Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feeding place of the young lions, where the lion, even the old lion, walked, and the lion's whelp, and none made them afraid?
the dwelling.
Nahum 3:1 Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;
Job 4:10,11 The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken…
Isaiah 5:29 Their roaring shall be like a lion, they shall roar like young lions: yea, they shall roar, and lay hold of the prey, and shall carry it away safe, and none shall deliver it.
none.
Genesis 49:9 Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
Isaiah 31:4 For thus hath the LORD spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the LORD of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof.
or the feeding ground of the young lions
The "feeding ground" represents the territories and wealth that Assyria plundered and controlled. The "young lions" symbolize the Assyrian rulers and warriors who benefited from the empire's conquests. This imagery highlights the prosperity and security Assyria enjoyed at the expense of other nations. The question suggests that this prosperity will soon vanish, as divine judgment approaches.
where the lion and lioness prowled with their cubs
The "lion and lioness" symbolize the king and queen of Assyria, while the "cubs" represent their offspring or the next generation of rulers. This imagery conveys a sense of familial strength and continuity in leadership. However, the prophecy indicates that this royal lineage will be disrupted, and their dominion will cease. The Assyrian royal family, once secure and unchallenged, will face destruction.
with nothing to frighten them away?
This phrase underscores the previous security and fearlessness of the Assyrian empire. Historically, Assyria was a dominant force, often unchallenged by neighboring nations. The rhetorical question implies a dramatic change, as the once fearless empire will now face divine retribution. This connects to the broader biblical theme of God's sovereignty over nations, as seen in other prophetic books like Isaiah and Jeremiah, where God judges and humbles proud empires.
“Where is the lions’ lair…” (Nahum 2:11) pictures once-mighty Nineveh, capital of Assyria, as a den that suddenly stands empty.
• God poses the question as if He is searching for a predator that has vanished, underscoring the totality of the city’s fall (compare Nahum 1:8; Isaiah 10:12).
• Nineveh had seemed untouchable, yet its “lair” is now dismantled by the Lord’s direct intervention (Zephaniah 2:13–15).
• The image highlights divine justice: the oppressor who hunted others is now hunted himself (Psalm 7:15–16).
“…or the feeding ground of the young lions…” evokes Assyria’s vast conquests that once nourished its power.
• Like cubs fattened on prey, Assyrian princes thrived on plunder (Nahum 2:12).
• Their “feeding” came through relentless warfare (Micah 5:8–9), yet God sets limits on human violence (Habakkuk 2:8).
• What looked like endless supply dries up instantly when the Lord withdraws it (Job 12:23).
“…where the lion and lioness prowled with their cubs…” portrays the whole Assyrian hierarchy—kings, queens, generals, heirs—moving in coordinated strength.
• Together they terrorized nations (Isaiah 10:14), leaving no foe untouched (2 Kings 19:17).
• The plural picture shows generational arrogance: parents teaching cubs the same brutality (Ezekiel 19:2–6).
• Yet every rank falls together when God strikes (Jeremiah 51:56); no dynasty can secure itself against His decree (Daniel 4:35).
“…with nothing to frighten them away?” underscores Assyria’s former confidence.
• For years no army could challenge Nineveh (Isaiah 37:24).
• God’s question exposes false security; the One whom they forgot is now their dread (Psalm 76:5–7).
• Their terror-free existence ends abruptly when “the Lord of Hosts is against you” (Nahum 2:13).
Nahum 2:11 asks where the proud “lions” of Assyria have gone. The verse layers four images—lair, feeding ground, family pride, unchallenged ease—to underline the same truth: God removes the ruthless in His time. Once-invincible Nineveh is now empty, showing believers that no earthly power can withstand the Lord’s righteous judgment and that ultimate safety is found only under His rule.
(11-13) The figure of the lion appears so frequently on the Assyrian monuments that we may perhaps suppose it to have been a national scutcheon. The metaphor of the ravening beast is well illustrated by the Assyrian records, wherein the most frequent theme is the levying of gold, silver, brass, oxen, &c., from tributary cities. The "messengers" of Nahum 2:13 are royal heralds and delegates, subordinate agents in this business of extortion.Verse 11. - The prophet asks, as if in consternation at the complete collapse of the great city - Where is the site of Nineveh? Where is the dwelling (den) of the lions? The lion is a natural symbol of Assyria, both from that animal's cruel, predatory; ravenous habits, and from its use as the chief national emblem. Nergal, the war god, has a winged lion with a man's face as his emblem. See the figure in Rawlinson, 'Anc. Mon.,' 1:173, who adds (p. 308) that the lion is accepted as a true type of the people, blood, ravin, and robbery being their characteristics in the mind of the prophet. The feeding place of the young lions may mean the subject lands whence they took their prey. And the old lion; rather, the lioness. The lion is designated by different names, which may, perhaps, refer to the various satraps and chieftains of the Assyrian kingdom. There are the full-grown male lion, the lioness, the young lion able to seek its own food, and the whelp too young to find its own living. Instead of" the lioness." the LXX., Vulgate, and Syriac, reading differently, give, ταῦεἰσελθεῖν, ut ingrederetur, "that the lion's whelp should enter there." And none made them afraid. They lived in perfect security, without fear or care, irresistible in might (Leviticus 26:6; Micah 4:4; Zephaniah 3:13).