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Monday, August 25th, 2025
the Week of Proper 16 / Ordinary 21
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Read the Bible

Complete Jewish Bible

Nahum 3:12

All your fortifications will be like fig trees with early ripening figs; the moment they are shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Torrey's Topical Textbook - Fig-Tree, the;   Nineveh;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Fig;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Nahum (2);   Holman Bible Dictionary - Nahum;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Fig, Fig-Tree;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Assyria;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Fig (tree);   Mouth;   Ripe;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Fig Tree;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Food;   Fortification;   Nahum, the Book of;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
All your fortresses are fig treeswith figs that ripened first;when shaken, they fall—right into the mouth of the eater!
Hebrew Names Version
All your fortresses will be like fig trees with the first-ripe figs: if they are shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater.
King James Version (1611)
All thy strong holds shall be like fig trees with the first ripe figs: if they bee shaken, they shall euen fall into the mouth of the eater.
King James Version
All thy strong holds shall be like fig trees with the firstripe figs: if they be shaken, they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater.
English Standard Version
All your fortresses are like fig trees with first-ripe figs— if shaken they fall into the mouth of the eater.
New American Standard Bible
All your fortifications are fig trees with ripe fruit— When shaken, they fall into the eater's mouth.
New Century Version
All your defenses are like fig trees with ripe fruit. When the tree is shaken, the figs fall into the mouth of the eater.
Amplified Bible
All your fortresses are [nothing but] fig trees with ripe figs— When shaken they fall into the mouth of the eater.
Geneva Bible (1587)
All thy strong cities shall be like figtrees with the first ripe figs: for if they be shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
All your fortifications are fig trees with ripe fruit— When shaken, they fall into the eater's mouth.
Legacy Standard Bible
All your fortifications are fig trees with ripe fruit—When shaken, they fall into the eater's mouth.
Berean Standard Bible
All your fortresses are fig trees with the first ripe figs; when shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater!
Contemporary English Version
Your fortresses are fig trees with ripe figs. Merely shake the trees, and fruit will fall into every open mouth.
Darby Translation
All thy strongholds are [like] fig-trees with the first-ripe figs: if they be shaken, they even fall into the mouth of the eater.
Easy-to-Read Version
But Nineveh, all your strong places will be like fig trees. When new figs become ripe, people come and shake the tree. The figs fall into their mouths. They eat them, and the figs are gone.
George Lamsa Translation
All your strongholds shall be like fig trees with the first ripe figs; when they are ripe, they fall into the mouth of the eater.
Good News Translation
All your fortresses will be like fig trees with ripe figs: shake the trees, and the fruit falls right into your mouth!
Lexham English Bible
All of your fortifications are like fig trees with ripe firstfruits— if they are shaken, they will fall into the mouth of the eater.
Literal Translation
All your fortresses are fig trees with the firstfruits; if they are shaken, then they shall fall on the mouth of the eater.
American Standard Version
All thy fortresses shall be like fig-trees with the first-ripe figs: if they be shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater.
Bible in Basic English
All your walled places will be like fig-trees and your people like the first figs, falling at a shake into the mouth which is open for them.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
All thy fortresses shall be like fig-trees with the first-ripe figs: if they be shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
All thy strong aydes [are as] figge trees with the first ripe figges: if they be stirred, they fal into the mouth of the eater.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
All thy strong-holds are as fig-trees having watchers: if they be shaken, they shall fall into the mouth of the eater.
English Revised Version
All thy fortresses shall be like fig trees with the firstripe figs: if they be shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater.
World English Bible
All your fortresses will be like fig trees with the first-ripe figs: if they are shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Al thi strengthis as a fige tree, with hise figis vnripe; if thei schulen be schakun, thei schulen falle in to the mouth of the etere.
Update Bible Version
All your fortresses shall be [like] fig-trees with the first-ripe figs: if they are shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater.
Webster's Bible Translation
All thy strong holds [shall be like] fig-trees with the first ripe figs: if they be shaken, they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater.
New English Translation
All your fortifications will be like fig trees with first-ripe fruit: If they are shaken, their figs will fall into the mouth of the eater!
New King James Version
All your strongholds are fig trees with ripened figs: If they are shaken, They fall into the mouth of the eater.
New Living Translation
All your fortresses will fall. They will be devoured like the ripe figs that fall into the mouths of those who shake the trees.
New Life Bible
All your strong towers are like fig trees with first-fruits. When they are shaken, they fall into the mouth of the one who eats them.
New Revised Standard
All your fortresses are like fig trees with first-ripe figs— if shaken they fall into the mouth of the eater.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
All thy fortresses, shall be fig-trees with first-ripe figs: if thy be shaken, then shall the fruit fall on the mouth of the eater.
Douay-Rheims Bible
All thy strong holds shall be like fig trees with their green figs: if they be shaken, they shall fall into the mouth of the eater.
Revised Standard Version
All your fortresses are like fig trees with first-ripe figs--if shaken they fall into the mouth of the eater.
Young's Literal Translation
All thy fortresses [are] fig-trees with first-fruits, If they are shaken, They have fallen into the mouth of the eater.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
All thy stronge cities shal be like fyge trees wt rype fyges: which whe a ma shaketh, they fall in to the mouth of the eater.

