Micah 3:2

2 you who hate good and love evil; who tear the skin from my people and the flesh from their bones;

Micah 3:2 in Other Translations

2 Who hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck off their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones;

2 you who hate the good and love the evil, who tear the skin from off my people and their flesh from off their bones,

2 but you are the very ones who hate good and love evil. You skin my people alive and tear the flesh from their bones.

2 Haters of good, lovers of evil: Isn't justice in your job description? But you skin my people alive. You rip the meat off their bones.

2 You hate good and love evil. You tear off the skin of people and [strip] their flesh from their bones.

Micah 3:2 Meaning and Commentary

Micah 3:2

Who hate the good, and love the evil
Instead of knowing and doing what was just and right; or, directly contrary to their light and knowledge, and the duty of their office, they hated that which is good, which is agreeable to the law, nature, and will of God, and loved that which is evil, which is contrary thereunto; or they hated to do good, and loved to do evil, as the Targum; as men do who are averse to good, and prone to evil; or they hated a good man, as Aben Ezra, and loved the evil man; not only delighted in committing sin themselves, but took pleasure in those that did it; and could not endure the company and conversation of holy and good men: who pluck off their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their
bones:
like wild beasts that tear off skin and flesh from the bones, and then devour them; or like cruel shepherds, that, not content to fleece their flocks, skin them, and take their flesh also, and feed themselves, and not the flock; or like butchers, that first take off the skin off a beast, and then cut up its flesh. The design of the expressions is to show what rigour, cruelty, and oppressions, these rulers exercised on the people and by their heavy taxes and levies, and exorbitant penalties and fines, pillaged and plundered them of all they had in the world, and left them quite bare, as bones stripped of their skin and flesh. So the Targum,

``seizing on their substance by violence, and their precious mammon they take away.''

Micah 3:2 In-Context

1 Then I said, “Listen, you leaders of Jacob, you rulers of Israel. Should you not embrace justice,

2 you who hate good and love evil; who tear the skin from my people and the flesh from their bones;

3 who eat my people’s flesh, strip off their skin and break their bones in pieces; who chop them up like meat for the pan, like flesh for the pot?”

4 Then they will cry out to the LORD, but he will not answer them. At that time he will hide his face from them because of the evil they have done.

5 This is what the LORD says: “As for the prophets who lead my people astray, they proclaim ‘peace’ if they have something to eat, but prepare to wage war against anyone who refuses to feed them.

Cross References

• 1. Psalms 53:4; S Ezekiel 22:27