Micah 3:1-4 & 9-12A Warning to Ungodly Political Leaders

Translation & Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church of Manhattan, KS, 11 August 2024

Introduction

vs.1-4 – Warning to Political leaders

In verses 2-3, Micah highlights the injustices of the Israelite Rulers

v. 4 – God Will Separate Himself From Them

vs. 9-12 – Recap Warning to Political and Religious Leaders

v. 12 – Sentence of Destruction

Application

Micah 3 Side-by side comparison of versionsA

DouayB (Vulgate)

LXXC

BrentonD (Vaticanus)

KJVE

NAW

Masoretic HebrewF

1 And I said: Hear X, O ye princes of Jacob, and ye chiefs of the house of Israel: Is it not your part to know judgment,

1 Καὶ ἐρεῖ Ἀκούσατε δὴ [ταῦτα], αἱ ἀρχαὶ [οἴκου] Ιακωβ καὶ οἱ κατά­λοιποιG οἴκου Ισραηλ. οὐχ ὑμῖν ἐστιν τοῦ γνῶναι τὸ κρίμα;

1 And he shall say, Hear now [these words], ye heads of the [house] of Jacob, and ye remnant of the house of Israel; is it not for you to know judgment?

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?

1. Then I said, “Listen now, heads of Jacob and leaders of the house of Israel: Aren’t y’all supposed to know what justice is?

(א) וָאֹמַרH שִׁמְעוּ נָאI רָאשֵׁי יַעֲקֹב וּקְצִינֵיJ בֵּיתK יִשְׂרָאֵל הֲלוֹא לָכֶם לָדַעַת אֶת הַמִּשְׁפָּטL.

2 You that hate good, and love evil: that violently pluck off their skin[s] from them and their flesh from their bones?

2 οἱ μισοῦντες τὰ καλὰ καὶ ζητοῦντες τὰ πονηρά, ἁρπάζοντες τὰ δέρματα αὐτῶν ἀπ᾿ αὐτῶν καὶ τὰς σάρκας αὐτῶν ἀπὸ τῶν ὀστέων αὐτῶν.

2 who hate good, and seek evil; who tear their skin[s] off them, and their flesh off their bones:

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. Y’all are hating what is good and loving what is evil, stealing their hide from off of them and their flesh from off their bones!

(ב) שֹׂנְאֵיM טוֹב וְאֹהֲבֵי ‎ רָעָהN גֹּזְלֵיO עוֹרָם מֵעֲלֵיהֶם וּשְׁאֵרָם מֵעַל עַצְמוֹתָם.

3 X Who have eaten the flesh of my people, and have flayed their skin off them: and have broken, and chopped their bones as for the kettle, and as flesh in the midst of the pot.

3 ὃν τρόπον κατέφαγον τὰς σάρκας τοῦ λαοῦ μου καὶ τὰ δέρματα αὐτῶν ἀπὸ τῶν ὀστέων αὐτῶν ἐξ­έδειραν καὶ τὰ ὀστέα αὐτῶν συν­έθλασαν καὶ ἐμέλι­σαν ὡς [σάρκας] εἰς λέβητα καὶ ὡς κρέα εἰς χύτραν,

3 even as they devoured the flesh of my people, and stripped their skins off them, and broke their bones, and divided them as [flesh] for the caldron, and as meat for the pot,

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. Yes, it is they who consumed the flesh of my people and stripped their hide from off of them, and gleefully-broke their bones, and chop­ped them up as though for the boiler – like meat in a stock-pot.

(ג) וַאֲשֶׁרP אָכְלוּ שְׁאֵר עַמִּי וְעוֹרָם מֵעֲלֵיהֶם הִפְשִׁיטוּ וְאֶת עַצְמֹתֵיהֶם פִּצֵּחוּQ וּפָרְשׂוּR כַּאֲשֶׁר בַּסִּיר וּכְבָשָׂר בְּתוֹךְ קַלָּחַת.

4 Then shall they cry to the Lord, and he will not hear them: and he will hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved wickedly in their devices.

4 οὕτως κεκράξονται πρὸς κύριον, καὶ οὐκ εἰσ­ακούσεται αὐτῶν· καὶ ἀποστρέψειS τὸ πρόσωπ­ον αὐτοῦ ἀπ᾿ αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ, ἀνθ᾿ ὧν ἐπονη­ρεύ­σαντο ἐν τοῖς ἐπι­τηδεύμασιν αὐτῶν [ἐπ᾿ αὐτούςT.]

4 thus they shall cry to the Lord, but he shall not hearken to them; and he shall turn away his face from them at that time, because they have done wickedly in their prac­tices [against themselves].

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.

4. At that time, they will cry out to Yahweh, but He will not answer them; instead, He will hide his face from them then, because they have made their deeds evil.

(ד) אָז Uיִזְעֲקוּ אֶל יְהוָה וְלֹא יַעֲנֶה אוֹתָם וְיַסְתֵּרV פָּנָיו מֵהֶם בָּעֵת הַהִיא כַּאֲשֶׁר הֵרֵעוּ מַעַלְלֵיהֶם.

5 Thus saith the Lord con­cerning the prophets that make my people err: that bite with their teeth, and preach peace: and if a man give not something into their mouth, they prepare war against him.

5 τάδε λέγει κύριος ἐπὶ τοὺς προφή­τας τοὺς πλανῶντας τὸν λαόν μου, τοὺς δάκνοντας ἐν τοῖς ὀδοῦσιν αὐτῶν καὶ κηρύσσον­τας [ἐπ᾿ αὐτὸν] εἰρήνην, καὶ οὐκ ἐδόθη εἰς τὸ στόμα αὐτῶν, ἤγειρανW ἐπ᾿ αὐτὸν πόλεμον·

5 Thus saith the Lord concerning the pro­phets that lead my people astray, that bit with their teeth, and pro­claim peace [to them]; and when nothing was put into their mouth, they raised up war against them:

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.

5. Thus says Yahweh concerning the prophets who lead my people astray – who bite with their teeth even when they call out a peaceful greeting, but when anyone does not make a payment upon their demand, then they will ded­icate war upon him.

(ה) כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה עַל הַנְּבִיאִים הַמַּתְעִים אֶת עַמִּיX הַנֹּשְׁכִיםY בְּשִׁנֵּיהֶם וְקָרְאוּ שָׁלוֹםZ וַאֲשֶׁר לֹא יִתֵּן עַל פִּיהֶםAA וְקִדְּשׁוּ עָלָיו מִלְחָמָהAB.

6 Therefore night shall be to you instead of vision, and darkness to you instead of divina­tion: and the sun shall go down upon the pro­phets, and the day shall be darkened over them.

6 διὰ τοῦτο νὺξ ὑμῖν ἔσται ἐξ ὁράσεως, καὶ σκοτία ὑμῖν ἔσταιAC ἐκ μαντείας, καὶ δύσεται ὁ ἥλιος ἐπὶ τοὺς προφήτας, καὶ συσκοτάσει ἐπ᾿ αὐτοὺς ἡ ἡμέρα·

6 therefore there shall be night to you instead of a vision, and there shall be to you dark­ness instead of proph­ecy; and the sun shall go down upon the pro­phets, and the day shall be dark upon them.

6 Therefore night shall be unto you, that X [ye shall] not [have] a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, [that ye shall] not divineAD; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them.

6. Therefore, night will be yours without a seer’s-vision, and darkness will be yours without a medium’s-oracle, and the sun will set over the prophets, such that the day will be dark over them.

(ו) לָכֵן לַיְלָה לָכֶם מֵחָזוֹן וְחָשְׁכָה לָכֶם מִקְּסֹם וּבָאָה הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ עַל הַנְּבִיאִים וְקָדַר עֲלֵיהֶם הַיּוֹם.

7 And they shall be con­founded that see visions, and the diviners shall be confounded: and they shall all cover their faces, be­cause there is no ans­wer of God.

7 καὶ καταισχυν­θήσονται οἱ ὁρῶντες [τὰ ἐνύπνια], καὶ καταγελασ­θήσονται οἱ μάντεις, καὶ καταλαλή­σουσιν AE κατ᾿ X αὐ­τῶν πάντες αὐτοί, διότι οὐκ ἔσται ὁ εἰσακούων αὐτῶν.

7 And the seers [of night-vis­ions] shall be ashamed, and the pro­phets shall be laughed to scorn: and all the [peo­ple] shall speak against X them, be­cause there shall be none to hearken to them.

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.

7. And the seers will experience shame, and the mediums will blush; indeed all of them will put a wrap over their lips, for there will not be any answer from God.

(ז) וּבֹשׁוּ הַחֹזִים וְחָפְרוּ הַקֹּסְמִים וְעָטוּ עַל שָׂפָםAF כֻּלָּם כִּי אֵין מַעֲנֵה אֱלֹהִיםAG.

8 But yet I am filled with the strength of the spirit of the Lord, with judg­ment and power: to declare unto Jacob his wicked­ness and to Israel his sin.

8 ἐὰν μὴAH ἐγὼ ἐμπλήσωAI ἰσχὺν ἐν πνεύματι κυρίουAJ καὶ κρίμα­τος καὶ δυνασ­τείας τοῦ ἀπαγ­γεῖλαι τῷ Ιακωβ ἀσεβείας αὐτοῦ καὶ τῷ Ισραηλ ἁμαρτίας αὐτοῦ.

8 Surely I will X strengthen myself with the Spirit of the Lord, and of judg­ment, and of power, to declare to Jacob his transgres­sion[s], and to Israel his sin[s].

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.

8. However, as for me, I am full of strength – with the Spirit of Yahweh – and also of justice and might, to communicate to Jacob its transgression and to Israel its sin.

(ח) וְאוּלָםAK אָנֹכִי מָלֵאתִי כֹחַAL אֶת רוּחַ יְהוָה וּמִשְׁפָּט וּגְבוּרָה לְהַגִּיד לְיַעֲקֹב פִּשְׁעוֹ וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵל חַטָּאתוֹAM.

9 X Hear this, ye princes of the house of Jacob, and ye judges of the house of Israel: you that abhor judgment and pervert all that is right.

9 ἀκούσατε δὴ ταῦτα, οἱ ἡγούμεν­οι οἴκου Ιακωβ καὶ οἱ κατά­λοιποιAN οἴκου Ισραηλ οἱ βδελυσ­σόμενοι κρίμα καὶ πάντα τὰ ὀρθὰ διαστρέφ­οντες,

9 Hear now these [words], ye chiefs of the house of Jacob, and the remnant of the house of Israel, who hate judgment, and pervert all right­eousness;

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.

9. Listen now to this, you heads of the house of Jacob and leaders of the house of Israel: You who despise justice indeed distort all that is right -

(ט) AOשִׁמְעוּ נָא זֹאת רָאשֵׁי בֵּית יַעֲקֹב וּקְצִינֵי בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל הַמֲתַעֲבִים מִשְׁפָּט וְאֵת כָּל הַיְשָׁרָה יְעַקֵּשׁוּAP.

10 You that build up Sion with bloodX, and Jerusalem with iniquity.

10 οἱ οἰκο­δομοῦντες Σιων ἐν αἵμασιν καὶ Ιερουσα­λημ ἐν ἀδικίαις·

10 who build up Sion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.

10 They build up Zion with bloodX, and Jerusalem with iniquity.

10. building Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with injustice!

(י) בֹּנֶהAQ צִיּוֹןAR בְּדָמִים וִירוּשָׁלַ͏ִם בְּעַוְלָהAS.

11 Her princes have judged for bribe[s]: and her priests have taught for hire, and her prophets divined for money: and they leaned upon the Lord, saying: Is not the Lord in the midst of us? no evil shall come among us.

11 οἱ ἡγούμενοι αὐτῆς μετὰ δώρων ἔκρινον, καὶ οἱ ἱερεῖς αὐτῆς μετὰ μισθοῦ ἀπε­κρίνοντοAT, καὶ οἱ προφῆται αὐτῆς μετὰ ἀργυρίου ἐμαντεύ­οντο, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν κύριον ἐπ­ανεπαύοντο λέγοντες Οὐχὶ κύριος ἐν ἡμῖν ἐστιν; οὐ μὴ ἐπέλθῃ ἐφ᾿ ἡμᾶς κακά.

11 The heads thereof have judged for gift[s], and the priests thereof have answered for hire, and her proph­ets have divined for silver: and yet they have rested on the Lord, saying, Is not the Lord among us? no evil shall come upon us.

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.

11. For a bribe, her heads will render judgment, and for a price her priests will teach, and for money her prophets will deliver oracles, while they presume upon Yahweh, saying, “Isn’t Yahweh in nearness to us? Nothing terrible is going to come upon us!”

(יא) רָאשֶׁיהָ בְּשֹׁחַדAU יִשְׁפֹּטוּ וְכֹהֲנֶיהָAV בִּמְחִיר יוֹרוּ וּנְבִיאֶיהָ בְּכֶסֶף יִקְסֹמוּ וְעַל יְהוָה יִשָּׁעֵנוּAW לֵאמֹר הֲלוֹאAX יְהוָה בְּקִרְבֵּנוּ לֹא תָבוֹא עָלֵינוּ רָעָה.

12 There­fore because of you, Sion shall be ploughed as a field, and Jerusalem shall be as a heap of stones, and the moun­tain of the temple as the high places of the forests.

12 διὰ τοῦτο δι᾿ ὑμᾶς Σιων ὡς ἀγρὸς ἀροτριαθή­σεται, καὶ Ιερουσαλημ ὡς ὀπωρο­φυλάκιονAY ἔσται καὶ τὸ ὄρος τοῦ οἴκου ὡς ἄλσος AZδρυμοῦ.

12 There­fore on your account Sion shall be ploughed as a field, and Jeru­salem shall be [as] a store­house of fruits, and the mountain of the house as a groveX of the forest.

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.

12. Therefore, on account of y’all, Zion will be plowed into a field, and Jerusalem will become a debris-pile, and the temple mount a highland forest.

(יב) לָכֵן בִּגְלַלְכֶם צִיּוֹן שָׂדֶה תֵחָרֵשׁ וִירוּשָׁלַ͏ִם עִיִּיןBA תִּהְיֶה וְהַר הַבַּיִתBB לְבָמוֹת יָעַר.BC



1This is from Adam Clarke’s commentary, quoting the Life of Tiberius by Suetonius: “Praesidibus onerandas tributo provincias suadentibus rescripsit: Boni Pastoris esse Tondere pecus, non Deglubebe.”

2Calvin’s commentary suggested that this was to “convey an idea of the various kinds of cruelty which they practiced.” Keil’s commentary suggested “we must not give any special meaning to the particular features… The prophet paints in very glaring colours to make an impression upon the ungodly.” Waltke’s commentary also suggested it was for shock value and that it may be a form of hendiadys “representing three aspects of one situation.”

3Incidentally, the image of “spreading” is also used to depict the exile in Zechariah 2:6 “‘...I have spread you abroad like the four winds of heaven,’ says the LORD,” and Ezekiel 17:21 “All his fugitives with all his troops shall fall by the sword, and those who remain shall be [chopped/spread]scattered to every wind; and you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken.” (NKJV)

4Cf. other later prophets who said the same kind of thing: Ezekiel 8:18, 33:5, 39: 23-24, Zecheriah 7:13, and Jeremiah 11:11 & 14:12.

5Cf. similar proverbs in the O.T.: Psalm 18:41, Proverbs 1:25-28, and Proverbs 28:9.

6Calvin commented, “It appears then that the ungodly so cry, that they only violently contend with God: but this is not the right way of praying. It is therefore no wonder that God rejects their clamors... when with obstinate minds we pursue our own course, and give no place to repentance, we close up the door of mercy against ourselves...”

