Behind | Assyrian Empire

This map shows the full extent of the Assyrian Empire in the seventh century BC, around the time of Nahum.

This map shows approximately 1,200 years of history of the Assyrian empire, going back to c. 1800 BC. You can see Nineveh at the heart of the empire from its beginnings.

The Assyrian Empire was nothing new at the time of Nahum. It had been around for many centuries, slowly expanding its influence through various historical stages. In fact, Jonah had walked straight into the middle of the Assyrian Empire when he preached against Nineveh, more than 100 years before Nahum. 

The maps above show the growth of Assyria. The Assyrians extended their power all the way down to Egypt. Succeeding empires (“cats”) will likewise control roughly this same territory (Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome). The Northern Kingdom of Israel falls to Assyria in 722 BC. All the “mice” in the region of the promised land will eventually succumb to their power, with the exception of the Southern Kingdom of Judah. 

Nahum will prophesy the downfall of Assyria. Their demise will be at the hands of the Babylonians, who will later bring down the Southern Kingdom of Judah. The continuing cycle of rising and falling empires, or “cats,” is the background of the prophets we are studying in this course and the next.