Nahum warns that despite preparations, “fire will devour you” and “the sword will cut you off.” The line appears in a section that mocks Nineveh’s attempts to strengthen defenses before certain destruction (Nahum 3:14–15).
In Nahum 3:14–15, Nineveh is told to prepare urgently for an approaching siege: stock water, reinforce defenses, and produce bricks for repairs. The commands sound busy and practical, but the next lines overturn any hope that such work will save the city. The place where they prepare will become the place of ruin—fire and sword will destroy. These verses sit inside Nahum’s closing portrayal of Nineveh’s collapse (Nahum 3:8–19). The chapter moves from comparing Nineveh to other fallen cities to directly addressing Nineveh with sharp, vivid speech.
Nahum 3:14–15 addresses Nineveh as a city about to be besieged. The language is concrete and practical: store water, reinforce defenses, and produce building materials for urgent repairs.
A common mistake is to turn the wording into a slogan. The better reading keeps the phrase tied to the passage, the speaker, and the problem the book is addressing.
Start with Nahum 3:14-15, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
14Draw water for the siege. Strengthen your fortresses. Go into the clay, and tread the mortar. Make the brick kiln strong.
15There the fire will devour you. The sword will cut you off. It will devour you like the grasshopper. Multiply like grasshoppers. Multiply like the locust.