Nahum 3:4
New International Version
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.

New Living Translation
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.

English Standard Version
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.

Berean Standard Bible
because of the many harlotries of the harlot, the seductive mistress of sorcery, who betrays nations by her prostitution and clans by her witchcraft.

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
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.

New American Standard Bible
All because of the many sexual acts of the prostitute, The charming one, the mistress of sorceries, Who sells nations by her sexual acts, And families by her sorceries.

NASB 1995
All because of the many harlotries of the harlot, The charming one, the mistress of sorceries, Who sells nations by her harlotries And families by her sorceries.

NASB 1977
All because of the many harlotries of the harlot, The charming one, the mistress of sorceries, Who sells nations by her harlotries And families by her sorceries.

Legacy Standard Bible
All because of the many harlotries of the harlot, The charming one, the mistress of sorceries, Who sells nations by her harlotries And families by her sorceries.

Amplified Bible
All because of the many acts of prostitution of [Nineveh] the prostitute, The charming and well-favored one, the mistress of sorceries, Who betrays nations by her acts of prostitution (idolatry) And families by her sorceries.

Christian Standard Bible
Because of the continual prostitution of the prostitute, the attractive mistress of sorcery, who treats nations and clans like merchandise by her prostitution and sorcery,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Because of the continual prostitution of the prostitute, the attractive mistress of sorcery, who betrays nations by her prostitution and clans by her witchcraft,

American Standard Version
because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the well-favored harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
From the abundance of the fornication of a harlot beautiful in appearance and Mistress of sorceries who trains up the nations with her fornication, and generations in her witchcraft

Brenton Septuagint Translation
because of the abundance of fornication: she is a fair harlot, and well-favoured, skilled in sorcery, that sells the nations by her fornication, and peoples by her sorceries.

Contemporary English Version
You were nothing more than a prostitute using your magical charms and witchcraft to attract and trap nations.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Because of the multitude of the fornications of the harlot that was beautiful and agreeable, and that made use of witchcraft, that sold nations through her fornications, and families through her witchcrafts.

English Revised Version
because of the multitude of the whoredoms of the well favoured harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her whoredoms, and families through her witchcrafts.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
because of Nineveh's constant prostitution, this very charming mistress of evil magic. She used to sell nations her prostitution and people her evil magic."

Good News Translation
Nineveh the whore is being punished. Attractive and full of deadly charms, she enchanted nations and enslaved them.

International Standard Version
Innumerable are the harlotries of this well-favored whore, this mistress of witchcraft, who enslaves nations through her fornication and families through her sorcery.

JPS Tanakh 1917
Because of the multitude of the harlotries of the well-favoured harlot, The mistress of witchcrafts, That selleth nations through her harlotries, And families through her witchcrafts.

Literal Standard Version
Because of the abundance of the fornications of a harlot, | The goodness of the grace of the lady of witchcrafts, | Who is selling nations by her fornications, | And families by her witchcrafts.

Majority Standard Bible
because of the many harlotries of the harlot, the seductive mistress of sorcery, who betrays nations by her prostitution and clans by her witchcraft.

New American Bible
For the many debaucheries of the prostitute, a charming mistress of witchcraft, Who enslaved nations with her prostitution, and peoples by her witchcraft:

NET Bible
"Because you have acted like a wanton prostitute--a seductive mistress who practices sorcery, who enslaves nations by her harlotry, and entices peoples by her sorcery--

New Revised Standard Version
Because of the countless debaucheries of the prostitute, gracefully alluring, mistress of sorcery, who enslaves nations through her debaucheries, and peoples through her sorcery,

New Heart English Bible
because of the multitude of the prostitution of the alluring prostitute, the mistress of witchcraft, who sells nations through her prostitution, and families through her witchcraft.

Webster's Bible Translation
Because of the multitude of the lewd deeds of the well-favored harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that selleth nations through her lewd deeds, and families through her witchcrafts.

World English Bible
because of the multitude of the prostitution of the alluring prostitute, the mistress of witchcraft, who sells nations through her prostitution, and families through her witchcraft.

Young's Literal Translation
Because of the abundance of the fornications of an harlot, The goodness of the grace of the lady of witchcrafts, Who is selling nations by her fornications, And families by her witchcrafts.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Judgment Against Nineveh
3Charging horseman, flashing sword, shining spear; heaps of slain, mounds of corpses, dead bodies without end—they stumble over their dead— 4because of the many harlotries of the harlot, the seductive mistress of sorcery, who betrays nations by her prostitution and clans by her witchcraft. 5“Behold, I am against you,” declares the LORD of Hosts. “I will lift your skirts over your face. I will show your nakedness to the nations and your shame to the kingdoms.…

Cross References
Revelation 17:1
Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters.

Revelation 17:2
The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and those who dwell on the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her immorality."

Revelation 18:3
All the nations have drunk the wine of the passion of her immorality. The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown wealthy from the extravagance of her luxury."

Revelation 18:23
The light of a lamp will never shine in you again, and the voices of a bride and bridegroom will never call out in you again. For your merchants were the great ones of the earth, because all the nations were deceived by your sorcery."

Isaiah 23:17
And at the end of seventy years, the LORD will restore Tyre. Then she will return to hire as a prostitute and sell herself to all the kingdoms on the face of the earth.

Isaiah 47:9
These two things will overtake you in a moment, in a single day: loss of children, and widowhood. They will come upon you in full measure, in spite of your many sorceries and the potency of your spells.

Isaiah 47:12
So take your stand with your spells and with your many sorceries, with which you have wearied yourself from your youth. Perhaps you will succeed; perhaps you will inspire terror!


Treasury of Scripture

Because of the multitude of the prostitutions of the well favored harlot, the mistress of witchcrafts, that sells nations through her prostitutions, and families through her witchcrafts.

the mistress.

