13 The breaker H6555 is come up H5927 before H6440 them: they have broken up, H6555 and have passed through H5674 the gate, H8179 and are gone out H3318 by it: and their king H4428 shall pass H5674 before H6440 them, and the LORD H3068 on the head H7218 of them.
Forasmuch G1893 then G3767 as the children G3813 are partakers G2841 of flesh G4561 and G2532 blood, G129 he G3348 also G2532 himself G846 likewise G3898 took part G3348 of the same; G846 that G2443 through G1223 death G2288 he might destroy G2673 him that had G2192 the power G2904 of death, G2288 that is, G5123 the devil; G1228 And G2532 deliver G525 them G5128 who G3745 through G1223 fear G5401 of death G2288 were G2258 all G3956 their lifetime G2198 subject G1777 to bondage. G1397
But G1161 we see G991 Jesus, G2424 who G3588 was made G1642 a little G1024 G5100 lower G1642 than G3844 the angels G32 for G1223 the suffering G3804 of death, G2288 crowned G4737 with glory G1391 and G2532 honour; G5092 that G3704 he G1089 by the grace G5485 of God G2316 should taste G1089 death G2288 for G5228 every man. G3956 For G1063 it became G4241 him, G846 for G1223 whom G3739 are all things, G3956 and G2532 by G1223 whom G3739 are all things, G3956 in bringing G71 many G4183 sons G5207 unto G1519 glory, G1391 to make G5048 the captain G747 of their G846 salvation G4991 perfect G5048 through G1223 sufferings. G3804
For G1063 since G1894 by G1223 man G444 came death, G2288 by G1223 man G444 came also G2532 the resurrection G386 of the dead. G3498 For G1063 as G5618 in G1722 Adam G76 all G3956 die, G599 even G2532 so G3779 in G1722 Christ G5547 shall G2227 all G3956 be made alive. G2227 But G1161 every man G1538 in G1722 his own G2398 order: G5001 Christ G5547 the firstfruits; G536 afterward G1899 they that are G3588 Christ's G5547 at G1722 his G846 coming. G3952 Then G1534 cometh the end, G5056 when G3752 he shall have delivered up G3860 the kingdom G932 to God, G2316 even G2532 the Father; G3962 when G3752 he shall have put down G2673 all G3956 rule G746 and G2532 all G3956 authority G1849 and G2532 power. G1411 For G1063 he G846 must G1163 reign, G936 till G891 G3757 he hath put G302 G5087 all G3956 enemies G2190 under G5259 his G846 feet. G4228 The last G2078 enemy G2190 that shall be destroyed G2673 is death. G2288
My G1699 sheep G4263 hear G191 my G3450 voice, G5456 and I G2504 know G1097 them, G846 and G2532 they follow G190 me: G3427 And I G2504 give G1325 unto them G846 eternal G166 life; G2222 and G2532 they shall G622 never G3364 G1519 G165 perish, G622 neither G2532 G3756 shall G726 any G5100 man pluck G726 them G846 out of G1537 my G3450 hand. G5495 My G3450 Father, G3962 which G3739 gave G1325 them me, G3427 is G2076 greater than G3187 all; G3956 and G2532 no G3762 man is able G1410 to pluck G726 them out of G1537 my G3450 Father's G3962 hand. G5495 I G1473 and G2532 my Father G3962 are G2070 one. G1520
And in that day H3117 will I make H7760 Jerusalem H3389 a burdensome H4614 stone H68 for all people: H5971 all that burden H6006 themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, H8295 H8295 though all the people H1471 of the earth H776 be gathered together H622 against it. In that day, H3117 saith H5002 the LORD, H3068 I will smite H5221 every horse H5483 with astonishment, H8541 and his rider H7392 with madness: H7697 and I will open H6491 mine eyes H5869 upon the house H1004 of Judah, H3063 and will smite H5221 every horse H5483 of the people H5971 with blindness. H5788 And the governors H441 of Judah H3063 shall say H559 in their heart, H3820 The inhabitants H3427 of Jerusalem H3389 shall be my strength H556 in the LORD H3068 of hosts H6635 their God. H430 In that day H3117 will I make H7760 the governors H441 of Judah H3063 like an hearth H3595 of fire H784 among the wood, H6086 and like a torch H3940 of fire H784 in a sheaf; H5995 and they shall devour H398 all the people H5971 round about, H5439 on the right hand H3225 and on the left: H8040 and Jerusalem H3389 shall be inhabited H3427 again in her own place, even in Jerusalem. H3389 The LORD H3068 also shall save H3467 the tents H168 of Judah H3063 first, H7223 that the glory H8597 of the house H1004 of David H1732 and the glory H8597 of the inhabitants H3427 of Jerusalem H3389 do not magnify H1431 themselves against Judah. H3063 In that day H3117 shall the LORD H3068 defend H1598 the inhabitants H3427 of Jerusalem; H3389 and he that is feeble H3782 among them at that day H3117 shall be as David; H1732 and the house H1004 of David H1732 shall be as God, H430 as the angel H4397 of the LORD H3068 before H6440 them.
