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Micah Chapter
Six
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO MICAH 6
This
chapter contains reproofs of the people of Israel for their sins
threatening
them with punishment for them. The prophet is bid to tell them of the
controversy the Lord had with them
which he did
Micah 6:1; and the
Lord calls upon them to declare if they had any thing to object to his attitude
towards them
Micah 6:3; and then
puts them in mind of the favours they had received from him
in bringing them
out of Egypt
and giving them such useful persons to go before them
lead and
instruct them
as he had
Micah 6:4; and also
reminds them of what passed between Balak
king of Moab
and Balaam the
soothsayer; the questions of the one
and the answer of the other; whereby the
designs of the former against them were frustrated
Micah 6:5; but
since the voice of the Lord by his prophet was disregarded by them
they are
called upon to hearken to the voice of his rod
Micah 6:9; which
should be laid upon them for their fraudulent dealings
injustice
oppression
lies
and deceit
Micah 6:10; and
therefore are threatened with sickness and desolation
and a deprivation of all
good things
the fruit of their labours
Micah 6:13; and
that because the statutes of Omri
the works of Ahab
and their counsels
were
observed by them
Micah 6:16.
Micah 6:1 Hear now what the
Lord says: “Arise
plead your case before the mountains
And let the
hills hear your voice.
YLT
1Hear
I pray you
that
which Jehovah is saying: `Rise -- strive thou with the mountains
And cause
thou the hills to hear thy voice.'
Hear ye now what the Lord saith
.... Here begins a new
discourse
and with an address of the prophet to the people of Israel
to hear
what the Lord had to say to them by way of reproof for their sins now
as they
had heard before many great and precious promises concerning the Messiah
and
the happiness of the church in future time; to hear what the Lord now said to
them by the prophet
and what he said to the prophet himself
as follows:
arise; O Prophet Micah
and do thine office; sit not still
nor indulge
to sloth and ease; show readiness
diligence
activity
zeal
and courage in my
service
and in carrying a message from me to my people:
contend thou before the mountains
and let the hills hear thy
voice; open the cause depending between me and my people; state the
case between us before the mountains and hills; and exert thyself
and lift up
thy voice loudly
and with so much vehemence
that
if it was possible
the
very mountains and hills might hear thee; the Lord hereby suggests that they
would as soon hear as his people; thus upbraiding their stupidity
as he
elsewhere does; see Isaiah 1:2. Kimchi
and Ben Melech render it
to the mountains
which is much to the same sense
with our version; call and summon them as witnesses in this cause; let the
pleadings be made before them
and let them be judges in this matter; as they
might be both for God
and against his people: the mountains and hills clothed
with grass
and covered with flocks and herds; or set with all manner of fruit
trees
vines
olives
and figs; or adorned with goodly cedars
oaks
and elms;
were witnesses of the goodness of God unto them
and the same could testify
against them; and
had they mouths to speak
could declare the abominations
committed on them; how upon every high mountain and hill
and under every green
tree
they had been guilty of idolatry. The Targum
and many versionsF17את ההרים "cum istis
montiibus"
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator
Tarnovius; "cum
montibus"
Montanus
Munster
Cocceius
Burkius.
render it
"with
the mountains"; and the Vulgate Latin version
and others
"against
the mountains"F18"Adversum montes"
V. L. Grotius. ;
the inhabitants of Judea
that being a mountainous country
especially some
parts of it. Some by "mountains" understand the great men of the
land
king
princes
nobles; and
by "hills"
lesser magistrates
with whom the Lord's controversy chiefly was; they not discharging their
offices aright
nor setting good examples to the people. Some copies of the
Targum
as the king of Spain's Bible
paraphrase it
"judge
or contend with the fathers
and let the mothers hear thy voice;'
which
Kimchi thus explains
as if it was said
let the fathers Abraham
Isaac
and
Jacob
and the mothers Sarah
Rebekah
Rachel
and Leah
hear what their
children hath rendered to the Lord; let them be
as it were
called out of
their graves to hear the ill requital made to the Lord for all his goodness.
Micah 6:2 2 Hear
O you mountains
the Lord’s complaint
And you strong
foundations of the earth; For the Lord has a
complaint against His people
And He will contend with Israel.
YLT
2Hear
O mountains
the
strife of Jehovah
Ye strong ones -- foundations of earth! For a strife [is] to
Jehovah
with His people
And with Israel He doth reason.