Isaiah 23:15-17
And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot…

Isaiah 47:9,12,13
But these two things shall come to thee in a moment in one day, the loss of children, and widowhood: they shall come upon thee in their perfection for the multitude of thy sorceries, and for the great abundance of thine enchantments…

Revelation 17:1-5
And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters: …

Jump to Previous
Betrays Charming Charms Countless Deadly Deeds Enslaved False. Families Graceful Harlot Harlotries Lewd Mistress Multitude Nations Peoples Prostitute Prostitution Selleth Sells Sorceries Wanton Ways Well-Favored Well-Favoured Whoredoms Witchcraft Witchcrafts
Jump to Next
Betrays Charming Charms Countless Deadly Deeds Enslaved False. Families Graceful Harlot Harlotries Lewd Mistress Multitude Nations Peoples Prostitute Prostitution Selleth Sells Sorceries Wanton Ways Well-Favored Well-Favoured Whoredoms Witchcraft Witchcrafts
Nahum 3
1. The destruction of Nineveh.














(4-6) Because of the multitude.--In the idolatry and superstition of Nineveh the prophet finds the cause of her destruction. Perversion of religious instinct is frequently denounced under the same figure in Scripture. Here, however, a more literal interpretation is possible, since there is reason to believe the religious rites of Assyria were characterised, like those of Babylon, by gross sensuality. According to Herod, i. 199, the Babylonian worship of Beltis or Mylitta was connected with a system of female prostitution, which was deemed "most shameful" even by the heathen historian. Compare also the Apocryphal Book of Bar 6:43. The same deity was worshipped in Assyria. Professor Rawlinson writes: "It would seem to follow almost as a matter of course that the worship of the same identical goddess in the adjoining country included a similar usage. It may be to this practice that the prophet Nahum alludes when he denounces Nineveh as a 'well-favoured harlot,' the multitude of whose harlotries was notorious" (Five Great Monarchies, ii. 41).

Verse 4. - The cause is given that has brought this punishment. Because of the multitude of the whoredoms. This term is commonly applied to idolatry, the swerving from the true God and turning to false deities; and it is thought that it cannot be used in that sense here, as Assyria had always worshipped idols, and could not be said to have forsaken or proved false to the Lord. Hence Hitzig, Keil, and others refer the term to the treacherous friendship and crafty politics by which Nineveh ensnared other states, seeking really only her own interests (comp. Isaiah 23:17). But this habit of treachery has been already mentioned in ver. 1 (where see note); and, as Knabenbauer remarks, the Assyrians used no meretricious blandishments to effect their conquests, but the cruel arts of war and the stern ordeal of the sword. It is scarcely probable that the prophet would omit idolatry among the crimes of the Assyrians that called for vengeance, as all their wars were carried on in the name of their gods, and the monarchs professed to be under Divine protection and influence. The term "whoredom" is applied to the idolatry, not only of the Israelites, but to that of Jezebel (2 Kings 9:22), who was always a heathen. The idolatry of the Assyrians may very well be so called, because it was a wilful ignoring of the light of nature and natural religion (see Wisd. 13:1; Romans 1:19, etc.). They were careful, too, wherever they carried their arms, to erect there symbols of their deities, and to compel conquered nations to receive them and pay them Divine honour. With this idolatrous worship was associated that gross immorality which even Herodotus (1:199) termed utterly disgraceful (comp. Baruch 6:43). Rightly is Nineveh called the well favoured harlot; for her splendour and magnificence were unsurpassed, dazzling all beholders and hiding the rottenness that lay below the surface. The mistress of witchcrafts. She was skilful in employing every art to seduce nations to her side. We hear much of magic in connection with Babylon and the Chaldeans, but not in reference especially to Assyria. The expression here is metaphorical, alluding to the secret practices which she employed to gain her ends and to make her rule attractive (comp. Revelation 18:2, 3). That selleth nations. Depriving them of freedom and making them tributary, or, in some cases, actually selling the inhabitants as slaves (comp. Deuteronomy 32:30; Judges 2:14; Joel 3:3; Amos 1:6, 7). Families. Not only nations in the aggregate, but smaller bodies, individuals, so that none escape. Septuagint, λαούς, "peoples."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
because of the many
מֵרֹב֙ (mê·rōḇ)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 7230: Multitude, abundance, greatness

harlotries
זְנוּנֵ֣י (zə·nū·nê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 2181: To commit adultery, to commit idolatry

of the harlot,
זוֹנָ֔ה (zō·w·nāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2181: To commit adultery, to commit idolatry

the seductive
חֵ֖ן (ḥên)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2580: Graciousness, subjective, objective

mistress
בַּעֲלַ֣ת (ba·‘ă·laṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 1172: A mistress

of sorcery,
כְּשָׁפִ֑ים (kə·šā·p̄îm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3785: Sorcery

who betrays
הַמֹּכֶ֤רֶת (ham·mō·ḵe·reṯ)
Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine singular
Strong's 4376: To sell

nations
גּוֹיִם֙ (gō·w·yim)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 1471: A foreign nation, a Gentile, a troop of animals, a flight of locusts

by her prostitution
בִּזְנוּנֶ֔יהָ (biz·nū·ne·hā)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 2183: Adultery, idolatry

and clans
וּמִשְׁפָּח֖וֹת (ū·miš·pā·ḥō·wṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 4940: A family, circle of relatives, a class, a species, sort, a tribe, people

by her witchcraft.
בִּכְשָׁפֶֽיהָ׃ (biḵ·šā·p̄e·hā)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 3785: Sorcery


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OT Prophets: Nahum 3:4 Because of the multitude of the prostitution (Nah. Na)
Nahum 3:3
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