Nahum 2:11
Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feedingplace of the young lions, where the lion, even the old lion, walked, and the lion’s whelp, and none made them afraid? Where is the dwelling of the lions, and the feedingplace of the young lions, where the lion, even the old lion, walked, and the lion’s whelp, and none made them afraid?
The question looks back upon Nineveh after its overthrow and asks where the dwelling of the lions and the feeding place of the young lions has gone, finding desolation where they once lived secure. The lion, even the old lion, with the whelp and the young lions walking about with none to make them afraid, pictures the city's former power and confidence. That fearless roaming pictures its security and wide dominion. The same lion figure marks its people as cruel and ravenous. Their wickedness was continual, bringing harm upon others around them.
The empty den marks the end of that dominion. Assyria's power and pride collapsed, so that what once lived unafraid could do so no longer. That ruin stands as a warning of the downfall awaiting nations that set themselves against God.