Hear ye
O mountains
the Lord's controversy
and ye strong
foundations of the earth
.... These are the words of the prophet
obeying the divine
command
calling upon the mountains
which are the strong parts of the earth
and the bottoms of them the foundations of it
to hear the Lord's controversy
with his people
and judge between them; or
as some think
these are the persons
with whom
and against whom
the controversy was; the chief and principal men
of the land
who were as pillars to the common people to support and uphold
them:
for the Lord hath a controversy with his people
and he will plead
with Israel; his people Israel
who were so by choice
by covenant
by their
own avouchment and profession: they had been guilty of many sins and
transgressions against both tables of the law; and now the Lord had a
controversy with them for them
and was determined to enter into judgment
and
litigate the point with them; and dreadful it is when God brings in a charge
and pleads his own cause with sinful men; they are not able to contend with
him
nor answer him for one of a thousand faults committed against him; see Hosea 4:1.
Micah 6:3 3 “O
My people
what have I done to you? And how have I wearied you? Testify against
Me.
YLT
3O My people
what have I
done to thee? And what -- have I wearied thee? Testify against Me.
O my people
.... These are the words of the Lord himself by the prophet
expressing his strong affection to the people of Israel
of which his goodness
to them was a full proof
and this was an aggravation of their ingratitude to
him; they were his people
whom he had chosen for himself above all people of
the earth; whom he had redeemed from the house of bondage
had distinguished
them by his layouts
and loaded them with his benefits
and yet they sinned
against him:
what have I done unto thee? what evil things
what
injuries to provoke to such usage? "what iniquity have you"
or
"your fathers
found in me"
to treat me after this manner? have I
been "a wilderness"
or "a land of darkness"
to you? Jeremiah 2:5; have
I withheld or denied you anything that was for your good? The Targum is
"O
my people
what good have I said I would do unto thee
and I have not done it?'
all
that the Lord had promised he had performed; not one good thing had failed he
had spoken of; how much good
and how many good things
had he done for them?
nay
what good things were there he had not done for them? and what more could
be done for them than what had been done? and yet they sinned against him so
grossly; see Isaiah 5:4;
and wherein have I wearied thee? what heavy yoke have I
put upon thee? what grievous commandments have I enjoined thee? is there
anything in my service
any duty
too hard
severe
or unreasonable? are the
sacrifices required burdensome? "have I caused thee to serve with an
offering
and wearied thee with incense?" is there any just reason to say
of these things
"what a weariness is it?" See Isaiah 43:23;
testify against me; declare it publicly
if any good thing has
been wanting
or any evil thing done: thus the Lord condescends to have the
case fairly debated
and everything said that could be said in their favour
or
against him: astonishing condescension and goodness!
Micah 6:4 4 For
I brought you up from the land of Egypt
I redeemed you from the house of
bondage; And I sent before you Moses
Aaron
and Miriam.
YLT
4For I brought thee up from
the land of Egypt
And from the house of servants I have ransomed thee
And I
send before thee Moses
Aaron
and Miriam.
For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt
.... Instead
of doing them any wrong
he had done them much good; of which this is one
instance
and he was able to produce more: this a notorious
plain
and full
proof of his goodness to them
which could not be denied. It may be rendered
as it is by some
"surely I brought thee up"F19כי "certe"
Calvin
Piscator
Tarnovius; so some
in Vatablus.
&c. this is a certain thing
well known
and cannot be
disproved; it must be allowed to be a great favour and kindness to be brought
up out of a superstitious
idolatrous
Heathenish people
enemies to God and
true religion
and who had used them in a barbarous and cruel manner:
and redeemed thee out of the house of servants; or
"out
of the house of bondage"; as the same words are rendered
Exodus 20:2; that
is
out of hard service
in which their lives were made bitter; out of cruel
bondage and slavery; which made them cry to the Lord for help and deliverance
and he heard them
and sent them a deliverer; by whose hand he redeemed them
from this base and low estate in which they were
and for which they ought ever
to have been thankful
and to have shown their gratitude by their cheerful and
constant obedience. Some take "the house of servants" to be descriptive
not of the state of the children of Israel in Egypt
but of the character of
the Egyptians themselves; who
being the posterity of Ham
were inheritors of
his curse
that he should be a servant of servants; and so it is an aggravation
of the blessing
that Israel were redeemed from being servants to the servants
of servants. This sense is mentioned by Kimchi and Abarbinel:
and I sent before thee Moses
Aaron
and Miriam; not to bring
them the news of their deliverance out of Egypt
before they came out of it
as
Kimchi; but to be their guides to conduct and direct them in all matters
civil
and religious. Moses was their lawgiver
leader
and commander; Aaron was their
priest to offer sacrifice for them
and to intercede on their behalf; and Miriam
was a prophetess; and they were all very useful and beneficial to them; and a
very great blessing it is to a people to have a good constitution
civil and
ecclesiastic
and to have good magistrates
and good ministers of the word. The
Targum is
"I
sent before thee three prophets
Moses to teach the tradition of the judgments
Aaron to make atonement for the people
and Miriam to instruct the women.'
Micah 6:5 5 O My
people
remember now What Balak king of Moab counseled
And what Balaam the son
of Beor answered him
From Acacia Grove[a] to Gilgal
That you may know the righteousness of the Lord.”
YLT
5O My people
remember
I
pray you
What counsel did Balak king of Moab
What answer him did Balaam son
of Beor
(From Shittim unto Gilgal
) In order to know the righteous acts of
Jehovah.'
O my people
remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted
.... What a
scheme he had laid; what contrivances he had formed; what consultations he had
with a soothsayer or diviner he sent for to curse Israel; how he sought to get
the God of Israel on his side
and to set him against them
that he might be
rid of them
and they be ruined and destroyed. The Moabites were the
descendants of Moab
a son of Lot
by one of his daughters; when they first set
up their kingdom is not certain; nor who their kings in succession were before
Balak: it appears there was a former king
whom the king of the Amorites fought
with
and took away his land from him
Numbers 21:26; who
probably was Zippor
the father of Balak
and whom he succeeded; the kingdom
being recovered by him
or by this his son; however
he was on the throne when
Israel was upon the borders of his kingdom
which threw him into a panic; upon
which he sent messengers to a neighbouring magician next mentioned
to advise
with him what to do in this his extremity; and the Jews have a tradition
that
because of the multitude of sacrifices he offered
he was worthy to have Ruth
the descendant from him; who
they say
was the daughter of Eglon
the grandson
of Balak
king of MoabF19T. Bab. Sanhedrin
fol. 105. 2. :
and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him; this man is
called a soothsayer
Joshua 13:22; The
Jews say he was first a prophet; and so the Apostle Peter calls him
2 Peter 2:16; and
afterwards became a divinerF20Ib. fol. 106. 1. : they differ very
much about him
who he was
and from whom he descended. Beor his father is
sometimes said to be the son of LabanF21Shalshelet Hakabala
fol. 7.
1. ; and
at other times
Balaam himself is said to be Laban the SyrianF23Targum
Jon. in Numb. xxii. 5. Targum in 1 Chron. i. 44. Vid. Burkium ib.
whose soul
they suppose transmigrated into Balaam
as it afterwards did into Nabal
according to them. SomeF24Hieron. Quaeat. Hebr. in Genesim
fol. 69.
D. take him to be the same with Elihu
who interposed in the dispute between
Job and his friends; and others say that he was one of the eunuchs
counsellors
and magicians of Pharaoh
both when Moses was a child
and when he
wrought his miracles in Egypt; and that Jannes and Jambres
of whom the Apostle
Paul makes mention
2 Timothy 3:8; were
his two sonsF25Dibre Hayamim Shel Moseh
fol. 4. 2. & 6. 2.
Targum Jon. in Exod. ix. 21. Shemot Rabba
sect. 1. fol. 90. 1. T. Bab.
Sanhedrin
fol. 106. : he was an inhabitant of Pethor
which was situated on
the river Euphrates
thought by Junius to be the Pacoria of Ptolemy: he seems
to have been a Mesopotamian
though some say a Midianite; but
whether one or
the other
he did not live at any great distance from the king of Moab: he was
slain by the sword the children of Israel
in the times of Joshua
Joshua 13:22; and
as the Jews sayF26T. Bab. Sanhedrin
fol. 106. 2. Shalshelet
Hakabala
fol. 7. 2. he was
when he was but thirty three or thirty four years
of age; they observing upon it
that bloody and deceitful men do not live out
half their days; but this does not seem so well to agree with other things they
say of him; however
this soothsayer and sorcerer Balak sent for to curse
Israel; whose heart and tongue
though a wicked man
and would fain have done
according to Balak's wish and desire
were so overruled by the power of God
that instead of cursing Israel he was obliged to bless them
and to prophesy of
their future happiness and prosperity
and of the Messiah
that should spring
from them; see history of all this in Numbers 22:1;
from Shittim unto Gilgal
that ye may know the righteousness of
the Lord; here something must be supplied to make sense of the words;
either
"remember what good things I did for youF1"Recordare
qualia bona exhibuerim tibi"
Munster; "memento eorum quae gesta
sunt"
Vatablus; "quae contigerint tibi"
Calvin; "memento
eorum quae fecerim"
Grotius; "recordare quid evenerit tibi"
Piscator.
