Micah 7

1 Woe to me, for I am made as he that gathereth in harvest (the) raisins of (the) grapes; there is no cluster for to eat; my soul desired (the) figs ripe before (the) others.
2 The holy (man) perished from [the] earth, and (a) rightful (man) is not in men; all ambush, either set treason, in blood; a man hunteth his brother to death. (The holy people have perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among the people; all ambush, or set treason, for blood; everyone hunteth his brother, or his kinsman, unto the death.)
3 The evil of their hands they say good; the prince asketh, and the doomsman is in yielding; and a great man spake the desire of his soul, and they troubled together it. (They say that the evil of their hands is good; the leader, or the ruler, and the judge, ask for gifts, or bribes; the great man spoke of the evil desire of his heart, and he got it; yea, they all make trouble together.)
4 He that is the best in them, is as a paliurus, that is, a teasel, either a sharp bush; and he that is rightful is as a thorn of hedge. The day of thy beholding, thy visiting cometh, now shall be destroying of them. (He who is the best in them, is like a paliurus, that is, a teasel, or a sharp bush; and he who is upright is like a thorn on a hedge. The day of thy beholding, and of thy punishment, cometh, yea, now shall be their destruction.)
5 Do not ye believe to a friend, and do not ye trust in a duke; from her that sleepeth in thy bosom, keep thou the closings of thy mouth. (Do not ye believe a friend, and do not ye trust in a leader; and keep thou the private, or the secret, words of thy mouth, from her who sleepeth in thy bosom.)
6 For the son doeth wrong to the father, and the daughter shall rise (up) against her mother, and the wife of the son against the mother of her husband; the enemies of a man be the (ones) at home, either the household members, of him (a man's enemies be those who be at home with him, or the members of his own household).
7 Forsooth I shall behold to the Lord, I shall abide God my saviour; the Lord my God shall hear me. (But I shall look to the Lord, I shall wait for God my Saviour; and the Lord my God shall hear me.)
8 Thou, mine enemy, be not glad on me (do not be happy over me), for I fell down, (for) I shall rise (up again); (and) when I sit in darknesses, the Lord is my light.
9 I shall bear wrath of the Lord, for I have sinned to him, till he deem my cause, and make my doom; he shall lead out me into light, I shall see [the] rightwiseness of him. (I shall bear the anger of the Lord, for I have sinned against him, until he judge my case, and declare my sentence; and then he shall lead me out into the light, and I shall see his righteousness.)
10 And mine enemy shall behold me, and she shall be covered with confusion, which saith to me, Where is thy Lord God? Mine eyes shall see her, now she shall be into defouling, as clay, either fen, of streets. (And then my enemies shall see me, and shall be covered with shame, they who say to me, Where is the Lord thy God? My eyes shall see them, and they shall be defiled, like the clay, or the mud, in the streets.)
11 Day shall come, that thy walls be builded; in that day law shall be made afar. (The day shall come, when thy walls shall be rebuilt; on that day, thy borders shall be enlarged.)
12 In that day, and Assur shall come till to thee, and till to strong cities, and from strong cities till to [the] flood; and to sea from sea, and to hill from hill. (On that day, they shall come to thee from Assyria, and from the fortified cities, yea, from the fortified cities unto the Euphrates River; and from every sea, and from every hill, or from every mountain.)
13 And [the] earth shall be into desolation for her dwellers, and for fruit of the thoughts of them. (And the earth shall be made into desolation, or into a wasteland, because of what her inhabitants did; yea, this shall be the fruit of their deeds.)
14 Feed thou thy people in thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, that dwell alone in [the] wild wood; in the middle of Carmel they shall be fed of Bashan and of Gilead, (as) by eld days, (Feed thou thy people with thy rod, yea, the flock of thy inheritance, who live alone in the wild wood, and in the midst of the fertile land; they shall be fed in Bashan and in Gilead, like in the old days.)
15 by days of thy going out of the land of Egypt. I shall show to him wonderful things; (Make thou for us miracles, or wonders, like in the days of our going out of the land of Egypt;/I shall show thee miracles, or wonders, like in the days of thy going out of the land of Egypt;)
16 heathen men shall see, and they shall be confounded on all their strength; they shall put hands on their mouth, the ears of them shall be deaf; (the heathen shall see, and they shall be confounded in spite of all their strength; they shall put their hands upon their mouths, and their ears shall be deaf;)
17 they shall lick dust as a serpent; as creeping things of [the] earth they shall be disturbed, or troubled, (out) of their houses; they shall not desire our Lord God, and they shall dread thee. (they shall lick the dust like serpents, or snakes, yea, like creeping things upon the earth; they shall be distressed, and shall come out of their strongholds; and they shall come to thee, O Lord our God, and they shall fear thee.)
18 God, who is like thee, that doest away wickedness, and bearest over the sin of the remnants of thine heritage? He shall no more send in his strong vengeance, for he is willing mercy; (God, who is like thee, who doest away wickedness, and passest over the sins of the remnants of thy inheritance? He shall no more send in his strong vengeance, for he delighteth in mercy;)
19 he shall turn again, and have mercy on us. He shall put down our wickednesses, and shall cast far into deepness of the sea all our sins. (he shall return, and have mercy upon us. He shall put down our wickednesses, and shall throw down all our sins into the depths of the sea.)
20 Thou shalt give truth to Jacob, mercy to Abraham, which thou sworest to our fathers from eld days. (Thou shalt give truth to Jacob, and mercy, or love, to Abraham, as thou sworest to our forefathers in the old days.)

