Kapitel-Kommentar
Nahum Kapitel 3
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Englisches Original
This chapter goes on with the burden of Nineveh, and concludes it. I. The sins of that great city are charged upon it, murder (Na 3:1), whoredom and witchcraft (Na 3:4), and a general extent of wickedness, Na 3:19. II. Judgments are here threatened against it, blood for blood (Na 3:2,3), and shame for shameful sins, Na 3:5-7. III. Instances are given of the like desolations brought upon other places for the like sins, Na 3:8-11. IV. The overthrow of all those things which they depended upon, and put confidence in, is foretold, Na 3:12-19.
1-7
The Judgment of Nineveh (710 BC)
繁體中文
尼尼微的審判（主前710年）
¹ 禍哉！這流人血的城！她滿了謊言和強暴，搶奪的事不止息。 ² 鞭聲、車輪轟響之聲、跳躍的馬匹、奔馳的戰車。 ³ 馬兵高舉明亮的刀和閃耀的槍；被殺的人甚多，屍首成了大堆，屍骸無數；他們在自己屍首上絆跌。 ⁴ 都因那美貌的妓女多有淫亂，就是慣行邪術的女主人，藉她的淫亂販賣列國，藉她的邪術販賣萬族。 ⁵ 萬軍之耶和華說：看哪，我與你為敵；我必揭起你的衣襟蒙在你臉上，使列國看見你的赤體，使列邦看見你的醜陋。 ⁶ 我必將可憎的污穢扔在你身上，使你卑賤，將你作為笑柄。 ⁷ 凡看見你的必逃避你，說：尼尼微荒涼了！誰為她哀哭呢？我從何處為你尋找安慰她的人呢？
此處有：一、尼尼微被控告起訴。在此對那大城所列的是極重的罪狀，無論她人數眾多或威儀顯赫，都不能使她免於起訴。1. 她是流人血的城，其中流了許多無辜人的血——或因不義之戰，或藉公義之名行實，或因容讓野蠻的謀殺逍遙法外；為此，公義的神必追討。2. 她滿了謊言；真理已從他們中間被放逐；其中毫無誠實可言；人不知該信誰、該靠誰。3. 她滿了強暴與搶奪；人不以所行的惡為意，也不在乎所害的是誰：搶奪的事不止息，意即他們因搶奪壓迫而得的不義之財永不知足。他們流人血、說謊言，都是為了追逐獵物，使自己致富。4. 城中多有淫亂，即偶像崇拜——屬靈的淫亂——她藉此污穢自己，並誘惑鄰近的列國如同美貌的妓女，又藉她的淫亂販賣列國，使他們傾覆。5. 她是慣行邪術的女主人，並藉此販賣萬族，Na 3:4。尼尼微所圖謀的乃是普世的霸權，要作世界的大都會，使一切鄰舍臣服於她腳下；為此她不但用武力，更用詭計，或脅迫、或迷惑人臣服於她，如妓女以魅力誘哄人將頸項置於她的軛下，使他們以為這將對自己有利。她引誘他們與她一同行偶像之禮，好更牢固地繫於她的利益，又利用她的財富、勢力和偉大吸引人與她結盟，藉此取得對他們的優勢，並利用他們。這就是她的淫亂，如同推羅的淫亂一樣，賽23:15, 17。這就是她的邪術，她藉此不可思議地取得統治權。為此，神要與她爭訟——他既從一本造出萬族的人，本從未定意使一族為暴君之族、另一族為奴隸之族；他更將作普世之君王視為他自己獨有的特權。
二. 尼尼微據此控狀被判毀滅。這流人血的城有禍了！Na 3:1。且看這禍是甚麼。
1. 尼尼微曾以她的殘酷成為他人的驚嚇與毀滅，所以毀滅與驚嚇也必臨到她。那些要傾覆一切阻擋者的人，遲早必遇到對手。(1) 且聽尼尼微將被驚嚇的警報，Na 3:2。這是一支聲勢浩大的軍隊向它推進；你遠遠就可聽見他們——鞭聲，猛力驅趕戰車馬匹的聲音；你可聽見車輪的轟響、跳躍的馬匹、奔馳的戰車；這聲音本身就令人驚懼，但當他們知道這一切兵力正以這般速度攻來、而自己卻無力迎頭抵擋之時，就更覺可怖了。(2) 且看尼尼微將被毀滅的屠殺（Na 3:3），那執行刑罰的刀已拔出，那被高舉的明亮之刀、那閃耀的槍——其耀眼的光芒對那些它們所對準的人極其可畏。且看這些武器受命殺戮之時所造成的殘害：屍首成了大堆，因這地被殺的必多；屍骸無數；被殺的人多到無法一一數算；他們堆積如此之厚，以致行人每一步都幾乎在自己屍首上絆跌。西拿基立大軍的毀滅——他們在一夜之間都成了屍首——也許在此被視為日後尼尼微所將遭遇同樣毀滅的預表；因為那些不肯因遠處的審判受警教的人，必讓審判逼近。
2. 尼尼微曾以她的淫亂與邪術引人陷入可恥的邪惡，所以神必以羞辱與蔑視加諸她身（Na 3:5-7）：萬軍之主與她為敵，於是她必被暴露於極度的恥辱與羞辱之中，不僅失去一切魅力，更顯為極其可憎。當人看見她引誘鄰舍之時其實是要毀壞他們的自由與產業，當她一切邪惡的詭計都被曝光之時，她的醜陋便向列國顯露。當她驕傲的自信受挫，她那絕對而普世統治的虛妄奢望歸於無有，她顯得並不如她所要人想像的那般強大、那般了不起之時，他們便來看地的赤體，而她顯得可笑。於是他們將可憎的污穢扔在她身上，如同對待遊街的娼妓，使她卑賤如同萬物中的渣滓；那座曾受萬國奉迎、為人所渴慕結盟的大城，如今成了笑柄、成了譏誚的對象。那些從前仰望她、投奔她以求保護的人，如今看見她便逃避她，惟恐與她一同傾覆。注意，那些妄用自己尊榮與勢力的人，理當被羞辱、被棄絕；又因他們悲慘，便被視為可鄙，並因此更加悲慘。當尼尼微荒涼之時，誰為她哀哭呢？ 她的患難必甚大，她的感受必甚深，以致無法從同情或任何安慰的念頭中得著紓解；縱使可以，也無人肯行這善舉：我從何處為你尋找安慰她的人呢？ 注意，那些在得勢之日不施憐憫的人，在傾覆之日別指望尋得憐憫。當尼尼微周圍那些被她詭計所欺的人，在她的傾覆中醒悟過來之時，人人都要凌辱她，無人哀憐她。這就是尼尼微被當作奇觀、當作笑柄之時的結局。注意，人在妄用繁榮之日的排場越大，在當受毀滅之日的羞辱也越深。我必使你成為鑒戒——德魯蘇（Drusus）如此譯。注意，當驕傲的罪人被降卑之時，其用意乃是要別人以其為鑒戒，在世事亨通之時不可因安逸放縱而自高。
