The opening verse introduces the reader to both the writer and the message that is to follow. The writer is Nahum of Elkosh. We know nothing else about Nahum, other than that he came from the city of Elkosh—and we cannot say with certainty where the city was located. Nahum’s message is described as an oracle. The Hebrew word is massa
and it literally means a burden that has to be lifted.1 It emphasizes the seriousness and weight of the message.
1 An oracle concerning Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum of Elkosh.