Contextual Overview

8 Are you any better than No-Amon, located among the streams of the Nile, with water all around her, the flood her wall of defense? 9 Ethiopia and Egypt gave her boundless strength, Put and Luvim were there to help you. 10 Still she went captive into exile, her infants torn to pieces at every streetcorner. Lots were drawn for her nobles, and all her great men were bound in chains. 11 You too, [Ninveh,] will be drunk; your senses completely overcome. You too will seek a refuge from the enemy. 12 All your fortifications will be like fig trees with early ripening figs; the moment they are shaken, they fall into the mouth of the eater. 13 Look at your troops! They behave like women! Your country's gates are wide open to your foes; fire has consumed their bars. 14 Draw water for the siege! Strengthen your fortifications! Go down in the clay, tread the mortar, Take hold of the mold for bricks! 15 There the fire will burn you up; and the sword will cut you down; it will devour you like grasshoppers. Make yourselves as many as grasshoppers, Make yourselves as many as locusts! 16 You had more merchants than stars in the sky. The locust sheds its skin and flies away. 17 Your guards are like grasshoppers, your marshals like swarms of locusts, which settle on the walls on a cold day, but when the sun rises they fly away; they vanish to no one knows where.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Habakkuk 1:10, Revelation 6:13

Reciprocal: Isaiah 25:2 - For Isaiah 28:4 - the hasty Isaiah 30:25 - when Hosea 10:14 - and all Nahum 2:13 - I will cut

Cross-References

Genesis 2:18
Adonai , God, said, "It isn't good that the person should be alone. I will make for him a companion suitable for helping him."
Genesis 2:20
(S: iii) So the person gave names to all the livestock, to the birds in the air and to every wild animal. But for Adam there was not found a companion suitable for helping him.
Genesis 2:22
The rib which Adonai , God, had taken from the person, he made a woman-person; and he brought her to the man-person.
Genesis 3:13
Adonai , God, said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman answered, "The serpent tricked me, so I ate."
Genesis 3:15
I will put animosity between you and the woman, and between your descendant and her descendant; he will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel."
Genesis 3:20
The man called his wife Havah [life], because she was the mother of all living.
Genesis 3:21
Adonai , God, made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.
Genesis 3:24
So he drove the man out, and he placed at the east of the garden of ‘Eden the k'ruvim and a flaming sword which turned in every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.
Job 31:33
"If I concealed my sins, as most people do, by hiding my wrongdoing in my heart,
Proverbs 19:3
A person's own folly is what ruins his way, but he rages in his heart against Adonai .

Gill's Notes on the Bible

All thy strong holds [shall be like] fig trees with the first ripe figs,.... Upon them, or like them: "and the first ripe figs"; which are easily shook and gathered; and so easily should the fortresses and towers of Nineveh, in which they trusted for safety, be taken by the enemy, not only one, but all of them:

if they be shaken, they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater; as such ripe fruit is very desirable, and the mouth of a man is open and ready for them; so if he gives the tree but the least shake, they will fall into his mouth, or about him in great plenty: in like manner, as the fortresses of Nineveh, being of importance, were desirable by the Chaldeans and Medes, and for which they were gaping; so upon the least assault they would fall into their hands; see Revelation 6:13.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

All thy strong-holds shall be like fig trees, with the first ripe figs - Hanging from them; eagerly sought after , to be consumed. Being ripe, they are ready to fall at once; “if they be shaken;” it needs but the tremulous motion, as when trees wave in the wind, “they shall even fall into the mouth of the eater,” not costing even the slight pains of picking them from the ground . So easy is their destruction on the part of God, though it cost more pains to the Babylonians. At the end of the world it shall be yet more fulfilled Revelation 6:13, for then God will use no human instrument, but put forth only His own Almightiness; and all strong-holds of man’s pride, moral or spiritual, shall, of themselves, melt away.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Nahum 3:12. Thy strong holds — The effects of the consternation into which the Ninevites were cast by the assault on their city are here pointed out by a very expressive metaphor; the first-ripe figs, when at full maturity, fell from the tree with the least shake; and so, at the first shake or consternation, all the fortresses of Nineveh were abandoned; and the king, in despair, burnt himself and household in his own palace.


 
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