Nineveh fell; but though her fall must have shaken the earth no record has come to us concerning it—its precise date is unknown. Only in the exultant cry of a Hebrew prophet[1] do we hear any echo of the shout of execration and the outburst of triumph that went up as the great city fell:—
'Nineveh is laid waste! who will bemoan her?
Whence shall I seek for comforters for thee?. . . There
is no healing of thy hurt; thy wound is incurable: all
that hear of thee shall clap their hands over thee:
for upon whom hath not thy wickedness passed
continually?'
Upon the ruins of Assyria the genius of
Nebuchadnezzar, son of Nabopolassar, raised
that mighty Babylonian empire which for about
seventy years ruled over the conquered nations.
Babylon had never before been distinguished
as an ambitious or aggressive state, but the
force and energy of this mighty monarch has
made her name synonymous with imperial
strength, magnificence, and pride. For a brief
space Necho had occupied the scene of the
triumphs of Thothmes and of Rameses; he
- ↑ Nahum iii. 7, 19; 'No spark of pity mingles with the prophet's delight.'—Stanley, Jewish Church.