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Micah 7 Commentary

Chapter 7

The general prevalence of wickedness. (1-7) Reliance on God, and triumph over enemies. (8-13) Promises and encouragements for Israel. (14-20)

Verses 1-7 The prophet bemoans himself that he lived among a people ripening apace for ruin, in which many good persons would suffer. Men had no comfort, no satisfaction in their own families or in their nearest relations. Contempt and violation of domestic duties are a sad symptom of universal corruption. Those are never likely to come to good who are undutiful to their parents. The prophet saw no safety or comfort but in looking to the Lord, and waiting on God his salvation. When under trials, we should look continually to our Divine Redeemer, that we may have strength and grace to trust in him, and to be examples to those around us.

Verses 8-13 Those truly penitent for sin, will see great reason to be patient under affliction. When we complain to the Lord of the badness of the times, we ought to complain against ourselves for the badness of our hearts. We must depend upon God to work deliverance for us in due time. We must not only look to him, but look for him. In our greatest distresses, we shall see no reason to despair of salvation, if by faith we look to the Lord as the God of our salvation. Though enemies triumph and insult, they shall be silenced and put to shame. Though Zion's walls may long be in ruins, there will come a day when they shall be repaired. Israel shall come from all the remote parts, not turning back for discouragements. Though our enemies may seem to prevail against us, and to rejoice over us, we should not despond. Though cast down, we are not destroyed; we may join hope in God's mercy, with submission to his correction. No hinderances can prevent the favours the Lord intends for his church.

Verses 14-20 When God is about to deliver his people, he stirs up their friends to pray for them. Apply spiritually the prophet's prayer to Christ, to take care of his church, as the great Shepherd of the sheep, and to go before them, while they are here in this world as in a wood, in this world but not of it. God promises in answer to this prayer, he will do that for them which shall be repeating the miracles of former ages. As their sin brought them into bondage, so God's pardoning their sin brought them out. All who find pardoning mercy, cannot but wonder at that mercy; we have reason to stand amazed, if we know what it is. When the Lord takes away the guilt of sin, that it may not condemn us, he will break the power of sin, that it may not have dominion over us. If left to ourselves, our sins will be too hard for us; but God's grace shall be sufficient to subdue them, so that they shall not rule us, and then they shall not ruin us. When God forgives sin, he takes care that it never shall be remembered any more against the sinner. He casts their sins into the sea; not near the shore-side, where they may appear again, but into the depth of the sea, never to rise again. All their sins shall be cast there, for when God forgives sin, he forgives all. He will perfect that which concerns us, and with this good work will do all for us which our case requires, and which he has promised. These engagements relate to Christ, and the success of the gospel to the end of time, the future restoration of Israel, and the final prevailing of true religion in all lands. The Lord will perform his truth and mercy, not one jot or tittle of it shall fall to the ground: faithful is He that has promised, who also will do it. Let us remember that the Lord has given the security of his covenant, for strong consolation to all who flee for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before them in Christ Jesus.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO MICAH 7

This chapter begins with a lamentation of the prophet, in the name of the church and people of God, concerning the general depravity and corruption of the times in which he lived, Mic 7:1-6; then declares what he was determined to do for his relief in such circumstances, Mic 7:7; comforts himself and the church with a good hope and firm belief of its being otherwise and better with them, to the shame and confusion of their enemies that now rejoiced, though without just reason for it, Mic 7:8-10; with promises of deliverance, after a desolation of the land for some time, Mic 7:11-13; and with the answer returned to the prayers of the prophet, Mic 7:14,15; which would issue in the astonishment of the world, and their subjection to the church of God, Mic 7:16,17; and the chapter is concluded with admiration at the pardoning grace and mercy of God, and his faithfulness to his promises, Mic 7:18-20.

Micah 7 Commentaries

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.