Nahum 3:17

“Your guards are like the locust, and your officials like a swarm of grasshoppers that camp in the walls on a day of cold; the sun rises, and they flee, and their place is not known; where are they?”

Nahum 3:17 · direct translation from the Hebrew
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With the Hebrew beneath

17

Nahum 3:17, word by word

Your guardsמִנְּזָרַיִminzarayi

guard, official

A guard or prince; a word of foreign origin whose exact sense is not certain.

Where else “minzarayi” appears
are like the locustאַרְבֶּהarbe

locust

Locust: an insect that comes in huge swarms and devours everything green.

Where else “arbe” appears
and your officialsטַפְסְרַיִtafsrayi

officer

Officer, military commander.

Where else “tafsrayi” appears
like a swarm of grasshoppersגוֹבgov

locust

A locust, a swarm of locusts.

Where else “gov” appears
that campחוֹנִיםchonim

encamp

To pitch tents and stay, or besiege a city.

Where else “chonim” appears
in the wallsגְּדֵרוֹתgederot

wall

A stone wall that encloses and protects a place.

Where else “gederot” appears
on a dayיוֹםyom

day

The day, the hours of light, or a whole day.

Where else “yom” appears
of coldקָרָהkara

cold

Cold.

Where else “kara” appears
the sunשֶׁמֶשׁshemesh

sun

The star that gives light and heat by day and marks the day and the year; "under the sun" means in this world.

Where else “shemesh” appears
risesזָרְחָהzarcha

rise, shine

Rise (of the sun); shine, dawn.

Where else “zarcha” appears
and they fleeנוֹדַדnodad

flee

To go far away, or flap wings.

Where else “nodad” appears
and their placeמְקוֹמmekom

place

A place, a spot.

Where else “mekom” appears
knownנוֹדַעnoda

know

To know something, realize.

Where else “noda” appears

Translation note

“Guards” and “officials”: words of foreign origin, of sense not entirely certain.

The context

16You have multiplied your traders more than the stars of the heavens; the young locust strips off and flies away.

17 · This verse (above)

18Your shepherds slumber, king of Assyria; your nobles rest; your people are scattered on the mountains, and there is no one to assemble them.

Read all of Nahum 3

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