Micah 7:4

Micah 7:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)The best of them is as a brier: the most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh; now shall be their perplexity.
• New International Version (NIV)The best of them is like a brier, the most upright worse than a thorn hedge. The day God visits you has come, the day your watchmen sound the alarm. Now is the time of your confusion.
• English Standard Version (ESV)The 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.
• New King James Version (NKJV)The best of them is like a brier; The most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge; The day of your watchman and your punishment comes; Now shall be their perplexity.

Context of Micah 7:4

2The godly person has perished from the land, And there is no upright person among mankind. All of them lie in wait for bloodshed; Each of them hunts the other with a net. 3As for evil, both hands do it well. The leader asks for a bribe, also the judge, And the great one speaks the capricious desire of his soul; So they plot it together. The best of them is like a thorn bush, The most upright like a thorn hedge. The day when you post your watchmen, Your punishment is coming. Then their confusion will occur. 5Do not trust in a neighbor; Do not have confidence in a close friend. Guard your lips From her who lies in your arms. 6For son disavows father, Daughter rises up against her mother, Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; A person’s enemies are the people of his own household.

Micah 7:4 word by word

טוֹבָ֣ם כְּחֵ֔דֶק יָשָׁ֖ר מִמְּסוּכָ֑ה י֤וֹם מְצַפֶּ֙יךָ֙ פְּקֻדָּתְךָ֣ בָ֔אָה עַתָּ֥ה תִהְיֶ֖ה מְבוּכָתָֽם׃Read the interlinear

• The bestטוֹבţôb · pleasantH2896
• thornחֵ֫דֶקchêdeq · briarH2312
• The most uprightיָשָׁרyâshâr · uprightH3477
• thornמְסוּכָהmesûkâh · hedgeH4534
• The dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• when you post your watchmenצָפָהtsâphâh · to watchH6822
• punishmentפְּקֻדָּהpeqûddâh · punishmentH6486
• is comingבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• Thenעַתָּ֫ה‛attâh · nowH6258
• confusionמְבוּכָהmebûkâh · confusionH3998
• will occurהָיָהhâyâh · to beH1961

Cross-references for Micah 7:4

• 2 Samuel 23:6But the worthless, every one of them, are like scattered thorns, Because they cannot be taken in hand;
• Isaiah 55:13Instead of the thorn bush, the juniper will come up, And instead of the stinging nettle, the myrtle will come up; And it will be a memorial to the Lord, An everlasting sign which will not be eliminated.”
• Ezekiel 2:6And as for you, son of man, you are not to fear them nor fear their words, though thistles and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions; you are not to fear their words nor be dismayed at their presence, since they are a rebellious house.
• Hebrews 6:8but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.
• Ezekiel 12:23Therefore say to them, ‘This is what the Lord God says: “I will put an end to this proverb so that they will no longer use it as a proverb in Israel.” But tell them, “The days are approaching as well as the fulfillment of every vision.
• Hosea 9:7The days of punishment have come, The days of retribution have come; Let Israel know this! The prophet is a fool, The inspired person is insane, Because of the grossness of your wrongdoing, And because your hostility is so great.
• Amos 8:2And He said, “What do you see, Amos?” And I said, “A basket of summer fruit.” Then the Lord said to me, “The end has come for My people Israel. I will not spare them any longer.
• Isaiah 10:3Now what will you do in the day of punishment, And in the devastation which will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help? And where will you leave your wealth?
• Jeremiah 8:12Were they ashamed because of the abomination they had done? They were not ashamed at all, And they did not know how to be ashamed; Therefore they will fall among those who fall; At the time of their punishment they will collapse,” Says the Lord.
• Jeremiah 10:15They are worthless, a work of mockery; At the time of their punishment they will perish.
• Isaiah 22:5For the Lord God of armies has a day of panic, subjugation, and confusion In the valley of vision, A breaking down of walls And a crying to the mountain.
• Luke 21:25“There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves,

Commentaries on Micah 7:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4The best of them is as a brier - They are useless in themselves, and cannot be touched without wounding him that comes in contact with them. He alludes to the thick thorn hedges, still frequent in Palestine. The day of thy watchmen - The day of vengeance, which the prophets have foreseen and proclaimed, is at hand. Now shall be their perplexity; no more wrapping up, all shall be unfolded. In that day every man will wish that he were different from what he…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4The best of them is as a brier - The gentlest of them is a thorn, strong, hard, piercing, which letteth nothing unresisting pass by but it taketh from it, “robbing the fleece, and wounding the sheep.” “The most upright”, those who, in comparison of others still worse, seem so, “is sharper than a thorn hedge”, (literally, the upright, them a thorn hedge.) They are not like it only, but worse, and that in all ways; none is specified, and so none excepted…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4The day for your watchmen has come: The people of Israel will soon be conquered by the Assyrians. The people of Judah will soon face destruction by the Babylonians. All the people of the earth will soon face God in judgment.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. as a brier--or thorn; pricking with injury all who come in contact with them (2Sa 23:6, 7; Is 55:13; Eze 2:6). the day of thy watchmen--the day foretold by thy (true) prophets, as the time of "thy visitation" in wrath [Grotius]. Or, "the day of thy false prophets being punished"; they are specially threatened as being not only blind themselves, but leading others blindfold [Calvin]. now--at the time foretold, "at that time"; the prophet transporting…Read the comment

Topics related to Micah 7:4

• Depravity of Man
• Despondency
• Hedge
• Rulers
• Sin
• Thorn
• Wicked (People)

In the dictionaries

• Apple
• Brier
• Light
• Mouth
• Net
• Thorn
• Hedge
• Micah (2)
• Thorns, Thistles, Etc.
• Visitation

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