The proclamation of woe to the city of blood, devoid of truth and rife with deception and plunder, underscores the pervasive cruelty of its might. The sounds of a merciless sword and relentless power echo continuously, reflective of the chaotic movement of a wheel, similar to the neighing of horses and the rush of chariots; ‘sound’ implies a noise that encompasses all these elements. The Hebrew text vividly portrays the army gearing up for battle, its imagery so potent that my words seem inadequate. When it mentions, ‘and of heavy fall, and there shall be no end of corpses,’ it refers to the adversaries they have slain. The phrase ‘fall on their bodies’ can be interpreted in two ways: either they will collapse due to their sheer numbers as they jostle against one another, or ‘they shall fall on the corpses of the slain,’ since αὐτῶν can denote both ‘their own’ and ‘theirs.’
This multiplicity arises from the lewd woman’s fornication, who has mingled with many nations and embraced the idols of the world that she has brought under her domination. Phrases such as ‘beautiful, charming, and using enchantments’ point towards the Magi. She has traded nations through her whoredoms and families through her spells, illustrating her dominion over all peoples. This, while applicable to Nineveh in a straightforward sense, may also lead us to reflect on the world, which lies in wickedness (1 John 5:19), as a blood-stained city characterized by the widespread infliction of harm, where many wield their tongues as weapons of destruction. Thus, the city is engulfed in deceit, implying a prevalence of false teachings and a dearth of the Word of God, contributing to a hostile environment where true understanding is scarce: ‘there is one that understandeth or seeketh after God: all are turned aside, together with the unregenerate; there is none that doeth good, not even one’ (Psalm 13:2-3). Though this condition is partly true now, it will culminate at the end when ‘because of the multiplication of iniquity, love shall grow cold in many’ (Matt. 24:12).
Regardless of how numerous the captives might be under the formidable Nimrod, the cruel hunter who defiantly opposed God and ensnared many, those trapped are not many. For he has to his side many accomplices, jubilant in their entrapment. The world echoes with signs of affliction as ‘many afflictions to the righteous’ (Psalm 33:20), with those suffering testifying through mournful cries amid attacks from demons, bursts of rage, and bondage to lust, hatred, envy, and pride—the relentless scourge of the Assyrian king resounds among them.
We observe the scourge of illnesses as a manifestation of the devil, from which it is affirmed to the righteous, ‘the scourge shall not come near thy tabernacle’ (Psalm 90). Witnessing individuals afflicted by the king’s ailments, others suffering from fluid retention and drastic bodily changes, as well as others battling despair due to debilitating conditions, we bear witness to the turmoil reflecting Nineveh’s afflictions, though some attribute them to tainted air or dietary issues. For those acquainted with the accounts of healing, like the fever prohibition (Luke 4) and the liberation of a woman bound by the devil (Luke 13), these afflictions can be recognized as echoes of Nineveh’s suffering.
The passage goes on to describe ‘the sound of moving wheels,’ symbolizing how humanity is pulled in many directions, uncertain of its path toward destruction or salvation. This imagery is seen in Ezekiel's vision and in the seventy-sixth psalm, which states: ‘the voice of Thy thunder in the wheel’ (Psalm 76:19). Nineveh also has its prowling beast, whose thunderous hoofbeats and fervent demeanor convey a constant craving for battle, as the Lord proclaims against the adversary: ‘from afar ... (Job 39:25) does not spare those who flee, nor allow those who turn back to go, but pursues to overthrow, to kill, to trample, to crush.’
There's a portrayal of a chariot racing by, reminiscent of Pharaoh's, which the Lord submerged (Ex. 14). This chariot is pulled by four horses, representing passions of which philosophers have spoken, reflecting fear, sorrow, and fleeting joy. By these means, Nineveh casts all into disarray. The sounds of a valiant rider are also present, prepared for battle, yet facing danger against his opponent. This rider wields the sword of divine truth, honed through reason and adorned with rhetorical finesse; his weapon shines, for the adversary appears as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11), presenting a glaring contrast to the Apostle’s full armor (Eph. 6).
It is no surprise that Nineveh bears many wounds, given its arsenal of arrows. While we rely on the four shields of virtue—prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude—our foe retaliates with the four vices: folly, injustice, unkindness, and fear. Each of these has branches and various arrows causing wounds that require immediate healing; otherwise, a dire fall ensues. May there be as many who fall easily in Nineveh as there are who are cast down into the abyss due to the weight of their transgressions.
The multitude of nations in Nineveh reflects her boundless iniquity, as her sins proliferate. Many are those weakened bodily by the sheer number of their immoral acts. This can be understood not just as a reference to those who suffer physical debilitation due to carnal indulgences but more so regarding the nations that stumble over their literal bodies, collapsing over the fallen swept away by rampant sexual immorality. The translation of the Hebrew indicates, ‘because of the multiplicity of the lewd woman’s fornication.’ The Septuagint interpreters remark differently; they establish that the phrase begins with ‘because of the multitude of fornication,’ rounding out that thought before introducing a new sentence that declares her as ‘the lewd woman, beautiful and charming, the chief of enchantments.’
It is understandable why Nineveh is labeled as the most charming of harlots, given the multitude seduced by her allure, as many have yielded to her enchanting call. She has commodified nations through her whoredoms, drawing them away from Christ to become ‘members of a harlot’ (1 Cor. 6), trading the tribes through her enchantments. She entices them into loving what they should disdain while prompting them to detest what they ought to cherish; thus, her artifice leads to corruption of virtues, ‘They corrupt the customs of good conversations with evil’ (1 Cor. 15:33). Although the scriptures might embrace enchanters with nuance, declaring, ‘and the enchanter who spells wisely’ (Psalm 57), the charmer who truly captivates uses spells to redirect those enamored by the corrupt charm of Nineveh and help them attain a sound mind.
THEOSIS