PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS
| NKJV | NRSV | TEV | NJB |
| Wicked Rulers and Prophets | Threats directed Against Samaria and Jerusalem | Micah Denounces Israel’s Leaders | Against the Rulers Who Oppress the People |
| (1:2-3:12) | |||
| 3:1-3 (1-3) |
3:1-3 (1-3) |
3:1-4 | 3:1-4 (1-4) |
| 3:4 (4) |
3:4 (4) |
||
| 3:5-7 (5-7) |
3:5-8 (5-8) |
3:5-7 | 3:5-8 (5-8) |
| 3:8-12 (8-12) |
3:8-11 | To the Rulers: Prophecy of the Ruin of Zion | |
| 3:9-12 (9-12) |
3:9-12 (9-12) |
||
| 3:12 |
READING CYCLE THREE (see
“Bible
Interpretation Seminar”)
FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR’S INTENT AT PARAGRAPH LEVEL
This is a study guide commentary, which
means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the
light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not
relinquish this to a commentator.
Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3). Compare
your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is
the key to following the original author’s intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every
paragraph has one and only one subject.
BRIEF OUTLINE OF THE CHAPTER ‒ God calls the leaders of Judah to account.
- Political rulers, Mic. 3:1-4
- Prophets, Mic. 3:5-8
- false, Mic. 3:5-7
- true, Mic. 3:8
- Rulers, priests, and prophets, Mic. 3:9-12
- There is an obvious parallelism between A. and C. (i.e., “hear,” shema, Qal IMPERATIVE)
WORD AND PHRASE STUDY
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: MICAH 3:1-4
1“And I said,
‘Hear now, heads of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel.
Is it not for you to know justice?
2You who hate good and love evil,
Who tear off their skin from them
And their flesh from their bones,
3And who eat the flesh of my people,
Strip off their skin from them,
Break their bones,
And chop them up as for the pot
And as meat in a kettle.”
4Then they will cry out to the Lord,
But He will not answer them.
Instead, He will hide His face from them at that time,
Because they have practiced evil deeds.
3:1 This is a strong contrast to 2:12-13. The abrupt transition from
judgment to restoration characterizes this book. This literary technique may be
unconsciously related to the antithetical parallelism of Hebrew poetry! Chapter 3
picks up again on the theme of divine judgment.
▣ “Hear” This is the Hebrew Shema (BDB 1033, KB 1570,
Qal IMPERATIVE), which means to hear so as to do
(cf. Mic. 1:2; 3:1; 6:1). This word seems to outline the book. See note at Mic. 1:2.
▣ “heads of Jacob. . .rulers of the house of Israel.
Is it not for you to know justice” All three lines of poetry
refer to the political leaders of Judah (cf. Mic. 3:9-10) who should have been
trained in the Mosaic law (cf. Deut. 12:17), but followed a policy of greed and
self-centeredness (cf. Amos 5:15; Isa. 1:16,17). Calling Judah, Israel, probably shows
- this was spoken after the fall of the Northern Ten Tribes to Assyria in 722 B.C.
- it was a way of showing condemnation (e.g., Ezekiel 23)
▣ “justice” See
SPECIAL TOPIC: JUSTICE
3:2-3 Instead of acting like shepherds, these political leaders
(cf. Ezekiel 34) acted like butchers (i.e., “tear off,” “strip off,” “break,” “chop”).
The phrase, “eat the flesh of my people,” is used in this similar metaphorical
sense in Ps. 14:4, 27:2 and Prov. 30:14.
3:2 “You who hate good and love evil” The two VERBS
(BDB 12, KB 17) are both Qal ACTIVE PARTICIPLES. These
leaders’ response was exactly opposite from God’s will (cf. Isa. 1:16-17,21-23,26;
5:7,8,20; Amos 5:15).
3:4 “Then they will cry out to the Lord,
But He will not answer them” The VERB
“cry out” (BDB 227, KB 277, Qal IMPERFECT) is a legal term
for appealing to the court for help. As these wicked judges did not hear the cries of
the poor aliens, orphans, and widows, God will not hear their cry either
(cf.Deut. 31:17,18; 32:20; Prov. 21:13; Isa. 1:15; 59:2; 64:7; Jer. 33:5; James 2:13).
▣ “He will hide His face from them at that time” The
VERB (BDB 711, KB 771, Hiphil) is JUSSIVE in
form, but not in meaning. The “them” refers to the faithless leaders. This is ultimate
rejection and parallel to “He will not answer them” and “He will hide His face
from them.”
