Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version You have increased the number of your merchants till they are more numerous than the stars in the sky, but like locusts they strip the land and then fly away. New Living Translation Your merchants have multiplied until they outnumber the stars. But like a swarm of locusts, they strip the land and fly away. English Standard Version You increased your merchants more than the stars of the heavens. The locust spreads its wings and flies away. Berean Standard Bible You have multiplied your merchants more than the stars of the sky. The young locust strips the land and flies away. King James Bible Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and flieth away. New King James Version You have multiplied your merchants more than the stars of heaven. The locust plunders and flies away. New American Standard Bible You have made your traders more numerous than the stars of heaven— The creeping locust sheds its skin and flies away. NASB 1995 You have increased your traders more than the stars of heaven— The creeping locust strips and flies away. NASB 1977 You have increased your traders more than the stars of heaven— The creeping locust strips and flies away. Legacy Standard Bible You have increased your traders more than the stars of heaven— The creeping locust strips and flies away. Amplified Bible You have increased your traders more than the [visible] stars of heaven— The creeping locust strips and destroys and then flies away. Christian Standard Bible You have made your merchants more numerous than the stars of the sky. The young locust strips the land and flies away. Holman Christian Standard Bible You have made your merchants more numerous than the stars of the sky. The young locust strips the land and flies away. American Standard Version Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the canker-worm ravageth, and fleeth away. Contemporary English Version More merchants are in your city than there are stars in the sky--but they are like locusts that eat everything, then fly away. English Revised Version Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoileth, and flieth away. GOD'S WORD® Translation You have produced more businessmen than there are stars in the sky. [They are] like locusts that attack and then fly away. Good News Translation You produced more merchants than there are stars in the sky! But now they are gone, like locusts that spread their wings and fly away. International Standard Version You added to your inventory of businessmen— they number more than the stars of heaven. The creeping locust sheds its skin and flies away. Majority Standard Bible You have multiplied your merchants more than the stars of the sky. The young locust strips the land and flies away. NET Bible Increase your merchants more than the stars of heaven! They are like the young locust which sheds its skin and flies away. New Heart English Bible You have increased your merchants more than the stars of the skies. The grasshopper strips, and flees away. Webster's Bible Translation Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of heaven: the canker-worm spoileth, and flieth away. World English Bible You have increased your merchants more than the stars of the skies. The grasshopper strips and flees away. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionMultiply your merchants above the stars of the heavens, "" The cankerworm has stripped off, and flees away. Young's Literal Translation Multiply thy merchants above the stars of the heavens, The cankerworm hath stripped off, and doth flee away. Smith's Literal Translation Thou didst multiply thy traffics above the stars of the heavens: the feeder spread out and it will fly away. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleThou hast multiplied thy merchandises above the stars of heaven: the bruchus hath spread himself and flown away. Catholic Public Domain Version You have made more negotiations than there are stars in the sky. The beetle has spread out and flown away. New American Bible You have made your traders more numerous than the stars of the heavens; like grasshoppers that shed their skins and fly away. New Revised Standard Version You increased your merchants more than the stars of the heavens. The locust sheds its skin and flies away. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleYou have multiplied your merchants more than the stars of the heaven; the young locust swarms and flies away. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And you have multiplied your Merchants more than the stars of Heaven the crawling locust sheds skin and flies away OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917Thou hast multiplied thy merchants Above the stars of heaven; The canker-worm spreadeth itself, and flieth away. Brenton Septuagint Translation Thou hast multiplied thy merchandise beyond the stars of heaven: the palmerworm has attacked it, and has flown away. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Judgment Against Nineveh…15There the fire will devour you; the sword will cut you down and consume you like a young locust. Make yourself many like the young locust; make yourself many like the swarming locust! 16You have multiplied your merchants more than the stars of the sky. The young locust strips the land and flies away. 17Your guards are like the swarming locust, and your scribes like clouds of locusts that settle on the walls on a cold day. When the sun rises, they fly away, and no one knows where.… Cross References Revelation 18:11-19 And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, because there is no one left to buy their cargo— / cargo of gold, silver, precious stones, and pearls; of fine linen, purple, silk, and scarlet; of all kinds of citron wood and every article of ivory, precious wood, bronze, iron, and marble; / of cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, and frankincense; of wine, olive oil, fine flour, and wheat; of cattle, sheep, horses, and carriages; of bodies and souls of slaves. ... Ezekiel 27:12-25 Tarshish was your merchant because of your great wealth of goods; they exchanged silver, iron, tin, and lead for your wares. / Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your merchants. They exchanged slaves and bronze utensils for your merchandise. / The men of Beth-togarmah exchanged horses, war horses, and mules for your wares. ... Isaiah 23:8-9 Who planned this against Tyre, the bestower of crowns, whose traders are princes, whose merchants are renowned on the earth? / The LORD of Hosts planned it, to defile all its glorious beauty, to disgrace all the renowned of the earth. Jeremiah 51:13 You who dwell by many waters, rich in treasures, your end has come; the thread of your life is cut. Zephaniah 1:11 Wail, O dwellers of the Hollow, for all your merchants will be silenced; all who weigh out silver will be cut off. Isaiah 47:15 This is what they are to you—those with whom you have labored and traded from youth—each one strays in his own direction; not one of them can save you. Ezekiel 28:16 By the vastness of your trade, you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mountain of God, and I banished you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. 