Nahum 1:10Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Douay-RheimsHebrew (Masoretic text)

For as thorns embrace one another: so while they are feasting and drinking together, they shall be consumed as stubble that is fully dry.
Douay-Rheims

כִּ֚י עַד־סִירִ֣ים סְבֻכִ֔ים וּכְסָבְאָ֖ם סְבוּאִ֑ים אֻ֨כְּל֔וּ כְּקַ֥שׁ יָבֵ֖שׁ מָלֵֽא׃
Hebrew (Masoretic text)

The Church Fathers on this verse

3 Church Fathers comment on this verse

Cyrill of Alexandria
Jerome of Stridon
Theodoret of Cyrus

Cyrill of Alexandria

5th centuryChurch Father

Having illustrated through numerous examples that the Creator of all has the ability to accomplish anything effortlessly and that there is truly nothing beyond His capability, the discussion now shifts to Nineveh itself. It is noted that, despite its remarkable grandeur, likened to the mountainous regions rich with trees such as Lebanon and Carmel, and renowned for its large population, not falling short of the fertile land of Bashan, a time would surely arrive when it would be left desolate. This is reflected in the phrase, 'shall be shown to the ground,' which retains a figurative essence reminiscent of mountains, earth, trees, and forests. It is stated that it would be ‘eaten up’ when the Persians and Medes would overrun it, as they took control of Nineveh during Cyrus's reign.

Jerome of Stridon

4th centuryChurch Father

For they will be consumed like dry straw when they are entwined like thorns and partake together at feasts. LXX: Indeed, they shall be transformed into thorns at their very roots, and will be devoured like a twisted bush and dry straw. The prophet references, aside from the good soil yielding fruit thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold, the three different scenarios the Lord illustrated in the parable of the sower—one when the seed fell by the path, another among rocky ground, and a third among thorns (Matt. 13). The apostle similarly notes that among those who fail to build properly on the foundation of Christ, some construct with wood, hay, and straw (1 Cor. 3).

Read more (222 words)

The phrase ‘for to their very foundations they shall be turned into thorns’ pertains to wood; the words ‘they shall be devoured like twisted wool’ relate to hay, while the term straw directly refers to that which is described as ‘and as straw is quite dry.’ The Lord will not administer the same judgment twice, for the wickedness brought forth by the agents of heresy will be uprooted to its foundation and source. Furthermore, one who appeared to possess the allure of eloquence—essentially superficial words that merely please the eye—will be consumed and obliterated entirely, akin to the poya, known in Greek as σμίλαξ. The povoi, a herbaceous plant like ivy that entwines around vines and spreads widely, will also represent that which seems to yield a bountiful harvest yet bears no ears or grains of wheat, and like completely parched straw, it will be burned. This reflects what we conveyed regarding the LXX translation. In accordance with the Hebrew text, the alliances and bonds of heretics are truly like thorns intertwined, their feasts and sacraments, their shared meals and drinks, form a tangle of thorns. For when, having imbibed from the vineyard of Sodom, they blaspheme the Creator with their wild words, is that not a thorny banquet? Yet it will be consumed along with its instigators like completely dry straw.

Theodoret of Cyrus

5th centuryChurch Father

Just as dry straw is easily consumed by flames, and the grass that grows near fences—particularly when entangled with thorny plants that hinder their bloom—eventually withers away, so too will those who seek to dismantle the realms of others find themselves stripped of their own dominions and face death.

Cross references

Passages read together with this verse.