Englisches Original
The Judgment of Nineveh (710 BC)
¹ Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;
² The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots.
³ The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses:
⁴ Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the well-favoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts.
⁵ Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.
⁶ And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazing-stock.
⁷ And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?
Here is, I. Nineveh arraigned and indicted. It is a high charge that is here drawn up against that great city, and neither her numbers nor her grandeur shall secure her from prosecution. 1. It is a city of blood, in which a great deal of innocent blood is shed by unrighteous war, or under colour and pretence of public justice, or by suffering barbarous murders to go unpunished; for this the righteous God will make inquisition. 2. It is all full of lies; truth is banished from among them; there is no such thing as honesty; one knows not whom to believe nor whom to trust. 3. It is all full of robbery and rapine; no man cares what mischief he does, nor to whom he does it: The prey departs not, that is, they never know when they have got enough by spoil and oppression. They shed blood, and told lies, in pursuit of the prey, that they might enrich themselves. 4. There is a multitude of whoredoms in it, that is, idolatries, spiritual whoredoms, by which she defiled herself, and to which she seduced the neighbouring nations, as a well-favoured harlot, and sold and ruined nations through her whoredoms. 5. She is a mistress of witchcrafts, and by them she sells families, Na 3:4. That which Nineveh aimed at was a universal monarchy, to be the metropolis of the world, and to have all her neighbours under her feet; to compass this, she used not only arms, but arts, compelling some, deluding others, into subjection to her, and wheedling them as a harlot by her charms to lay their necks under her yoke, suggesting to them that it would be for their advantage. She courted them to join with her in her idolatrous rites, to tie them the faster to her interests, and made use of her wealth, power, and greatness, to draw people into alliances with her, by which she gained advantages over them, and made a hand of them. These were her whoredoms, like those of Tyre, Isa 23:15,17. These were her witchcrafts, with which she unaccountably gained dominion. And for this that God has a quarrel with her who, having made of one blood all nations of men, never designed one to be a nation of tyrants and another of slaves, and who claims it as his own prerogative to be universal Monarch.
II. Nineveh condemned to ruin upon this indictment. Woe to this bloody city! Na 3:1. See what this woe is.
1. Nineveh had with her cruelties been a terror and destruction to others, and therefore destruction and terror shall be brought upon her. Those that are for overthrowing all that come in their way will, sooner or later, meet with their match. (1.) Hear the alarm with which Nineveh shall be terrified, Na 3:2. It is a formidable army that advances against it; you may hear them at a distance, the noise of the whip, driving the chariot-horses with fury; you may hear the noise of the rattling of the wheels, the prancing horses, and the jumping chariots; the very noise is frightful, but much more so when they know that all this force is coming with all this speed against them, and they are not able to make head against it. (2.) See the slaughter with which Nineveh shall be laid waste (Na 3:3), the sword drawn with which execution shall be done, the bright sword lifted up and the glittering spear, the dazzling brightness of which is very terrible to those whom they are lifted up against. See what havoc these make when they are commissioned to slay: There is a great number of carcases, for the slain of the land shall be many; there is no end of their corpses; there is such a multitude of slain that it is in vain to go about to take the number of them; they lie so thick that passengers are ready to stumble upon their corpses at every step. The destruction of Sennacherib's army, which, in the morning, were all dead corpses, is perhaps looked upon here as a figure of the like destruction that should afterwards be in Nineveh; for those that will not take warning by judgments at a distance shall have them come nearer.
2. Nineveh had with her whoredoms and witchcrafts drawn others to shameful wickedness, and therefore God will load her with shame and contempt (Na 3:5-7): The Lord of hosts is against her, and then she shall be exposed to the highest degree of disgrace and ignominy, shall not only lose all her charms, but shall be made to appear very odious. When it shall be seen that while she courted her neighbours it was with design to ruin their liberty and property, when all her wicked artifices shall be brought to light, then her shame is discovered to the nations. When her proud pretensions are baffled, and her vain towering hopes of an absolute and universal dominion brought to nought, and she appears not to have been so strong and considerable as she would have been thought to be, then to see the nakedness of the land do they come, and it appears ridiculous. Then do they cast abominable filth upon her, as upon a carted strumpet, and make her vile as the offscouring of all things; that great city, which all nations had made court to and coveted an alliance with, has become a gazing-stock, a laughing stock. Those that formerly looked upon her, and fled to her, in hopes of protection from her, now look upon her and flee from her, for fear of being ruined with her. Note, Those that abuse their honour and interest will justly be disgraced and abandoned, and, because miserable, will be made contemptible, and thereby be made more miserable. When Nineveh is laid waste who will bemoan her? Her trouble will be so great, and her sense of it so deep, as not to admit relief from sympathy, or any comforting considerations; or, if it would, none shall do any such good office: When shall I seek comforters for thee? Note, Those that showed no pity in the day of their power can expect to find no pity in the day of their fall. When those about Nineveh, that had been deceived by her wiles, come to be undeceived in her ruin, every one shall insult over her, and none bemoan her. This was Nineveh's fate, when she was made a spectacle, or gazing-stock. Note, The greater men's show was in the day of their abused prosperity the greater will their shame be in the day of their deserved destruction. I will make thee an example; so Drusus reads it. Note, When proud sinners are humbled and brought down it is designed that others should take example by them not to lift up themselves in security and insolence when they prosper in the world.
