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◄ Nahum 2:12►

New International Version
The lion killed enough for his cubs and strangled the prey for his mate, filling his lairs with the kill and his dens with the prey.

New Living Translation
The lion tore up meat for his cubs and strangled prey for his mate. He filled his den with prey, his caverns with his plunder.

English Standard Version
The lion tore enough for his cubs and strangled prey for his lionesses; he filled his caves with prey and his dens with torn flesh.

Berean Standard Bible
The lion mauled enough for its cubs and strangled prey for the lioness. It filled its dens with the kill, and its lairs with mauled prey.

King James Bible
The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his holes with prey, and his dens with ravin.

New King James Version
The lion tore in pieces enough for his cubs, Killed for his lionesses, Filled his caves with prey, And his dens with flesh.

New American Standard Bible
The lion tore enough for his cubs, Killedenough prey for his lionesses, And filled his lairs with prey And his dens with torn flesh.

NASB 1995
The lion tore enough for his cubs, Killed enough for his lionesses, And filled his lairs with prey And his dens with torn flesh.

NASB 1977
The lion tore enough for his cubs, Killedenough for his lionesses, And filled his lairs with prey And his dens with torn flesh.

Legacy Standard Bible
The lion tore enough for its cubs And strangledenough for its lionesses And filled its lairs with torn up prey And its dens with torn up flesh.

Amplified Bible
The lion [of Assyria] tore enough for his cubs (Assyrian citizens), Killed [enough prey] for his lionesses, And filled his lairs with prey And his dens with torn flesh.

Christian Standard Bible
The lion mauled whatever its cubs needed and strangled prey for its lionesses. It filled up its dens with the kill, and its lairs with mauled prey.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The lion mauled whatever its cubs needed and strangled prey for its lionesses. It filled up its dens with the kill, and its lairs with mauled prey.

American Standard Version
The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his caves with prey, and his dens with ravin.

Contemporary English Version
These are the same lions that ferociously attacked their victims, then dragged away the flesh to feed their young.

English Revised Version
The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his caves with prey, and his dens with ravin.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The lion tore its prey to pieces to feed its cubs. It strangled [the prey] for its mates. It used to fill its caves with torn carcasses and its dens with torn flesh.

Good News Translation
The lion killed his prey and tore it to pieces for his mate and her cubs; he filled his den with torn flesh.

International Standard Version
This lion renders its prey to pieces to feed its whelps, and strangles enough prey for its mate, filling its lairs with prey and its dens with rendered flesh.

NET Bible
The lion tore apart as much prey as his cubs needed and strangled prey to provide food for his lionesses; he filled his lairs with prey and his dens with torn flesh.

New Heart English Bible
The lion tore in pieces enough for his cubs, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his caves with the kill, and his dens with prey.

Webster's Bible Translation
The lion tore in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his holes with prey, and his dens with ravin.

Majority Text Translations

Majority Standard Bible
The lion mauled enough for its cubs and strangled prey for the lioness. It filled its dens with the kill, and its lairs with mauled prey.

World English Bible
The lion tore in pieces enough for his cubs, and strangled prey for his lionesses, and filled his caves with the kill and his dens with prey.

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
The lion is tearing parts [for] his whelps, "" And is strangling for his lionesses, "" And he fills his holes [with] prey, "" And his habitations [with] torn flesh.

Young's Literal Translation
The lion is tearing parts for his whelps, And is strangling for his lionesses, And he doth fill with prey his holes, And his habitations with rapine.

Smith's Literal Translation
The lion tore in pieces the sufficiency of his whelps, and strangling for his lionesses; and his holes shall be filled with the prey, and his dens with that torn in pieces.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
The lion caught enough for his whelps, and killed for his lionesses: and he filled his holes with prey, and his den with rapine.

Catholic Public Domain Version
The lion seized enough for his young, and killed enough for his lionesses, and he filled his caves with prey, and his den with spoils.

New American Bible
The lion tore apart enough for his cubs, and strangled for his lionesses; He filled his lairs with prey, and his dens with torn flesh.

New Revised Standard Version
The lion has torn enough for his whelps and strangled prey for his lionesses; he has filled his caves with prey and his dens with torn flesh.