And they shall be as mighty H1368 men, which tread down H947 their enemies in the mire H2916 of the streets H2351 in the battle: H4421 and they shall fight, H3898 because the LORD H3068 is with them, and the riders H7392 on horses H5483 shall be confounded. H3001 And I will strengthen H1396 the house H1004 of Judah, H3063 and I will save H3467 the house H1004 of Joseph, H3130 and I will bring them again to place H3427 them; for I have mercy H7355 upon them: and they shall be as though H834 I had not cast them off: H2186 for I am the LORD H3068 their God, H430 and will hear H6030 them. And they of Ephraim H669 shall be like a mighty H1368 man, and their heart H3820 shall rejoice H8055 as through wine: H3196 yea, their children H1121 shall see H7200 it, and be glad; H8055 their heart H3820 shall rejoice H1523 in the LORD. H3068
And the LORD H3068 shall be seen H7200 over them, and his arrow H2671 shall go forth H3318 as the lightning: H1300 and the Lord H136 GOD H3069 shall blow H8628 the trumpet, H7782 and shall go H1980 with whirlwinds H5591 of the south. H8486 The LORD H3068 of hosts H6635 shall defend H1598 them; and they shall devour, H398 and subdue H3533 with sling H7050 stones; H68 and they shall drink, H8354 and make a noise H1993 as through wine; H3196 and they shall be filled H4390 like bowls, H4219 and as the corners H2106 of the altar. H4196
Thou sawest H2370 H1934 till H5705 that a stone H69 was cut out H1505 without H3809 hands, H3028 which smote H4223 the image H6755 upon H5922 his feet H7271 that were of iron H6523 and clay, H2635 and brake H1855 them H1994 to pieces. H1855 Then H116 was the iron, H6523 the clay, H2635 the brass, H5174 the silver, H3702 and the gold, H1722 broken to pieces H1855 H1751 together, H2298 and became H1934 like the chaff H5784 of H4481 the summer H7007 threshingfloors; H147 and the wind H7308 carried H5376 them H1994 away, H5376 that H3606 no H3809 place H870 was found H7912 for them: and the stone H69 that smote H4223 the image H6755 became H1934 a great H7229 mountain, H2906 and filled H4391 the whole H3606 earth. H772
And I will set up H6965 one H259 shepherd H7462 over them, and he shall feed H7462 them, even my servant H5650 David; H1732 he shall feed H7462 them, and he shall be their shepherd. H7462 And I the LORD H3068 will be their God, H430 and my servant H5650 David H1732 a prince H5387 among H8432 them; I the LORD H3068 have spoken H1696 it.
Thou art my battle axe H4661 and weapons H3627 of war: H4421 for with thee will I break in pieces H5310 the nations, H1471 and with thee will I destroy H7843 kingdoms; H4467 And with thee will I break in pieces H5310 the horse H5483 and his rider; H7392 and with thee will I break in pieces H5310 the chariot H7393 and his rider; H7392 With thee also will I break in pieces H5310 man H376 and woman; H802 and with thee will I break in pieces H5310 old H2205 and young; H5288 and with thee will I break in pieces H5310 the young man H970 and the maid; H1330 I will also break in pieces H5310 with thee the shepherd H7462 and his flock; H5739 and with thee will I break in pieces H5310 the husbandman H406 and his yoke of oxen; H6776 and with thee will I break in pieces H5310 captains H6346 and rulers. H5461 And I will render H7999 unto Babylon H894 and to all the inhabitants H3427 of Chaldea H3778 all their evil H7451 that they have done H6213 in Zion H6726 in your sight, H5869 saith H5002 the LORD. H3068
Behold, the days H3117 come, H935 saith H5002 the LORD, H3068 that I will raise H6965 unto David H1732 a righteous H6662 Branch, H6780 and a King H4428 shall reign H4427 and prosper, H7919 and shall execute H6213 judgment H4941 and justice H6666 in the earth. H776 In his days H3117 Judah H3063 shall be saved, H3467 and Israel H3478 shall dwell H7931 safely: H983 and this is his name H8034 whereby he shall be called, H7121 THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. H3072
And he saw H7200 that there was no man, H376 and wondered H8074 that there was no intercessor: H6293 therefore his arm H2220 brought salvation H3467 unto him; and his righteousness, H6666 it sustained H5564 him. For he put on H3847 righteousness H6666 as a breastplate, H8302 and an helmet H3553 of salvation H3444 upon his head; H7218 and he put on H3847 the garments H899 of vengeance H5359 for clothing, H8516 and was clad H5844 with zeal H7068 as a cloke. H4598 According to H5921 their deeds, H1578 accordingly he will repay, H7999 fury H2534 to his adversaries, H6862 recompence H1576 to his enemies; H341 to the islands H339 he will repay H7999 recompence. H1576 So shall they fear H3372 the name H8034 of the LORD H3068 from the west, H4628 and his glory H3519 from the rising H4217 of the sun. H8121 When the enemy H6862 shall come in H935 like a flood, H5104 the Spirit H7307 of the LORD H3068 shall lift up a standard H5127 against him.
Awake, H5782 awake, H5782 put on H3847 strength, H5797 O arm H2220 of the LORD; H3068 awake, H5782 as in the ancient H6924 days, H3117 in the generations H1755 of old. H5769 Art thou not it that hath cut H2672 Rahab, H7294 and wounded H2490 the dragon? H8577 Art thou not it which hath dried H2717 the sea, H3220 the waters H4325 of the great H7227 deep; H8415 that hath made H7760 the depths H4615 of the sea H3220 a way H1870 for the ransomed H1350 to pass over? H5674
Shall the prey H4455 be taken H3947 from the mighty, H1368 or the lawful H6662 captive H7628 delivered? H4422 But thus saith H559 the LORD, H3068 Even the captives H7628 of the mighty H1368 shall be taken away, H3947 and the prey H4455 of the terrible H6184 shall be delivered: H4422 for I will contend H7378 with him that contendeth H3401 with thee, and I will save H3467 thy children. H1121
That thou mayest say H559 to the prisoners, H631 Go forth; H3318 to them that are in darkness, H2822 Shew H1540 yourselves. They shall feed H7462 in the ways, H1870 and their pastures H4830 shall be in all high places. H8205 They shall not hunger H7456 nor thirst; H6770 neither shall the heat H8273 nor sun H8121 smite H5221 them: for he that hath mercy H7355 on them shall lead H5090 them, even by the springs H4002 of water H4325 shall he guide H5095 them.
Thus saith H559 the LORD H3068 to his anointed, H4899 to Cyrus, H3566 whose right hand H3225 I have holden, H2388 to subdue H7286 nations H1471 before H6440 him; and I will loose H6605 the loins H4975 of kings, H4428 to open H6605 before H6440 him the two leaved gates; H1817 and the gates H8179 shall not be shut; H5462 I will go H3212 before H6440 thee, and make H3474 the crooked places H1921 straight: H3474 H3474 I will break in pieces H7665 the gates H1817 of brass, H5154 and cut in sunder H1438 the bars H1280 of iron: H1270
The LORD H3068 shall go forth H3318 as a mighty man, H1368 he shall stir up H5782 jealousy H7068 like a man H376 of war: H4421 he shall cry, H7321 yea, roar; H6873 he shall prevail H1396 against his enemies. H341 I have long time H5769 holden my peace; H2814 I have been still, H2790 and refrained H662 myself: now will I cry H6463 like a travailing woman; H3205 I will destroy H5395 H8074 and devour H7602 at once. H3162 I will make waste H2717 mountains H2022 and hills, H1389 and dry up H3001 all their herbs; H6212 and I will make H7760 the rivers H5104 islands, H339 and I will dry up H3001 the pools. H98 And I will bring H3212 the blind H5787 by a way H1870 that they knew H3045 not; I will lead H1869 them in paths H5410 that they have not known: H3045 I will make H7760 darkness H4285 light H216 before H6440 them, and crooked things H4625 straight. H4334 These things H1697 will I do H6213 unto them, and not forsake H5800 them.