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The Judgment of Nineveh (710 BC)
繁體中文
尼尼微的審判（主前710年）
⁸ 你豈比挪亞們強呢？挪亞們坐落在眾河之間，周圍有水，她的屏障是海，她的牆來自海。 ⁹ 古實和埃及是她的力量，並且無窮無盡；弗和路比人是她的幫助。 ¹⁰ 但她仍被擄去，她被擄到異邦；她的嬰孩在各街口被摔碎；人為她的尊貴人拈鬮，她所有的大人都被鎖鏈捆鎖。 ¹¹ 你也必如此沉醉；你也必隱藏；你也必因仇敵的緣故尋求力量。 ¹² 你一切的保障必如同無花果樹上初熟的無花果；若被搖撼，就落在想吃之人的口中。 ¹³ 看哪，你中間的民都如婦女；你地的門戶必向仇敵大開；火必吞滅你的門閂。 ¹⁴ 你要為圍攻吸取水，鞏固你的保障；要踹泥和石灰，堅固磚窯。 ¹⁵ 在那裡火必吞滅你；刀必剪除你，如同蝻子吞吃一般；你要使你自己多如蝻子，使你自己多如蝗蟲。 ¹⁶ 你的商人多過天上的星；蝻子剝盡而飛去。 ¹⁷ 你的首領如蝗蟲，你的將軍如大蝗蟲，在寒冷的日子棲息於籬笆上，但太陽一出便飛去，無人知道他們在何處。 ¹⁸ 亞述王啊，你的牧人睡覺了；你的貴冑必安歇於塵土中；你的民散在山上，無人招聚。 ¹⁹ 你的損傷無法醫治；你的傷痕極重；凡聽見你消息的都必因你拍掌；因為你所行的惡，誰未曾時常遭受呢？
尼尼微已被宣告神與她為敵，那時就無人能助她、為她效力了；然而她卻公然藐視神，藐視他的權能與公義，說：我必平安。被警告的人往往活得長久；因此先知在此詳述她所倚賴的种种將如何證實為虛妄，不足以抵擋神的審判。為要使她確信這一點，
一. 先知指出：那些曾與她們一樣堅固、一樣安逸的別處地方，在神的審判面前也站立不住。尼尼微必無人哀憐、無人安慰而傾覆（因為對那些神要將患難加諸其身的人說平安的，必證實是使人愁苦的安慰者），她也不能自救：你豈比挪亞們強呢？ Na 3:8。先知藉引用先例把她們從虛妄的自信中拉回來。此處所提及的城是挪（No）——埃及地的一座大城（Jer 46:25），即挪亞們（No-Ammon），有人在那裡和此處都如此譯。我們在結30:14-16讀到它。有人以為它是底斯波利斯（Diospolis），有人以為是亞歷山大（Alexandria）。正如神對耶路撒冷所說：去，看我在示羅所行的（Jer 7:12），照樣對尼尼微這大城說：去，看我在挪亞們所行的。注意，思想到我們並不強於那些在我們之前已落在那些審判之下的人，有助於使我們對神的審判存聖潔的敬畏。我們一樣配受，一樣無力對抗。這也當幫助我們順服患難。我們豈比這些那樣受同樣對待的人強嗎？不，他們豈不比我們更強、更不容易受苦嗎？如今論到挪，當觀察：1. 她的地位看來何等穩固，Na 3:8。她既有天然、又有人工的防禦，坐落在眾河之間。尼羅河以數條支流不但灌溉她的田地，也護衛她的城牆。她的屏障是海——即馬列奧提斯湖（lake of Mareotis），一片埃及的內海，如同提比哩亞海一般。她的牆來自海；她以一道被認為使該地固若金湯的牆垣護衛。她又因在外的利益與聯盟而得支持，Na 3:9。古實，或亞拉伯，是她的力量——或是藉貿易帶給她的財富，或是藉供應軍事援助的輔助軍隊。全埃及也為這人口眾多的大城提供力量；所以她的力量無窮無盡（也可如此譯）；她對自己的野心不設界限，又對自己的財富與力量不知滿足；人無休止地湧向她，她以為這必永無止境；然而惟獨神才有無限的特權。弗和路比人是你的幫助——非洲的兩個鄰邦，毛里塔尼亞與利比亞（即利比亞的居利尼加），這是埃及極所仰賴的國家。挪如此得助，儼然如王后般坐席，以為不會看見任何災禍。但 2. 看她的傾覆何等致命（Na 3:10）：但她仍被擄去，她的力量在她面前失效了；連她那樣強大、那樣安穩的，也被擄到異邦。這是指該城所遭受的某次當時眾所周知、大概記憶猶新的毀滅，雖未載於史冊；因為若（我們應當按預言來理解）尼布甲尼撒對她的毀滅，就不能作為給尼尼微的鑒戒；因為攻取尼尼微是他最早的勝利之一，而攻取埃及是最晚的勝利之一。那大城的堅固與宏偉不能保護她免受軍事刑罰。(1) 不能保護她免受最野蠻的對待；因為她的嬰孩毫無憐憫可言，被無情的征服者在各街口摔碎。(2) 不能保護她免受最不光彩的屈辱：他們為她的尊貴人拈鬮——那些作了戰俘的，本該作他們的奴隸。他們擁有的這類俘虜如此之多，以致不知如何處置，竟以擲骰子取樂；她所有的大人——那些在隆重場合慣常佩戴金鏈的——如今被鐵鏈捆鎖；他們被反綁或帶上枷鎖（這詞原文正是此意），不但如奴隸，更如定罪的囚犯。這對挪亞們是何等的羞辱——她的尊貴人與大人，原是她的驕傲與倚靠，竟如此受辱！於是先知據此向尼尼微推論（Na 3:11）：你也必沉醉——被弄糊塗；你也必搖晃踉蹌，如同喝了主怒氣之杯的人，那杯要交在你手中（見耶25:17, 27）；你也必跌倒，永不再起。那杯要輪流傳遞，輪到你了，尼尼微啊，終要飲盡，並要對你如疑恨的泉水一般。
二. 先知指出：他們所信賴的一切都必在他們面前失效。1. 尼尼微人是信靠自己剛毅英勇嗎？他們的心必下沉衰殘。他們必隱藏——因羞辱（既已蒙羞）而躲藏，因恐懼（既在患難危險之中）而躲藏，無力面對仇敵；因自己毫無力量、而仇敵又強大可畏，他們必尋求力量，必垂頭喪氣地向鄰舍乞求在急難之時的援助。如此神能割除君王的勇氣，並奪去他們的心。2. 他們是依靠自己的屏障——他們所設那些正規防禦、勇敢駐守的駐軍和堡壘嗎？那些必證實不過是紙糊的牆，如同初熟的無花果——你只要把樹輕輕一搖，它們就落在張口想吃之人的口中；他們一切的保障也必如此輕易地在初次召降之下向推進的仇敵投降，Na 3:12。注意，保障，即使最堅固的，當神的審判奉命而來之時，也不能作為防線。富人的財寶是他的堅城、是他的高牆，但只在他的幻想之中，箴18:10。他們被認定要盡量鞏固自己的保障，並被挑戰要竭盡所能使這些堡壘可守、能抵抗入侵者（Na 3:14）：你要為圍攻吸取水——儲備大量的水，使那維持人類生命所必需的不致缺乏；這裡的水代表各樣糧食，尼尼微被諷刺地吩咐要在預備圍攻之時自行儲備。任你如何費心使自己不被餓死、不被饑荒所迫而投降，那也無濟於事。鞏固保障——為之添設外圍工事，或派人駐守設防；在我們中間則如在城上設炮。要踹泥和石灰，堅固磚窯；任你費盡心力建造新的工事，卻都歸徒然，因為（Na 3:15）若被強攻攻取，在那裡火必吞滅你。戰時巨大的毀滅乃是由火與刀劍造成的。3. 他們是信賴居民的人數嗎？他們因人數眾多、驍勇善戰而被視為最堅固的城牆與堡壘嗎？唉！這些對他們毫無用處；他們反而在自己人數的重壓之下更快傾覆（Na 3:13）：你中間的民都如婦女——他們既無智慧，又無勇氣；他們必如婦女在這般危難之時通常所表現的那樣反覆無常、軟弱怯懦、心驚膽戰；他們必走投無路，因自己想象的力量而加增愁苦恐懼，完全無力為自己作甚麼；勇士必成為懦夫。O verè Phrygiæ, neque enim Phryges——是弗呂家的婦人，而不是弗呂家的男兒。 雖然他們使自己眾多（Na 3:15），如同蝻子與蝗蟲成群而來，雖然你的商人多過天上的星，雖然你的交易之所擠滿了富商——他們既有這麼多錢要保衛、又有這麼多錢可用於防禦的手段，本該——人以為——給仇敵一個熱烈的迎擊，然而他們的心也必衰殘；雖然他們多如毛蟲，火與刀卻必如蝻子吞吃一般輕易、不可抗拒地把他們吞滅，Na 3:15。他們如那些毀滅性的昆蟲一樣眾多，而他們的仇敵也要如那些昆蟲一樣為害。他加上（Na 3:16）：蝻子剝盡，或展開，並飛去。商人和仇敵都被比作蝻子。仇敵要剝盡尼尼微，攜掠物而去，毫無阻擋，也無望追回。或者那些從遠方來定居尼尼微、在那裡發了大財的富商——人原指望他們會為保衛城邑慷慨捐輸，當他們看見鄉間被入侵、城邑將被圍困之時，卻要把財物運走、遷往別處，要展開翅膀飛往安全之地，尼尼微因他們一無所獲。注意，即便是那些與我們同享喜樂的人，也少有願意與我們同擔憂愁的。蝻子在田間還有所獲之時便停留，但一切盡失之時便飛去。那些人從其獲利之處，並不甘心在其上虧損。尼尼微的商人在她患難之日向她訣別。財富本身也如蝻子一般，轉眼之間如鷹向天飛去，箴23:5。4. 他們是信賴他們城門與門閂的堅固嗎？在神審判的威力面前，那能作甚麼防線？Na 3:13。你地的門戶必向仇敵大開——即你河的門戶（Na 2:6），那些水閘，或那些仇敵可藉以進入國境的通道隘口，或那些城邑的城門；這些雖然再堅固、防備再嚴，也不能發揮其作用：火必吞滅你的門閂——你城門的門閂，於是它們便敞開了。