Unlike the earlier parts of the prophecy, which are addressed to the city as a feminine figure, these verses are addressed directly to the king of Assyria himself. Good News Translation makes this change clear by putting the words “Emperor of Assyria” first. Assyria was not only a country but also an empire. This is probably the reason Good News Translation uses “Emperor” here rather than king as in Revised Standard Version. A king normally rules over a city or one country. An “Emperor”, on the other hand, rules over a large number of countries and has many kings under him. Some languages refer to this type of ruler as “supreme ruler (or, chief),” “chief ruler,” or “ruler over many kings.” Others have had to borrow the English word “emperor,” with a footnote or explanatory note in the glossary.
Your shepherds are asleep: it is quite common in Hebrew to speak of kings and rulers as shepherds (compare Jer 3.15; Ezek 34; 37.24), but this picture will not be clear to many modern readers unless sheep are important in their culture, and it may even give a wrong meaning. Good News Translation has therefore dropped it and stated its meaning in plain language as “your governors.” The use of the word Your here does not mean that the shepherds (Good News Translation “governors”) rule over the king; rather, they and the nobles hold authority under him. In some languages this first clause may be rendered as “Supreme ruler of Assyria, your chief servants are dead” or “… the people who help you rule are dead.”
Asleep here is usually understood as a picture of death, and Good News Translation has made this explicit by saying “your governors are dead” (compare Psa 76.5; Jer 51.39, 57). If the figure of speech can be retained with the right meaning, it should be.
Your nobles slumber is parallel in meaning, but in this line Good News Translation keeps the figure of speech, saying “your noblemen are asleep forever!” The inclusion of the word “forever” makes it clear that here the sleep is the permanent sleep of death. Nobles (Good News Translation “noblemen”) refers to people of high rank in the society. So one may translate “Your people of great honor (or, status)….”
In the second half of the verse, the same figure is continued: Your people are scattered on the mountains with none to gather them. Since the rulers are compared to shepherds, the people are by implication compared to sheep, who now have no one to look after them. Because of this they are easily scattered on the mountains. This is another picture which is common in Scripture (see Num 27.17; 1 Kgs 22.17; Ezek 34.6; Zech 13.7; and compare Matt 9.36; Mark 6.34). In many languages it will be difficult to translate the stative expression are scattered. One possibility is to say “Your people have gone in all directions on the mountains, just like sheep.” To gather them is expressed more fully in Good News Translation as “to bring them home again.”
In areas where sheep are known, it may be possible to keep the figure of speech in translation. But in such cases it may be better to fill in more of the details, to make the basis of the comparison clearer. A possible translation model for the whole verse is:
• King of Assyria, your governors and noblemen are like shepherds who are dead and sleep forever. Because of this, your people are like sheep which are scattered on the mountains and have no one to bring them home again.
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 .