֽהּ) literally reads “from a sea her wall,” which seems to take away the smoothness of the message as well as the parallelism of the verse. The NIV thus follows the versions in reading “waters.” In an unpointed Hebrew text (the way Hebrew was written in ancient times) the word could be read as either “sea” or “waters.” The NIV agrees with many other translations in changing the pointing of the text.

56 Achtemeier, Nahum–Malachi, 25.

 Kenneth L. Barker, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, vol. 20, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 229–231.

9-10절) 노아몬은 구스와 애굽, 붓과 루빔의 도움을 얻을 수 있었지만 그것이 그들에게 도움이 되지 않았다. 결국 노아몬은 지리적인 요충지였고 주위에 도울 나라들이 많이 있었음에도 자신들을 지킬 수가 없었고 그래서 포로로 잡혀 갔다. 그의 어린 아이들은 길 모퉁이에 메어침을 당하여 죽임을 당했고 존귀한 자들, 귀족들은 제비 뽑혀 나뉘어 졌고 권세자들은 사슬에 결박되었다. 

노아몬이 앗수르에게 공격을 당해 점령당하고 그 주민들이 살육당하고 포로로 끌려갔다.  침략자인 앗수르는 매우 잔인하게 포로들을 다루었다. 주민들을 노예로 잡아가고, 어린아이들을 벽에 던져 죽게했다. 그리고 자신들에게 도움이 될 것으로 여겨지는 존귀한 자들은 제비를 뽑아 그들의 노예로 삼았다. 

구스는 애굽의 남쪽에 있던 에디오피아를 말하는 것으로 보인다. 

-  3:10 Nahum’s point was that if Thebes, with all its defenses, could fall, how could Nineveh consider itself impregnable? As surely as Thebes fell to Assyria, Nineveh would fall at the judgment of the great God. Though well-positioned with natural defenses and allied with its immediate neighbors, Thebes went into captivity. The same would happen to Nineveh. Nineveh knew the example well. Its armies, under the ultimate command of Ashurbanipal the king, took Thebes in 663 b.c. The policies of exile, slave trading, and slaughter of infants were the ruthless policies of Nineveh as carried out by the most efficient and barbaric army of the time.

Assyria practiced a cruel system of exile for captured nations. Samaria serves as the prime example. When Samaria fell to Assyria under Tiglath-pileser III in 722 b.c., Assyria carried off many of the citizens of the Northern Kingdom to distant nations. Many of the citizens of those and other nations suffered exile to Samaria. The Old Testament indicates that the Samaritans, with their distinctive theological views and enmity with the people of Judea, came from the exile imposed by the Assyrians (2 Kgs 17:1–41).

Four events occurred even though Thebes benefited from its superior geographical defenses and its military alliances. First, the people of Thebes were taken captive and went into exile.

Second, the attackers cruelly destroyed even the infants of Thebes. The picture of dashing in pieces conveys the most barbaric treatment imaginable. The invaders crushed the infants against the stones and buildings of the city. Such cruelty abounded in ancient times. At a later time the psalmist declared the joy of the one who could dash the heads of the infants of Babylon against the rock (Ps 137:9). The whole point of Nahum’s message was that Nineveh would suffer the same fate as the people of Thebes. “At the head of every street” refers to the fact that these atrocities occurred in public places in full view of everyone. All over the city and without shame or remorse the invaders cruelly destroyed the innocent children of Thebes.

Third, the noble men of Thebes became slaves to the attackers.62 The invaders cast lots to determine who would obtain which slave. Those who ruled the city became the object of gamblers. Casting lots for the inhabitants of the city is found often in the Old Testament (Obad 11; Joel 3:3). Clark and Hatton described the casting of lots as possibly referring to writing the names of persons on stones with the stones placed in some kind of container before being cast to the ground. The first stone hitting the ground indicated the person chosen.63

Fourth, the leading men of Thebes tramped off to exile in chains, a common practice in ancient times (2 Kgs 25:7; Isa 45:14; Jer 40:1, 4). The great men who decided the lives of others and determined the direction of the nation felt the helplessness of going bound hand and foot into exile. “The fate of Thebes would lead Assyria to expect that its punishment might follow the same lines.”64

62 Coggins and Re’emi point to similar language in Isa 3:5; 13:16; 20:4; 23:8; and particularly Ps 149:8 to conclude that “the parallel is so close as to suggest either that this language was regularly used in oracles against foreign nations or perhaps, more specifically, that it may have been part of some liturgy associated with holy war” (Israel among the Nations, 53).

63 Clark and Hatton, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, 52.

64 Baker, “Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah,” 38.

 Kenneth L. Barker, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, vol. 20, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 232–234.

11-13절) 이제 선지자는 노아몬과 같이 너희도 견디지 못하고 비참한 종말을 맞이할 것에 대해서 예언한다. 그는 다섯가지의 비유를 통해 종말을 예언한다. 

1) 술에 취하여 숨는 사람들

2) 원수들을 피해서 피난처로 도망가는 사람들

3) 처음 익은 열매처럼 흔블면 떨어지는 무화과 나무

4) 연약한 여인

5) 열린 성문과 불타버린 빗장

나훔은 비유를 적절하게 사용하고 있다. 2:1-13에서는 앗수르를 먹이가 없는 사자로, 3:1-7에서는 수치와 수모를 당하는 창녀로, 본문에서는 술취하여 몸을 가눌 줄 모르는 사람으로 묘사한다. 니느웨가 공격을 받아 노아몬처럼 무너지게 될때 마치 흔들기만 하면 떨어지는 무화과 나무를 입에 넣는 것과 같이, 누워서 떡먹기처럼 쉬운 일이라는 것이다. 한때 근동을 호령하던 애굽(노아몬)과 앗수르(니느웨)가 이렇게 몰락하고 멸망을 당했다. 결국 이 텍스트를 통해 나훔이 이야기하고자 하는 바는 앗수르나 애굽의 국력을 비교하는 것이 아니라 세상의 모든 권세는 하나님앞에 아무것도 아니라는 사실을 강조하는 것이다. 

-  As Achtemeier emphasizes, “Nahum is a master of metaphor.… In 2:1–13 Nineveh was a lion deprived of its prey, in 3:1–7 a harlot shamed and exposed. Now, in this taunt song, Nineveh becomes a drunk, weak and dazed.”67

67 Achtemeier, Nahum–Malachi, 25.

 Kenneth L. Barker, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, vol. 20, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 234.

앗수르(니느웨)는 노아몬(테베)과 같이 자신들의 지리적인 위치(강과 바다)와 자신들의 연합군, 지원군들 그리고 산성과 잘 훈련된 병사들이 자신들을 보호해 줄 것이라고 믿었다. 하지만 이러한 것들을 그들의 보호자가 되지 못한다. 누구도 하나님의 진노에서 이들을 보호해 줄 수 없는 것이다.