had decreed its demise. He asked rhetorically,Are you better than No-Amon that was situated by the River, that had the waters around her, whose rampart was the sea, whose wall was the sea? (3:8).No-Amon is the Egyptian word for “city of (the deity) Amon” commonly known today by its Greek name, Thebes.Esarhaddon had taken Egypt on his second invasion in 671 BC. When he died, the Egyptians revolted and Ashurbanipal went to Egypt to put down this revolt. He cleared the Delta of the Cushites (Ethiopians) in 667/666 BC and the Cushite ruler, Taharqa, fled to No-Amon. On Ashurbanipal’s first campaign against Egypt he took 22 kings from the seacoast, with their armies, to help fight the Egyptians. Ashurbanipal claims that he “made those kings with their forces (and) their ships accompany me by sea and by land” (Rainey 1993:157). One of those kings was Manasseh, king of Judah, with his army.On his second campaign in 663 BC, Ashurbanipal went to No-Amon and defeated the city and razed it. There were Judeans in the Assyrian army that saw this event. When they heard or read the words of Nahum they would have been encouraged. The Assyrians were able to defeat a strong and impregnable Thebes, and God would now fulfill His Word and Nineveh would fall.Ashurbanipal commissioned a relief depicting the fall of No-Amon. It is labeled “an Egyptian fortress” in the British Museum. Yadin cautiously states,The crowing achievement of Ashurbanipal’s expeditionary force to Egypt was the capture and destruction of Thebes “of the hundred gates” (the Egyptian capital during the XXVth Dynasty) in the year 663 BC. It is most probable that this is the event which the Assyrian artist depicted in such detail here in his portrayal of an attack on an Egyptian city (1963:462).If this is the case, we have a very graphic illustration of the Biblical text. The top of the relief has the Assyrians besieging the city the ladders, soldiers undermining the walls and a soldier torching the gate. A close examination of the defenders reveals that there are two ethnic groups defending the city. One group with the Negroid features is from Ethiopia (Cush) and the other are the Egyptians. Nahum said, “Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength. And it was boundless.” (3:9a).Relief of the fall of Thebes. From the palace of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh, now in the British Museum. On the left of the relief, above the Nile River, are Ethiopian captives being taken out of No-Amon. A careful examination of these captives reveals chains on their ankles. Nahum recounts the event.Yet she was carried away, she went into captivity...They cast lots for her honorable men, and all her great men were bound in chains (3:10).Another remarkable illustration of the Biblical text is the group of 12 Egyptians to the right side of the relief awaiting their fate on the banks of the Nile River. As I stared at the group I noticed three children. Two were seated on the donkey and one was on the shoulder of his father. I could not help but wonder if these children knew the fate that awaited them.
The words of the prophet were,
Her young children also were dashed to pieces at the head of every street” (3:10). Thankfully, the Assyrian artist did not carve this scene on the relief!Children being led away from Thebes, two on the back of a donkey and one carried on his father’s back. From the palace of Ashurbanipal in Nineveh, now in the British Museum.An interesting side note should be mentioned. Manasseh was with Ashurbanipal II when he conquered No-Amon, the city of the deity Amun, in 663 BC. That was the year that a son was born to him, the future king of Judah, Amon. Apparently Manasseh named his son after the Egyptian deity Amun. This is consistent with Manasseh’s character of following after other gods. But why an Egyptian god and not an Assyrian one, I do not know.The Fig Trees and the Forts (Na 3:12)After asking Nineveh, “Are you better than No-Amon?” Nahum proceeds to describe the rapid fall of the cities and fortresses surrounding Nineveh. He says,All your strongholds are fig trees with ripened fruit; if they are shaken, they will fall into the mouth of the eater” (3:12).When the figs are ripe, they drop easily from the tree when shaken. This is a word-picture that the Ninevites knew from personal experience. Figs were common in Nineveh, as attested to by their appearance on reliefs.A Locust at the Banquet (Na 3:15b–17)One of the most sordid reliefs in Ashurbanipal’s palace is one of a royal banquet that commemorated the defeat of the king’s most hated foe, Teumman, the king of Elam. On this relief, Ashurbanipal is reclining on a couch under a grape vine in his garden sipping wine with his consort. There are servants around them with fans, while other servants are bringing food and playing musical instruments. From Ashurbanipal’s vantage point on the couch he could gaze on the trophy head of the Elamite king hanging from a ring in the fir tree.Ashurbanipal's garden banquet. Abird swooping down on a lone locust sitting on the branch of a palm tree: the head of an Elamite king hangs in an adjacent fir tree (right). From the palace of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh, now in the British Museum.In a warped perversion of a Biblical description of peace, that of every man sitting under his vine and fig tree (Mi 4:1–4), this relief commemorated the cessation of war with the Elamites after nine years of hostilities. Ashurbanipal attributes his victory to,the Assyrian pantheon, and in particular, the deities Ashur and Ishtar of Arbela. Thus the human head may be viewed as more than a memorial to a successful battle; it is symbolic of a major threat to the Assyrian throne, a threat that was decisively eliminated through divine might (Albenda. 