The message The entire prophecy is directed against the city of Nineveh in particular and the Assyrian empire in general. In fact, it is the almost unique peculiarity of Nahum’s prophecy that it is devoted to a single theme: the destruction of the bloody and rapacious empire of Nineveh, with all its gods. It is a revelation of God’s character and of his moral government of the world—a revelation that lends much needed comfort and encouragement to his afflicted people (cf. 1:12). From the opening