5. 他們是信賴他們的君王和首領嗎？他們對自己毫無用處（Na 3:17）：你的首領如蝗蟲——那些有君王之尊榮與權勢的，已經衰殘，當仇敵如洪水湧入之時毫無抵抗之力。你的將軍——那些本該率軍出戰的——誠然偉大，看來也偉大，卻不過如大蝗蟲，即maximum quod sic——該類中最大的標本；說到底不過是蝗蟲——毫無用處之物，毫不能效力。他們在籬笆上、在寒冷的日子、在寒冷的天氣裡歇息，但太陽一出便飛去，無人知道去了何處。如此那些散在尼尼微周圍沉睡的僱傭兵，一旦風聲鶴唳，便紛紛逃命，各自保命。僱工逃走，因為他是僱工。 亞述王被告知——而他竟需要被告知這事，實在可恥（他本可自行觀察）——他的牧人睡覺了；他們對羊群毫無活力、不肯出頭，又極其怠忽職守、辜負所託：你的貴冑必安歇於塵土中，被埋葬於沉默之中。6. 他們是希望自己尚能重振旗鼓、東山再起嗎？在這一點上他們也必失望；因為牧人被擊打之時，羊就分散；百姓散在山上，無人招聚，也永不會自行聚集，卻要如分散的羊一般無止境地流蕩。他們所受的審判如同創傷，且是無法醫治的；對此毫無解救之法，你的損傷無法醫治——你那極其痛苦難忍的傷痕連結痂的可能都沒有；你的處境已無可救藥（Na 3:19），而你的鄰舍非但不肯伸手相助，反要因你拍掌，並在你的傾覆中誇勝；其緣由乃是：因為你曾這樣或那樣地傷害過他們每一個：你所行的惡，誰未曾時常遭受呢？ 你一向對周圍的人行惡；他們無一不被你虐待侮辱；所以非但不哀憐你，反要以為你罪有應得、受到報應而歡喜。注意，那些虐待鄰舍的人，遲早必發現此事歸到己身；他們不過是為自己預備仇敵，等到自己傾覆之日臨到；而那些不敢親手對付他們的人，也必向他們拍掌，並以他們從前的邪惡責備他們——他們如今正是因那邪惡而罪有應得、自食其果。攪擾人的必受攪擾，將是許多人的重擔，正如這裡尼尼微的默示一樣。
Englisches Original
The Judgment of Nineveh (710 BC)
⁸ Art thou better than populous No, that was situate among the rivers, that had the waters round about it, whose rampart was the sea, and her wall was from the sea?
⁹ Ethiopia and Egypt were her strength, and it was infinite; Put and Lubim were thy helpers.
¹⁰ Yet was she carried away, she went into captivity: her young children also were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets: and they cast lots for her honourable men, and all her great men were bound in chains.
¹¹ Thou also shalt be drunken: thou shalt be hid, thou also shalt seek strength because of the enemy.
¹² 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.
¹³ Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars.
¹⁴ Draw thee waters for the siege, fortify thy strong holds: go into clay, and tread the mortar, make strong the brick-kiln.
¹⁵ There shall the fire devour thee; the sword shall cut thee off, it shall eat thee up like the cankerworm: make thyself many as the cankerworm, make thyself many as the locusts.
¹⁶ Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and flieth away.
¹⁷ Thy crowned are as the locusts, and thy captains as the great grasshoppers, which camp in the hedges in the cold day, but when the sun ariseth they flee away, and their place is not known where they are.
¹⁸ Thy shepherds slumber, O king of Assyria: thy nobles shall dwell in the dust: thy people is scattered upon the mountains, and no man gathereth them.
¹⁹ There is no healing of thy bruise; thy wound is grievous: all that hear the bruit of thee shall clap the hands over thee: for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed continually?
Nineveh has been told that God is against her, and then none can be for her, to stand her in any stead; yet she sets God himself at defiance, and his power and justice, and says, I shall have peace. Threatened folks live long; therefore here the prophet largely shows how vain her confidences would prove and insufficient to ward off the judgment of God. To convince them of this,
I. He shows them that other places, which had been as strong and as secure as they, could not keep their ground against the judgments of God. Nineveh shall fall unpitied and uncomforted (for miserable comforters will those prove who speak peace to those on whom God will fasten trouble), and she shall not be able to help herself: Art thou better than populous No? Na 3:8. He takes them off from their vain confidences by quoting precedents. The city mentioned is No, a great city in the land of Egypt (Jer 46:25), No-Ammon, so some read it both there and here. We read of it, Eze 30:14-16. Some think it was Diospolis, others Alexandria. As God said to Jerusalem, Go, see what I did to Shiloh (Jer 7:12), so to Nineveh that great city, Go, see what I did to populous No. Note, It will help to keep us in a holy fear of the judgments of God to consider that we are not better than those that have fallen under those judgments before us. We deserve them as much, and are as little able to grapple with