from Shittim to Gilgal"; the former was the place where the
children of Israel committed whoredom and idolatry
and was on the other side
Jordan; and the latter was the place they came to when they had passed over
Jordan
where the covenant of circumcision was renewed
and the first passover
kept; now they are called upon to remember the goodness of God unto them from
one place to another
and what were done between them; how that at Shittim
though they provoked the Lord to anger
yet he did not cut them all off
but
spared a number of them
to enter and possess the land of Canaan; and though
Moses died by the way
yet be raised up Joshua to go before them
and in a
miraculous manner led them through the river Jordan
and brought them to
Gilgal--favours ever to he had in remembrance. So the Targum
"were
not great things done for you in the plain of Shittim unto the house of Gilgal
that the righteousness of the Lord might be known?'
both
his justice in punishing offenders at Shittim
and his bounty and kindness
as
well as his truth and faithfulness
in sparing others; bestowing his favours on
them
and bringing them into the promised land: or it may be supplied thus
as
by some
"remember what Balak consultedF2"Memento quid
cogifaverit contra te Balac
et quid responderit ei Balaam a Settim"
&c. Ribera; so Menochius
Tirinus. from Shittim to Gilgal"; that is
with Balaam
and what answer and advice he gave him; which was to send
beautiful women among the Israelites
and so tempt them to adultery
and by
that means to idolatry; and which scheme and consultation took place at
Shittim
by means of which several thousands were slain; and the device was to
have continued the temptation even to Gilgal
which
had it not been prevented
in all likelihood would have issued in the destruction of that people; and
therefore they had reason to know
own
and acknowledge the goodness and
faithfulness of God unto them: or rather
taking the phrase "from Shittim
to Gilgal" to be a proverbial oneF3See Bishop Chandler's
Defence of Christianity
p. 290.
of going from place to place
it may have
respect to Balak's having Balaam from place to place
to take a view of the
people
and curse them; or how he might set the God of Israel against them
and
gain him over to him; and then the sense is this
"remember
how Balak consulted Balaam from place to place
and what answers he returned
him; all which was done
that "he (Balak) might know the righteousness of
the Lord";'
and
so the Syriac version renders it
and it will bear to be so rendered: the thing
which Balak chiefly consulted was
how he should get the God of Israel on his
side; as it was usual with Heathen princes
when at war
to attempt to get the
gods of their enemies from them
and on their side; and inquires of Balaam how
this was to be effected; what righteousness it was the Lord required; what
duties of religion to be performed; what rites or sacrifices were acceptable to
him; and the sum of his questions on this head
and Balaam's answer to them
are contained in the following verses.
Micah 6:6 6 With
what shall I come before the Lord
And
bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings
With
calves a year old?
YLT
6With what do I come before
Jehovah? Do I bow to God Most High? Do I come before Him with burnt-offerings?
With calves -- sons of a year?
Wherewith shall I come before the Lord
.... These are
not the words of the people of Israel God had a controversy with
and now made
sensible of their sin
and humbled for it; and willing to appease the Lord
and
make it up with him at any rate; for there are such things proposed by them as
do by no means suit with persons of such a character
nay
even suppose them to
be hypocritical; and much less are they what were put into their mouths by the
prophet to say
as some suggest; but they are the words of Balak king of Moab
which
and what follow
are questions he put to Balaam
who had told him that
he could do nothing without the Lord
nor anything contrary to his word: now he
asks what he must do to get the good will of this Lord; in what manner
and
with what he must appear before him
serve and worship him
as the Targum; that
so he might have an interest in him
and get him to speak a word to Balaam in
his favour
and against Israel; see Numbers 22:8;
and bow myself before the
high God? the most high God
the God of gods
whose Shechinah or Majesty
is in the high heavens
as the Targum: his meaning is
with what he should
come
or bring with him
when he paid his homage and obeisance to him
by
bowing his body or his knee before him; being willing to do it in the most
acceptable manner he could:
shall I come before him with burnt offerings
with calves of a
year old? such as he had been used to offer on the high places of Baal to
that deity. Sacrifices of this kind prevailed among the Heathens
which they
had received by tradition from the times of Adam and Noah; see Numbers 22:41.
Micah 6:7 7 Will
the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams
Ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall
I give my firstborn for my transgression
The fruit of my body for
the sin of my soul?
