Heidegger's Bible Handbook: Nahum: Result of the Prophecy

5.  The result of the Prophecy.

The Prophecy had its outcome in the destruction both of Sennacherib, and of Nineveh, conquered in about the sixteenth year of Josiah, in the third year of Jeremiah’s prophetic career.  For, at that time, as Ussher gathers in his Annals on the Year of the World 3378 from a fragment of Alexander Polyhistor,[1] alleged by Cedrenus,[2] the Babylonian Nabopalassar, the father of Nebuchadnezzar, having been put in charge of the army by Saracus or Chynaladon,[3] King of the Assyrians and Chaldeans, and Astyages, having been made a Satrap of Media by his Father Cyaxares, entering into affinity, by their combined strength conquered Nineveh, and in it King Saracus.  Just as also we read at the end of the Greek of Tobit, that Nebuchodonosor (suppose the first, who was also called Nabopalassar) and Assuerus (Astyages, also called by the name of Ahasuerus in Daniel 9:1), with Tobias yet living, took Nineveh.[4]  And thus, with Josiah reigning (as also Jerome testifies in his Prologue to Jonah), with Nineveh overthrown, the prophecies of Nahum and Isaiah concerning its destruction were fulfilled.

[1] Alexander Polyhistor was a first century Greek historian and geographer, who wrote forty-two volumes on the countries of the ancient world, including Israel.  His work survives only in fragments.

[2] George Cedrenus was an eleventh century Byzantine historian.  His Concise History of the World begins at the creation, and runs all the way through to his own day.

[3] That is, Sîn-šar-iškun.

[4] Tobit 14:15:  “But before he died he heard of the destruction of Nineve, which was taken by Nabuchodonosor and Assuerus:  and before his death he rejoiced over Nineve.”