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
The lion did tear in pieces enough to feed his whelps, and ripped apart for his lionesses, and filled his holes with prey and his dens with pieces of flesh.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
A lion breaks apart enough for the food of his whelps and has killed also for his mates and filled his caves and his dens with prey

OT Translations

JPS Tanakh 1917
The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, And strangled for his lionesses, And filled his caves with prey, And his dens with ravin.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
The lion seized enough prey for his whelps, and strangled for hisyoung lions, and filled his lair with prey, and his dwelling-place with spoil.

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

The Overthrow of Nineveh
…11Where is the lions’ lair or the feeding ground of the young lions, where the lion and lioness prowled with their cubs, with nothing to frighten them away?12The lion mauled enough for its cubs and strangled prey for the lioness.It filled its dens with the kill,and its lairs with mauled prey.13“Behold, I am against you,” declares the LORD of Hosts. “I will send your chariots up in smoke, and the sword will devour your young lions. I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voices of your messengers will no longer be heard.”…

Berean Standard Bible ·Download

Cross References

Ezekiel 19:2-7
and say: ‘What was your mother? A lioness among the lions! She lay down among the young lions; she reared her cubs. / She brought up one of her cubs, and he became a young lion. After learning to tear his prey, he devoured men. / When the nations heard of him, he was trapped in their pit. With hooks they led him away to the land of Egypt. ...

Isaiah 5:29
Their roaring is like that of a lion; they roar like young lions. They growl and seize their prey; they carry it away, and no one can rescue it.

Jeremiah 2:15
The young lions have roared at him; they have sounded their voices. They have laid waste his land; his cities lie in ruins, without inhabitant.

Hosea 13:8
Like a bear robbed of her cubs I will attack them, and I will tear open their chests. There I will devour them like a lion, like a wild beast tearing them apart.

Zephaniah 3:3
Her princes are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves, leaving nothing for the morning.

Amos 3:4
Does a lion roar in the forest when he has no prey? Does a young lion growl in his den if he has caught nothing?

Micah 5:8
Then the remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, which tramples and tears as it passes through, with no one to rescue them.

Isaiah 31:4
For this is what the LORD has said to me: “Like a lion roaring or a young lion over its prey—and though a band of shepherds is called out against it, it is not terrified by their shouting or subdued by their clamor—so the LORD of Hosts will come down to do battle on Mount Zion and its heights.

Genesis 49:9
Judah is a young lion—my son, you return from the prey. Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like a lioness, who dares to rouse him?

Isaiah 11:6-9
The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat; the calf and young lion and fatling will be together, and a little child will lead them. / The cow will graze with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. / The infant will play by the cobra’s den, and the toddler will reach into the viper’s nest. ...

Revelation 13:2
The beast I saw was like a leopard, with the feet of a bear and the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.

1 Peter 5:8
Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Matthew 7:15
Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

Luke 10:3
Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.

John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness.

Treasury of Scripture

The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps, and strangled for his lionesses, and filled his holes with prey, and his dens with shred.

and filled.

Psalm 17:12
Like as a lionthat is greedy of his prey, and as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.

Isaiah 10:6-14
I will send him against an hypocritical nation, and against the people of my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets…

Jeremiah 51:34
Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon hath devoured me, he hath crushed me, he hath made me an empty vessel, he hath swallowed me up like a dragon, he hath filled his belly with my delicates, he hath cast me out.

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Caves Cubs Dens Enough Fill Filled Filling Flesh Food Full Hole Holes Kill Killed Lion Mate Meat Parts Pieces Prey Pulled Resting-Place Stored Strangled Strangling Tear Tearing Tore Torn Whelps Young

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Caves Cubs Dens Enough Fill Filled Filling Flesh Food Full Hole Holes Kill Killed Lion Mate Meat Parts Pieces Prey Pulled Resting-Place Stored Strangled Strangling Tear Tearing Tore Torn Whelps Young

Nahum 2

1.The fearful and victorious armies of God against Nineveh.

