Nahum Chapter 1

“The burden of Nineveh, etc.] Of the city of Nineveh, and the greatness of it, (see Gill on “Jon 1:2”); (see Gill on “Jon 3:3”); Jonah was sent to this city to threaten it with ruin for its sins; at that time the king and all his people humbled themselves and repented, and the threatened destruction was averted; but they relapsing to their former iniquities, this prophet foretells what would be their certain fate; very rightly therefore the Targum, and some other Jewish writingsf12, observe, that Jonah prophesied against this city of old; and that Nahum prophesied after him a considerable time, perhaps at a…”

“The burden - Jerome: “The word משׂא mas's'â', ‘burden’ is never placed in the title, except when the vision is heavy and full of burden and toil.” Of Nineveh - The prophecy of Nahum again is very stern and awful. Nineveh, after having “repented at the preaching of Jonah,” again fell back into the sins whereof it had repented, and added this, that, being employed by God to chasten Israel, it set itself, not to inflict the measure of God’s displeasure, but to uproot the chosen people, in whom was promised the birth of Christ . It was then an antichrist, and a type of him yet to come. Jonah’s mission was a call to…”

“The burden - When the prophets were sent to denounce judgments against a nation or city, the word was usually called the burden of that nation or city. The vision - As prophets were of old called seers, Sa1 9:9, so their prophesies were called visions. Nahum - His name speaks a comforter, but it is God's people to whom he gives notice of the destruction of their oppressors. Nahum 1:2”

“burden: Isa 13:1, Isa 14:28, Isa 15:1, Isa 21:1, Isa 22:1, Isa 23:1; Jer 23:33-37; Zac 9:1 Nineveh: Gen 10:11; Jon 3:3, Jon 3:4; Zep 2:13 Nahum 1:2”

“The heading runs thus: "Burden concerning Nineveh; book of the prophecy of Nahum of Elkosh." The first sentence gives the substance and object, the second the form and author, of the proclamation which follows. משּׂא signifies a burden, from נשׂא, to lift up, to carry, to heave. This meaning has very properly been retained by Jonathan, Aquila, Jerome, Luther, and others, in the headings to the prophetic oracle. Jerome observes on Hab 1:1 : "Massa never occurs in the title, except when it is evidently grave and full of weight and labour." On the other hand, the lxx have generally rendered it λῆμμα in the headings…”