The prophet is speaking to a feminine you which Good News Translation identifies as “Nineveh” (compare Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, New International Version). The word for “city” in Hebrew is feminine. The verse consists of a statement followed by four commands which are really consequences of the information given in the statement.

The shatterer has come up against you: the Hebrew word rendered shatterer is a form which does not occur elsewhere, and it is uncertain whether it is derived from a root meaning “to shatter” or from another one meaning “to scatter.” If the latter is correct, then the reference is to the population of Nineveh fleeing from the city. This idea is found again in 2.8; 3.16-18. However, most versions prefer the former, in which the reference is to the enemy besieging Nineveh and breaking down the gates or walls with a battering ram (compare New English Bible “the battering-ram is mounted against your bastions”). This idea also occurs in verse 5 (see comments on verse 5).

Some scholars understand The shatterer to refer to some particular leader in the attack upon Nineveh, but there is no agreement as to who this could be. The most likely person is Cyaxares, the Median leader. This interpretation is perhaps shown in the New American Bible rendering, “The hammer comes up against you,” as various historical figures who have been successful military leaders have been referred to as “the hammer.” (For instance, this is the probable meaning of the second name of Judas Maccabaeus, a Jewish military leader in the second century B.C.) However, the majority of translations interpret the statement in a more general way. New International Version, for example, has “An attacker advances against you.”

Good News Translation accepts this interpretation but translates with two separate sentences. The words against you are the basis of the opening sentence, “Nineveh, you are under attack!” This opening creates a vivid atmosphere for the whole chapter. The remaining words are translated by Good News Translation as “The power that will shatter you has come.” “Shatter” means to “break into fragments or pieces.” Other possible translation models are: “The one who has the power to destroy you completely has come and is attacking you” or “People of Nineveh, the one who has the power….”

The attack made by her enemies requires some response from the people of Nineveh, and in the rest of the verse, Nahum invites them to take defensive actions. The commands he gives are ironic, as he knows that the city will be captured anyway. The first command is Man the ramparts. The ramparts (Revised Standard Version, Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible) are the top part of the wall surrounding the city. Since few modern cities have defensive walls, most translators will find it necessary to use a more general term like “defenses,” as Good News Translation does. However, a translator can capture the picture of walls with defensive positions on top of them by rendering this sentence as follows: “Place your soldiers along the top of the city walls.”

The second command is watch the road in order to see the approaching enemy and to be informed of their movements. In some languages it will be necessary to identify the implicit direction of the road and say “guard the road leading to the city.”

The third command is gird your loins (Revised Standard Version, New American Bible). The people of those days normally wore long, flowing clothes, and when they were preparing for active work, they would tuck them up to give their legs more freedom of movement. Jerusalem Bible translates here “tuck up your cloaks.” However, this is really a figure of speech meaning “get ready for action” and occurs quite often in Scripture (Exo 12.11; 1 Kgs 18.46; 2 Kgs 4.29; 9.1; Jer 1.17; Luke 12.35; 1 Peter 1.13). In the present context it may also be translated as “get ready to fight.” In areas where people wear long clothes, it may be possible to use a figure of speech similar to that in the Hebrew.

The fourth command is collect all your strength, which means “gather your troops together” (compare Jerusalem Bible “muster all your forces”; New International Version “marshal all your strength”). Good News Translation puts these third and fourth commands together into one and says simply “Prepare for battle!” Other translators may wish to put the two commands together without being quite as brief as Good News Translation. A possible translation model is: “gather your soldiers together and prepare to fight!”

Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A . A Handbook on the Book of Nahum. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1989. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .