FocusExploitation and corrupt leadership
Connection to the wholeThe opening messages expose the conduct bringing judgment on Samaria and Jerusalem, including the failures of rulers and prophets.
interpretation Micah 3:7
KJVThen shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God.
Read it in context
Rulers and Prophets Condemned
Start reading at Micah 3:1 (Micah 3:1 to Micah 3:12).
An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
The opening messages expose the conduct bringing judgment on Samaria and Jerusalem, including the failures of rulers and prophets.
- 3:1 And I said, Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes of the house of Israel; Is it not for you to know judgment?
- 3:2 Who hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck off their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones;
- 3:3 Who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them; and they break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the caldron.
- 3:4 Then shall they cry unto the LORD, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings.
- 3:5 Thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him.
- 3:6 Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them.
- 3:7 Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God.
- 3:8 But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.
- 3:9 Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity.
- 3:10 They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.
- 3:11 The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us.
- 3:12 Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest.
Who
- Who wrote the book? Micah of Moresheth is the named prophet and traditional author. Biblical references: Micah 1:1. stated in the text
- Who was present or being addressed in this passage? In the surrounding chapter context (Micah 1:1–3:12): Micah addresses Samaria and Jerusalem, including landowners, rulers, priests, and prophets whose conduct harms the people. stated in the text
- Who was the book written to? Samaria and Jerusalem, including their rulers, prophets, and people, with an appeal heard by the wider nations. Biblical references: Micah 1:1; Micah 1:2; Micah 3:1. stated in the text
What
- What is the topic of this reading unit? Rulers and Prophets Condemned. Read Micah 3:1 through Micah 3:12 as a connected unit. interpretation
- How does it contribute to the book? The opening messages expose the conduct bringing judgment on Samaria and Jerusalem, including the failures of rulers and prophets. interpretation
When
- When are the events or message set? Micah's opening names the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. The book announces both judgment and later hope. book background
Where
- What is the book’s geographic setting? The vision concerns Samaria and Jerusalem and includes references to towns of Judah, Zion, and Bethlehem. book background
- Where does the context start? This passage sits in Rulers and Prophets Condemned (Micah 3:1 to Micah 3:12). Start reading at Micah 3:1. An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
How
- How does this book connect with Jesus Christ? Matthew cites the Bethlehem ruler passage in the account of Jesus' birth. Keep the surrounding themes of judgment, shepherding, and peace in view when making that connection. See Micah 5:2, Matthew 2:5, Matthew 2:6. interpretation
- How should this book guide our response? Practice justice, mercy, and humble walking with God. Read that appeal within the covenant case rather than reducing it to a slogan detached from the book's accusations. interpretation
Cited: Micah 3:1, Micah 3:12, Micah 5:2, Matthew 2:5, Matthew 2:6
Who wrote it, and how we know
Micah
Named in Scripture
What Scripture saysThe book opens with the word of the LORD that came to Micah.
Micah 1:1
Early traditionTradition names Micah.
Related passages
- the seers Exod 8:18-19 Exod 9:11 1 Sam 9:9 Isa 44:25 Isa 47:12-14 Dan 2:9-11 Zech 13:4 2 Tim 3:8-9
- cover Lev 13:45 Ezek 24:17,22
- no 1 Sam 14:37 1 Sam 28:6,15 Ps 74:9 Amos 8:11
Cross references from CrossReferences-org (CC BY 4.0).
Macro-Structure
See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.
Macro-Structure of Micah 3
Micah's opening locates his vision concerning Samaria and Jerusalem in the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. The book alternates indictment and hope rather than presenting one undifferentiated promise. Local headings and stanza divisions are editorial reading aids adapted from public-domain BSB headings; verse boundaries and Scripture links use the KJV. Connections describe the surrounding book movement.
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.
Macro-Structure of Micah
Micah's opening locates his vision concerning Samaria and Jerusalem in the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. The book alternates indictment and hope rather than presenting one undifferentiated promise.
FocusExploitation and corrupt leadership
Connection to the wholeThe opening messages expose the conduct bringing judgment on Samaria and Jerusalem, including the failures of rulers and prophets.
interpretation Zion and the coming ruler
Micah 4:1–5:15FocusHope amid distress
Connection to the wholePromises concerning Zion and the ruler from Bethlehem appear alongside conflict and purification, carrying hope beyond the announced judgment.
interpretation The covenant case and concluding hope
Micah 6:1–7:20FocusFaithfulness, confession, and mercy
Connection to the wholeThe closing movement presses the LORD's case, describes communal corruption, and ends in hope and praise for forgiving mercy.
interpretation Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.