Study Bible

Book ◦ Chapter

The lion mauled enough for its cubs
In ancient Near Eastern culture, the lion was a symbol of strength and power, often associated with kings and rulers. The imagery of a lion providing for its cubs suggests a sense of provision and protection. This phrase can be seen as a metaphor for the Assyrian Empire, which was known for its military might and conquests, gathering spoils to sustain its people. The lion's actions reflect the empire's aggressive expansion and exploitation of other nations.

and strangled prey for the lioness.
The act of strangling prey indicates a violent and forceful method of subduing enemies, characteristic of Assyria's brutal tactics in warfare. The lioness, representing the empire's dependents or perhaps its ruling class, benefits from the conquests. This imagery highlights the ruthless nature of Assyria's dominance, drawing a parallel to how the empire sustained itself through the oppression and plundering of other nations.

It filled its dens with the kill,
The dens symbolize the storage of wealth and resources acquired through conquest. Assyria's capital, Nineveh, was known for its opulence and accumulation of treasures from subjugated territories. This phrase underscores the empire's greed and insatiable desire for more, as it hoarded the spoils of its victories. The dens, filled with the kill, also suggest a false sense of security and prosperity built on violence and exploitation.

and its lairs with mauled prey.
The lairs, like the dens, represent places of security and refuge, yet they are filled with the evidence of the empire's destructive path. The term "mauled prey" emphasizes the brutality and devastation left in the wake of Assyria's conquests. This imagery serves as a warning of impending judgment, as the empire's reliance on violence and oppression ultimately leads to its downfall. The prophetic message in Nahum foreshadows the collapse of Nineveh, as divine justice is meted out against the oppressor.

Persons / Places / Events

1.The Lion
Symbolically represents the Assyrian Empire, known for its strength and ferocity in conquest.

2.Cubs
Represents the offspring or future generations of the Assyrian Empire, benefiting from the empire's conquests.

3.Lionesses
Symbolizes the people or the nation of Assyria, who rely on the empire's strength for sustenance.

4.Lairs and Dens
Metaphorically refers to the cities and strongholds of Assyria, filled with the spoils of their conquests.

5.Nahum
The prophet delivering God's message of judgment against Nineveh, the capital of Assyria.

Teaching Points

God's Sovereignty Over Nations
God is in control of all nations and empires, and He will hold them accountable for their actions.

The Consequences of Pride and Cruelty
Like Assyria, any nation or individual that relies on violence and oppression will face God's judgment.

Provision and Security in God Alone
True security and provision come from God, not from human strength or conquest.

The Temporary Nature of Earthly Power
Earthly power and wealth are fleeting; only what is done for God will last.

The Importance of Justice and Righteousness
God values justice and righteousness, and He will act against those who perpetuate injustice.

Bible Study Questions and Answers

1.What is the meaning of Nahum 2:12?

2.How does Nahum 2:12 illustrate God's judgment against Nineveh's pride and cruelty?

3.What lessons can we learn from Nineveh's downfall in Nahum 2:12?

4.How does Nahum 2:12 connect to God's justice throughout Scripture?

5.How can we avoid the sins of greed and violence seen in Nahum 2:12?

6.What does Nahum 2:12 teach about the consequences of ignoring God's warnings?

7.What is the historical context of Nahum 2:12 regarding Nineveh's downfall?

8.How does Nahum 2:12 reflect God's judgment on oppressive nations?

9.What does the imagery in Nahum 2:12 symbolize about Nineveh's power?

10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Nahum 2?

11.How does the Bible describe lions' strength and power?

12.Could the metaphorical language in Ezekiel 19 reflect scientific or historical inaccuracies about the fate of these 'lion cubs'?

13.How does the Bible describe lions' strength and power?

14.How can Ezekiel 19:2-9 be harmonized with the historical records of Judah's exiles, given the imagery of lion cubs taken captive?

What Does Nahum 2:12 Mean

The lion mauled enough for its cubs

Nahum pictures Assyria as a mighty lion, terrorizing nations so thoroughly that its “cubs” never lacked.

• The prophet is pointing to Assyria’s habit of conquering and plundering (2 Kings 15:19–20;Isaiah 10:13).

• Like a lion that always keeps fresh meat in the den, Assyria continually fed its young—its cities, nobles, and armies—on the spoils of war.

• God is exposing the greed behind the empire’s power: what looked like strength was really sustained violence (Habakkuk 2:9–12).