YLT
7Is Jehovah pleased with
thousands of rams? With myriads of streams of oil? Do I give my first-born
[for] my transgression? The fruit of my body [for] the sin of my soul?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams
.... If single
burnt offerings of bullocks and heifers will not do
will rams
and thousands
of them
be acceptable to him? if they will
they are at his service
even as
many as he pleases; such creatures
as well as oxen
were offered by Balak
Numbers 23:1;
or with ten thousands of
rivers of oil? for meat offerings
as Jarchi
in which oil was used: this is a
hyperbolical expression
as Kimchi rightly observes; suggesting that he was
willing to be at any expenses
even the most extravagant
if he could but gain
his point
and get the God of Israel on his side. Some render it
"ten
thousands of fat valleys"F4ברבבות נחלי שמן "in decem millibus
vallium pinguium"
Munster. ; abounding with corn
and wine
and oil; the
produce of which
had he so many
he could freely part with
could he but
obtain his end; see Job 20:17;
shall I give my firstborn for my transgression
the fruit
of my body for the sin of my soul? his Son
his firstborn
his own flesh and blood
to make atonement for his sins and transgressions;
this betrays the person speaking. The people of Israel
though they were
sometimes guilty of this horrid
unnatural
and abominable sin
in the height
of their degeneracy and apostasy
as to sacrifice their children to Mo; yet
when convinced of their sins
and humbling themselves before God for them
even
though but in a hypocritical way
could never be so weak and foolish
so
impious and audacious
as to propose that to God
which they knew was so
contrary to his will
and so abominable in his sight
Leviticus 18:21;
but this comes well enough from a Heathen prince
with whom it was the
height
of his devotion and religion
and the greatest sacrifice he thought he could
offer up to God; for there is a climax
a gradation in the words from lesser
things to greater; and this is the greatest of all
and what was done among the
Heathens
2 Kings 17:31; and
was afterwards done by a king of Moab
2 Kings 3:26.
Micah 6:8 8 He
has shown you
O man
what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly
To love mercy
And to walk humbly
with your God?
YLT
8He hath declared to thee
O
man
what [is] good; Yea
what is Jehovah requiring of thee
Except -- to do
judgment
and love kindness
And lowly to walk with thy God?
He hath showed me
O man
what is good
.... This is
not the answer of the prophet to the body of the people
or to any and every
one of the people of Israel; but of Balaam to Balak
a single man
that consulted
with him
and put questions to him; particularly what he should do to please
the Lord
and what righteousness he required of him
that would be acceptable
to him; and though he was a king
he was but a man
and he would have him know
it that he was no more
and as such addresses him; and especially when he is
informing him of his duty to God; which lay not in such things as he had
proposed
but in doing that which was good
and avoiding that which was evil
in a moral sense: and this the Lord had shown him by the light of nature; which
is no other than the work of the law of God written in the hearts of the
Heathens
by which they are directed to do the good commanded in the law
and
to shun the evil forbidden by it; see Romans 2:14;
and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly; or
"judgment"F5משפט
"judicium"
V. L. Munster; "jus"
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator. ; to exercise public judgment and justice
as a king
among his
subjects; to do private and personal justice between man and man; to hurt no
man's person
property
and character; to give to everyone their due
and do as
he would desire to be done by; which as it is agreeable to the law of God
so
to the light of nature
and what is shown
required
and taught by it:
and to love mercy; not only to show mercy to miserable
objects
to persons in distress; to relieve the poor and indigent; to clothe
the naked
and feed the hungry; but to delight in such exercises; and which a
king especially should do
whose throne is established by mercy
and who is
able
and should be munificent; and some Heathen princes
by their liberality
have gained the name of benefactors
"Euergetes"
as one of the
Ptolemies did; see Luke 22:25; such
advice Daniel gave to Nebuchadnezzar
a Heathen prince
as agreeable to the
light of nature; see Daniel 4:27;
and to walk humbly with thy God? his Creator and
Benefactor
from whom he had his being
and all the blessings of life
and was
dependent upon him; and therefore
as a creature
should behave with humility
towards his Creator
acknowledging his distance from him
and the obligations
he lay under to him; and even though a king
yet his God and Creator was above
him
King of kings
and Lord of lords
to whom he owed his crown
sceptre
and
kingdom
and was accountable to him for all his administrations: and this
"walking humbly" is opposed to "walking in pride"
which
kings are apt to do; but God can humble them
and bring them low
as Heathen
kings have been obliged to own; see Daniel 2:21.
Micah 6:9 9 The Lord’s voice cries to the city— Wisdom shall see Your name: “Hear the
rod! Who has appointed it?
YLT
9A voice of Jehovah to the
city calleth
And wisdom doth fear Thy name
Hear ye the rod
and Him who
appointed it.
The Lord's voice crieth unto the city
.... The Lord
having bid his prophet call to the mountains and hills to hear his voice
and
the prophet having obeyed his will
and the Lord having by him addressed his
people Israel
and expostulated with them about their ingratitude
observing to
them many instances of his goodness; here informs them
that this voice of his
whether in his prophet
or in his judgments
was directed to the city
either
Samaria or Jerusalem
or both
and even to all the cities of Israel and Judah
the singular being put for the plural; that is
to the inhabitants of them.
