Nahum 3:5
“Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →The Lord of hosts again declares Himself against Nineveh, vowing to expose her shame openly before all the nations.
What Does Nahum 3:5 Mean?
Once more the dreadful word sounds: Behold, I am against thee, says the Lord of hosts. Continuing the image of the harlot, God declares He will lift her skirts over her face and show the nations her nakedness, exposing to public view the shame she had hidden behind her splendor. In the ancient world this was the language of total disgrace, the stripping away of every pretense. The empire that paraded its glory before the world will be displayed in its true degradation.
The exposure fits the crime. Nineveh used hidden treachery and seductive deceit to ruin others; now what was concealed is laid bare before the very nations it deceived. There is a sober principle here that runs through all Scripture: what is done in secret is finally brought to light, and the masks of the powerful do not last. Yet the same truth that terrifies the unrepentant is mercy to the honest, for God who exposes hidden evil also covers the shame of those who turn to Him. Against the oppressor, I am against thee; for the trusting, He is the strong refuge still.