▣ “Because they have practiced evil deeds” Here is the problem. God’s
people have repeatedly and flagrantly rebelled and rejected their covenant obligations. They
are now reaping what they sowed (cf. Mic. 7:13; Isa. 3:10,11; Gal. 6:7).
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: MICAH 3:5-12
5” Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets
Who lead my people astray;
When they have something to bite with their teeth,
They cry, “Peace,”
But against him who puts nothing in their mouths,
They declare holy war.
6Therefore it will be night for you—without vision,
And darkness for you—without divination.
The sun will go down on the prophets,
And the day will become dark over them.
7The seers will be ashamed
And the diviners will be embarrassed.
Indeed, they will all cover their mouths
Because there is no answer from God.
8On the other hand I am filled with power—
With the Spirit of the Lord—
And with justice and courage
To make known to Jacob his rebellious act,
Even to Israel his sin.
9Now hear this, heads of the house of Jacob
And rulers of the house of Israel,
Who abhor justice
And twist everything that is straight,
10Who build Zion with bloodshed
And Jerusalem with violent injustice.
11Her leaders pronounce judgment for a bribe,
Her priests instruct for a price,
And her prophets divine for money.
Yet they lean on the Lord saying,
‘Is not the Lord in our midst?
Calamity will not come upon us.’
12Therefore, on account of you,
Zion will be plowed as a field,
Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins,
And the mountain of the temple will become high places of a forest.”
3:5 “Thus says the Lord concerning the
prophets” The prophets were one of several ways to know the will of YHWH. The
very ones who were to reveal God, did not know Him (cf. Hosea 4:1). 1 Samuel 28:6
mentions three ways Saul inquired of YHWH:
- dreams
- Urim and Thummim (i.e., High Priest)
- prophet (i.e., Samuel)
▣ “Who lead my people astray” The VERB
(BDB 1073, KB 1766, Hiphil PARTICIPLE) means “to
cause to err” (cf. Amos 2:4; Hosea 4:12; 2 Kgs. 21:9; Isa. 3:12; 9:16; Jer. 50:6). This
refers to the false prophets mentioned in Mic. 2:6-7; 3:10-11.
▣ “When they have something to bite with their teeth” This
refers to the eating of food (i.e., gifts from the people they prophesied for,
cf. Mic. 3:5, lines 4 and 5). They prophesy for hire, not for God (cf. Isa. 59:9-11). They
tell the generous clients just what they want to hear (i.e., peace and prosperity); they
tell their poor clients problems and scarcity.
The term “bite” (BDB 675, KB 729, Qal PARTICIPLE) usually refers to a snake bite.
▣ “They cry, ‘Peace'” Literally shalom (BDB 1022) is the
Hebrew word which means “wholeness.” Apparently, if the prophets were well-fed
(i.e., paid in food, cf. 1 Sam. 9:7-8), they would proclaim good news (e.g., Jer. 5:12;
6:13-14; 8:10-11; 13:14; 23:17; Ezek. 13:10); if they were not well-fed, they would
proclaim “holy war” (BDB 536). Their message was based on selfish interests, not
YHWH’s will. These prophets were available for private, as well as, royal consultations.
However, giving a gift to a prophet was a common practice
(e.g., 1 Kgs. 14:3; 2 Kgs. 4:42; 8:8-9). It is the manipulation of the message that is the problem!
SPECIAL TOPIC: PEACE (OT, shalom)
▣ “They declare holy war” The term “holy” is not in the MT, but
comes from the VERB (BDB 872, KB 1073, Piel PERFECT
with waw), which comes from the Hebrew root for “holy.” It is used to describe
setting apart certain people for war in Jer. 51:27; Joel 3:9 and here (cf. Robert Girdlestone,
Synonyms of the Old Testament, p. 177). The implication is that God will send bad
things, problems, conflicts against those who are not generous with the prophets
(i.e., God’s spokesperson). I sense this same technique today in America in tithing
sermons that pronounce doom if you do not give a current percentage to the
church (i.e., storehouse tithing)!
3:6 “night. . .darkness. . .sun will go down. . .day will become dark” These are
four terrible metaphors (no sunlight used by Isaiah) for the removal of God’s Spirit
and insight from the rulers and prophets. Darkness is used as a metaphor for lack of
revelation (i.e., light, e.g., Ps. 82:5; Prov. 2:13; 4:19; Isa. 59:9; 2 Pet. 1:19; 1 John 1:6; 2:11).
The darkness will result in judgment (cf. Amos 5:18-20). Another metaphor in
Amos 8:11-12 is famine of God’s word. God will not respond to their prayers or their prophets!
