Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Nahum 3:4 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 4. 4Because 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.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Gives the reason through a feminized prostitution-and-sorcery metaphor for Nineveh's seductive domination and sale of nations.
Read It With
- Nahum 3:1-7
Read Nahum 3:4 with 3:1-7. Gives the reason through a feminized prostitution-and-sorcery metaphor for Nineveh's seductive domination and sale of nations. The complete unit establishes this movement: Nineveh's bloodshed, deception, and plunder return as battle carnage and humiliating public exposure, but the oracle uses gendered and sexualized city imagery whose ancient function must be named without reproducing harm.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Gives the reason through a feminized prostitution-and-sorcery metaphor for Nineveh's seductive domination and sale of nations. Its placement follows this logic: The third chapter states the ethical indictment more explicitly—blood, lies, and robbery—then confronts readers with the book's harshest rhetorical means of depicting the city's reversal.
Read Nahum 3:1–7 together
Why these verses belong together: The woe, battle carnage, because-clause, and exposure sentence form one accusation-and-shame oracle.
Verse 1. 1 Woe to the bloody city! it is all full of lies and robbery; the prey departeth not;
Verse 2. 2 The noise of a whip, and the noise of the rattling of the wheels, and of the pransing horses, and of the jumping chariots.
Verse 3. 3 The horseman lifteth up both the bright sword and the glittering spear: and there is a multitude of slain, and a great number of carcases; and there is none end of their corpses; they stumble upon their corpses:
Verse 4. 4 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.
Verse 5. 5 Behold, I am against thee, saith the LORD of hosts; and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.
Verse 6. 6 And I will cast abominable filth upon thee, and make thee vile, and will set thee as a gazingstock.
Verse 7. 7 And it shall come to pass, that all they that look upon thee shall flee from thee, and say, Nineveh is laid waste: who will bemoan her? whence shall I seek comforters for thee?
Follow the Context
- Verse 1 pronounces woe on a city filled with bloodshed, lies, robbery, and continuing prey.
- Verses 2-3 produce a sound-and-image rush of whips, wheels, horses, chariots, weapons, slain bodies, and stumbling over corpses.
- Verse 4 says 'because' and personifies Nineveh as an attractive prostitute and sorceress who sells nations and families.
- Verse 5 repeats the LORD of hosts' direct opposition and threatens to expose the city's nakedness before nations.
- Verse 6 adds filth, contempt, and public spectacle.
- Verse 7 pictures onlookers fleeing and refusing lament or comfort.
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“selleth nations”
In plain language: The city metaphor depicts peoples subjected through manipulative imperial power; it is not a literal sex-market report.
Gives the reason through a feminized prostitution-and-sorcery metaphor for Nineveh's seductive domination and sale of nations. The metaphor attacks imperial manipulation, not female sexuality or actual sex workers.
Why it matters: The wording carries interpretive or ethical risk that requires the full unit and its stated limits.
How certain? probableWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
Nahum 3:4 does not blame women, sexuality, or sex workers for Assyrian imperial violence.
What Remains True
The metaphor attacks imperial manipulation, not female sexuality or actual sex workers.
How It Can Shape Life
- Critique coercive influence without misogynistic slurs or sexual shaming.
Teach It Back
Explain Nahum 3:4's contribution to Nahum 3:1-7: Gives the reason through a feminized prostitution-and-sorcery metaphor for Nineveh's seductive domination and sale of nations. Include what the surrounding verses add, the stated uncertainty, and what this verse does not authorize.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Nahum 3:1-7 — The Bloody City Is Accused and Publicly ShamedSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
Interpreters differ on how much the metaphor reflects treaty, trade, cult, propaganda, or general political seduction.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing Scripture wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: Nahum 3:1-7, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Nahum
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew words, morphology, clause relationships, repeated roots, names, and the base wording behind translation discussion.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Nah.xml, 3:1-7
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: Nahum with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2006
Supports: Verse-level translation, syntax, text-critical, poetic, historical, and uncertainty notes.
Exact location: NET Bible Nahum PDF, printed pp. 1761-1764, translation and notes on 3:1-7
Open source ↗