Micah 2:8

8 "What do you mean, 'good people'! You're the enemy of my people! You rob unsuspecting people out for an evening stroll. You take their coats off their backs like soldiers who plunder the defenseless.

Micah 2:8 Meaning and Commentary

Micah 2:8

Even of late my people is risen up as an enemy
Or "yesterday" F15; meaning a very little while before this prophecy, the people of Israel, those of the ten tribes, who were the people of God by profession, rose up as an enemy, not only to God and true religion, worshipping idols; but rather to their brethren, those of the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin; as they did in the times of Pekah king of Israel, who slew a hundred and twenty thousand of them in one day, ( 2 Chronicles 28:6 ) ; and which is here mentioned as a reason why the Spirit of the Lord in his prophets threatened them with evil, and did not promise them good things: ye pull off the robe with the garment;
the upper and nether garment, and so stripped them naked: or, "they stripped the robe from off the garment", as some F16; they took the upper garment or cloak from them, and left them only the under garment: for them that pass by securely, as men averse from war:
who were travelling from place to place about their proper business, and thought themselves very safe; were peaceable men themselves, and suspected no harm from others: or, "returning from war" F17; such who escaped in the battle, and fled for their lives; and when they imagined they, were safe, and out of danger, fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped them of their garments. Gussetius F18 interprets it of such who were returning to the battle, and yet so used.


FOOTNOTES:

F15 (lwmta) "heri", Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius, Burkius.
F16 (hmlv lwmm) "a veste togam spoliatis", Noldius; "a veste pallium exuitis", Burkius.
F17 (hmxlm ybwv) "revertentibus a bello", Piscator; "redeunt a bello", Cocceius; "et revertuntur a bello", De Dieu; "uti essetis reversi ex bello", Burkius.
F18 "Redeuntes in bellum", Comment. Ebr. p. 836.

Micah 2:8 In-Context

6 "Don't preach," say the preachers. "Don't preach such stuff. Nothing bad will happen to us.
7 Talk like this to the family of Jacob? Does God lose his temper? Is this the way he acts? Isn't he on the side of good people? Doesn't he help those who help themselves?"
8 "What do you mean, 'good people'! You're the enemy of my people! You rob unsuspecting people out for an evening stroll. You take their coats off their backs like soldiers who plunder the defenseless.
9 You drive the women of my people out of their ample homes. You make victims of the children and leave them vulnerable to violence and vice.
10 Get out of here, the lot of you. You can't take it easy here! You've polluted this place, and now you're polluted - ruined!
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.