Cities being populous
and where persons of the highest rank and figure
as
well as of the best sense
dwell
and generally very wicked
though favoured
with greater advantages; all which are reasons why the voice of the Lord
in
his word and providences
particularly cries to them to repent of their sins
and reform from them
as might be expected from such persons; and so doing
would set a good example to those who live in the country. Some render it
"the Lord's voice crieth to awake"F6לעיר
"ad suscitandum"
Vatablus; "ad expergefaciendum"
Calvin;
"ad excitandum"
Drusius. So Joseph Kimchi. ; or to "stir
up"; it calls upon men asleep to awake out of sleep; to arouse from their
carnal security; to attend to their sins
their danger
and their duty; to
repent of their sins
and so avoid the danger they were in through them
and
perform their duty they had such a voice as this
see in Ephesians 5:14;
this reading of the words is mentioned by Kimchi;
and the man of wisdom shall see thy name; not the mere
natural man
or who is possessed only of natural wisdom
though he may have
ever so great a share of it; for as he sees not the things of the Spirit of
God
the things of the Gospel
so neither the name and perfections of God in
his judgments on the earth; much less the man that is wise to do evil
full of
wicked subtlety
and makes a jest of everything religious and serious; nor such
as are wise in their own opinion
or have only a superficial share of wisdom;
but such who have a share of solid and substantial wisdom
a man of
"substance"
as the wordF7תושיה
"vir constans"
Pagninus; "vir essentilae"
Gualtherus apud
Tarnovium. sometimes signifies; see Proverbs 8:21; such
who have true wisdom in the hidden part
that which comes from above
and is
pure and peaceable
and makes men wise to salvation; such men see and discern
the power and providence of God in all the judgments that are in the earth; his
attributes and perfections; his severity on some
and goodness to others; his
sparing grace and mercy
and his special lovingkindness
and even all his
perfections
for he is known to such by the judgments he executeth; see Psalm 9:16; and
such
"fear" his "name" also
as some render the wordsF8יראה שמך "timebit nomen
tuum"
Pagninus
Montanus. So the Targum. ; they not only fear the Lord
and his goodness
but have an awful sense of his judgments
and tremble at
them. Some read the words
"thy name sees that which is"F9"Nam
quod res est
videt nomen tuum"
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator
Tarnovius. ; so the margin of our Bibles; that is
the Lord seeth that which is
done in the city
though ever so secret and private
and therefore his voice
cries to it;
hear ye the rod
and who hath appointed it; these are the
words of the man of wisdom
as Kimchi observes; who
seeing the name and
perfections of God in his judgments on the earth
upon others
and exhorts them
to hear the voice rod
of the rod of correction and affliction
the rod of
judgment and vengeance
as held in the hand of God
and shook over a city or
nation; which has a voice in if to men
reproving them for their sins;
commanding them to return from them; calling them to repentance and
humiliation; teaching and instructing them in their duty; and giving cautions
and warnings to others
lest the like should befall them; and this is the voice
that is to be attended to: audit should be considered
that there is no affliction
calamity
or judgment
but is appointed by the Lord
the kind and nature
measure and duration
of it; what its end
issue
and use; and he that has
appointed it is all wise and all knowing
unchangeable and invariable
all
powerful
and able to put his purposes and decrees into execution; nor can they
be frustrated. The Targum of the whole is
"with
the voice the prophets of the Lord Cry to the city; and teachers fear the name
(of the Lord); hear
O king and rulers
and the rest of the people of the
land.'
Micah 6:10 10 Are
there yet the treasures of wickedness In the house of the wicked
And the short
measure that is an abomination?
YLT
10Are there yet [in] the
house of the wicked Treasures of wickedness
And the abhorred scanty ephah?
Are there yet the treasures of wickedness the house of the wicked?.... There
are; they continue there. This is the voice of the Lord by the prophet
and the
language of the rod of correction to be heard
exposing the sins of the people
for which the Lord had a controversy with them; particularly their mammon of
unrighteousness
the vast wealth
riches
and treasures
collected together by
very wicked and unlawful ways and means; and which
instead of restoring them
to the persons they had defrauded of them
they retained them in their houses
notwithstanding the reproofs of the prophets
and the corrections of the
Almighty. Some render it
"is there not fire?" &c.F11עוד האש μη πυρ
Sept. "adhuc ignis"
V. L. So Joseph Kimchi. ; that
is
in the house of the wicked
because of the treasures of wickedness
that
which consumes them; but GussetiusF12Ebr. Comment. p. 352.
