Nahum 2:5

Amplified Bible

He remembers and summons his nobles; They stumble in their march [terrified because of the attack]. They hurry to the city wall, And the mantelet is prepared and firmly set up.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He gives orders to his officers;they stumble as they advance.They race to its wall;the protective shield is set in place.

Hebrew Names Version
He summons his picked troops. They stumble on their way. They dash to its wall, and the protective shield is put in place.

King James Version (1611)
Hee shall recount his worthies: they shall stumble in their walke: they shall make haste to the wal thereof, and the defence shall bee prepared.

King James Version
He shall recount his worthies: they shall stumble in their walk; they shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defence shall be prepared.

English Standard Version
He remembers his officers; they stumble as they go, they hasten to the wall; the siege tower is set up.

New American Standard Bible
He remembers his officers; They stumble in their advance, They hurry to her wall, And the mantelet is set up.

New Century Version
He calls his officers, but they stumble on the way. They hurry to the city wall, and the shield is put into place.

Geneva Bible (1587)
He shall remember his strong men: they shall stumble as they goe: they shall make haste to the walles thereof, and the defence shall bee prepared.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
He remembers his nobles; They stumble in their march, They hurry to her wall, And the mantelet is set up.

Legacy Standard Bible
He remembers his mighty ones;They stumble in their march;They hurry to her wall,And the mantelet is set up.

Berean Standard Bible
He summons his nobles; they stumble as they advance. They race to its wall; the protective shield is set in place.

Contemporary English Version
An officer gives a command. But his soldiers stumble, as they hasten to build a shelter to protect themselves against rocks thrown down from the city wall.

Complete Jewish Bible
The chariots rush madly about in the streets, jostling each other in the open places; their appearance is like torches, they run here and there like lightning.

Darby Translation
He bethinketh him of his nobles: they stumble in their march; they make haste to the wall thereof, and the shelter is prepared.

Easy-to-Read Version
The enemy calls for his best soldiers. They stumble as they rush ahead. They run to the wall and set up their shield over the battering ram.

George Lamsa Translation
The soldiers are obedient to their officers; they stumble as they march; they make haste to the wall, and the battlements are prepared.

Good News Translation
The officers are summoned; they stumble as they press forward. The attackers rush to the wall and set up the shield for the battering ram.

Lexham English Bible
He calls his officers; they stumble as they march; they rush to her wall; they set the covering in place.

Literal Translation
He shall remember its nobles; they shall stumble in their walking; they shall hurry to its wall, and the covering shall be set up.

American Standard Version
He remembereth his nobles: they stumble in their march; they make haste to the wall thereof, and the mantelet is prepared.

Bible in Basic English
He takes the record of his great men: they go falling on their way; they go quickly to the wall, the cover is made ready.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
The chariots rush madly in the streets, they jostle one against another in the broad places; the appearance of them is like torches, they run to and fro like the lightnings.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
He shall remember his notable souldiours, they shal stumble in goyng, they shall hasten to the wall, the couering fence is prepared.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And their mighty men shall bethink themselves and flee by day; and they shall be weak as they go; and they shall hasten to her walls, and shall prepare their defences.

English Revised Version
He remembereth his worthies: they stumble in their march; they make haste to the wall thereof, and the mantelet is prepared.

World English Bible
He summons his picked troops. They stumble on their way. They dash to its wall, and the protective shield is put in place.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
He schal bithenke of his stronge men, thei schulen falle in her weies; and swiftli thei schulen stie on the wallis therof, and schadewyng place schal be maad redi.

Update Bible Version
He remembers his nobles: they stumble in their march; they hurry to the wall thereof, and the mantelet is prepared.

Webster's Bible Translation
He shall recount his worthies: they shall stumble in their walk; they shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defense shall be prepared.

New English Translation
The commander orders his officers; they stumble as they advance; they rush to the city wall and they set up the covered siege tower.

New King James Version
He remembers his nobles; They stumble in their walk; They make haste to her walls, And the defense is prepared.

New Living Translation
The king shouts to his officers; they stumble in their haste, rushing to the walls to set up their defenses.

New Life Bible
The leaders are called. They lose their step as they go, and hurry to the wall. The battle-covering is set up.

New Revised Standard
He calls his officers; they stumble as they come forward; they hasten to the wall, and the mantelet is set up.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Let him call to mind his nobles, they shall stumble as they go - let them hasten to her wall, yet the storming cover, is prepared.

Douay-Rheims Bible
He will muster up his valiant men, they shall stumble in their march: they shall quickly get upon the walls thereof: and a covering shall be prepared.

Revised Standard Version
The officers are summoned, they stumble as they go, they hasten to the wall, the mantelet is set up.

Young's Literal Translation
He doth remember his honourable ones, They stumble in their goings, They hasten [to] its wall, and prepared is the covering.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
When he doth but warne his giauntes, they fall in their araye, & haistely they clymme vp the walles: yee the engyns of the warre are prepared all ready.

Contextual Overview

¹The one who scatters has come up against you [Nineveh]. Man the fortress and ramparts, watch the road; Strengthen your back [prepare for battle], summon all your strength. ²For the LORD will restore the splendor and majesty of Jacob Like the splendor of [ancient and united] Israel, Even though destroyers have destroyed them And ruined their vine branches. ³The shields of his soldiers [of Media and Babylon] are colored red; The warriors are dressed in scarlet. The chariots blaze with fire of [flashing] steel When he is prepared to march, And the cypress spears are brandished [for battle]. ⁴The chariots race madly in the streets; They rush wildly in the broad plazas. Their appearance is like torches; They rush in various directions like forked lightning. ⁵He remembers and summons his nobles; They stumble in their march [terrified because of the attack]. They hurry to the city wall, And the mantelet is prepared and firmly set up.⁶The gates of the rivers [surrounding Nineveh] are opened And the palace [of sun-dried brick] is dissolved [by the torrents]. ⁷It is decreed: Nineveh is stripped, and she is carried away, And her handmaids are moaning like the sound of doves, Beating on their breasts [in sorrow]. ⁸Though Nineveh was like a pool of water throughout her days, Now her inhabitants are fleeing; "Stop! Stop!" [a few cry,] But no one turns back. ⁹Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold! For there is no end to the treasure— Wealth from every precious object. ¹⁰She is emptied! She is desolate and waste! Hearts melting [in fear] and knees knocking! Anguish is in the whole body, And the faces of all grow pale!