them. This also should help to reconcile us to afflictions. Are we better than such and such, who were in like manner exercised? Nay, were not they better than we, and less likely to be afflicted? Now, concerning No, observe, 1. How firm her standing seemed to be, Na 3:8. She was fortified both by nature and art, was situate among the rivers. Nile, in several branches, not only watered her fields, but guarded her wall. Her rampart was the sea, the lake of Mareotis, an Egyptian sea, like the sea of Tiberias. Her wall was from the sea; it was fenced with a wall which was thought to make the place impregnable. It was also supported by its interests and alliances abroad, Na 3:9. Ethiopia, or Arabia, was her strength, either by the wealth brought to her in a way of trade or by the auxiliary forces furnished for military service. The whole country of Egypt also contributed to the strength of this populous city; so that it was infinite, and there was no end of it (so it might be rendered); She set no bounds to her ambition and knew no end of her wealth and strength; people flocked to her endlessly, and she thought there never would be any end of it; but it is God's prerogative to be infinite. Put and Lubim were thy helpers, two neighbouring countries of Africa, Mauritania and Libya, that is, Libya Cyrenica, a country that Egypt had much dependence upon. No, thus helped, seemed to sit as a queen, and was not likely to see any sorrow. But, 2. See how fatal her fall proved to be (Na 3:10): Yet was she carried away, and her strength failed her; even she that was so strong, so secure, yet went into captivity. This refers to some destruction of that city which was then well-known, and probably fresh in memory, though not recorded in history; for the destruction of it by Nebuchadnezzar (if we should understand this prophetically) could not be made an example to Nineveh; for the reducing of Nineveh was one of the first of his victories and that of Egypt one of the last. The strength and grandeur of that great city could not be its protection from military execution. (1.) Not from that which was most barbarous; for her young children had no compassion shown them, but were dashed in pieces at the top of all the streets by the merciless conquerors. (2.) Not from that which was most inglorious and disgraceful: They cast lots for her honourable men that were made prisoners of war, who should have them for their slaves. So many had they of them that they knew not what to do with them, but they made sport with throwing dice for them; all her great men, that used to be adorned on state-days with chains of gold, were now bound in chains of iron; they were pinioned or handcuffed (so the word properly signifies), not only as slaves, but as condemned malefactors. What a mortification was this to populous No, to have her honourable men and great men, that were her pride and confidence, thus abused! Now hence he infers against Nineveh (Na 3:11), "Thou also shalt be intoxicated, infatuated; thou also shalt reel and stagger, as drunk with the cup of the Lord's fury, that shall be put into thy hand" (see Jer 25:17,27); "Thou shalt fall and rise no more. The cup shall go round, and come to thy turn, O Nineveh! to drink off at last, and shall be to thee as the waters of jealousy."