1977:35).Yet Micah says that real peace will come when the nations go to the LORD’S House in Jerusalem and worship Him. Then,They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nations shall not lift up sword against nations, neither shall they learn war anymore (Mi 4:3).There is one detail in this relief that should not be missed. In the upper left corner is a locust sitting on top of a palm tree. To its right is a bird swooping down as if to catch it. One art historian described the scene this way:Related to this is the image of a locust alight upon an upper branch of a tree, a short distance from the severed head of Teumman. A bird sweeps down toward the insect as if to devour it. This apparently minor detail may have special meaning, for in the annals, Ashurbanipal described the Elamites as a “dense swarm of grasshoppers” (Luckenbill 1989, 2:329, ¶ 855). Within this context, the locust may signify the last vestige of a once dreadful enemy, now virtually eliminated (Albenda 1977:31–32).At the end of the book of Nahum we have another reversal of fortune. Instead of the Elamites being the locusts, the Assyrians are, and they are about to be eliminated! But Nahum does not describe the destructive aspects of the locust plague, but rather, the flight of the locusts after they have done their damaRosetta Stone Greek
订阅:
博文评论 (Atom)
First off I want to say superb blog! I had a quick question that I'd like to ask if you do not mind. I was curious to find out how you center yourself and clear your head prior to writing. I've had a
回复删除difficult time clearing my mind in getting my thoughts out there.
I truly do enjoy writing but it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are usually wasted simply just trying to figure out how to begin.
Any suggestions or hints? Cheers!
Have a look at my blog post ; order cigarettes online
great points altogether, you just received a new reader.
回复删除What may you recommend about your put up that you simply made a few days in the past?
Any sure?
Here is my homepage : amphora pipe tobacco
Stunning story there. What happenеd аfter?
回复删除Take care!
Feel free to surf my web site ; loans for bad credit
I was recommended this web site by way of my cousin.
回复删除I am no longer certain whether this submit is written by way of him as
no one else know such distinctive approximately my trouble.
You are wonderful! Thanks!
Here is my web page ; http://momblogsociety.com/blog/47592/ways-to-get-reduce-scarred-tissues-once-and-for-all
This іs mу fігst time vіsit at here and
回复删除i аm aсtually іmpгеsѕeԁ
to read all at аlonе place.
Also vіsit my blog pоѕt; loans for bad credit
Here is my web blog - loans for bad credit
I ԁο belieνe all the ideas you
回复删除have pгesеnted to your pοst. Τhey're really convincing and will definitely work. Nonetheless, the posts are very quick for newbies. May you please extend them a bit from next time? Thank you for the post.
My homepage - Com.Br
Hi there! I simply would like to offer you a big thumbs up for
回复删除the great info you have got right here on this post. I will be returning to your website for more soon.
Also visit my homepage ... http://www.worldliterarycafe.com/content/suggestions-create-method-bankruptcy-lot-easier
Also see my web site - st john island vacation
Woah! I'm really digging the template/theme of this blog. It's simple, yet
回复删除effective. A lot of times it's very hard to get that "perfect balance" between user friendliness and visual appeal. I must say you've done a
superb job with this. Additionally, the blog loads super
quick for me on Chrome. Outstanding Blog!
my weblog ... HasenChat - Member Profile - Jaime Friend
Whаt i ԁon't understood is in fact how you are now not really a lot more smartly-preferred than you might be right now. You're sο intelligеnt.
回复删除Υоu гeсоgnize therеforе
significantlу in rеlatіon to
this toрiс, produсed me indіνіduаlly bеlieve it frοm numeгous
varied angleѕ. Itѕ like wοmen
and mеn are not faѕcinated еxcept it's one thing to do with Girl gaga! Your own stuffs outstanding. At all times handle it up!
My homepage: V2 Cig review
Тhis article offeгs cleаr іdea designed foг
回复删除the new userѕ of bloggіng, that gеnuinely
how to ԁo blogging and site-building.
Fеel frеe to surf to my web pаge ::
visit the next post
WOW just what I ωas ѕеаrсhing for.