7Isaiah 10:1 “Woe to those who enact evil statutes And to those who constantly record unjust decisions.” (NAW)
Jeremiah 5:28 “They have grown fat, they are sleek; Yes, they surpass the deeds of the wicked; They do not plead the cause, The cause of the fatherless; Yet they prosper, And the right of the needy they do not defend.”
Ezekiel 22:6 “Look, the princes of Israel: each one has used his power to shed blood in you.” 45:9 “Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Enough, O princes of Israel! Remove violence and plundering, execute justice and righteousness, and stop dispossessing My people…’”
Zephaniah 3:4 “Her prophets are insolent, treacherous people; Her priests have polluted the sanctuary, They have done violence to the law.” (NKJV)

8Isaiah 5:7 “For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel And the men of Judah His delightful plant. Thus He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; For righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress.” (NAW)
Habakkuk 2:12
“Woe to him who builds a town with bloodshed, Who establishes a city by iniquity.”
Ezekiel 22:25 “The conspiracy of her prophets in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing the prey; they have devoured people; they have taken treasure and precious things; they have made many widows in her midst.”
Hosea 6:9 “As bands of robbers lie in wait for a man, So the company of priests murder on the way to Shechem; Surely they commit lewdness.” (NKJV)

9Waltke suggested that Hezekiah’s building projects outlined in 2 Chronicles 32:27-29 (and I might add Isaiah 9:10 and 22:10ff) were what was in view, but they are not connected with oppression there.

10“Their tongues were mercenary; they would either prophesy or let it alone, according as they found it most for their advantage; and a man might have what oracle he would from them if he would but pay them for it. Thus they were fit successors of Balaam, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.” ~M. Henry

11“[A]s soon as judges open a way for rewards, they cannot preserve integrity, however much they may wish to do so. And the same is the case with the priests: for if any one is given to avarice, he will adulterate the pure truth...” ~Calvin

12Jeremiah 7:4 “Do not trust in these lying words, saying, ‘The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD are these.’” (NKJV)

13Deuteronomy 31:16-17 “...this people will rise and play the harlot with the gods of the foreigners of the land... and they will forsake Me and break My covenant which I have made with them. Then My anger shall be aroused against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured. And many evils and troubles shall befall them, so that they will say in that day, 'Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?’” (NKJV)

14In the ellipsis, he referred to the U.S. Supreme Court, and he was writing before it rolled back Roe vs. Wade, but even then, that court should have ruled that the unborn child has the Constitutional right to life; instead, it reprehensibly took no position and left it to the individual states to decide whether murdering unborn children is just or not, so the point remains salient.

15Jeremiah 26:18 “Micah of Moresheth prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spoke to all the people of Judah, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Zion shall be plowed like a field, Jerusalem shall become heaps of ruins, And the mountain of the temple Like the bare hills of the forest."’” (NKJV) This gives us a clear date range for this prophecy of Micah: 686-715 BC, and a clear audience: the southern kingdom, since the northern kingdom had been overthrown by that time.

16Matthew 24:2; Mark 13:2; Luke 19:44; 21:6.

AMy original chart includes the following copyrighted English versions: NASB, NIV, ESV, Bauscher’s version of the Peshitta, and Cathcart’s version of the Targums, but I remove these columns from my public, non-copyrighted edition of this chart so as not to infringe on their copyrights. NAW is my translation. When a translation adds words not in the Hebrew text, but does not indicate it has done so by the use of italics or greyed-out text, I put the added words in [square brackets]. When one version chooses a wording which is different from all the other translations, I underline it. When a version chooses a translation which, in my opinion, either departs too far from the root meaning of the Hebrew word or departs too far from the grammar form of the original text, I use strikeout. And when a version omits a word which is in the original text, I insert an X. I also place an X at the end of a word if the original word is plural but the English translation is singular. I occasionally use colors to help the reader see correlations between the various editions and versions when there are more than two different translations of a given word. The only known Dead Sea Scrolls containing Micah 3 are 4Q82 (containing part of verse 12 and dated between 30-1 BC), The Nahal Hever Greek scroll (containing parts of vs. 5-6 and dated around 25BC), and the Wadi Muraba’at Scroll, containing parts verses 1-12 and dated around 135 AD. Where the DSS is legible and in agreement with the MT, the MT is colored purple. Where the DSS supports the LXX/Vulgate/Peshitta with omissions or text not in the MT, I have highlighted with yellow the LXX and its translation into English, and where I have accepted that into my NAW translation, I have marked it with {pointed brackets}.

