Behold, thy people in the midst of thee are women: the gates of thy land shall be set wide open unto thine enemies: the fire shall devour thy bars.

NAHUM 3:13KJV
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Nahum 3:13 (KJV)

What does Nahum 3:13 mean?

Nahum 3:13 warns that the people inside Nineveh will be as defenseless as women in battle, and that the city's gates will be left wide open to its enemies, with fire destroying its bars. The verse paints a picture of total vulnerability and defeat for Nineveh.

The prophet Nahum is speaking to the city of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, describing its coming downfall. In the context of ancient warfare, saying the people are "women" (noted in the culture as non-combatants) signals weakness and inability to resist attack. The mention of open gates and burning bars shows that the city's defenses will completely fail, leaving it exposed to invasion.

The Hebrew behind Nahum 3:13

  • אֲנָשִׁים (ʿam, "people") and נָשִׁים (nāšîm, "women"): The verse uses the word for "women" (נָשִׁים, nāšîm) to highlight vulnerability, not as a slight, but to show that those inside the city will not be able to fight back.
  • שַׁעַר (šaʿar, "gates") and בָּרִיחַ (bāriaḥ, "bars"): The "gates" and "bars" refer to the main defenses of the city. The image of fire devouring the bars suggests that even the strongest parts of Nineveh's fortifications will be destroyed.
  • פָּתַח (pāthaḥ, "wide open"): This word means to open up completely, implying that the city will offer no resistance to its attackers.

Why Nahum 3:13 matters

  • Nahum 3:13 clarifies that Nineveh's fall will not be due to a lack of fortifications, but because its people will be unable or unwilling to defend it, making its defeat certain.
  • The verse uses vivid imagery to emphasize the totality of Nineveh's coming destruction, connecting to the broader theme of divine judgment in Nahum.
  • Understanding the cultural context of calling the people "women" helps modern readers avoid misreading the verse as an insult, instead seeing it as a statement about the city's helplessness in the face of overwhelming force.

Where else these words appear

“bars” Hebrew H1280 · used in 37 verses

  • Exodus 26:26 And thou shalt make bars of shittim wood; five for the boards of the one side of the tabernacle,
  • Numbers 4:31 And this is the charge of their burden, according to all their service in the tabernacle of the congregation; the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars thereof, and sockets thereof,
  • Job 38:10 And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors,

“wide” Hebrew H6605 · used in 133 verses

  • Genesis 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
  • Nehemiah 1:6 Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against thee: both I and my father's house have sinned.
  • Isaiah 5:27 None shall be weary nor stumble among them; none shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken: