Nahum 3:4 kjv
Because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the wellfavoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts.
Nahum 3:4 nkjv
Because of the multitude of harlotries of the seductive harlot, The mistress of sorceries, Who sells nations through her harlotries, And families through her sorceries.
Nahum 3:4 niv
all because of the wanton lust of a prostitute, alluring, the mistress of sorceries, who enslaved nations by her prostitution and peoples by her witchcraft.
Nahum 3:4 esv
And all for the countless whorings of the prostitute, graceful and of deadly charms, who betrays nations with her whorings, and peoples with her charms.
Nahum 3:4 nlt
All this because Nineveh,
the beautiful and faithless city,
mistress of deadly charms,
enticed the nations with her beauty.
She taught them all her magic,
enchanting people everywhere.
Nahum 3 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Nahum 3:1 | Woe to the bloody city, all full of lies and plunder... | Previous verse lists Nineveh's related sins. |
| Exod 34:15-16 | ...not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land... lest you prostitute yourself after their gods. | Idolatry as spiritual whoredom. |
| Lev 17:7 | They shall no longer offer their sacrifices to goat demons, after whom they have prostituted themselves. | Idolatry as prostituting to false gods. |
| Deut 18:9-12 | You shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations... divination, or a soothsayer... | God's strong prohibition against sorcery/occult. |
| 1 Sam 15:23 | For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption as iniquity and idolatry. | Linking sorcery (divination) to severe sin. |
| 2 Ki 9:22 | ...How can there be peace, so long as the whoredoms and the sorceries of your mother Jezebel are so many? | Direct linkage of whoredom and sorcery to wickedness. |
| Isa 1:21 | How the faithful city has become a harlot... | Jerusalem/Israel's spiritual infidelity depicted as harlotry. |
| Isa 23:17 | The LORD will visit Tyre, and she will return to her prostitution... | A trading city (Tyre) likened to a harlot in its international dealings. |
| Isa 47:9-12 | These two things shall come to you... despite your many sorceries, despite the great power of your enchantments. | Babylon judged for sorceries and pride in its power. |
| Jer 3:6-9 | ...unfaithful Israel had played the harlot... she had gone up on every high hill and under every green tree, and had played the harlot there. | Israel's consistent idolatry as whoredom. |
| Ezek 16:26-34 | You played the harlot with the Egyptians, your lustful neighbors, multiplying your whoredom... | Extensive depiction of Jerusalem's spiritual and political "whoredom." |
| Ezek 23:19-21 | Yet she multiplied her whoring... playing the harlot. | Further on Judah and Israel's spiritual whoredom. |
| Hos 4:12 | My people inquire of a piece of wood... they have played the harlot, forsaking their God. | Connecting idolatry with harlotry directly. |
| Mic 5:14 | And I will cut off your sorceries from your hand... | God's judgment includes destroying instruments of sorcery. |
| Mal 3:5 | Then I will draw near to you for judgment... against those who practice sorcery... | God's direct judgment against sorcerers. |
| Prov 2:16-19 | ...to deliver you from the forbidden woman... for her house sinks down to death... | A direct harlot metaphorically leading to destruction. |
| Prov 7:6-27 | With much seductive speech she persuades him... so that he does not know that it will cost him his life. | Description of an "alluring" harlot's deceptive power leading to ruin. |
| Acts 8:9-11 | But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic... and amazed the people... | Example of sorcery's "alluring" nature and power. |
| Gal 5:19-21 | Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality... idolatry, sorcery... | Sorcery listed among serious sins. |
| Rev 9:20-21 | ...and they did not repent of... their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts. | Linking sorcery with other grave moral failings. |
| Rev 17:1-5 | Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters... Babylon the great, mother of harlots... | A similar prophetic image of a powerful city/empire (Babylon) as a great harlot, full of spiritual corruption. |
| Rev 18:2-3 | Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! ...by the power of her luxurious passion all the nations have drunk. | Reinforces the idea of a powerful city luring and intoxicating nations with its corruptions. |
| Rev 21:8 | But as for the cowardly, the faithless... and sorcerers... their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. | Final judgment on those who practice sorcery. |
| Rev 22:15 | Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral... | Exclusion from the holy city for sorcerers and the immoral. |
Nahum 3 verses
Nahum 3 4 Meaning
Nahum 3:4 attributes Nineveh's impending destruction to its widespread spiritual faithlessness, seductive power, and occult practices. The city, depicted as a "harlot," lured nations into political and economic relationships through deceit and cunning, effectively exploiting and subjugating them through its "whoredoms" (idolatry, deceptive alliances) and "sorceries" (occult manipulation, charming influence). This verse highlights the moral corruption underlying Nineveh's oppressive empire, connecting its ultimate downfall to these specific sins of spiritual infidelity and manipulative practices.