▣ “vision” Visions (BDB 302) and dreams (BDB 321) were often
paralleled (cf. Job 33:15; Isa. 29:7; Dan. 7:1) as ways of receiving God’s message. Usually
(but not exclusively) visions occurred in the day and dreams at night.
▣ “divination” This (BDB 890, KB 1115) was an ancient means of
knowing God’s will through some physical or mechanical means (e.g., negative,
Deut. 18:9-22; positive, 1 Sam. 28:6 and Gen. 44:5,15).
3:7 “seers” This was the earliest name for prophets (BDB 302, e.g.,
1 Sam. 9:9; 2 Sam. 24:11; 1 Chr. 9:22; 25:5; Isa. 30:10; Amos 7:12).
SPECIAL TOPIC: PROPHECY (OT), B.
| ▣ | |
| NASB, NKJV, Peshitta | ”ashamed” |
| NRSV, TEV, LXX | ”disgraced” |
| NJB | ”covered with shame” |
| REB | ”overcome with shame” |
The VERB (BDB 101, KB 116, Qal
PERFECT with waw) means to be ashamed
(e.g., Mic. 7:16; Hosea 4:19; 10:6; 13:15 and many times in Isaiah).
| ▣ | |
| NASB | ”embarrassed” |
| NKJV | ”abashed” |
| NRSV | ”put to shame” |
| TEV | ”humiliated” |
| NJB | ”covered with confusion” |
| JPSOA, Peshitta | ”confounded” |
| LXX | ”mocked” |
This VERB (BDBb 340, Qal
PERFECT with waw) is parallel with “ashamed”
and also means ashamed. They are both used together in Isa. 24:23. It is used of
- idolaters in Isa. 1:29
- diviners, here
- Babylon in Jer. 50:12
▣ “they will all cover their mouths” Literally this is
“mustache” (BDB 974). This symbol of covering the mustache meant
- grief (cf. Ezek. 24:17,22)
- shame (i.e., lepers, Lev. 13:45)
▣ “Because there is no answer from God” These leaders
are suffering the same lack of communication with God as the leaders
described in Mic. 3:4 (cf. 1 Sam. 28:6). Heaven is silent!
3:8 As verses 5-7 have been a discussion of false prophets,
Mic. 3:8 is a description of a true prophet who is in full communication
with God (cf. Ps. 89:13-14, the prophet shares or better reflects the
character of God). Notice the true prophet is filled (BDB 569, KB 583,
Qal PERFECT) with
- power (BDB 470)
- YHWH’s Spirit (cf. Isa. 11:2; Ezek. 2:2)
- justice (BDB 1048 “judgment”)
- courage (BDB 150 “might”) to make sin known (cf. Isa. 58:1)
What a contrast with the leaders’ shame, grief, and impotence!
Although the full doctrine of the indwelling Holy Spirit,
the third person of the Trinity, is not obvious in the OT, the personal presence
of God with and within humans is revealed:
- Bezalel, Exod. 31:3; 35:31
- Joshua, Deut. 34:9
- Saul, 1 Sam. 19:23-24
- Elijah, 1 Kgs. 18:46
- Ezekiel, Ezek. 1:3; 37:1; 40:1
- Micah, Micah 3:8
- Messiah, Isaiah 11:2; 48:16; 61:1 (Luke 4:18-19)
Also notice the connection between the prophets and the Spirit in Hosea 9:7.
SPECIAL TOPIC: THE PERSONHOOD OF THE SPIRIT
| ▣ | |
| NASB | ”On the other hand” |
| NKJV, Peshitta | ”but truly” |
| NRSV, TEV | ”but as for me” |
| NJB | ”No so with me” |
| REB | ”But I am” |
| JPSOA | ”But I” |
| LXX | ”otherwise” |
Literally the MT has “but indeed I.” The Hebrew
ADVERB (BDB 19) is a strong ADVERSATIVE
(used often in Job, cf. Mic. 1:11; 11:5; 12:7; 13:4; 14:18; 17:10; 33:1).
▣ “Jacob. . .Israel” As the last two lines of Mic. 3:8 show
Micah addressing both Judah’s sins and Israel’s sins, so too, lines 1 and 2 of Mic. 3:9.
SPECIAL TOPIC: ISRAEL (THE NAME)
| 3:9 | |
| NASB, NKJV, Peshitta | ”Now hear this” |
| NRSV, JPSOA | ”hear this” |
| TEV | ”listen to me” |
| NJB | ”kindly listen to this” |
| REB | ”Listen to this” |
| LXX | ”Do hear this” |
This phrase is literally “hear I pray this.” The
VERB (BDB 1033, KB 1570) is a Qal
IMPERATIVE, followed by a PARTICLE
used for entreaty (בא) and then the
DEMONSTRATIVE ADJECTIVE “this.”
