Meaning, commentary and cross references
Nahum 1:7
“The Lord is good,
a stronghold in the day of trouble;
he knows those who take refuge in him.”In other translations
KJV · King James Version
The LORD is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.
NIV · New International Version
The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,
WEB · World English Bible
The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knows those who take refuge in him.
What does Nahum 1:7 mean?
John Gill · Exposition of the Entire Bible, on Nahum 1:7
The Lord is good,.... To Israel, as the Targum adds; to Hezekiah and his, people, that betook themselves to him, and put their trust in him; whom he defended and preserved from the king of Assyria, to whom he was dreadful and terrible, destroying his army in one night by an angel; and so delivered the king of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from that terror that had seized them, and that danger they were exposed unto; and so the Lord is good in himself, in the perfections of his nature, in the works of his hands, in all his persons to his people, that fear him, trust in him, and seek him, and wait for him, and on him: a strong hold in the day of trouble; or, he is "good for a strong…
John Gill, Exposition of the Entire Bible (1746–63). Public domain. Digital text: Free Use Bible API (bible.helloao.org).
John Calvin · Commentaries, on Nahum 1:7
7. The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him. 7. Bonus Jehova ad fortitudinem in die angustiae, et cognoscens sperantes in se. The Prophet expresses more clearly here what we referred to in our last lecture, -- that God is hard and severe toward refractory men, and that he is merciful and kind to the teachable and the obedient, -- not that God changes his nature, or that like Proteus he puts on various forms; but because he treats men according to their disposition. [214] As then the Prophet has hitherto taught us, that God's wrath cannot be sustained by mortals; so now, that no one might complain of extreme rigor, he, on the other hand…
John Calvin, Commentaries (Calvin Translation Society English text). Public domain. Digital text: Free Use Bible API (bible.helloao.org).
Context: Nahum 1:4–10 (WEB)
4He rebukes the sea and makes it dry, and dries up all the rivers. Bashan and Carmel languish. The flower of Lebanon languishes. 5The mountains quake before him, and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence, yes, the world, and all who dwell in it. 6Who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the fierceness of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken apart by him. 7The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knows those who take refuge in him. 8But with an overflowing flood, he will make a full end of her place, and will pursue his enemies into darkness. 9What do you plot against the LORD? He will make a full end. Affliction won’t rise up the second time. 10For entangled like thorns, and drunken as with their drink, they are consumed utterly like dry stubble.
Cross references
- 2 Timothy 2:19
However, God’s firm foundation stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let every one who names the name of the Lord depart from unrighteousness.”
- John 10:27
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
- Lamentations 3:25
The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.
- John 10:14
I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and I’m known by my own;
- Psalms 91:1–2
- Psalms 100:5
- Psalms 27:5
- Proverbs 18:10
The LORD’s name is a strong tower: the righteous run to him, and are safe.