BDouay Old Testament first published by the English College at Douay, A.D. 1609, Revised and Diligently Compared with the Latin Vulgate by Bishop Richard Challoner, Published in 1582, 1609, 1752. As published on E-Sword.

C“Septuagint” Greek Old Testament, edited by Alfred Rahlfs. Published in 1935. As published on E-Sword.

DEnglish translation of the Septuagint by Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton, 1851, “based upon the text of the Vaticanus” but not identical to the Vaticanus. As published electronically by E-Sword.

E1769 King James Version of the Holy Bible; public domain. As published electronically by E-Sword.

FFrom the Wiki Hebrew Bible https://he.wikisource.org/wiki/%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%9B%D7%94_%D7%91/%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%AA .
DSS text comes from https://downloads.thewaytoyahuweh.com

GLXX does the same mis-translation in v.9. 2nd Century AD Greek versions corrected to the tradition followed by the MT, Peshitta, and Vulgate, with αρχη (“rulers” – Aquilla, Theodotian) or ‘ηγουμενοι (“leaders” – Symmachus).

HLXX & Peshitta read 3s (“he said”), but DSS support the Vulgate and MT with 1s (“I said”).

INah = “logical particle of entreaty denoting… consequence of the general situation in the preceding…” ~Waltke
v.9 contains a repetition of the first part of this verse, adding the word “this” and the word “house.” The Peshitta and Septuagint include those two words here.

J“lit. deciders” ~Keil

KDSS seems to omit, but it is in all the ancient versions. It doesn’t change the meaning either way, and Micah is the only Bible author who uses this phrase “leaders of Israel.” Calvin commented that since Micah’s message was primarily for the nation of Judah, the use of “Israel” here is not intended to limit his message to the northern kingdom. Henry added that, since this prophecy was uttered during the reign of Hezekiah (Jer. 26:18), which was after the demise of the northern kingdom, it could only have referred to the southern kingdom.

LMarckius and Grotius are in a small minority of commentators who interpreted this last phrase to mean, “Is it not for you, who judge and punish others, to know the judgment of God, which awaits you?” Most interpret the question to mean that magistrates should know how to be just. Henry added that it meant not only to “know” but to “do” justice.

MThe three verbs in this verse are all participles (“...hating...loving...stealing/tearing/plucking...”). I have interpreted them as focusing on the present tense actions of the people being addressed (as did the Geneva and NET Bibles), but most English Bibles interpret them as substantives (“you who hate” – the plural form of the participle supports the second person plural in the previous sentence, although the person changes to 3rd in the next verse, apparently referring to the same audience), however, there is no definite article to clearly mark these participles as substantives, and the substantive translation makes for an awkwardly-long vocative.

NDSS is illegible here, but there is not space between legible words for this word “evil.” However, the word is in all the other manuscripts and versions. Qere suggested removing the final letter, turning it into an adjective rather than a noun, but it makes no difference in the meaning. Owen of Thrussington suggested the less-simplistic translation “Haters of benevolence, and lovers of mischief.”

O“Steal/rob/snatch” – cf. this verb in Isa. 10:2 and Micah 2:2.

PWhereas the verbs in v.2 were all participles, the verbs in v.3 are all Perfect tense indicatives (“consumed/ate… stripped/flayed… gleefully-broke...chopped up”). The grammar is unusual with a relative pronoun (“and who/which”) followed by an indicative (“they ate”), also changing from 2nd plural subjects in v.2 to 3rd plural in v.3. This works if you see it as Micah shifting from himself speaking to the magistrates in v.2, to God speaking to him about the magistrates in v.3 (Waltke).

QAll the other instances of this verb in the Bible involve joy/singing (Ps. 98:4; Isa. 14:7; 44:23; 49:13; 52:9; 54:1; 55:12).