▣ “Who abhor justice” The VERB
(BDB 1073, KB 1765, Piel PARTICIPLE) means
regard as an abomination (e.g., Amos 5:10; 6:8; Isa. 14:19; 49:7). These
leaders were not sincerely wrong, but haters of the right, good, and
godly (cf. Isa. 5:20; Amos 6:12). The term “justice” (BDB 1048) is
repeated in Mic. 3:8 and 9.
▣ “And twist everything that is straight” The VERB
“twist” (BDB 786, KB 875, Piel IMPERFECT) means
“to pervert” or “to make crooked” (cf. Prov. 10:9; 28:18; Isa. 59:8).
The term “straight” is the etymological root of the OT term
for “justice” or “righteousness,” which meant a straight edge or measuring
reed (cf. Isa. 5:20). Most of the Hebrew words for sin speak of a deviation from this
divine standard.
3:10 “Zion. . .Jerusalem” Zion is the name of one of the seven hills
upon which Jerusalem was built. It often is used to refer to the whole city or nation.
▣ “with bloodshed. . .with violent injustice” These two
NOUNS are parallel (cf. Jer. 22:13,17; Hab. 2:12).
3:11 All three groups of leaders are mentioned in this verse and all
three are condemned for their greedy, materialistic attitude (cf. Mic. 7:3; Isa. 56:9-12;
Jer. 5:30-31; 6:13-14; 8:8-12; 14:13-18,22-23; 26:10-15,16; Ezek. 13; 22:23-31).
▣ “pronounce judgment for a bribe” This shows the corruption
of the judiciary (cf. Mic. 7:3; 2 Chr. 19:7; Isa. 1:23; 5:23). Wealth controlled every
aspect of Jewish life.
▣ “priests instruct for a price” One role of the priests (and Levites)
was to educate the people on the precepts of the Mosaic Law (e.g., Deut. 33:10;
2 Chr. 15:3; 17:9). Priestly understanding and teaching (and living) of the
Mosaic Law was crucial to a healthy, spiritual Israel (cf. Hosea 4:6).
▣ “Yet they lean on the Lord, saying”
The term “lean” is used of leaning on a staff (BDB 1043, KB 1612, Niphal
IMPERFECT, cf. Ps. 23:4). These leaders were wrapping their
evil deeds and nations in religious dress. Their mouth said one thing; their actions
another (cf. Isa. 29:13)! They were claiming YHWH’s protection (covenant benefit)
because of their covenant relationship to Him, but were completely ignoring
the covenant requirements (cf. Deuteronomy 27-29; Levitcus 26; Isa. 6:9-10; 29:13).
▣ “Calamity will not come upon us” This must have been a
recurrent theme of the false prophets, which became a cultural proverb
(cf. Jer. 5:12; 23:17; Amos 9:10), but they were wrong (cf. Mic. 2:3).
3:12 This must have been an extremely startling statement to the
people of Judah. They trusted in God’s promises that Jerusalem and the Temple
would never fall (i.e., Isaiah’s promises to Hezekiah, probably based in 2 Samuel 7),
and yet, because of their flagrant neglect of the ethical aspects of the covenant,
God would take them into exile (cf. Jer. 26:18). Jerusalem would be like Samaria
(cf. Mic. 1:6)! This is the first prophetic mention of the fall of Jerusalem (“plowed
as a field”) and the Temple (i.e., overgrown with vegetation, literally “a high place
of a forest”). This is theologically parallel to Isa. 5. I am sure that Micah was discredited
in 701 B.C. when this did not occur (i.e., Sennacherib’s army destroyed
by God, cf. 2 Kgs. 19:35-37), however, the prophet was vindicated in 586 B.C.
when this prophecy was literally fulfilled under the siege of Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon.
F. F. Bruce, Answers to Questions, asserts that the king (i.e., Hezekiah, cf. Mic. 1:1)
and people of Judah responded to Micah’s message and, therefore, God relented of His
judgment (p. 36).
▣ “on account of you” They (the political and religious leaders)
were not only going to experience the judgment of God (like the wealthy exploiters),
their activities were the reason for the judgment of God!
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
This is a study guide commentary which
means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us
must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in
interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.
These discussion questions are provided to help you think
through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be
thought-provoking, not definitive.
- What was the essence of the false prophets’ message in Mic. 2:6-11?
- Why is Mic. 2:12-13 such a radical break from the context?
- How does one tell the difference between a false prophet and a true prophet?
- How can God promise to always have a man on the Davidic throne
(2 Samuel 7), and yet predict the total destruction of Jerusalem and the monarchy?
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