And Huzzab shall be led away captive, she shall be brought up, and her maids shall lead her as with the voice of doves, tabering upon their breasts.

NAHUM 2:7KJV
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Nahum 2:7 (KJV)

What does Nahum 2:7 mean?

Nahum 2:7 describes the capture and humiliation of a woman named Huzzab, who is led away as a captive, with her maidservants mourning and beating their chests in sorrow, sounding like doves. The verse uses vivid imagery to portray the fall of a city—often understood as Nineveh—through the suffering of its people.

The prophet Nahum is speaking God’s message of judgment against Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. In this verse, the focus shifts to the personal and emotional cost of the city’s defeat. The mention of Huzzab (possibly a symbolic or royal figure) and her maids highlights the total collapse and sorrow experienced by those within the city, using the image of women mourning to emphasize deep grief and loss.

The Hebrew behind Nahum 2:7

  • חֻצַּב (Huzzab, ḥuṣṣab): The meaning of this name or word is debated; it may refer to a queen, a symbolic figure, or mean "she who is established." Its use here likely represents Nineveh itself or its queen, emphasizing the city’s downfall as a personal tragedy.
  • גָּלָה (captive, galah): This word means "to be carried away" or "to go into exile." It underscores the forced removal and humiliation of the city’s people.
  • תֹּפֵף (tabering, tofeph): This verb means "to beat" or "to drum," here describing the maids beating their breasts in mourning. The image is one of intense grief, not just quiet sadness.
  • יֹונָה (doves, yonah): Doves are often associated with soft, mournful sounds. The comparison to doves’ voices highlights the sorrowful, plaintive cries of the women.

Why Nahum 2:7 matters

  • Nahum 2:7 uses the image of women in mourning to make the destruction of Nineveh feel personal and tragic, not just a military defeat.
  • The verse highlights the completeness of Nineveh’s fall, showing even the most honored or secure people (symbolized by Huzzab) being led away in shame.
  • This verse connects to the larger theme of Nahum: the certainty of God’s judgment against oppressors and the real human suffering that comes with the collapse of a once-powerful empire.

Where else these words appear

“tabering” Hebrew H8608 · used in 2 verses

  • Psalms 68:25 The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; among them were the damsels playing with timbrels.

“lead” Hebrew H5090 · used in 31 verses

  • Genesis 31:18 And he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padanaram, for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.
  • 1 Samuel 30:22 Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them ought of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart.
  • Psalms 78:52 But made his own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.

“doves” Hebrew H3123 · used in 32 verses

  • Genesis 8:8 Also he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the ground;
  • Leviticus 14:22 And two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, such as he is able to get; and the one shall be a sin offering, and the other a burnt offering.
  • Song of Solomon 4:1 Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead.

“maids” Hebrew H519 · used in 49 verses

  • Genesis 20:17 So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children.
  • Leviticus 25:44 Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids.
  • 1 Samuel 25:31 That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself: but when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine handmaid.