And G2532 he was clothed G4016 with a vesture G2440 dipped G911 in blood: G129 and G2532 his G846 name G3686 is called G2564 The Word G3056 of God. G2316 And G2532 the armies G4753 which were G3588 in G1722 heaven G3772 followed G190 him G846 upon G1909 white G3022 horses, G2462 clothed G1746 in fine linen, G1039 white G3022 and G2532 clean. G2513 And G2532 out of G1537 his G846 mouth G4750 goeth G1607 a sharp G3691 sword, G4501 that G2443 with G1722 it G846 he should smite G3960 the nations: G1484 and G2532 he G846 shall rule G4165 them G846 with G1722 a rod G4464 of iron: G4603 and G2532 he G846 treadeth G3961 the winepress G3025 G3631 of the fierceness G2372 and G2532 wrath G3709 of Almighty G3841 God. G2316 And G2532 he hath G2192 on G1909 his vesture G2440 and G2532 on G1909 his G846 thigh G3382 a name G3686 written, G1125 KING G935 OF KINGS, G935 AND G2532 LORD G2962 OF LORDS. G2962 And G2532 I saw G1492 an G1520 angel G32 standing G2476 in G1722 the sun; G2246 and G2532 he cried G2896 with a loud G3173 voice, G5456 saying G3004 to all G3956 the fowls G3732 that fly G4072 in G1722 the midst of heaven, G3321 Come G1205 and G2532 gather yourselves together G4863 unto G1519 the supper G1173 of the great G3173 God; G2316
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Micah 2
Commentary on Micah 2 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
Guilt and Punishment of Israel. Its Future Restoration - Micah 2:1-13
After having prophesied generally in ch. 1 of the judgment that would fall upon both kingdoms on account of their apostasy from the living God, Micah proceeds in Micah 2:1-13 to condemn, as the principal sins, the injustice and oppressions on the part of the great (Micah 2:1, Micah 2:2), for which the nation was to be driven away from its inheritance (Micah 2:3-5). He then vindicates this threat, as opposed to the prophecies of the false prophets, who confirmed the nation in its ungodliness by the lies that they told (Micah 2:6-11); and then closes with the brief but definite promise, that the Lord would one day gather together the remnant of His people, and would multiply it greatly, and make it His kingdom (Micah 2:12, Micah 2:13). As this promise applies to all Israel of the twelve tribes, the reproof and threat of punishment are also addressed to the house of Jacob as such (Micah 2:7), and apply to both kingdoms. There are no valid grounds for restricting them to Judah, even though Micah may have had the citizens of that kingdom more particularly in his mind.
The violent acts of the great men would be punished by God with the withdrawal of the inheritance of His people, or the loss of Canaan. Micah 2:1. “Woe to those who devise mischief, and prepare evil upon their beds! In the light of the morning they carry it out, for their hand is their God. Micah 2:2. They covet fields and plunder; them, and houses and take them; and oppress the man and his house, the man and his inheritance.” The woe applies to the great and mighty of the nation, who by acts of injustice deprive the common people of the inheritance conferred upon them by the Lord (cf. Isaiah 5:8). The prophet describes them as those who devise plans by night upon their beds for robbing the poor, and carry them out as soon as the day dawns. חשׁב און denotes the sketching out of plans (see Psalms 36:5); and פּעל רע , to work evil, the preparation of the ways and means for carrying out their wicked plans. פּעל , the preparation, is distinguished from עשׁה , the execution, as in Isaiah 41:4, for which יצר and עשׂה are also used (e.g., Isaiah 43:7). “Upon their beds,” i.e., by night, the time of quiet reflection (Psalms 4:5; cf. Job 4:13). “By the light of the morning,” i.e., at daybreak, without delay. כּי ישׁ וגו , lit., “for their hand is for a god,” i.e., their power passes as a god to them; they know of no higher power than their own arm; whatever they wish it is in their power to do (cf. Genesis 31:29; Proverbs 3:27; Habakkuk 1:11; Job 12:6). Ewald and Rückert weaken the thought by adopting the rendering, “because it stands free in their hand;” and Hitzig's rendering, “if it stands in their hand,” is decidedly false. Kı̄ cannot be a conditional particle here, because the thought would thereby be weakened in a manner quite irreconcilable with the context. In Micah 2:2 the evil which they plan by night, and carry out by day, is still more precisely defined. By force and injustice they seize upon the property (fields, houses) of the poor, the possessions which the Lord has given to His people for their inheritance. Châmad points to the command against coveting (Exodus 20:14-17; cf. Deuteronomy 5:18). The second half of the verse (Micah 2:2) contains a conclusion drawn from the first: “and so they practise violence upon the man and his property.” Bēth answers to bottı̄m , and nachălâh to the Sâdōth , as their hereditary portion in the land - the portion of land which each family received when Canaan was divided.
