Micah 2:1-11

Woe to the Oppressors

1 ¹Woe to those who devise wickedness and work evil ²on their beds! When the morning dawns, they perform it, because it is in the power of their hand.

2 They covet fields and ³seize them, and houses, and take them away; they oppress a man and his house, a man and his inheritance.

3 Therefore thus says the LORD: behold, against ⁴this family I am devising disaster,^[a] from which you cannot remove your necks, and you ⁵shall not walk haughtily, ⁶for it will be a time of disaster.

4 In that day ⁷they shall take up a taunt song against you and moan bitterly, and say, "We are utterly ruined; ⁸he changes the portion of my people; ⁹how he removes it from me! ¹⁰To an apostate he allots our fields."

5 Therefore you will have none ¹¹to cast the line by lot in the assembly of the LORD.

6 ¹²"Do not preach"--thus they preach-- ¹³"one should not preach of such things; ¹⁴disgrace will not overtake us."

7 Should this be said, O house of Jacob? ¹⁵Has the LORD grown impatient?^[b] Are these his deeds? Do not my words do good to him who walks uprightly?

8 But lately ¹⁶my people have risen up as an enemy; you strip the rich robe from those who pass by trustingly with no thought of war.^[c]

9 The women of my people you drive out from their delightful houses; from their young children you take away my splendor forever.

10 ¹⁷Arise and go, for this is no ¹⁸place to rest, because of ¹⁹uncleanness that destroys with a grievous destruction.

11 If a man should go about and ²⁰utter wind and lies, saying, "I will preach to you ²¹of wine and strong drink," he would be the preacher for this people!

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Micah 2:1-11 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO MICAH 2

In this chapter complaint is made of the sins of the people of Israel, and they are threatened with punishment for them. The sins they are charged with are covetousness, oppression, and injustice, which were premeditated, and done deliberately, Mic 2:1,2; therefore the Lord devised evil against them, they should not escape; and which would bring down their pride, and cause them to take up a lamentation, because they should not enjoy the portion of land that belonged to them, Mic 2:3-5; they are further charged with opposing the prophets of the Lord, the folly and wickedness of which is exposed, Mic 2:6,7; and with great inhumanity and barbarity, even to women and children, Mic 2:8,9; and therefore are ordered to expect and prepare for a removal out of their land, Mic 2:10; and the rather, since they gave encouragement and heed to false prophets, and delighted in them, Mic 2:11; and the chapter is concluded with words of comfort to the remnant among them, and with precious promises of the Messiah, and the blessings of grace by him, Mic 2:12,13.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 21

1. [Isaiah 10:1, 2]
2. [Psalms 36:4]
3. [Isaiah 5:8]
4. [Jeremiah 8:3; Amos 3:1, 2]
5. [Isaiah 2:11, 17]
6. Amos 5:13
7. Habakkuk 2:6; See Numbers 23:7
8. [Micah 1:15]
9. [Micah 1:15]
10. [Psalms 68:6]
11. Deuteronomy 32:8, 9; [Joshua 14:1, 2]
12. See Amos 2:12
13. [Amos 8:11, 12]
14. [Amos 8:10]
15. [See ver. 6 above]
16. [2 Chronicles 28:8]
17. [Micah 1:11, 16]
18. Deuteronomy 12:9; [Hebrews 13:14]
19. Leviticus 18:25
20. Jeremiah 5:13
21. [Amos 2:12]

Footnotes 3

[a]. The same Hebrew word can mean evil or disaster, depending on the context
[b]. Hebrew Has the spirit of the Lord grown short?
[c]. Or returning from war

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.