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

recount: Isaiah 21:5, Jeremiah 50:29, Jeremiah 51:27, Jeremiah 51:28

worthies: or, gallants

they shall stumble: Nahum 3:3, Isaiah 5:27, Jeremiah 46:12

defence: or, covering, or, coverer

Reciprocal: Revelation 9:9 - and the

Cross-References

Genesis 2:9
And [in that garden] the LORD God caused to grow from the ground every tree that is desirable and pleasing to the sight and good (suitable, pleasant) for food; the tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the [experiential] knowledge (recognition) of [the difference between] good and evil.

Genesis 2:11
The first [river] is named Pishon; it flows around the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold.

Genesis 2:12
The gold of that land is good; bdellium (a fragrant, valuable resin) and the onyx stone are found there.

Genesis 3:23
therefore the LORD God sent Adam away from the Garden of Eden, to till and cultivate the ground from which he was taken.

Genesis 4:2
And [later] she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept the flocks [of sheep and goats], but Cain cultivated the ground.

Genesis 4:12
"When you cultivate the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength [it will resist producing good crops] for you; you shall be a fugitive and a vagabond [roaming aimlessly] on the earth [in perpetual exile without a home, a degraded outcast]."

Job 5:10
"He gives rain upon the earth And sends waters upon the fields,

Psalms 104:14
He causes grass to grow for the cattle, And all that the earth produces for cultivation by man, So that he may bring food from the earth—

Psalms 135:7
Who causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth; Who makes lightning for the rain, Who brings the wind from His storehouses;

Jeremiah 14:22
Are there any among the idols of the nations who can send rain? Or can the heavens [of their own will] give showers? Is it not You, O LORD our God? Therefore we will wait and hope [confidently] in You, For You are the one who has made all these things [the heavens and the rain].

Gill's Notes on the Bible

He shall recount his worthies,.... Either the dasher in pieces, Nahum 2:1, the kings of Babylon and Media, shall call together their general officers, and muster the forces under then, and put them in mind of their duty, and recount the actions of their ancestors in former times, in order to animate and encourage them to the siege and attack of the city of Nineveh; or the king of Assyria shall recount and muster up his nobles, and the troops under them, to sally out against the enemy, and meet him in the field, and give him battle:

they shall stumble in their walk: being many, and in haste to obey the orders of their commander, shall stumble and fall upon one another; or else the Ninevites in their march out against the enemy shall be discomfited and flee before him, or be dispirited and flee back again:

they shall make haste to the wall thereof; of Nineveh; that is, the Medes and Chaldeans shall make haste thither, to break it down or scale it; or the Ninevites, failing in their sally out, shall betake themselves in all haste to their city walls, and defend themselves under the protection of them:

and the defence shall be prepared; or the "covering": the word h used has the signification of a booth or tent, to cover and protect; here it signifies something that was prepared, either by the besiegers, to cover them from the darts and stones of the besieged, as they made their approaches to the walls; or which the besieged covered themselves with from the assaults of the besiegers; rather the former.

h הסוכך "operimentum", Pagninus, Montanus; "integumentum", Calvin; "testudo", Vatablus, Grotius, Cocceius, Burkius.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

He shall recount his worthies - The Assyrian king wakes as out of a sleep, literally, “he remembers his mighty men” (as Nahum 3:18; Judges 5:13; Nehemiah 3:5); “they stumble in their walk,” literally, paths , not through haste only and eager fear, but from want of inward might and the aid of God. These whom God leads stumble not Isaiah 63:13. : “Perplexed every way and not knowing what they ought to do, their mind wholly darkened and almost drunken with ills, they reel to and fro, turn from one thing to another, and in all” labor in vain.

They shall make haste to the walls thereof, and the defense - (literally, “the covering”) shall be prepared The Assyrian monuments leave no doubt that a Jewish writer is right in the main, in describing this as a covered shelter, under which an enemy approached the city; “a covering of planks with skins upon them; under it those who fight against the city come to the wall and mine the wall underneath, and it is a shield over them from the stones, which are cast from off the wall.”

The monuments, however, exhibit this shelter, as connected not with mining but with a battering ram, mostly with a sharp point, by which they loosened the walls . Another covert was employed to protect single miners who picked out single stones with a pick-axe . The Assyrians sculptures show, in the means employed against or in defense of their engines, how central a part of the siege they formed . Seven of them are represented in one siege . The “ram” Ezekiel 4:2 is mentioned in Ezekiel as the well-known and ordinary instrument of a siege.

Thus, Nahum 2:3 describes the attack; and Nahum 2:4 describes the defense; the two first clauses of Nahum 2:5 describes the defense; the two last describe clauses the attack. This quick interchange only makes the whole account more vivid.

: “But what avails it to build the house, unless the Lord build it? What helps it to shut the gates, which the Lord unbarreth?” On both sides is put forth the full strength of man; there seems a stand-still to see, what will be, and God brings to pass His own work in His own way.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 5. He shall recount his worthies — Muster up his most renowned warriors and heroes.

Shall make haste to the wall — Where they see the enemies making their most powerful attacks, in order to get possession of the city.