“Therefore thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I devise evil concerning this family, from which ye shall not withdraw your necks, and not walk loftily, for it is an evil time. Micah 2:4. In that day will men raise against you a proverb, and lament a lamentation. It has come to pass, they say; we are waste, laid waste; the inheritance of my people he exchanges: how does he withdraw it from me! To the rebellious one he divides our field.” The punishment introduced with lâkhēn (therefore) will correspond to the sin. Because they reflect upon evil, to deprive their fellow-men of their possessions, Jehovah will bring evil upon this generation, lay a heavy yoke upon their neck, out of which they will not be able to necks, and under which they will not be able to walk loftily, or with extended neck. המּשׁפּחה הזּאת is not this godless family, but the whole of the existing nation, whose corrupt members are to be exterminated by the judgment (see Isaiah 29:20.). The yoke which the Lord will bring upon them is subjugation to the hostile conqueror of the land and the oppression of exile (see Jeremiah 27:12). Hâlakh rōmâh , to walk on high, i.e., with the head lifted up, which is a sign of pride and haughtiness. Rōmâh is different from קוממיּוּת , an upright attitude, in Leviticus 27:13. כּי עת רעה , as in Amos 5:13, but in a different sense, is not used of moral depravity, but of the distress which will come upon Israel through the laying on of the yoke. Then will the opponents raise derisive songs concerning Israel, and Israel itself will bewail its misery. The verbs yissâ' , nâhâh , and 'âmar are used impersonally. Mâshâl is not synonymous with n e hı̄ , a mournful song (Ros.), but signifies a figurative saying, a proverb-song, as in Isaiah 14:4; Habakkuk 2:6. The subject to ישּׂא is the opponents of Israel, hence עליכם ; on the other hand, the subject to nâhâh and 'âmar is the Israelites themselves, as נשׁדּנוּ teaches. נהיה is not a feminine formation from נהי , a mournful song, lamentum lamenti , i.e., a mournfully mournful song, as Rosenmüller, Umbreit, and the earlier commentators suppose; but the niphal of היה (cf. Daniel 8:27): actum est! it is all over! - an exclamation of despair (Le de Dieu, Ewald, etc.); and it is written after 'âmar , because נהיה as an exclamation is equivalent in meaning to an object. The omission of the copula Vav precludes our taking 'âmar in connection with what follows (Maurer). The following clauses are a still further explanation of נהיה : we are quite laid waste. The form נשׁדּנוּ for נשׁדּונוּ is probably chosen simply to imitate the tone of lamentation better (Hitzig). The inheritance of my people, i.e., the land of Canaan, He (Jehovah) changes, i.e., causes it to pass over to another possessor, namely, to the heathen. The words receive their explanation from the clauses which follow: How does He cause (sc., the inheritance) to depart from me! Not how does He cause me to depart. לשׁובב is not an infinitive, ad reddendum , or restituendum , which is altogether unsuitable, but nomen verbale , the fallen or rebellious one, like שׁובבה in Jeremiah 31:22; Jeremiah 49:4. This is the term applied by mourning Israel to the heathenish foe, to whom Jehovah apportions the fields of His people. The withdrawal of the land is the just punishment for the way in which the wicked great men have robbed the people of their inheritance.
“Therefore wilt thou have none to cast a measure for the lot in the congregation of Jehovah.” With lâkhēn (therefore) the threat, commenced with lâkhēn in Micah 2:3, is resumed and applied to individual sinners. The whole nation is not addressed in לך , still less the prophet, as Hitzig supposes, but every individual among the tyrannical great men (Micah 2:1, Micah 2:2). The singular is used instead of the plural, to make the address more impressive, that no one may imagine that he is excepted from the threatened judgment. For a similar transition from the plural to the singular, see Micah 3:10. The expression, to cast the measure b e gōrâl , i.e., in the nature of a lot (equivalent to for a lot, or as a lot), may be explained on the ground that the land was divided to the Israelites by lot, and then the portion that fell to each tribe was divided among the different families by measure. The words are not to be taken, however, as referring purely to the future, as Caspari supposes, i.e., to the time when the promised land would be divided afresh among the people on their return. For even if the prophet does proclaim in Micah 2:12, Micah 2:13 the reassembling of Israel and its restoration to its hereditary land, this thought cannot be arbitrarily taken for granted here. We therefore regard the words as containing a general threat, that the ungodly will henceforth receive no further part in the inheritance of the Lord, but that they are to be separated from the congregation of Jehovah.
As such a prophecy as this met with violent contradiction, not only from the corrupt great men, but also from the false prophets who flattered the people, Micah indicates it by showing that the people are abusing the long-suffering and mercy of the Lord; and that, by robbing the peaceable poor, the widows, and the orphans, they are bringing about the punishment of banishment out of the land. Micah 2:6. “Drip not (prophesy not), they drip: if they drip not this, the shame will not depart. Micah 2:7. Thou, called house of Jacob, is the patience of Jehovah short, then? or is this His doing? Are not my words good to him that walketh uprightly?” הטּיף , to drip, to cause words to flow, used of prophesying, as in Amos 7:16. The speakers in Micah 2:6 are not the Jews generally, or the rich oppressors who have just been punished and threatened. The word yattı̄phū does not agree with this, since it does not mean to chatter, but to prophesy, as Micah 2:11 and also the primary passage Deuteronomy 32:2 show. But Micah could not call the rich men's speaking prophesying. It is rather false prophets who are speaking, - namely, those who in the word 'al - tattı̄phū (prophesy not) would prohibit the true prophets from predicting the judgments of the Lord. The second hemistich is rendered by most of the modern commentators, “they are not to chatter (preach) of such things; the reproaches cease not,” or “there is no end to reproaching” (Ewald, Hitzig, Maurer, and Caspari). But this is open to the following objections: (1) That הטּיף ל in Micah 2:11 means to prophesy to a person (not concerning or of anything); (2) that sūg or nâsag means to depart, not to cease; (3) that even the thought, “the reproaches to not cease,” is apparently unsuitable, since Micah could not well call a prohibition against prophesying an incessant reproach; and to this we may add, (4) the grammatical harshness of taking לא יטּיפוּ as an imperative, and the following לא יסּג as an indicative (a simple declaration). Still less can the rendering, “they (the true prophets) will not chatter about this, yet the reproach will not depart” (Ros., Rückert), be vindicated, as such an antithesis as this would necessarily be indicated by a particle. The only course that remains, therefore, is that adopted by C. B. Michaelis and Hengstenberg, viz., to take the words as conditional: if they (the true prophets) do not prophesy to these (the unrighteous rich in Micah 2:1, Micah 2:2 : Hengstenberg), or on account of these things (Michaelis), the shame will not depart, i.e., shameful destruction will burst incessantly upon them. On the absence of the conditional אם , see Ewald, p. 357, b . Such addresses as these do not please the corrupt great men; but they imagine that such threats are irreconcilable with the goodness of Jehovah. This is the connection of Micah 2:7, in which the prophet meets the reproach cast upon his threatening words with the remark, that God is not wrathful, and has no love for punishing, but that He is stirred up to wrath by the sins of the nation, and obliged to punish. האמוּר is not an exclamation, “O, what is said! = O for such talk as this!” (Ewald, Umbreit, Caspari); for it cannot be shown that the participle is ever used in this way, and it cannot be supported from הפכּכם in Isaiah 29:16, especially as here a second vocative would follow. Nor is it a question: Num dicendum? Dare one say this?” (Hitzig). For although he might be an interrogative particle (cf. Ezekiel 28:9), the passive participle cannot express the idea of daring, in support of which Hitzig is quite wrong in appealing to Leviticus 11:47 and Psalm 22:32. האמוּר is not doubt a vocative, but it is to be taken in connection with bēth - Ya‛aqōb : thou who art called house of Jacob. There is very little force in the objection, that this would have required האמוּר לך ב י , since אמר , when used in the sense of being called or being named, is always construed with ל of the person bearing the name. The part. paül of 'âmar only occurs here; and although the niphal , when used in this sense, is generally construed with ל , the same rule may apply to אמר as to קרא in the sense of naming, - namely, that in the passive construction the ל may either be inserted or omitted (cf. Isaiah 56:7; Isaiah 54:5; Deuteronomy 3:13), and האמוּר may just as well be used in the sense of dicta ( domus ) as הנּקראים in Isaiah 48:1 in the sense of vocati = qui appellantur . The whole nation is addressed, although the address points especially to the unrighteous great men. Is Jehovah indeed wrathful? i.e., has He not patience, does He not exercise long-suffering? Qātsar rūăch must not be explained according to Exodus 6:9, but according to Proverbs 14:27. Or are these ( 'ēlleh , the punishments threatened) His deeds? i.e., is He accustomed, or does He only like to punish? The answer to these questions, or speaking more correctly, their refutation, follows in the next question, which is introduced with the assuring הלוא , and in which Jehovah speaks: My words deal kindly with him that walks uprightly. The Lord not only makes promises to the upright, but He also grants His blessing. The words of the Lord contain their fulfilment within themselves. In היּשׁר הולך , it is for the sake of emphasis that yâshâr stands first, and the article properly belongs to hōlēkh ; but it is placed before yâshâr to bind together the two words into one idea. The reason why the Lord threatens by His prophets is therefore to be found in the unrighteousness of the people.
“But yesterday my people rises up as en enemy: off from the garment ye draw the cloak from those who pass by carelessly, averted from war. Micah 2:9. The women of my people ye drive away out of the house of their delights; from their children ye take my ornament for ever.” 'Ethmūl , yesterday, lately, not = long ago, but, as y e qōmēm shows, denoting an action that is repeated, equivalent to “again, recently.” קומם is not used here in a causative sense, “to set up,” but as an intensified kal , to take a standing = to stand up or rise up. The causative view, They set up my people as an enemy (Ewald), yields no fitting sense; and if the meaning were, “My people causes me to rise up as its enemy” (Caspari), the suffixes could not be omitted. If this were the thought, it would be expressed as clearly as in Isaiah 63:10. There is no valid ground for altering the text, as Hitzig proposes. It is not stated against whom the people rise up as an enemy, but according to the context it can only be against Jehovah. This is done by robbing the peaceable travellers, as well as the widows and orphans, whereby they act with hostility towards Jehovah and excite His wrath (Exodus 22:21.; Deuteronomy 27:19). ממּוּל שׂלמה , from before, i.e., right away from, the garment. Salmâh is the upper garment; אדר = אדּרת the broad dress-cloak. They take this away from those who pass carelessly by. שׁוּבי is an intransitive participle: averted from the war, averse to conflict, i.e., peaceably disposed (see Psalms 120:7). We have not only to think of open highway robbery, but also of their taking away the cloak in the public street from their own poor debtors, when they are walking peaceably along, suspecting nothing, for the purpose of repaying themselves. The “wives of my people” are widows, whom they deprive of house and home, and indeed widows of the people of Jehovah, in whose person Jehovah is injured. These children are fatherless orphans ( עלליה with a singular suffix: the children of the widow). Hădârı̄ , my ornament, i.e., the ornament which I have given them. The reference, as מעל shows, is to the garment or upper coat. The expression “for ever” may be explained from the evident allusion to the Mosaic law in Exodus 22:25, according to which the coat taken from the poor as a pledge was to be returned before sunset, whereas ungodly creditors retained it for ever.