回复删除Came here by sеarсhing for moran prаirie water parκ
іn spοkanе wа
Visit my webpage ... Daniel Chavez Moran
I'm extremely pleased to uncover this website. I need to to thank you for ones time just for this wonderful read!! I definitely loved every part of it and I have you book marked to check out new stuff in your web site.
回复删除Here is my weblog :: Wholesale Jerseys
Its such as you read my thoughts! You appear
回复删除to know a lot approximately this, like you wrote the e-book in it or something.
I think that you just could do with some percent to power the message home a bit, but other than that, this
is fantastic blog. A fantastic read. I will definitely be back.
Feel free to surf to my site ... TN Requin Pas Cher
Hey there! This is kind of off topic but I need some advice from an established blog.
回复删除Is it difficult to set up your own blog? I'm not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty quick. I'm thinking about creating my own but I'm not sure where to start. Do you have any ideas or suggestions? Thank you
my web blog ... Cheap NFL Jerseys
No load term life insurance policies can be purchased from advisers often known as fee only
回复删除advisers. In most states, the no load insurance professional/advisers is expected
to be licensed in order to market policies to clients. A few companies also sell no load or low-load term life insurance policies directly to
the clients.
my webpage - adp discount dental plans
I rarely leave remarks, however i did some searching and wound up here
回复删除"there came a point in history where God said, "Enough is enough,
" and He removed the offending party (Na 2:13; 3:4).Nineveh fell in 612 BC".
And I actually do have a couple of questions for you if it's allright. Could it be just me or does it look like some of the comments appear as if they are coming from brain dead people? :-P And, if you are posting on additional sites, I would like to follow everything new you have to post. Could you list of every one of your public pages like your Facebook page, twitter feed, or linkedin profile?
my homepage dental implant costs
Have you ever thought about including a little bit more than just your articles?
回复删除I mean, what you say is valuable and all. Nevertheless think of if you added some great graphics or videos to give your posts more,
"pop"! Your content is excellent but with pics and clips, this blog could certainly be one of the most beneficial in its niche.
Superb blog!
Feel free to visit my blog post :: Wholesale NFL Jerseys
ӏ thinκ this iѕ оnе
回复删除οf the most vital info for mе. And i'm glad reading your article. But wanna remark on few general things, The web site style is perfect, the articles is really excellent : D. Good job, cheers
Look into my homepage; Payday Loans
Ηello theгe! I κnoω this is somewhat
回复删除off topіc but I ωas wonԁering which blοg platform arе yоu using for thіs site?
Ι'm getting tired of Wordpress because I've had isѕues wіth
haсκers and Ι'm looking at options for another platform. I would be awesome if you could point me in the direction of a good platform.
Have a look at my site :: facebook cuenta gratis
Hi there, I enjoy reading all of yοur ρost.
回复删除I likе to wrіte a lіttle сomment to suppогt you.
my web-site: reputation management
Having read this I thought it ωaѕ vеry enlіghtеning.
回复删除I appreciatе уou finԁing the time and effoгt to put thiѕ іnformativе aгticle together.
I onсe аgain find myѕelf spending way too much time both reaԁing and commenting.
But ѕo what, it ωаs ѕtill ωorth іt!
Fеel free to visit my webpаgе: facebook cuenta gratis
If you are going for most excellent contents like myself, simply pay a visit this web site daily as it
回复删除offers feature contents, thanks
My blog post :: NFL Jerseys Wholesale
Heу Τhеге. I found your blog using
回复删除msn. This is an extremеlу ωell written
artiсle. I'll make sure to bookmark it and return to read more of your useful information. Thanks for the post. I'll ԁefinіtеlу
сomebaсk.
Feel freе to surf to my web page lloyd irvin
Hi to all, the contents existing at this web site are in fact awesome for
回复删除people knowledge, well, keep up the nice work fellows.
My page: betting
Howdy! Do you know if they make any plugins to protect against hackers?
回复删除I'm kinda paranoid about losing everything I've worked
hard on. Any suggestions?
My page ... Boutique Air Max
Hey! I know this is sort of off-topic however
回复删除I had to ask. Does running a well-established website such as yours take a lot of work?
I'm brand new to writing a blog however I do write in my journal on a daily basis. I'd like to start a blog so I can easily
share my personal experience and feelings online.
Please let me know if you have any suggestions or tips for
new aspiring bloggers. Thankyou!
My homepage: Boutique Air Jordan
You're so awesome! I don't think I've read through something like that before. So great to discover another person with unique thoughts on this subject. Really.. many thanks for starting this up. This site is one thing that is required on the web, someone with a bit of originality!
回复删除Feel free to surf to my blog post :: RPMPoker Bonus ()