This verse shows some of the implications of the LORD’s greatness and power. In Who can stand before his indignation? the literal stand means “stand firm” (so New American Bible; compare Psa 24.3; Amos 7.2, 5; Mal 3.2). Good News Translation expresses this as “who can survive?” Good News Translation thus keeps the form of a question but turns the noun phrase his indignation into a clause and says “When he is angry.”
The implied answer to the two questions is that nobody can survive, and in languages which do not use questions in this way, the meaning can be expressed as a statement: “When he is angry no one can survive.” Endure (Good News Translation “survive”) can also be rendered as “stay alive” or “keep on living.”
The second line says practically the same thing again in different words: Who can endure the heat of his anger? The comparison of anger with heat is a figure of speech which is used in many languages, and often translators will be able to keep it here. Good News Translation, however, expresses the meaning in nonfigurative language with “Who can survive his terrible fury?” In some languages it may be necessary to change the structure of this sentence and say “When his anger is very hot, no one will be able to live.” In some languages the idea of anger (Good News Translation “fury”) can be expressed idiomatically; for example, “his burning heart.” One can then say “When his heart burns fiercely, who will be able to live?” Note that where Revised Standard Version has used two different English words, stand and endure, Good News Translation has used the same term “survive” both times. Translators should use one word or two according to the vocabulary and style of their language.
The second half of the verse is in the form of statements again and picks up the theme of verse 5. The third line continues the picture of anger as being like heat and says His wrath is poured out like fire. This is a common figure of speech (compare Jer 7.20; 42.18; 44.6) and is perhaps based on the idea of molten lava pouring down the side of a mountain during a volcanic eruption. In languages where it may sound strange to talk about “pouring anger,” it may be possible to use some other figurative expression and say “his fierce anger bursts forth” or “his fierce anger erupts.” In some languages it will be helpful to say “His anger, like a flaming fire, bursts forth (or, erupts).”
The fourth line probably expresses the result of the third one: because of the heat of the LORD’s anger, the rocks are broken asunder by him. Many translators will wish to avoid the passive and can follow Good News Translation‘s rendering or say “and makes (or, causes) the rocks (to) break into pieces” or “… (to) split apart.” Alternative translation models for the final part of this verse are: “because he is very angry he makes the rocks break into pieces” or “because his heart is very hot he causes the rocks to break into pieces.” The breaking of the rocks is a natural result of the LORD’s power. Translators should avoid suggesting that the LORD goes around smashing rocks in a display of bad temper.
Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. & Hatton, Howard A . A Handbook on the Book of Nahum. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1989. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .