Verse:
Nahum 1:15
Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings (gospel / basar), that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.
Commentary by Adam Clarke
Behold upon the mountains Source
Borrowed probably from Isaiah 52:7, but applied here to the messengers who brought the good tidings of the destruction of Nineveh. Judah might then keep her solemn feasts, for the wicked Assyrian should pass through the land no more; being entirely cut off, and the imperial city razed to its foundations.
Isaiah 52:7
7 How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
"Your God reigns!"
Commentary by Coffman
Behold, upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! Keep thy feasts, O Judah, perform thy vows; for the wicked one shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off.
Keep thy feasts, perform thy vows
This verse is similar to Isa. 52:7 and is definitely Messianic, as indicated by "The wicked one shall no more pass through thee." "This is a reference to the "holy Jerusalem" of Joel 3:17 (See in my commentary on the minor prophets, Vol. 1, p. 64). The whole passage looks forward to the "spiritual Israel" yet in the future, in which the good tidings of peace should be proclaimed to all men.
Any good news of the fall of Nineveh would have been loudly proclaimed by those coming over the mountains and approaching Jerusalem; and it is probable that the immediate fulfillment of this prophecy occurred in just such a manner. However, the passage has overtones of something far more wonderful.
"It would serve as a type of the far more glorious spiritual deliverance of God's people from Satan by the Messiah, heralded by ministers of the gospel, Paul himself applying these words thus, "How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad tidings of the good things!" (Romans 10:15)."
Scripture Reference
The cultivation of God's holy and righteous religion was indicated by these commandments. If Israel would really participate in the ultimate deliverance that God will give to his people, let them not seek to do so apart from the sacred commandments God has given. It is the utmost blindness not to see these commandments given here as a form of a synecdoche for ALL that God had commanded his people to perform, both of ceremonial and ethical and moral qualities. To receive these words as an intimation that Nahum had no regard for anything other than the outward ceremonies of the law of Moses is no more than blindness to what is said. Fidelity to the law of God in its most comprehensive and detailed particulars is the thing Nahum commanded. The holy prophets referred to that Law sometimes as doing righteously, and at other times as keeping the feasts and performing the vows; but it is the whole law that is meant in all such abbreviated references to it. One must therefore constantly guard against being misled by critical destroyers of the Word who, in the instance of Amos' stressing moral values, affirm that he repudiated the idea of sacrifice, and, in the instance of Nahum's mentioning the ceremonial requirements, accuse of him of caring nothing for the moral values. Such views are in no sense exegesis of the sacred text, but they are an amazing blindness to what it says and what it clearly means. Source
Isa. 52:7 Joel 3:17
How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
"Your God reigns!"
Romans 10:15
"Then you will know that I, the LORD your God,
dwell in Zion, my holy hill.
Jerusalem will be holy;
never again will foreigners invade her.
And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
Commentary by Jamieson, Fausset, Brown
This verse is joined in the Hebrew text to the second chapter. It is nearly the same as Isa 52:7, referring to the similar deliverance from Babylon. him that bringeth good tidings
Isa 52:7
How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
"Your God reigns!"perform thy vows
--announcing the overthrow of Sennacherib and deliverance of Jerusalem. The "mountains" are those round Jerusalem, on which Sennacherib's host had so lately encamped, preventing Judah from keeping her "feasts," but on which messengers now speed to Jerusalem, publishing his overthrow with a loud voice where lately they durst not have opened their mouths. A type of the far more glorious spiritual deliverance of God's people from Satan by Messiah, heralded by ministers of the Gospel (Ro 10:15).
Ro 10:15
And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" the wicked
--which thou didst promise if God would deliver thee from the Assyrian. Source
--literally, "Belial"; the same as the "counsellor of Belial" (Na 1:11, Margin); namely, Sennacherib.
Na 1:11
From you, O Nineveh , has one come forth
who plots evil against the LORD
and counsels wickedness.
Commentary by John Gill
Nahum 1:15 Source
Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings;
Of the land of Israel, as the Targum; or those about Jerusalem: that publisheth peace;
see how they come one after another with the news of the havoc and slaughter made in the army of Sennacherib by an angel in one night; of his flight, and of the dealt, of him by the hands of his two sons; and, after that, of the destruction of Nineveh, and of the whole Assyrian empire; all which were good tidings to the Jews, to whom the Assyrians were implacable enemies, and whose power the Jews dreaded; and therefore it must be good news to them to hear of their defeat and ruin, and the messengers that brought it must be welcome to them: O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts;
to the Jewish nation, who might from hence hope for peaceable and prosperous times: like expressions with these are used in (Isaiah 52:7) on account of the return of the Jews from the Babylonish captivity; and are applied by the apostle to Gospel times and Gospel preachers, (Romans 10:15) as these may also, and express the good tidings of victory obtained by Christ over sin, Satan, the world, hell and death; and of salvation wrought out, and peace made by him; it being usual for the prophets abruptly and at once to rise from temporal to spiritual and eternal things, particularly to what concern the Messiah, and the Gospel dispensation;
Isaiah 52:7 Romans 10:15
How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
"Your God reigns!"
