English Standard Version
Micah 7:3
3Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul; thus they weave it together.
Micah 7:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up.
- New International Version (NIV)Both hands are skilled in doing evil; the ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts bribes, the powerful dictate what they desire— they all conspire together.
- New King James Version (NKJV)That they may successfully do evil with both hands— The prince asks for gifts, The judge seeks a bribe, And the great man utters his evil desire; So they scheme together.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Both their hands are equally skilled at doing evil! Officials and judges alike demand bribes. The people with influence get what they want, and together they scheme to twist justice.
Context of Micah 7:3
1Woe is me! For I have become as when the summer fruit has been gathered, as when the grapes have been gleaned: there is no cluster to eat, no first-ripe fig that my soul desires. 2The godly has perished from the earth, and there is no one upright among mankind; they all lie in wait for blood, and each hunts the other with a net. Their hands are on what is evil, to do it well; the prince and the judge ask for a bribe, and the great man utters the evil desire of his soul; thus they weave it together. 4The best of them is like a brier, the most upright of them a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen, of your punishment, has come; now their confusion is at hand. 5Put no trust in a neighbor; have no confidence in a friend; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms;
Read all of Micah 7Micah 7:3 word by word
עַל־הָרַ֤ע כַּפַּ֙יִם֙ לְהֵיטִ֔יב הַשַּׂ֣ר שֹׁאֵ֔ל וְהַשֹּׁפֵ֖ט בַּשִׁלּ֑וּם וְהַגָּד֗וֹל דֹּבֵ֨ר הַוַּ֥ת נַפְשׁ֛וֹ ה֖וּא וַֽיְעַבְּתֽוּהָ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- That they may do evilרַעra‛ râ‛âh · bad: evilH7451
- with both handsכַּףkaph · palmH3709
- earnestlyיָטַבyâţab · be goodH3190
- the princeשַׂרώar · rulerH8269
- askethשָׁאַלshâ'al shâ'êl · to askH7592
- and the judgeשָׁפַטshâphaţ · to judgeH8199
- for a rewardשִׁלּוּםshillûm shillûm · recompenseH7966
- and the greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
- he utterethדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696
- his mischievousהַוָּהhavvâh · desireH1942
- desireנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soul: appetiteH5315
- so they wrap it upעָבַת‛âbath · to weaveH5686
Cross-references for Micah 7:3
- Proverbs 4:16For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
- Jeremiah 3:5will he be angry forever, will he be indignant to the end?' Behold, you have spoken, but you have done all the evil that you could."
- Ezekiel 22:6"Behold, the princes of Israel in you, every one according to his power, have been bent on shedding blood.
- Micah 3:11Its heads give judgment for a bribe; its priests teach for a price; its prophets practice divination for money; yet they lean on the Lord and say, "Is not the Lord in the midst of us? No disaster shall come upon us."
- Isaiah 1:23Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves. Everyone loves a bribe and runs after gifts. They do not bring justice to the fatherless, and the widow's cause does not come to them.
- Jeremiah 8:10Therefore I will give their wives to others and their fields to conquerors, because from the least to the greatest everyone is greedy for unjust gain; from prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely.
- Ezekiel 22:27Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, shedding blood, destroying lives to get dishonest gain.
- Hosea 4:18When their drink is gone, they give themselves to whoring; their rulers dearly love shame.
- Amos 5:12For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins— you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate.
- Matthew 26:15and said, "What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?" And they paid him thirty pieces of silver.
- 1 Kings 21:9And she wrote in the letters, "Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people.
- Isaiah 26:21For behold, the Lord is coming out from his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity, and the earth will disclose the blood shed on it, and will no more cover its slain.
- Luke 12:1In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, "Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
- 1 Corinthians 4:5Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.
Commentaries on Micah 7:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3That they may do evil with both hands - That is, earnestly, greedily, to the uttermost of their power. The Vulgate translates: Malum manuum suarum dicunt bonum; "The evil of their hands they call good." The prince asketh - A bribe, to forward claims in his court. The judge asketh for a reward - That he may decide the cause in favor of him who gives most money, whether the cause be good or evil. This was notoriously the case in our own country before the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3That they may do evil with both hands earnestly - (Literally, upon evil both hands to do well,) that is, “both their hands are upon evil to do it well,” or “earnestly”, as our translation gives the meaning; only the Hebrew expresses more, that evil is their good, and their good or excellence is in evil. Bad men gain a dreadful skill and wisdom in evil, as Satan has; and cleverness in evil is their delight. Jerome: “They call the evil of their hands good.”…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3skilled at evil: That is, they had learned how to do evil very well. the prince and the judge demand a bribe: The law forbade rulers and judges from accepting bribes or turning justice in the wrong direction (Exodus 18:19–22; Deuteronomy 16:18–20). Because of this, Israel’s legal system no longer worked in a fair way.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. That they may do evil with both hands earnestly--literally, "Their hands are for evil that they may do it well" (that is, cleverly and successfully). the great man, he--emphatic repetition. As for the great man, he no sooner has expressed his bad desire (literally, the "mischief" or "lust of his soul"), than the venal judges are ready to wrest the decision of the case according to his wish. so they wrap it up--The Hebrew is used of intertwining cords…Read the comment
Topics related to Micah 7:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Micah 7
- 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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