Bible Strands
Nahum 1:2
The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging and full of wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on His foes and reserves wrath for His enemies.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Nahum the Elkoshite delivers a prophetic burden against Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. The verse opens the oracle as a declaration of divine character before any specific threat is named.
The words — נֹקֵם (nōqēm), "avenging," appears twice as an active participle, making vengeance not a one-time act but a defining attribute of God. It is paired with קַנּוֹא (qannō'), "jealous," which elsewhere is bound to the divine name itself.
The thread — The "jealous God" formula recurs in Exodus 20:5 and 34:14, where it guards the first commandment, and in Zechariah 8:2, where jealousy is directed toward Zion. Nahum applies the same attribute to the nation that has defied God's people.
Why it lands — The verse removes any assumption that God's patience is indifference. It forces the reader to hold two truths at once: the God who is slow to anger (v. 3) is also the God who will not leave the guilty unpunished.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
God is jealous, and the Lord revengeth; the Lord revengeth, and is furious; the Lord will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.
Cross-references
- Exodus 20:5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
- Zechariah 8:2 This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “I am jealous for Zion with great zeal; I am jealous for her with great fervor.”
- Exodus 34:14 For you must not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.
- Psalms 94:1 O LORD, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth.
- Deuteronomy 4:24 For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
- Deuteronomy 32:41 when I sharpen My flashing sword, and My hand grasps it in judgment, I will take vengeance on My adversaries and repay those who hate Me.
- Joshua 24:19 But Joshua said to the people, “You are not able to serve the LORD, for He is a holy God; He is a jealous God; He will not forgive your rebellion or your sins.
- Isaiah 42:13 The LORD goes forth like a mighty one; He stirs up His zeal like a warrior. He shouts; yes, He roars in triumph over His enemies:
- Ezekiel 39:25 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: Now I will restore Jacob from captivity and will have compassion on the whole house of Israel, and I will be jealous for My holy name.
- Joel 2:18 Then the LORD became jealous for His land, and He spared His people.