II. He shows them that all those things which they reposed a confidence in should fail them. 1. Did the men of Nineveh trust to their own magnanimity and bravery? Their hearts should sink and fail them. They shall be hid, shall abscond for shame, being in disgrace, abscond for fear, being in distress and danger, and not able to face the enemies, because of whose strength and terror, having no strength of their own, they shall seek strength, shall come sneaking to their neighbours to beg their assistance in a time of need. Thus God can cut off the spirit of princes, and take away their heart. 2. Did they depend upon their barrier, the garrisons and strongholds they had, which were regularly fortified and bravely manned? Those shall prove but paper-walls, and like the first-ripe figs, which, if you give the tree but a little shake, will fall into the mouth of the eater that gapes for them; so easily will all their strongholds be made to surrender to the advancing enemy, upon the first summons, Na 3:12. Note, Strongholds, even the strongest, are no fence against the judgments of God, when they come with commission. The rich man's wealth is his strong city, and a high wall, but only in his own conceit, Pr 18:10. They are supposed to make their strongholds as strong as possible, and are challenged to do their utmost to make them tenable, and serviceable to them against the invader (Na 3:14): Draw thee water for the siege; lay in great quantities of water, that that which is so necessary to the support of human life may not be wanting; it is put here for all manner of provision, with which Nineveh is ironically told to furnish herself, in expectation of a siege. "Take ever so much care that thou mayest not be starved out, and forced by famine to surrender, yet that shall not avail. Fortify the strongholds, by adding out-works to them, or putting men and arms into them," as with us by planting cannon upon them. "Go into clay, and tread the mortar, and make strong the brick-kiln; take all the pains thou canst in erecting new fortifications; but it shall be all in vain, for (Na 3:15) there shall even the fire devour thee if it be taken by storm." It is by fire and sword that in time of war the great devastations are made. 3. Did they put confidence in the multitude of their inhabitants? Were they, from their number and valour, reckoned their strongest walls and fortifications? Alas! these shall stand them in no stead; they shall but sink the sooner under the weight of their own numbers (Na 3:13): Thy people in the midst of thee are women; they have no wisdom, no courage; they shall be fickle, feeble, and faint-hearted, as women commonly are in such times of danger and distress; they shall be at their wits' end, adding to their griefs and fears by the power of their own imagination, and utterly unable to do any thing for themselves; the valiant men shall become cowards. O verè Phrygiæ, neque enim Phryges—Phrygian dames, not Phrygian men. Though they make themselves many (Na 3:15), as the canker-worm and as the locust, that come in vast swarms, though thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven, though thy exchange be thronged with wealthy traders, who, having so much money to stand up in defence of and so much to lay out in the means of their defence, should, one would think, give the enemy a warm reception, yet their hearts shall fail them too; though they be numerous as caterpillars, yet the fire and sword shall eat them up easily and irresistibly as the canker-worm, Na 3:15. They are as numerous as those wasting insects, but their enemies shall be mischievous like them. He adds (Na 3:16), The canker-worm spoils, or spreads herself, and flies away. Both the merchants and the enemies were compared to canker-worms. The enemies shall spoil Nineveh, and carry away the spoil, without opposition, or any hope of recovering it. Or the rich merchants, who have come from abroad to settle in Nineveh, and have raised vast estates there, out of which it was hoped they would contribute largely for the defence of the city, when they see the country invaded and the city likely to be besieged, will send away their effects, and remove to some other place, will spread their wings and fly away where they may be safe, and Nineveh shall be never the better for them. Note, It is rare to find even those that have shared with us in our joys willing to share with us in our griefs too. The canker-worms will continue upon the field while there is any thing to be had, but they are gone when all is gone. Those that men have got by they do not care to lose by. Nineveh's merchants bid her farewell in her distress. Riches themselves are as the canker-worms, which on a sudden fly away as the eagle towards heaven, Pr 23:5. 