And strangled prey for the lioness

The “lioness” evokes the homeland, the royal court that waited for fresh tribute.

• Assyrian kings boasted of “strangling” enemies; Nahum turns their own propaganda against them (Nahum 3:1).

• This line stresses calculated cruelty, not mere survival. The strangling is premeditated, like an enemy cut off before it can resist (2 Chronicles 33:11).

• God sees every oppressed people, every choked‐off life; vengeance belongs to Him (Deuteronomy 32:35).

It filled its dens with the kill

The dens are the storehouses of Nineveh.

• Archaeology confirms rooms piled high with gold, silver, and ivory—exactly the “kill” Nahum describes (Zephaniah 2:13–15).

• The accumulation looked permanent, yet God’s warning rings out: “What you have stored up will testify against you” (James 5:1–3).

• Earthly security built on injustice is fragile; true safety rests in the Lord (Proverbs 18:10).

And its lairs with mauled prey

The repeated picture drives home the excess: more victims than the empire could even consume.

• Similar language appears inEzekiel 32:2–3, where another proud power is likened to a ravaging beast destined for judgment.

• Every lair echoes with the cries of the conquered—a reminder that God keeps record of bloodshed (Genesis 4:10;Revelation 6:10).

• Nahum’s readers can take comfort: no lair is so deep that divine justice cannot reach it (Psalm 139:7-12).

summary

Nahum 2:12 pulls back the curtain on Assyria’s brutality, comparing the empire to a lion gorging itself and its family on endless victims. Each phrase uncovers greed, cruelty, hoarding, and excess—sins that invite God’s certain judgment. The verse assures God’s people that every act of violence is seen, every stolen treasure is noted, and the day is coming when the Lion of Judah will silence the roaring of counterfeit lions forever.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 12. - The figure of the lieu is continued, and this verse, in loose apposition to the preceding, may be best explained by continuing the interrogation in thought - Where is now the lion that used to tear in pieces, etc.?The lion did tear in pieces enough for his whelps. The Assyrian monarch provided for his children and dependents by plundering other nations.His lionesses may mean his wives and concubines. It was the custom both with the Persians and Assyrians to assign towns and provinces to their favourites. Xenophon ('Anab.,' 1:4. 10) mentions certain villages as set apart for the girdle of Queen Parysatis. A Lapide quotes Cicero, 'Verr.,' 2:3. 33, "They say that the barbarian kings of the Persians and Syrians [i.e. Assyrians] are wont to have many wives, to whom they assign cities in this fashion - this city is to provide a girdle for her waist, that a necklace, that again to dress her hair; and so they have whole nations, not only privy to their lusts, but also abettors of them" (see Arnold's note on Thucydides, 1:138; temp. 2 Macc. 4:30).

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

The lion
אַרְיֵ֤ה(’ar·yêh)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 738:A lion

mauled
טֹרֵף֙(ṭō·rêp̄)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 2963:To pluck off, pull to pieces, to supply with food

enough for
בְּדֵ֣י(bə·ḏê)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1767:Sufficiency, enough

its cubs
גֹֽרוֹתָ֔יו(ḡō·rō·w·ṯāw)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 1484:A cub, of the lion

and strangled prey
וּמְחַנֵּ֖ק(ū·mə·ḥan·nêq)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 2614:To be narrow, to throttle, to choke oneself to death

for the lioness.
לְלִבְאֹתָ֑יו(lə·liḇ·’ō·ṯāw)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 3833:To roar, a lion,

It filled
וַיְמַלֵּא־(way·mal·lê-)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 4390:To fill, be full of

its dens
חֹרָ֔יו(ḥō·rāw)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 2356:A cavity, socket, den

with the kill,
טֶ֣רֶף(ṭe·rep̄)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2964:Something torn, a fragment, a fresh leaf, prey, food

and its lairs
וּמְעֹֽנֹתָ֖יו(ū·mə·‘ō·nō·ṯāw)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 4585:An abode, of God, men, animals, a retreat

with mauled prey.
טְרֵפָֽה׃(ṭə·rê·p̄āh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2966:Prey, flocks devoured by animals

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OT Prophets: Nahum 2:12 The lion tore in pieces enough (Nah. Na)