Such conduct as this must be followed by banishment from the land. Micah 2:10. “Rise up, and go; for this is not the place of rest: because of the defilement which brings destruction, and mighty destruction. Micah 2:11. If there were a man, walking after wind, who would lie deceit, 'I will prophesy to thee of wine and strong drink,' he would be a prophet of this people.” The prophet having overthrown in Micah 2:7-9 the objection to his threatening prophecies, by pointing to the sins of the people, now repeats the announcement of punishment, and that in the form of a summons to go out of the land into captivity, because the land cannot bear the defilement consequent upon such abominations. The passage is based upon the idea contained in Leviticus 18:25, Leviticus 18:28, that the land is defiled by the sins of its inhabitants, and will vomit them out because of this defilement, in connection with such passages as Deuteronomy 12:9-10, where coming to Canaan is described as coming to rest. זאת (this) refers to the land. This (the land in which ye dwell) is not the place of rest ( hamm e nūchâh , as in Zechariah 9:1 and Psalms 132:14). If “ this ” were to be taken as referring to their sinful conduct, in the sense of “this does not bring or cause rest,” it would be difficult to connect it with what follows, viz., “because of the defilement;” whereas no difficulty arises if we take “this” as referring to the land, which the expression “rise up and go” naturally suggests. טמאה = טמאה , defilement; תּחבּל is to be taken in a relative sense, “which brings destruction,” and is strengthened by לחבל , with an explanatory ו : and indeed terrible destruction. חבל , perditio ; and נמרץ as in 1 Kings 2:8. The destruction consists in the fact that the land vomits out its inhabitants (Leviticus 18:25). Such prophecies are very unwelcome to the corrupt great men, because they do not want to hear the truth, but simply what flatters their wicked heart. They would like to have only prophets who prophesy lies to them. הולך רוּח , walking after the wind; the construction is the same as הולך צדקות in Isaiah 33:15, and rūăch is a figure signifying what is vain or worthless, as in Isaiah 26:18; Isaiah 41:29, etc. The words אטּיף לך וגו are the words of a false prophet: I prophesy to thee with regard to wine. The meaning is not “that there will be an abundant supply of wine,” or “that the wine will turn out well” (Rosenmüller and others); but wine and strong drink (for shēkhâr , see Delitzsch on Isaiah 5:11) are figures used to denote earthly blessings and sensual enjoyments, and the words refer to such promises as Leviticus 26:4-5, Leviticus 26:10, Deuteronomy 28:4, Deuteronomy 28:11, Joel 2:24; Joel 3:18., which false prophets held out to the people without any regard to their attitude towards God. “This people,” because the great men represent the nation. With this explanation pointing back to Micah 2:6, the threatening is brought to a close.
