Bible Strands
Nahum 3:1
Woe to the city of blood, full of lies, full of plunder, never without prey.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The prophet pronounces a judgment oracle against a specific enemy city, with the immediate context of Nahum 3:2 providing the auditory backdrop of approaching war chariots and galloping horses.
The words — ה֖וֹי (Ho) functions as a formal declaration of "woe to!" while דָּמִ֑ים (da.Mim) literally translates to "bloods," directly naming the city's violent nature.
The thread — This pattern of divine judgment against violent rulership runs through Habakkuk 2:12 and Zephaniah 3:1, while Ezekiel 22:2 confronts a "city of bloodshed" using a direct address and rhetorical questions rather than a woe formula.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to acknowledge that a society built on systematic violence and deception operates under inevitable accountability, leaving no room for the illusion of lasting impunity.
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
Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;
Cross-references
- Habakkuk 2:12 Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed and establishes a town by iniquity!
- Zephaniah 3:1 Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled!
- Ezekiel 22:2 “As for you, son of man, will you judge her? Will you pass judgment on the city of bloodshed? Then confront her with all her abominations
- Ezekiel 24:6 Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Woe to the city of bloodshed, to the pot now rusted, whose rust will not come off! Empty it piece by piece; cast no lots for its contents.
- Hosea 4:2 Cursing and lying, murder and stealing, and adultery are rampant; one act of bloodshed follows another.
- Nahum 2:12 The lion mauled enough for its cubs and strangled prey for the lioness. It filled its dens with the kill, and its lairs with mauled prey.
- Isaiah 17:14 In the evening, there is sudden terror! Before morning, they are no more! This is the portion of those who loot us and the lot of those who plunder us.
- Isaiah 42:24 Who gave Jacob up for spoil, and Israel to the plunderers? Was it not the LORD, against whom we have sinned? They were unwilling to walk in His ways, and they would not obey His law.
- Isaiah 24:9 They no longer sing and drink wine; strong drink is bitter to those who consume it.