Nahum 3 4 Context
Nahum chapter 3 vividly portrays the impending and violent destruction of Nineveh, the capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. The prophet begins the chapter with a "Woe" oracle, describing Nineveh as a "bloody city" (Nah 3:1), filled with violence, lies, and plunder. Verse 4 serves as the core theological explanation for God's judgment against Nineveh, specifically linking its downfall to its profound moral and spiritual depravity. Historically, Nineveh was infamous for its brutal military conquests, deportations, and imposition of tribute on conquered nations. Culturally, Assyria was known for its widespread use of divination and magic, and its polytheistic worship. The metaphor of a "harlot" was a common prophetic device in the Old Testament to describe cities or nations that engaged in idolatry (spiritual adultery against God) or forged illicit, deceptive political alliances rather than trusting in God. Nahum's prophecy against Nineveh stood as a direct challenge to the Assyrian worldview of its own invincibility and the power of its deities and magic, asserting that the God of Israel was supreme and would bring justice.
Nahum 3 4 Word analysis
- All because of the many whoredoms (זְנוּנִים - zᵊnûnîm): This Hebrew term primarily means "fornications" or "prostitutions." In prophetic literature, it very frequently denotes spiritual unfaithfulness, particularly idolatry and engaging in illicit alliances with pagan nations. For Nineveh, it implies both the literal widespread sexual immorality associated with pagan temple cults and, more significantly, its seductive diplomacy that led other nations into exploitative treaties, akin to being spiritually defiled. It also signifies their faithlessness to any true morality or divine standard.
- of the alluring (טוֹבָה - ṭôḇâ): Literally "good," "pleasant," or "beautiful." Here, it describes the harlot as attractive, charming, or seductive. Nineveh, through its wealth, power, and deceptive promises, drew other nations to itself. This highlights the deceptive nature of sin and worldly power; it appears desirable but leads to ruin.
- harlot (זוֹנָה - zônâ): This word literally means "prostitute." In biblical prophecy, a "harlot" symbolizes a city or nation that is disloyal, morally corrupt, or engaged in spiritual prostitution through idolatry or treacherous political alliances. Nineveh is personified as such due to its deceitful international relations and its widespread pagan practices, drawing others into its web of corruption and exploitation.
- the mistress of sorceries (בַּעֲלַת כְּשָׁפִים - ba‘alat kᵉshāpîm):
- Mistress of (בַּעֲלַת - ba‘alat): Implies full ownership, control, or expertise. Nineveh is depicted as completely dedicated to and highly skilled in sorcery.
- Sorceries (כְּשָׁפִים - kᵉshāpîm): Refers to magical arts, enchantments, and occult practices. The Assyrians were well-known for their use of divination, incantations, and magic, believing these gave them power and success in warfare and control over others. This refers to their literal practices forbidden by God, and metaphorically to their manipulative power that "bewitched" nations.
- who sells nations (הַמּוֹכֶרֶת גּוֹיִם - hammōḵerɛṯ gōyim): The verb "sells" means to deliver into slavery or servitude. Nineveh, through its aggressive conquests and deceptive alliances, subjugated nations, exploiting their resources and manpower as if they were commodities. This is a direct consequence of her "whoredoms" and "sorceries" – nations were lured in, then effectively enslaved or utterly stripped of their autonomy.
- and clans (מִשְׁפָּחוֹת - mishpāḥōṯ): Refers to families, tribes, or even sub-groups within nations. This emphasizes the thoroughness of Nineveh's exploitation, reaching down to the smallest societal units, leaving no one untouched by their oppressive system.
- through her whoredoms and clans through her sorceries: This repetition emphasizes the dual mechanisms of Nineveh's oppressive control and her fundamental wickedness. The "whoredoms" (spiritual faithlessness/deceptive alliances) and "sorceries" (manipulative power/occult practices) are the very tools she used to subjugate and exploit. This parallelism highlights how both moral corruption and reliance on illicit spiritual/manipulative powers led to the oppression of others.
Nahum 3 4 Bonus section
The concept of "selling nations" or peoples, while literal in terms of enslavement and tribute, also carries a profound theological weight, signifying a debasement of human dignity that is antithetical to God's view of humanity. Assyria, through its seductive and manipulative policies, corrupted not only itself but also ensnared other nations into its cycle of exploitation and false worship. The language used reflects a direct polemic against the supposed strength and success of Assyrian magical practices, asserting that far from ensuring their empire's security, these very practices, alongside their spiritual unfaithfulness, sealed their doom under God's righteous judgment. This verse is not just a historical observation but a timeless warning about the corrosive power of deceit, illicit influence, and spiritual idolatry on individuals and empires alike.
Nahum 3 4 Commentary
Nahum 3:4 provides the theological justification for the overwhelming judgment promised upon Nineveh. It indicts the city not merely for its external cruelty but for its internal depravity and its insidious influence. Nineveh, portrayed as a seductive harlot, engaged in spiritual "whoredoms," representing its pervasive idolatry and faithless political maneuverings. Its nature as a "mistress of sorceries" highlights a reliance on occult power and deceptive cunning, through which it metaphorically "enchanted" other nations. The combination of these "whoredoms" and "sorceries" allowed Nineveh to effectively "sell" or subjugate nations and clans, turning them into mere commodities for its own gain. This verse underscores a crucial biblical principle: imperialistic oppression and violence often spring from deeper spiritual corruption and a reliance on anything other than God for power and security, ultimately inviting divine wrath. The allure of power and wealth, gained through unrighteous means, leads both the oppressor and the oppressed (through the ensnaring influence) to ruin.