Micah 6:14

14 Thou shalt eat, and shalt not be [ful]filled, and thy meeking is in the middle of thee (and thy humbling is in thy midst); and thou shalt take (hold), and shalt not save; and (that) which thou shalt save, I shall give into (the) sword.

Micah 6:14 Meaning and Commentary

Micah 6:14

Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied
Either not having enough to eat, for the refreshing and satisfying of nature; or else a blessing being withheld from food, though eaten, and so not nourishing; or a voracious and insatiable appetite being given as a curse; the first sense seems best: and thy casting down [shall be] in the midst of thee;
meaning they should be humbled and brought down, either by civil discords and wars among themselves, or through the enemy being suffered to come into the midst of their country, and make havoc there; which would be as a sickness and disease in their bowels. So the Targum,

``thou shalt have an illness in thy bowels.''

The Syriac version is,

``a dysentery shall be in thine intestines;''

a secret judgment wasting and destroying them; and thou shall take hold, but shall not deliver; and [that] which thou
deliverest will I give up to the sword;
the sense is, that they should take hold of their wives and children, and endeavour to save them from the sword of the enemy, and being carried captive: or should "remove" them ^F16, as the word is sometimes used, in order to secure them from them; or should "overtake" ^F17; the enemy, carrying them captive; but should not be able by either of these methods to save them from being destroyed, or carried away by them; and even such as they should preserve or rescue for a while, yet these should be given up to the sword of the enemy, the same or another. Aben Ezra and Kimchi interpret this of their women conceiving, and not bringing forth; and, if they should, yet what they brought forth should be slain by the sword ^F18. But the Targum and Jarchi incline to the former sense.

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FOOTNOTES:

F16 (gotw) "et amovebis", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Tarnovius; "summovebis", Drusius, so Ben Melech; "et removebis", Burkius.
F17 "Assequeris", Syr.
F18 R. Sol. Urbin. Ohel Moed, fol. 35. 2.

Micah 6:14 In-Context

12 in which rich men thereof be filled with wickedness? And men dwelling therein spake leasing, and the tongue of them was guileful in the mouth of them. (in which the rich there be filled with wickedness? And those living there spoke lies, and their tongues were deceitful in their mouths.)

13 And I therefore began for to smite thee, in(to) perdition on thy sins. (And so I began to strike thee down unto perdition, for thy sins.)

14 Thou shalt eat, and shalt not be [ful]filled, and thy meeking is in the middle of thee (and thy humbling is in thy midst); and thou shalt take (hold), and shalt not save; and (that) which thou shalt save, I shall give into (the) sword.

15 Thou shalt sow, and shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olive, and shalt not be anointed with oil; and (make) must, and shalt not drink (the) wine.

16 And thou keptest the behests of Omri, and all the work of the house of Ahab, and hast walked in the lusts of them, that I should give thee into perdition, and men dwelling in it into hissing, either scorning, and ye shall bear the shame of my people. (And thou hast followed the ways of Omri, and all the work of the house of Ahab, and hast walked in their lusts, so that now I shall give thee unto perdition, and the people living there unto hissing, or mocking, and ye shall bear the shame of my people.)