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.” Isaiah 13:20 She will never be inhabited or settled from generation to generation; no nomad will pitch his tent there, no shepherd will rest his flock there. Jeremiah 50:37 A sword is against her horses and chariots and against all the foreigners in her midst, and they will become like women. A sword is against her treasuries, and they will be plundered. Isaiah 14:31 Wail, O gate! Cry out, O city! Melt away, all you Philistines! For a cloud of smoke comes from the north, and there are no stragglers in its ranks. Ezekiel 27:33 When your wares went out to sea, you satisfied many nations. You enriched the kings of the earth with your abundant wealth and merchandise. 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 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. Jeremiah 51:33 For this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “The Daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floor at the time it is trampled. In just a little while her harvest time will come.” Treasury of Scripture You have multiplied your merchants above the stars of heaven: the cankerworm spoils, and flees away. above. Genesis 15:5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. Genesis 22:17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; Nehemiah 9:23 Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest them into the land, concerning which thou hadst promised to their fathers, that they should go in to possess it. spoileth. Jump to Previous Cankerworm Canker-Worm Creeping Flee Flees Fleeth Flies Flieth Grasshopper Heaven Heavens Increased Itself Locust Merchants Multiplied Multiply Skies Sky Spoileth Spreadeth Spreads Stars Strip Stripped Strips Traders WingsJump to Next Cankerworm Canker-Worm Creeping Flee Flees Fleeth Flies Flieth Grasshopper Heaven Heavens Increased Itself Locust Merchants Multiplied Multiply Skies Sky Spoileth Spreadeth Spreads Stars Strip Stripped Strips Traders WingsNahum 3 1. The destruction of Nineveh.You have multiplied your merchants more than the stars of the sky. This phrase highlights the vast number of merchants in Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. Historically, Nineveh was a major trade hub due to its strategic location along important trade routes. The reference to "more than the stars of the sky" is hyperbolic, emphasizing the overwhelming abundance of merchants, which reflects the city's wealth and economic power. This imagery is reminiscent of God's promise to Abraham about his descendants being as numerous as the stars (Genesis 15:5), but here it is used to illustrate excess and greed rather than blessing. The prosperity of Nineveh, however, is portrayed as superficial and temporary, as it is built on exploitation and oppression, which is condemned by the prophets. The young locust strips the land and flies away. Persons / Places / Events 1. NinevehThe capital of the Assyrian Empire, known for its wealth, power, and eventual downfall due to its wickedness and pride. 2. Merchants Symbolic of the economic prosperity and trade that Nineveh engaged in, which contributed to its wealth and arrogance. 3. Young Locust Represents the destructive forces that consume and devastate, symbolizing the impending judgment and ruin of Nineveh. Teaching Points The Danger of Pride and WealthNineveh's reliance on its merchants and wealth led to its downfall. We must guard against pride and placing our trust in material prosperity. Inevitability of Divine Judgment Just as the locusts strip the land, God's judgment is thorough and unavoidable for those who persist in wickedness. Temporary Nature of Earthly Riches The fleeting nature of Nineveh's wealth serves as a reminder that earthly riches are temporary and should not be our ultimate pursuit. God's Sovereignty Over Nations The fall of Nineveh demonstrates God's control over nations and His ability to bring about justice in His timing. Call to Repentance The imagery of destruction serves as a warning to turn from sin and seek God's mercy before judgment comes.(16) Spoileth.--Better, spreads itself out: swarms out to spoil.Verse 16. - Its extensive commercial relations shall not save it. Thou hast multiplied thy merchants. Nineveh was most favourably situated for carrying on commerce with other countries. The roads from Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt, and Phoenicia, that led into Media, Persia, and the interior of Asia, converged at Nineveh, and brought thither merchandise from all lands; and the Assyrians themselves exported their own produce and manufactures to the far West. Among these are enumerated textile fabrics, carpets, dyed attire, and embroidered work, carvings in ivory, gems, spices (see Rawlinson, 'Anc. Mon.,' 2:179, etc.; Layard, 'Nineveh,' 2:414, etc.). The cankerworm spoileth; or, spreadeth itself for plunder; Vulgate, expansus est; Septuagint, ὥρμησεν, "attacked." The cankerworm (see note on ver. 15) are the enemy,who spread themselves over the rich produce of Nineveh, and then flee away laden with spoil. Pusey makes the cankerworm represent Nineveh. She spread herself everywhere wasting and plundering, and now she is gone, has disappeared. But the former explanation better suits the comparison in ver. 15, where "the licker" is the enemy; and it is most natural that the prophet should allude to the fate of that commercial wealth which he has just mentioned, as in previous verses he contrasts the riches and power of Nineveh with the ruin that awaits them. Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew You have multipliedהִרְבֵּית֙ (hir·bêṯ) Verb - Hifil - Perfect - second person feminine singular Strong's 7235: To be or become much, many or great your merchants רֹֽכְלַ֔יִךְ (rō·ḵə·la·yiḵ) Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct | second person feminine singular Strong's 7402: To travel for, trading more than the stars מִכּוֹכְבֵ֖י (mik·kō·wḵ·ḇê) Preposition-m | Noun - masculine plural construct Strong's 3556: A star, a prince of the sky. הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם (haš·šā·mā·yim) Article | Noun - masculine plural Strong's 8064: Heaven, sky The young locust יֶ֥לֶק (ye·leq) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 3218: A devourer, the young locust strips the land פָּשַׁ֖ט (pā·šaṭ) Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 6584: To strip off, make a dash, raid and flies away. וַיָּעֹֽף׃ (way·yā·‘ōp̄) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 5774: To fly, to faint Links Nahum 3:16 NIVNahum 3:16 NLT Nahum 3:16 ESV Nahum 3:16 NASB Nahum 3:16 KJV Nahum 3:16 BibleApps.com Nahum 3:16 Biblia Paralela Nahum 3:16 Chinese Bible Nahum 3:16 French Bible Nahum 3:16 Catholic Bible OT Prophets: Nahum 3:16 You have increased your merchants more than (Nah. 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