RThis is the only instance of this word where it is translated “chopped,” the other 67 instances work with the normal meaning of “spread.” The image is of the whole body being spread out as it is diced and thrown into the pot. The image of spreading is used to depict the exile in Ezekiel 17:21 and Zech. 2:6.

SSymmachus emended to αποκρυψει, matching the text form of the MT and Vulgate, but the LXX is supported by the Peshitta and Targums.

TAquilla, Symmachus, and Theodotian all omit these extra words in their versions, matching the MT.

UDenoting a future point in time, matching the future (Imperfect) tense of the next three verbs.
Waltke commented that this verb for “cry out” denotes emotional distress and calling for help.

VLXX (ἀποστρέψει), Peshitta (‎ונהפך), and Targums (‎וִיסַלֵיק) read as though this word were שור (“turn away”) instead of שתר (“hide”). On the other hand, the DSS and Vulgate support the MT “hide.” Keil commented that “hide His face” means “withdraw His mercy from them.”

WThe Hebrew word has to do with “consecration,” so Aquilla and Theodotian translated it literally with the Greek word for “make holy” (‘ηγιασαν), whereas the LXX (“raise up”) and Symmachus (“cogitate on”) went for a more figurative translation. The NASB tried to have it both ways by rendering “declare holy war.”

XMasoretic cantillation places the primary punctuation break in the verse here.

YOf the 15 other times this verb occurs in the HOT, 10 refer to snakebites (Gen. 49:17; Num. 21:6, 8-9; Prov. 23:32; Eccl. 10:8, 11; Jer. 8:17; Amos 5:19; 9:3) and 5 refer to usury (Deut. 23:20-21; Hab. 2:7); none refer to eating.

ZMasoretic cantillation places a minor punctuation break here. To “call peace” is a Hebrew greeting formula, also found in Exod. 18:7; Deut. 20:10; Jdg. 21:13; 1 Sam. 30:21; 2 Sam. 18:28; 2 Ki. 4:26; 5:21; & 9:17-18.

AAThis describes demands for money, not eating. cf. Joshua 19:50 עַל־פִּ֙י יְהוָ֜ה נָ֣תְנוּ ל֗וֹ אֶת־הָעִיר‎ & 2 Kings 23:35
לָתֵ֥ת אֶת־הַכֶּ֖סֶף עַל־פִּ֣י פַרְעֹ֑ה The only other Bible translator or commentator I found who agrees with me on this is Waltke.

ABThis phrase “dedicate war” is found in two other places in the HOT: Jer. 6:4 and Joel 4:9.

ACThe Nahal Hever Dead Sea Scroll reads σκοτασθησεται υμειν (“it will be darkened to you” – the grey letters being lacunae), which means the same thing as the LXX (“it will be darkness to you”), but is an indication that its translation is independent from the LXX.

ADThis verbal interpretation of the Hebrew participle follows Symmachus’ 2nd century Greek version word-for-word.

AESymmachus corrected the LXX’s mistake in his version περιβαλουνται επι των χειλεων αυτων (“throwing a wrap over their lips”).

AFThere are only three other passages with this word for “upper lip/mustache:” Lev. 13:45 (the leper’s garb); 2 Sam. 19:25 (Mephibosheth’s expression of anxiety), and Ezek. 24:17, 22 (mourner’s garb).

AGLXX reads as though the Hebrew were אלהם (“to them”) instead of אלהים (“God”). In the second century A.D., Symmachus (who transliterated the word Ελωειμ = Elohim) and Theodotian (who translated אלהים as θεου = “God”) corrected for this mistake in the LXX. The only known DSS containing any of this verse is obliterated at the end of this word, but has the right spacing to support the MT reading (“God”). Curiously, the Syriac versions go both ways, including both “God” and “of them” (although the Targums mistakenly substitute “Lord” for “God”).

AHSymmachus rendered αλλα μην (“but then”) and Theodotian = εκωλυθη (“forbidden”).

