נחום, פרק ב׳, פסוק ו׳

A mighty empire finds itself in an unfamiliar state of panic and defense. Instead of launching armies outward for conquest, the leadership scrambles to gather its remaining strength to protect a besieged capital city, but the military response is marked by haste, confusion, and ultimate failure.

The primary approach among commentators is that the Assyrian king desperately summons his elite warriors and officers to fight off the impending threat [רש״י, מצודת דוד, שטיינזלץ]. A more complex perspective suggests he is relying on allied auxiliary troops expected to come to his rescue [מלבי״ם]. Conversely, some interpret the event from the perspective of the attacking enemy, suggesting it is the Babylonian king who summons his own forces to conquer the city [רד״ק, אבן עזרא]. A unique interpretation shifts the scene entirely to Nebuchadnezzar's assault on Jerusalem, identifying the defending warriors as the people of Judah [אברבנאל].

Regardless of who is called to fight, the battle plans quickly unravel. The troops experience a breakdown in their advance, often understood as a physical stumbling caused by sheer panic as the soldiers rush blindly toward the front lines [רד״ק, אבן עזרא, שטיינזלץ]. Alternatively, the breakdown is a broader, fundamental failure of the military campaign itself [מצודת דוד]. Taking a different angle, the failure might actually represent an act of betrayal, where the allied forces the king depended on rebel and defect to the enemy side [מלבי״ם].

Following this collapse, the soldiers rush toward the city wall. They flee to the fortifications to take cover and stop the enemy from breaching the city [רש״י, מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם]. However, following the view that these are the attackers, the troops are instead rushing forward to storm the defenses [רד״ק]. As the clash at the wall nears, tactical equipment is prepared to provide cover and shielding [מצודת ציון]. Commentators are divided on whether this equipment is defensive or offensive. From a defensive standpoint, the city's protectors prepare wooden towers, barricades, or large shields to shelter the residents from incoming arrows and stones [מצודת דוד, מלבי״ם, אבן עזרא בשם יפת]. From an offensive perspective, the attackers deploy armored siege engines made of wood and animal skins. The soldiers hide beneath these structures while digging under the wall's foundations to collapse it [רד״ק, אבן עזרא]. Finally, a distinct interpretation suggests the covering refers to the concept of rulership, describing the king himself putting on his armor and preparing for the final stand [רש״י].