Micah 7:3

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.
• English Standard Version (ESV)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.
• 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.

Context of Micah 7:3

1Woe is me! For I am Like the fruit pickers, like the grape gatherers. There is not a cluster of grapes to eat, Or a first-ripe fig which I crave. 2The godly person has perished from the land, And there is no upright person among men. All of them lie in wait for bloodshed; Each of them hunts the other with a net. Concerning evil, both hands do it well. The prince asks, also the judge, for a bribe, And a great man speaks the desire of his soul; So they weave it together. 4The best of them is like a briar, The most upright like a thorn hedge. The day when you post your watchmen, Your punishment will come. Then their confusion will occur. 5Do not trust in a neighbor; Do not have confidence in a friend. From her who lies in your bosom Guard your lips.

Micah 7:3 word by word

עַל־הָרַ֤ע כַּפַּ֙יִם֙ לְהֵיטִ֔יב הַשַּׂ֣ר שֹׁאֵ֔ל וְהַשֹּׁפֵ֖ט בַּשִׁלּ֑וּם וְהַגָּד֗וֹל דֹּבֵ֨ר הַוַּ֥ת נַפְשׁ֛וֹ ה֖וּא וַֽיְעַבְּתֽוּהָ׃Read the interlinear

• Concerningעַל‛al · uponH5921
• evilרַעra‛ râ‛âh · bad: evilH7451
• both handsכַּףkaph · palmH3709
• doיָטַבyâţab · be goodH3190
• The princeשַׂרώar · rulerH8269
• asksשָׁאַלshâ'al shâ'êl · to askH7592
• also the judgeשָׁפַטshâphaţ · to judgeH8199
• bribeשִׁלּוּםshillûm shillûm · recompenseH7966
• And a greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
• manגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
• speaksדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696
• the desireהַוָּהhavvâh · desireH1942
• of his soulנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soul: appetiteH5315
• So they weaveעָבַת‛âbath · to weaveH5686

Cross-references for Micah 7:3

• Proverbs 4:16For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; And they are robbed of sleep unless they make someone stumble.
• Jeremiah 3:5Will He be angry forever? Will He be indignant to the end?’ Behold, you have spoken And have done evil things, And you have had your way.”
• Ezekiel 22:6“Behold, the rulers of Israel, each according to his power, have been in you for the purpose of shedding blood.
• Micah 3:11Her leaders pronounce judgment for a bribe, Her priests instruct for a price And her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the Lord saying, “Is not the Lord in our midst? Calamity will not come upon us.”
• Isaiah 1:23Your rulers are rebels And companions of thieves; Everyone loves a bribe And chases after rewards. They do not defend the orphan, Nor does the widow’s plea come before them.
• Jeremiah 8:10Therefore I will give their wives to others, Their fields to new owners; Because from the least even to the greatest Everyone is greedy for gain; From the prophet even to the priest Everyone practices deceit.
• Ezekiel 22:27Her princes within her are like wolves tearing the prey, by shedding blood and destroying lives in order to get dishonest gain.
• Hosea 4:18Their liquor gone, They play the harlot continually; Their rulers dearly love shame.
• Amos 5:12For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are great, You who distress the righteous and accept bribes And turn aside the poor in the gate.
• Matthew 26:15and said, “What are you willing to give me to betray Him to you?” And they weighed out thirty pieces of silver to him.
• 1 Kings 21:9Now she wrote in the letters, saying, “Proclaim a fast and seat Naboth at the head of the people;
• Isaiah 26:21For behold, the Lord is about to come out from His place To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; And the earth will reveal her bloodshed And will no longer cover her slain.
• Luke 12:1Under these circumstances, after so many thousands of people had gathered together that they were stepping on one another, He began saying to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
• 1 Corinthians 4:5Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him 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

• Bribery
• Character
• Court
• Covetousness
• Depravity of Man
• Despondency
• Judge
• Justice
• Rulers
• Sin
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• Light
• Mouth
• Net
• Blindness, Judicial
• Diligence; Diligent; Diligently
• Judge
• Micah (2)
• Ready
• Reward

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