In Nahum’s vision the Babylonian chariots are still outside the city walls but they have taken control of the streets and squares leading up to the city gates. These are probably the outer suburbs of Nineveh.1
The people of Nineveh have retreated to behind the gates waiting for the invasion that is to come. There is now no escape for the Lord’s enemy from his judgment.2
As in Nahum 2:3 Nahum describes the Babylonian chariots as a terrifying sight. They gleam like torches and dart like lightning. These fighting machines are fast and intimidating.
3 The shield of his mighty men is red; his soldiers are clothed in scarlet. The chariots come with flashing metal on the day he musters them; the cypress spears are brandished.