interprets it of fornications and adulteries. Others render it
"is there
yet a man?" &c.F13"Adhuc num vir domo"
Montanus;
"adhuc suntne viro domus improbi"
some in Drusius. So R. Sol. Urbin
fol. 37. 2. ; an honourable man
as Aben Ezra
who continues in his iniquity
after the Lord's voice cries to the city; but Abendana interprets it of the
prophet himself
continuing to reprove the wicked for their treasures of
wickedness
and their other sins;
and the scant measure that is abominable? or "the
ephah of leanness provoking to wrath"F14ואיפת
רזרן זעומה "et ephah
macilentiae indignatio a Deo proventura"
Tarnovius; "detestatus
Domino"
Pagninus; "et ephah maciei abominatione digna"
Burkius. ; that is
a deficient measure
less than it should be; the
"ephah" was a dry measure
and it was made small
as in Amos 8:5; and held
less than it should; and this brought leanness and poverty upon those to whom
they sold by it
as well as ruin upon themselves in the issue; for such
practices as they were abominable and detestable to God; they stirred up his
wrath
and brought destruction on those that used them. The Targum is
"false
measures that bring a curse.'
Micah 6:11 11 Shall
I count pure those with the wicked scales
And with the bag of deceitful
weights?
YLT
11Do I reckon [it] pure with
balances of wickedness? And with a bag of deceitful stones?
Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances
.... These are
the words either of the prophet
or rather of God
signifying that he could
not
and would not
allow
countenance
and approve of persons that used false
scales or balances; or justify and reckon them just
as they would be thought
to be
but condemn them
and pronounce them very wicked men
and deserving of
punishment here and hereafter:
and with the bag of deceitful weights? or
"stones"F15אבני מרמה "lapidum doli"
Piscator; "lapidum
fraudis"
Montanus. ; which were used in weighing goods
and which were
deceitful
when a heavier was used in buying
and a lighter in selling. So the
Targum
"and
with the bag
in which are weights greater and lesser;'
condemned
in Deuteronomy 25:13.
Micah 6:12 12 For
her rich men are full of violence
Her inhabitants have spoken lies
And their
tongue is deceitful in their mouth.
YLT
12Whose rich ones have been
full of violence
And its inhabitants have spoken falsehood
And their tongue
[is] deceitful in their mouth.
For the rich men thereof are full of violence
.... That is
the rich men of the city
to whom the voice of the Lord cried
Micah 6:9.
Jerusalem or Samaria
or any or all the cities of Israel and Judah; the rich
men of these cities
who had enough of the world
and were under no temptation
to do an ill thing
to get money; and yet their hands and their houses
and
their treasuries
as the Targum
were full of goods gotten by violent measures
by the oppression of the poor and needy:
and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies; the rest of
the inhabitants
who were not so rich as others
and who had it not in the
power of their hands to oppress as others had; yet used deceitful and
fraudulent methods to cheat their neighbours in buying and selling; and
to do
this
did not stick to tell downright deliberate lies:
and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth; say one
thing
and mean another; deceive their neighbours with their tongues in trade
and commerce; averting things for truth they know to be false.
Micah 6:13 13 “Therefore
I will also make you sick by striking you
By making you desolate
because of your sins.
YLT
13And I also
I have begun to
smite thee
To make desolate
because of thy sins.
Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee
.... With the
rod to be heard
Micah 6:9; by
sending among them some of his sore judgments
as famine
pestilence
the sword
of the enemy
internal wars
and the like; which should cause their kingdom
and state
and families
to decline and waste away
as a sickly and diseased
body. So the Targum
"and
I brought upon thee illness and a stroke.'
The
Septuagint
Vulgate Latin
Syriac
and Arabic versions
render it
"and I
began to smite thee"; as by Hazael
king of Syria
and Tiglathpileser
king of Assyria
who had carried part of them captive;
in making thee desolate because of thy sins; went on
not
only to make them sick
and bring them into a declining state
but into utter
desolation; as by Shalmaneser
king of Assyria
who carried Israel captive; and
by Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon
who led Judah captive
because of their
sins of idolatry
injustice
and oppression
with others that abounded among
them.
Micah 6:14 14 You
shall eat
but not be satisfied; Hunger[b] shall
be in your midst. You may carry some away
[c] but shall
not save them; And what you do rescue I will give over to the sword.
YLT
14Thou -- thou eatest
and
thou art not satisfied
And thy pit [is] in thy midst
And thou removest
and
dost not deliver
And that which thou deliverest
to a sword I give.