AIThis is active voice (Aorist tense, subjunctive mood) “I might fill,” but Brenton’s translation suggests that the Vaticanus might be middle voice and Future tense “I will fill myself,” and Sym. & Theod. translated it in the passive voice also in the future tense: ενεπλησθην “I shall be filled-in...”

AJSymmachus omitted the “Lord” here.

AKThis is the only occurrence of this conjunction in all the prophets. NIV & ESV render “but,” Calvin, Newcome, Henderson, and KJV render “Truly,” Marckius = “Amen, Amen.”

ALThis noun “power/strength” is in absolute state, followed by a minor punctuation and the sign of the direct object, indicating that it is in apposition with “spirit of Yahweh” (Newcome agreed), but the Vulgate, Cathcart’s translation of the Targums, and Baushner’s translation of the Peshitta (but not Lamsa’s) all translate it as though it were in construct state (“power of the Lord”), meanwhile, LXX, KJV, NASB, NIV, ESV, Calvin, and Keil all translated the את as a preposition (“with/by”).

AMOwen of Thrussington suggested that “transgression” denotes willful rebellion whereas “sin” denotes errors of ignorance or infirmity, but in this poetic message it is more likely simply synonymous parallelism, where both words are intended to mean the same thing.

ANAlthough the Hebrew word is the same as in v.1, Symmachus and Theodotian corrected the LXX to a different (but synonymous) word (εξουσμιζοντες “authorities”) from the ones they corrected it with in v.1.

AOThis opening phrase is repeated from v.1.

APOnly here and Job 9:20 (“perverse/guilty”); Prov. 10:9 (“perverts/follows crooked”); 28:18 (“perverse/crooked”); Isa. 59:8 (“made/turned crooked”).

AQThe singular form here is incongruous. Keil suggested it was to be “taken collectively.” Waltke suggested it could be re-pointed as an infinitive to solve the incongruity.

ARMalbim and Keil differentiated “Zion” from “Jerusalem,” Zion being the temple area and Jerusalem being the residential area of the city, and Owen of Thrussington spiritualized it, suggested that Zion was the church and Jerusalem was the state, but Cohen and Waltke opted for simple synonymous parallelism, and that is how I lean.

ASHabakkuk 2:12 quoted from Micah here: “Woe to him that buildeth a town with blood, and stablisheth a city by iniquity!” But there doesn’t seem to be anything previous in the Bible to which Micah could be alluding.

ATAquilla and Theodotion must have thought the root of the Hebrew word יורו was אור (“enlighten”) rather than ירא (“teach”) so they translated it εφωτιζον (“shone”), but Vulgate, Peshitta, and Targums, and English versions all went with “teach/instruct.”

AUMicah appears to have poetically chosen objects that alliterate with the three verbs: shachad-shaphat, machir-ira, and ceseph-qesem.

AVDSS seems to omit.

AW“[T]he Prophet speaks in words contrary to their obvious meaning, (καταχρηστικῶς loquitur — speaks catachrestically) for it is certain that no one relies on Jehovah except he is humbled in himself.” ~Calvin

AXThe Peshitta translates “Behold,” but Waltke explained that, in Aramaic, “Is not” sounds the same as “Behold.”

AYCf. 1:6 where this word occurred before in Micah. Aquila translated it σωρος (“pile”), Symmachus βουνοι (“mound”), and Theodotian ερημωσιν (“wilderness”).

AZSymmachus (‘υψος) and Theodotian (βουνον) kept the singular of the LXX over against the MT, but have the meaning of the MT (“height/high place”) over against the LXX (“grove”).

BAThese words are repeated from 1:6 “Therefore I will make Samaria into a pile in the field...”

BBThe reader naturally expects the next word after “house” to be “of the LORD,” but Micah surprises us with its intentional omission, painting the picture that God is missing. Waltke commented that omitting יהוה was a way to “de-sacralize” the holy place which formed the basis of a false religious hope when considered apart from the God who made it holy. He also noted that “forests” were thought of as less-than-holy and were even associated with pagan idolatry, furthering this idea of “de-sacralization.”

BCJeremiah quotes this verse in 26:18. Waltke noted that this is the only Old Testament verse to be quoted verbatim by another O.T. writer.

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