English Standard Version
Micah 3:7
7the seers shall be disgraced, and the diviners put to shame; they shall all cover their lips, for there is no answer from God.
Micah 3:7 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God.
- New International Version (NIV)The seers will be ashamed and the diviners disgraced. They will all cover their faces because there is no answer from God.”
- New King James Version (NKJV)So the seers shall be ashamed, And the diviners abashed; Indeed they shall all cover their lips; For there is no answer from God.”
- New Living Translation (NLT)Then you seers will be put to shame, and you fortune-tellers will be disgraced. And you will cover your faces because there is no answer from God.”
Context of Micah 3:7
5Thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who lead my people astray, who cry "Peace" when they have something to eat, but declare war against him who puts nothing into their mouths. 6Therefore it shall be night to you, without vision, and darkness to you, without divination. The sun shall go down on the prophets, and the day shall be black over them; the seers shall be disgraced, and the diviners put to shame; they shall all cover their lips, for there is no answer from God. 8But as for me, I am filled with power, with the Spirit of the Lord, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin. 9Hear this, you heads of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who detest justice and make crooked all that is straight,
Read all of Micah 3Micah 3:7 word by word
וּבֹ֣שׁוּ הַחֹזִ֗ים וְחָֽפְרוּ֙ הַקֹּ֣סְמִ֔ים וְעָט֥וּ עַל־שָׂפָ֖ם כֻּלָּ֑ם כִּ֛י אֵ֥ין מַעֲנֵ֖ה אֱלֹהִֽים׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Then shall the seersחֹזֶהchôzeh · seerH2374
- be ashamedבּוֹשׁbûsh · be ashamedH954
- and the divinersקָסַםqâsam · to divineH7080
- confoundedחָפֵרchâphêr · be ashamedH2659
- yea, they shall all coverעָטָה‛âţâh · to enwrapH5844
- their lipsשָׂפָםώâphâm · mustacheH8222
- no answerמַעֲנֶהma‛ăneh · answerH4617
- of Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
Cross-references for Micah 3:7
- Exodus 8:18The magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast.
- Exodus 9:11And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians.
- 1 Samuel 9:9(Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he said, "Come, let us go to the seer," for today's "prophet" was formerly called a seer.)
- Isaiah 44:25who frustrates the signs of liars and makes fools of diviners, who turns wise men back and makes their knowledge foolish,
- Isaiah 47:12Stand fast in your enchantments and your many sorceries, with which you have labored from your youth; perhaps you may be able to succeed; perhaps you may inspire terror.
- Daniel 2:9if you do not make the dream known to me, there is but one sentence for you. You have agreed to speak lying and corrupt words before me till the times change. Therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that you can show me its interpretation."
- Zechariah 13:4"On that day every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies. He will not put on a hairy cloak in order to deceive,
- 2 Timothy 3:8Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith.
- Leviticus 13:45"The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, 'Unclean, unclean.'
- Ezekiel 24:17Sigh, but not aloud; make no mourning for the dead. Bind on your turban, and put your shoes on your feet; do not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men."
- 1 Samuel 14:37And Saul inquired of God, "Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will you give them into the hand of Israel?" But he did not answer him that day.
- 1 Samuel 28:6And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets.
- Psalms 74:9We do not see our signs; there is no longer any prophet, and there is none among us who knows how long.
- Amos 8:11"Behold, the days are coming," declares the Lord God, "when I will send a famine on the land— not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.
Commentaries on Micah 3:7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7Shall the seers be ashamed - For the false visions of comfort and prosperity which they pretended to see. And the diviners confounded - Who pretended to foretell future prosperity; for they themselves are now thralled in that very captivity which the true prophets foretold, and which the false prophets said should not happen.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7They shall cover their lips - Literally, the hair of the upper lip. This was an action enjoined on lepers Leviticus 13:45, and a token of mourning Ezekiel 24:17, Ezekiel 24:22; a token then of sorrow and uncleanness. With their lips they had lied, and now they should cover their lips, as men dumb and ashamed. “For there is no answer of God,” as these deceivers had pretended to have. When all things shall come contrary to what they had promised, it shall…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6-7Micah announced God's judgment on the false prophets. Without God's special messages, these seers and fortune-tellers were like the pagan court prophets of nations like Babylon, Mari, and especially Assyria. Those prophets were expected to say what the rulers wanted to hear, but they did not receive true messages from the Lord 1 Samuel 28:6; Amos 8:11–12).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 77. cover their lips--The Orientals prided themselves on the moustache and beard ("upper lip," Margin). To cover it, therefore, was a token of shame and sorrow (Le 13:45; Eze 24:17, 22). "They shall be so ashamed of themselves as not to dare to open their mouths or boast of the name of prophet" [Calvin]. there is no answer of God--They shall no more profess to have responses from God, being struck dumb with calamities (Mi 3:6).Read the comment
Topics related to Micah 3:7
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Micah 3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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