4. Did they put a confidence in the strength of their gates and bars? What fence will those be against the force of the judgments of God? Na 3:13. The gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thy enemies, the gates of thy rivers (Na 2:6), the flood-gates, or the passes and avenues, by which the enemy would make his entrance into the country, or the gates of the cities; these, though ever so strong and well-guarded, shall not answer their end: The fire shall devour thy bars, the bars of thy gates, and then they shall fly open. 5. Did they put a confidence in their king and princes? They should do them no service (Na 3:17): Thy crowned heads are as the locusts; those that had pomp and power, as crowned heads, were enfeebled, and had no power to make resistance, when the enemy came in like a flood. "Thy captains, that should lead thy forces into the field, are great indeed, and look great, but they are as the great grasshoppers, the maximum quod sic—the largest specimens of that species; still they are but grasshoppers, worthless things, that can do no service. They encamp in the hedges, in the cold day, the cold weather, but, when the sun arises, they flee away, and are gone, nobody knows whither. So these mercenary soldiers that lay slumbering about Nineveh, when any trouble arises, flee away, and shift for their own safety. The hireling flees, because he is a hireling." The king of Assyria is told, and it is a shame he needs to be told it (who might observe it himself), that his shepherds slumber; they have no life or spirit to appear for the flock, and are very remiss in the discharge of the duty of their place and the trust reposed in them: Thy nobles shall dwell in the dust, and be buried in silence. 6. Did they hope that they should yet recover themselves and rally again? In this also they should be disappointed; for, when the shepherds are smitten, the sheep are scattered; the people are dispersed upon the mountains and no man gathers them, nor will they ever come together of themselves, but will wander endlessly, as scattered sheep do. The judgment they are under is as a wound, and it is incurable; there is no relief for it, "no healing of thy bruise, no possibility that the wound, which is so grievous and painful to thee, should be so much as skinned over; thy case is desperate (Na 3:19) and thy neighbours, instead of lending a hand to help thee, shall clap their hands over thee, and triumph in thy fall; and the reason is, because thou hast been one way or other injurious to them all: Upon whom has not thy wickedness passed continually? Thou hast been always doing mischief to those about thee; there is none of them but what thou hast abused and insulted; and therefore they shall be so far from pitying thee that they shall be glad to see thee reckoned with." Note, Those that have been abusive to their neighbours will, one time or another, find it come home to them; they are but preparing enemies to themselves against their day comes to fall: and those that dare not lay hands on them themselves will clap their hands over them, and upbraid them with their former wickedness, for which they are now well enough served and paid in their own coin. The troublers shall be troubled will be the burden of many, as it is here the burden of Nineveh.
本章繼續論述尼尼微的默示，並為之作結。一、那大城的罪被指控於她：流人血之罪（Na 3:1）、淫亂與邪術（Na 3:4），以及普遍蔓延的邪惡，Na 3:19。二、審判在此向她宣告：以血還血（Na 3:2-3），並以羞辱報應可恥的罪，Na 3:5-7。三、舉出其他地方因類似之罪而遭受同樣荒涼的實例，Na 3:8-11。四、預言他們所倚靠、所信賴的一切盡皆傾覆，Na 3:12-19。