“The shields
Of his warriors
Are red.
His soldiers
Are clothed
In scarlet.
The metal
On the chariots
Flashes
On the day
When he musters them.
The chargers prance.
The chariots race madly
Through the streets.
They rush back and forth
Through the squares.
Their appearance is
Like torches.
They dart
Like lightning.
He calls his officers.
They stumble
As they come forward.
They hasten
To the wall.
The mantelet is set up.”
Nahum gave a vivid colorful description of the actions in Nineveh. The shields of the warriors in Nineveh would be red with blood. The clothes of their soldiers were scarlet from the blood. The metal from the chariots flashed from the sunlight, as the men followed behind. The chargers were prancing around, while the chariots raced madly through the streets, going back and forth from the squares. They were like torches darting in and out, almost like lightning. When they called their officers, they came out stumbling along. They ran to the wall where the protective screens or mantelet was set up. In other words, the soldiers and their officers with their chariots were in a state of chaos.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 