In Micah 2:12, Micah 2:13 there follows, altogether without introduction, the promise of the future reassembling of the people from their dispersion. Micah 2:12. “I will assemble, assemble thee all together, O Jacob; gather together, gather together the remnant of Israel; I will bring him together like the sheep of Bozrah, like a flock in the midst of their pasture: they will be noisy with men. Micah 2:13. The breaker through comes up before them; they break through, and pass along through the gate, and go out by it; and their King goes before them, and Jehovah at their head.” Micah is indeed not a prophet, prophesying lies of wine and strong drink; nevertheless he also has salvation to proclaim, only not for the morally corrupt people of his own time. They will be banished out of the land; but the captivity and dispersion are not at an end. For the remnant of Israel, for the nation when sifted and refined by the judgments, the time will come when the Lord will assemble them again, miraculously multiply them, and redeem them as their King, and lead them home. The sudden and abrupt transition from threatening to promise, just as in Hosea 2:2; Hosea 6:1; Hosea 11:9, has given rise to this mistaken supposition, that Micah 2:12, Micah 2:13 contain a prophecy uttered by the lying prophets mentioned in Micah 2:10 (Abenezra, Mich., Ewald, etc.). But this supposition founders not only on the שׁארית ישׂראל , inasmuch as the gathering together of the remnant of Israel presupposes the carrying away into exile, but also on the entire contents of these verses. Micah could not possibly introduce a false prophet as speaking in the name of Jehovah, and saying, “I will gather;” such a man would at the most have said, “Jehovah will gather.” Nor could he have put a true prophecy like that contained in Micah 2:12, Micah 2:13 into the mouth of such a man. For this reason, not only Hengstenberg, Caspari, and Umbreit, but even Maurer and Hitzig, have rejected this assumption; and the latter observes, among other things, quite correctly, that “the idea expressed here is one common to the true prophets (see Hosea 2:2), which Micah himself also utters in Micah 4:6.” The emphasis lies upon the assembling, and hence אאסף and אקבּץ are strengthened by infinitive absolutes. But the assembling together presuppose a dispersion among the heathen, such as Micha has threatened in Micah 1:11, Micah 1:16; Micah 2:4. And the Lord will gather together all Jacob, not merely a portion, and yet only the remnant of Israel. This involves the thought, that the whole nation of the twelve tribes, or of the two kingdoms, will be reduced to a remnant by the judgment. Jacob and Israel are identical epithets applied to the whole nation, as in Micah 1:5, and the two clauses of the verse are synonymous, so that יעקב כּלּך coincides in actual fact with שׁאתית ישׂראל . The further description rests upon the fact of the leading of Israel out of Egypt, which is to be renewed in all that is essential at a future time. The following clauses also predict the miraculous multiplication of the remnant of Israel (see Hosea 2:1-2; Jeremiah 31:10), as experienced by the people in the olden time under the oppression of Egypt (Exodus 1:12). The comparison to the flock of Bozrah presupposes that Bozrah's wealth in flocks was well known. Now, as the wealth of the Moabites in flocks of sheep is very evident from 2 Kings 3:4, many have understood by בּצרה not the Edomitish Bozrah, but the Moabitish Bostra (e.g., Hengstenberg). Others, again, take botsrâh as an appellative noun in the sense of hurdle or fold (see Hitzig, Caspari, and Dietrich in Ges. Lex. after the Chaldee). But there is not sufficient ground for either. The Bostra situated in the Hauran does not occur at all in the Old Testament, not even in Jeremiah 48:24, and the appellative meaning of the word is simply postulated for this particular passage. That the Edomites were also rich in flocks of sheep is evident from Isaiah 24:6, where the massacre which Jehovah will inflict upon Edom and Bozrah is described as a sacrificial slaughtering of lambs, he-goats, rams, and oxen; a description which presupposes the wealth of Bozrah in natural flocks. The comparison which follows, “like a flock in the midst of its pasture,” belongs to the last verse, and refers to the multiplication, and to the noise made by a densely packed and numerous flock. The same tumult will be made by the assembled Israelites on account of the multitude of men. For the article in הדּברו , which is already determined by the suffix, see at Joshua 7:21. In Joshua 7:13 the redemption of Israel out of exile is depicted under the figure of liberation from captivity. Was Egypt a slave-house (Micah 6:4; cf. Exodus 20:2); so is exile a prison with walls and gates, which must be broken through. הפּריץ , the breaker through, who goes before them, is not Jehovah, but, as the counterpart of Moses the leader of Israel out of Egypt, the captain appointed by God for His people, answering to the head which they are said to choose for themselves in Hosea 2:2, a second Moses, viz., Zerubbabel, and in the highest sense Christ, who opens the prison-doors, and redeems the captives of Zion (vid., Isaiah 42:7). Led by him, they break through the walls, and march through the gate, and go out through it out of the prison. “The three verbs, they break through, they march through, they go out, describe in a pictorial manner progress which cannot be stopped by any human power” (Hengstenberg). Their King Jehovah goes before them at their head (the last two clauses of the verse are synonymous). Just as Jehovah went before Israel as the angel of the Lord in the pillar of cloud and fire at the exodus from Egypt (Exodus 13:21), so at the future redemption of the people of God will Jehovah go before them as King, and lead the procession (see Isaiah 52:12).
The fulfilment of this prophecy commenced with the gathering together of Israel to its God and King by the preaching of the gospel, and will be completed at some future time when the Lord shall redeem Israel, which is now pining in dispersion, out of the fetters of its unbelief and life of sin. We must not exclude all allusion to the deliverance of the Jewish nation out of the earthly Babylon by Cyrus; at the same time, it is only in its typical significance that this comes into consideration at all, - namely, as a preliminary stage and pledge of the redemption to be effected by Christ out of the spiritual Babylon of this world.