Nahum 2:5
“He shall recount his worthies: they shall stumble in their walk; they shall make haste to the wall thereof, and the defence shall be prepared.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Nineveh's commander summons his elite troops, but they stumble in their haste as they rush to defend the wall.
What Does Nahum 2:5 Mean?
The defender, likely Nineveh's king, calls up his nobles, his picked and proven warriors, to meet the assault. But even these elite men stumble as they hurry, tripping over themselves and the debris of battle in their rush to the wall. The mantelet, a protective screen used by attackers or set up by defenders, is made ready. The verse captures the disarray on the wall: frantic effort that fumbles even as it labors.
That the worthies themselves stumble is telling. When God's hand is set against a city, even its finest cannot find their footing. Human excellence falters at the decisive moment, not from lack of skill but because the outcome is no longer in human hands. This is not a comment on the worth of brave soldiers but on the limits of all merely human strength before the purposes of God. The wise reader takes the warning to heart: the only sure footing in the day of trouble is the One who holds His own from stumbling and keeps their feet, the stronghold no wall can replace.