Nahum: A Trauma for a Trauma

This commentary re-considers the author noting he was a person who had inside knowledge of Assyrian culture and language. This anonymous author was veiled behind the name Nahum meaning consolation. What kind of consolation is promised in this pamphlet and at what price? In what way is the book of Nahum to be seen as a consoling reaction to this trauma? Becking provides a contemporary trauma informed critique of the book's approach-and by reading against the grain explains Nahum's way out of trauma is not the only route; rather another pathway of mourning coping and healing could be taken. The God of Nahum has two faces: one compassionate and one full of wrath. Using close textual analysis Becking argues that the Assyrians will be defeated by divine wrath leading to an end of Israel's trauma. Reading Nahum conceptually reveals that the book is based on the idea of retribution: 'an eye for an eye'. Theologically this raises big questions when appropriating the 'message' of Nahum to our times: Is it not against humanitarianism to believe in such a revengeful God?

Or is it perhaps worse: to adopt this idea to justify human acts in the many traumatising conflicts that determine our age?