John Trapp on Nahum 1:4

Ver. 4. He rebuketh the ſea and maketh it dry] He had ſhewed what wonders God can do in the ayre. Now he telleth, what he doeth in the water, and in the earth. And it is well obſerved by an Interpreter, that when the Prophets ſpeak of God, Tarnon. they do for moſt part imitate the expreſſions of Moſes that moſt ſevere law-giver, and allude to his hiſtory; to ſhew, that by the law is the knowledge of ſin, Rom. 3.20. without which the ſtony hearts of men melt not, that the promiſe of the goſpell may reliſh ſweetly with them Pſal. 19.10, 11. The word here rendreth He rebuketh importeth, that God rateth and rattleth the Sea verborum pedumque ſtrepitu with ſuch a voice and other noiſe, as cauſeth fright and flight. The Sea ſaw it and fled, Iordan was driven back, what ailed thee, O thou Sea that thou fleddeſt &c. Pſal. 114.3, 5. The waters ſaw thee, O God, the waters ſaw thee, they were afraid; the depths alſo were troubled Pſal. 77.16. See Exod. 14.21. Pſal. 78.14. and 66.6. and 136.16. and 106.9. This is not in the power of any man to do; though Xerxes vainely attempted ſomthing, when he wafted two millions of men over the Helleſpont, and, for battering his bridge of boates, cauſed it to be beaten with 300. ſtripes, and caſt a pair of fetters into it, to make it his priſoner. But to how ſmall purpoſe all this, together with his digging through Iſthmus, his drinking up rivers with his army and the like, it well appeared, when he was forced to fly back out of Greece in a poor fiſhers boat, which being overburdened had ſunk all, if the Perſians by the caſting away themſelves, had not ſaved the life of their king, The ſtory of Canutus the Dane, (ſomtimes king of England) is well known. He was told by a Court-Paraſite that all things in his dominions were at his beck and command. Canutus (to confute him) cauſed a chair to be ſet on the ſea-ſhore; wherein being ſet, he ſaid to the ſea flowing faſt toward him. Thou belongeſt to me, and the land upon which I now ſit is mine own, neither is there any whoſoever that obeyes me not ſhall eſcape unpuniſhed. I command thee therefore thou ſea, that thou come up no higher into my land; nor preſumeſt once to wet thy maſters legs or garments. But the Sea, keeping his ordinary courſe, without duty or reverence waſhed both his legs and gown. He then leaping back ſaid, Let al[illegible: 1 letter] the inhabitants of the world know, [illegible: 1 letter]en: Huntington. that the power of kings is frivolous and vaine; neither is there any mortall man worthy the name of a king, but he to whoſe beck heaven, earth and ſea by his lawes, eternally are obedient. Neither did Canutus after this time weare a crown; but ſet it upon the Crucifix according to the ſuperſtition of thoſe times; thereby acknowledging it to be a royalty proper to Chriſt alone to rebuke the ſurges of the ſea, and to ſay unto them Peace, and be ſtill, Luk. 4.24. Mar. 4.39.

and drieth up all the rivers] As he did Jordan Ioſ. 4 2 King. 2. Chereth 1 King. 17.7. the great river Euphrates Rev. 16.12. See the Note there. See alſo Plin. nat. hiſt. l. 2. cap. 85. and 103.

Baſhan languiſheth and Carmel, and the flower of Lebanon languiſheth] all the beauty of thoſe fertile and pleaſant places fadeth. When the earth beareth fruit and flowers, ſhe is ſaid to yeeld her ſtrength, to bring forth her increaſe: as when through drought or otherwiſe ſhe doth not, ſhe is ſaid to languiſh and hang the head. See Ioe. 1.10.12. If the Eclipſe of the Sun cauſe a drooping in the whole frame of nature, how much more the wrath and vengeance of God?