Nahum 1:3

The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. His path is in the whirlwind and storm, and clouds are the dust beneath His feet.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Nahum delivers an oracle of judgment against Nineveh, capital of Assyria. The verse sits between two declarations of God's wrath (v. 2) and His power over nature (v. 4), framing the coming destruction as both certain and sovereign.

The words — נָקָה (nāqāh, H5352) means "to clear, acquit, leave unpunished"; the verse states God will not nāqāh the guilty, using the language of a courtroom verdict.

The thread — This is a verbatim echo of Exodus 34:6–7, where God declares Himself "slow to anger… and will by no means clear the guilty." Psalm 147:5 echoes the "great in power" phrase.

Why it lands — The verse removes two escapes: God's patience is not indifference, and His judgment is not arbitrary. A reader facing judgment has no ground to plead that God has forgotten or that He is merely being slow.

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

יְהֹוָ֗הYah.wehYahweh אֶ֤רֶךְ'E.rekh[is] long of אַפַּ֙יִם֙'a.Pa.yimanger<s>וּגְדָלu./ge.dol-and/ great of כֹּ֔חַKo.achpower וְנַקֵּ֖הve./na.Kehand/ certainly <to leave unpunished>לֹ֣אlo'not יְנַקֶּ֑הye.na.Kehhe will leave unpunished יְהוָ֗הYah.wehYahweh בְּסוּפָ֤הbe./su.Fah[is] in/ storm-wind וּבִשְׂעָרָה֙u./vi/s.'a.Rahand/ in/ storm דַּרְכּ֔וֹdar.K/oway/ his וְעָנָ֖ןve./'a.Nanand/ [is] cloud אֲבַ֥ק'a.Vak[the] dust of רַגְלָֽיו׃rag.La/vfeet/ his

King James Version

The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

Cross-references

Exodus 34:6 Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness,
Psalms 147:5 Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit.
Nehemiah 9:17 They refused to listen and failed to remember the wonders You performed among them. They stiffened their necks and appointed a leader to return them to their bondage in Egypt. But You are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in loving devotion, and You did not forsake them.
Psalms 103:8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion.
Psalms 104:3 laying the beams of His chambers in the waters above, making the clouds His chariot, walking on the wings of the wind.
Psalms 145:8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion.
Psalms 97:2 Clouds and darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are His throne’s foundation.
James 1:19 My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,
1 Kings 19:11 Then the LORD said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD. Behold, the LORD is about to pass by.” And a great and mighty wind tore into the mountains and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
Job 9:4 God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has resisted Him and prospered?