Thou shalt eat
but not be satisfied
.... Either
not having enough to eat
for the refreshing and satisfying of nature; or else
a blessing being withheld from food
though eaten
and so not nourishing; or a
voracious and insatiable appetite being given as a curse; the first sense seems
best:
and thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee; meaning they
should be humbled and brought down
either by civil discords and wars among
themselves
or through the enemy being suffered to come into the midst of their
country
and make havoc there; which would be as a sickness and disease in
their bowels. So the Targum
"thou
shalt have an illness in thy bowels.'
The
Syriac version is
"a
dysentery shall be in thine intestines;'
a
secret judgment wasting and destroying them;
and thou shall take hold
but shall not deliver; and that
which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword; the sense is
that they should take hold of their wives and children
and endeavour to save
them from the sword of the enemy
and being carried captive: or should
"remove" themF16ותסג "et
amovebis"
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator
Tarnovius;
"summovebis"
Drusius
so Ben Melech; "et removebis"
Burkius.
as the word is sometimes used
in order to secure them from them; or
should "overtake"F17"Assequeris"
Syr. ; the
enemy
carrying them captive; but should not be able by either of these methods
to save them from being destroyed
or carried away by them; and even such as
they should preserve or rescue for a while
yet these should be given up to the
sword of the enemy
the same or another. Aben Ezra and Kimchi interpret this of
their women conceiving
and not bringing forth; and
if they should
yet what
they brought forth should be slain by the swordF18R. Sol. Urbin.
Ohel Moed
fol. 35. 2. . But the Targum and Jarchi incline to the former sense.
Micah 6:15 15 “You
shall sow
but not reap; You shall tread the olives
but not anoint yourselves
with oil; And make sweet wine
but not drink wine.
YLT
15Thou -- thou sowest
and
thou dost not reap
Thou -- thou treadest the olive
And thou pourest not out
oil
And new wine -- and thou drinkest not wine.
Thou shall sow
but thou shalt not reap
.... Either
that which is sown shall not spring up
but rot in the earth; or if it does
spring up
and come to maturity
yet
before that
they should be removed into
captivity
or slain by the sword
and their enemies should reap the increase of
their land
their wheat and their grain:
thou shall tread the olives; in the olive press
to
get out the oil:
but thou shalt not anoint with oil; as at feasts for
refreshment
and at baths for health
this becoming another's property; or
it
being a time of distress and mourning
would not be used
it being chiefly at
festivals
and occasions of joy
that oil was used:
and sweet wine; that is
shalt tread the grapes in the
winepress
to get out the sweet or new wine:
but shalt not drink wine; for
before it is fit to
drink
the enemy would have it in his possession; see Leviticus 26:16;
these are the punishments or corrections of the rod they are threatened with
for their sins.
Micah 6:16 16 For
the statutes of Omri are kept; All the works of Ahab’s house are done; And
you walk in their counsels
That I may make you a desolation
And your
inhabitants a hissing. Therefore you shall bear the reproach of My people.”[d]
YLT
16And kept habitually are the
statutes of Omri
And all the work of the house of Ahab
And ye do walk in
their counsels
For My giving thee for a desolation
And its inhabitants for a
hissing
And the reproach of My people ye do bear!
For the statutes of Omri are kept
.... Who of a captain of
the army was made king of Israel
and proved a wicked prince; he built Samaria
and set up idolatrous worship there
after the example of Jeroboam
in whose
ways he walked
and
as it seems
established the same by laws and edicts; and
which were everyone of them observed by the Israelites
in the times of the
prophet
though at the distance of many years from the first making of them
which aggravated their sin; nor would it be any excuse of them that what they
practised was enjoined by royal authority
since it was contrary to the command
of God; for the breach of which
and their observance of the statutes of such a
wicked prince
they are threatened with the judgments of God; see 1 Kings 16:16;
and all the works of the house of Ahab; who was the
son of Omri
and introduced the worship of Baal
and added to the idolatry of
the calves
which he and his family practised; and the same works were now done
by the people of Israel:
and ye walk in their counsels; as they advised and
directed the people to do in their days:
that I should make thee a desolation; the city of
Samaria
the metropolis of Israel
or the whole land
which was made a
desolation by Shalmaneser
an instrument in the hand of God; and this was not
the intention and design of their walking in the counsels and after the example
of their idolatrous kings
but the consequence and event of so doing:
and the inhabitants thereof an hissing; either of
Samaria
or of all the land
who should become the scorn and derision of men
when brought to ruin for their sins:
therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people; that which
was threatened in the law to the people of God
when disobedient to him; or
shameful punishment for profaning the name and character of the people of God
they bore; or for reproaching and ill using the poor among the people of God;
and so it is directed to the rich men before spoken of
and signifies the shame
and ignominy they should bear
by being carried captive into a foreign land for
their sins.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)