Nineve yari umurwa mukuru w’Ubwami bwa Ashuri. Wari umugi ukomeye cyane urimo ingoro n’insengero zihambaye, imihanda migari n’inkuta ndende kandi zikomeye. Umuhanuzi w’Umuheburayo witwaga Nahumu yavuze ko wari “umugi uvusha amaraso.”—Nahumu 3:1.

Ibishushanyo biharatuye ku ngoro y’umwami Senakeribu i Nineve bigaragaza ko Abashuri bari abagome cyane. Kimwe muri byo kigaragaza umuntu wica imfungwa urubozo, akayikurura ururimi kandi yayitsikamiriye ku butaka. Inyandiko ziharatuye ku mabuye zerekana ukuntu batoboraga iminwa n’amazuru by’imfungwa z’intambara, bakanyuzamo umugozi wo kuzikuruza. Abategetsi b’abanyagano bambikwaga mu ijosi ibihanga by’abami babo, nk’aho ari urunigi bambaye mu ijosi.

Umuhanga mu by’amateka ya Ashuri witwa Archibald Henry Sayce, yavuze ibyerekeye ibikorwa by’agahomamunwa bakoraga iyo babaga bamaze kwigarurira umugi. Yagize ati “mu nzira habaga huzuye uduhanga tw’abantu; abahungu n’abakobwa batwikwaga ari bazima cyangwa bagakorerwa ibindi bikorwa bibi kurushaho. Abagabo baramanikwaga, bagashishimurwaho uruhu bumva, bakanogorwamo amaso, bagacibwa ibiganza, ibirenge, amazuru n’amatwi.”

Imana yahaye Abayahudi itegeko rigira riti “niwubaka inzu, uzashyireho urukuta rugufi rugose igisenge cyayo, kugira ngo umuntu atazayihanukaho akagwa, bigatuma inzu yawe igibwaho n’urubanza rw’amaraso” (Gutegeka kwa Kabiri 22:​8). Urwo rukuta rwari ngombwa kuko rwari rufitiye akamaro imiryango y’Abayahudi bo mu bihe bya Bibiliya.

Amazu menshi y’Abisirayeli yabaga afite ibisenge bishashe. Kuri ibyo bisenge abantu bakundaga kuhotera akazuba, bakahafatira akayaga cyangwa se bakahakorera imirimo yo mu rugo. Mu mpeshyi, habaga ari ahantu heza ho kuryama (1 Samweli 9:​26). Nanone bahanikaga ibinyampeke mbere yo kubisya cyangwa bakahanika imizabibu n’imitini.​—⁠Yosuwa 2:​6.

Uretse ibyo, kuri icyo gisenge barahasengeraga, baba basenga Imana y’ukuri cyangwa ibigirwamana (Nehemiya 8:​16-18; Yeremiya 19:​13). Hari igihe intumwa Petero yagiye gusengera hejuru y’inzu, ari mu ma saa sita (Ibyakozwe 10:​9-16). Iyo kuri icyo gisenge bahubakaga akandi kazu gasakajwe amashami y’ibiti by’imizabibu cyangwa ay’imikindo, wasangaga ari ahantu heza ho kuruhukira.

Hari igitabo cyavuze ko amazu y’Abisirayeli yabaga afite ingazi cyangwa amadarajya agana kuri icyo gisenge. Ayo madarajya yabaga ari “hanze ariko nanone ari mu rugo imbere” (The Land and the Book). Ni yo mpamvu nyir’urugo yashoboraga kuva kuri icyo gisenge atiriwe aca mu nzu. Ibyo byumvikanisha impamvu Yesu yatanze umuburo urebana no kuva mu mugi ugiye kurimburwa, agira ati “umuntu uzaba ari hejuru y’inzu ntazamanuke ngo ajye gukura ibintu mu nzu ye.”​—⁠Matayo 24:​17.