And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" perform thy vows;
of the passover, pentecost, and tabernacles; which had been interrupted or omitted through the invasion of the land, and the siege of Jerusalem, by the enemy; but now, he being gone and slain, they had full liberty, and were at leisure to attend these solemnities: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off;
which they had made when in distress, when the enemy was in their land, and before their city; promising what they would do, if it pleased God to deliver them out of his hands, and now they were delivered; and therefore it was incumbent on them to make good their promises, and especially to offer up their thanksgivings to God for such a mercy; see (Psalms 50:14) (66:13,14) (Ecclesiastes 5:4,5) :
Psalms 50:14 Psalms 66:13,14
Sacrifice thank offerings to God,
fulfill your vows to the Most High,Ecclesiastes 5:4,5
I will come to your temple with burnt offerings
and fulfill my vows to you-
vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke
when I was in trouble.
When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.
It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.
or Belial, the counsellor of Belial, as in (Nahum 1:11) the king of Assyria; who, though he had passed through their land, had invaded it, and made devastation in it, should do so no more; being dead, cut off in a judicial way, through the just judgment of God, suffering his sons to take away his life while in the midst of his idolatrous worship; and this may reach, not only to him, and his seed after him, being wholly cut off, but to the whole Assyrian empire, who should none of them ever give any further trouble to Judah.
Nahum 1:11
From you, O Nineveh , has one come forth
who plots evil against the LORD
and counsels wickedness.
Commentary by John Wesley
Verse 15 Source
Keep Thy vows
- Be careful to serve God. The wicked
- Made in thy distress.
- That wicked oppressor, Sennacherib.
Commentary by Matthew Henry
2. The enemy shall be so weakened and dispirited that they shall never make any such attempt again, and the end of this trouble shall be so well gained by the grace of God that there shall be no more occasion for such a severe correction. 3. The tidings of this great deliverance shall be published and welcomed with abundance of joy throughout the kingdom, Nahum 1:15. While Sennacherib prevailed, and carried all before him, every day brought bad news; but now, behold, upon the mountains, the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, the feet of the evangelist; he is seen coming at a distance upon the mountains, as fast as his feet will carry him; and how pleasant a sight is it once more to see a messenger of peace, after we have received so many of Job's messengers! We find these words made use of by another prophet to illustrate the mercy of the deliverance of the people of God out of Babylon (Isaiah 52:7), not that the prophets stole the word one from another (as those did, Jeremiah 23:30), but speaking by the same Spirit, they often used the same expressions; and it may be of good use for ministers to testify their consent to wholesome truths (1 Timothy 6:3) by concurring in the same forms of sound words, 2 Timothy 1:13. These words are also quoted by the apostle, both from Isaiah and Nahum, and applied to the great redemption wrought out for us by our Lord Jesus, and the publishing of it to the world by the everlasting gospel, Romans 10:15.
(1.) God will not again afflict Jerusalem; his anger is turned away, and he says, It is enough; for he has by this fright accomplished his whole work upon Mount Zion (Isaiah 10:12), and therefore "though I have afflicted thee, I will afflict thee no more;" the bitter portion shall not be repeated unless there be need and the patient's case call for it; for God doth not afflict willingly. (2.) The enemy shall not dare again to attack Jerusalem (Nahum 1:15): The wicked shall no more pass through thee as they have done, to lay all waste, for he is utterly cut off and disabled to do it. His army is cut off, his spirit cut off, and at length he himself is cut off.
Isaiah 10:12
When the Lord has finished all his work against Mount Zion and Jerusalem, he will say, "I will punish the king of Assyria for the willful pride of his heart and the haughty look in his eyes.
Nahum 1:15
Look, there on the mountains,
the feet of one who brings good news,
who proclaims peace!
Celebrate your festivals, O Judah,
and fulfill your vows.
No more will the wicked invade you;
they will be completely destroyed.Christ's ministers are those messengers of good tidings, that preach peace by Jesus Christ. How beautiful are the feet of those messengers! How welcome their message to those that see their misery and danger by reason of sin! And observe, He that brings these good tidings brings with them a call to Judah to keep her solemn feasts and perform her vows. During the trouble,
Isaiah 52:7 Jeremiah 23:30
How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
"Your God reigns!"1 Timothy 6:3-5
"Therefore," declares the LORD , "I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me. 2 Timothy 1:13
3 If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching,
4 he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions
5 and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.Romans 10:15
13 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.
15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!" Source
(1.) The ordinary feasts had been intermitted. Inter arma silent leges--The voice of law cannot be heard amidst the shouts of battle. While Jerusalem was encompassed with armies they could not go thither to worship; but now that the embargo is taken off they must return to the observance of their feasts; and the feasts of the Lord will be doubly sweet to the people of God when they have been for some time deprived of the benefit of them and God graciously restores them their opportunities again, for we are taught the worth of such mercies by the want of them.
(2.) They had made vows to God, that, if he would deliver them out of this distress, they would do something extraordinary in his service, to his honour; and now that the deliverance is wrought they are called upon to perform their vows; the promise they had then made must now be made good, for better it is not to vow than to vow and not to pay. And those words, The wicked shall no more pass through thee, may be taken as a promise of the perfecting of the good work of reformation which Hezekiah had begun; the wicked shall not, as they have done, walk on every side, but they shall be cut off, and the baffling of the attempts from the wicked enemies abroad is a mercy indeed to a nation when it is accompanied with the restraint and reformation of the wicked at home, who are its more dangerous enemies.
About Commentary Authors
Prepared by William C. Barman for George Young Memorial United Methodist Church -- Palm Harbor, FL on 9/2/03; 8:30:29 AM