'Hear, I pray you, you heads of Jacob... is it not for you to know justice?' — they eat the flesh of my people; the prophets make my people to err, crying 'Peace' when their mouths are fed; the heads judge for reward, the priests teach for hire, the prophets divine for money: 'Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps.'
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
And I said: Hear, I pray you, you heads of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel: Is it not for you to know justice?
verse value 4097
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 50 letters. The shortest word is "house·of" (בֵּ֣ית, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·justice" (אֶת־הַמִּשְׁפָּֽט, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "and·I·said" (וָאֹמַ֗ר), "to·know" (לָדַ֖עַת), "the·justice" (אֶת־הַמִּשְׁפָּֽט). 11 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root ידע ("to·know") in Micah. First appearance of the root משפט ("the·justice") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: וָאֹמַ֗ר [and·I·said] (247) + שִׁמְעוּ־נָא֙ [hear·now] (467) + רָאשֵׁ֣י [heads·of] (511) + יַעֲקֹ֔ב [Jacob] (182) + וּקְצִינֵ֖י [and·chiefs·of] (266) + בֵּ֣ית [house·of] (412) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [Israel] (541) + הֲל֣וֹא [not] (42) + לָכֶ֔ם [to·you] (90) + לָדַ֖עַת [to·know] (504) + אֶת־הַמִּשְׁפָּֽט [the·justice] (835) = 4097.
Ibn Ezra
And it says: "The heads and the officers are the ones obligated to set right the crooked; behold, they hate a good man and steal their skin, as a parable for their property and their earnings."
Radak
And it says: This refers back to the reproof, for they were oppressing the poor, as it says, "he rises up as an enemy." The prophet says to you, heads and officers: "It is against you that the complaint is lodged, for it is your duty to know justice and to rescue the plundered from the hand of the oppressor."
Metzudat David
And it says, "Hear now." I say, "Hear now, O heads..."
“Is it not yours?” It is incumbent upon you to know the law if it was done in the land, and it is incumbent upon you to warn about the matter.
Metzudat Zion
Na. Now:
And the rulers (uketzinei). The matter of rulership:
Malbim
And he says, He answers them further: See what was said above, "Is the Spirit of the Lord shortened? Are these His doings?," He calls to the heads of the House of Jacob, that they themselves should judge the matter, whether it is not due to them according to the law that they be punished by the Lord. And this is what He says, "Is it not for you to know the judgment?" meaning that the punishment is fitting for them by right and by law.
Who hate the good, and love the evil; who rob their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones;
verse value 2841
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 45 letters. The shortest word is "evil" (רָ֑ע, 2 letters) and the longest is "from·off·them" (מֵֽעֲלֵיהֶ֔ם, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "who·despise" (שֹׂ֥נְאֵי), "good" (ט֖וֹב), "and·friends·of" (וְאֹ֣הֲבֵי). The root רע appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·off·them" (root על, 21x in Micah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'evil', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: שֹׂ֥נְאֵי [who·despise] (361) + ט֖וֹב [good] (17) + וְאֹ֣הֲבֵי [and·friends·of] (24) + (רעה) [evil] (275) + רָ֑ע [evil] (270) + גֹּזְלֵ֤י [tearing·away] (50) + עוֹרָם֙ [their·skin] (316) + מֵֽעֲלֵיהֶ֔ם [from·off·them] (195) + וּשְׁאֵרָ֖ם [and·their·flesh] (547) + מֵעַ֥ל [from·off] (140) + עַצְמוֹתָֽם [their·bones] (646) = 2841.
Rashi
“Robbers of their skin.” These are the leaders and officials over the House of Israel, as it is stated: “The heads of the House of Jacob and the officials of the House of Israel.”
Radak
“Haters of good.” The ketiv is “ra’ah” and the keri is “ra,” and the meaning is one. He said that they hate to do good and to benefit the poor; and not only do they not benefit them, but they harm them. And this is “and lovers of evil” — they love to do evil. And what is the evil that they do to them? They rob the skin from off them and their flesh from off their bones. And this is a metaphor, as if they strip the skin from the flesh and eat the flesh off the bones — that is, they would rob them of their money and their allotted bread, which nourishes the skin and the flesh and the bones.
Metzudat David
"Enemies of good." But furthermore, they themselves hate the good and love the evil:
They strip the skin from them. They themselves plunder one another, stripping their skin and flesh from their bones, and this is a matter of exaggeration and hyperbole, according to the great abundance of the plundering.
Metzudat Zion
And the rest thereof. Thus do you read: “the flesh,” as it is written, “If He had prepared food for His people” (Psalms 78:20).
Malbim
“Haters of good and lovers of evil” – is it not so that after they hate good and love evil, which is the opposite of justice (as it is stated in Amos 5:15: “Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate”), they then strip the skin from the poor, and afterward they also strip their remaining flesh from their bones?
Who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them, and break their bones; indeed, they chop them in pieces, as that which is in the pot, and as flesh within the caldron.
verse value 6237
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 71 letters. The shortest word is "flesh·of" (שְׁאֵ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·their·bones" (וְאֶת־עַצְמֹֽתֵיהֶ֖ם, 10 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "they·ate" (אָכְלוּ֮), "flesh·of" (שְׁאֵ֣ר), "and·their·skin" (וְעוֹרָם֙). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·off·them" (root על, 21x in Micah); "my·people" (root עם, 20x in Micah). First appearance of the root אכל ("they·ate") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·break', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Rashi
The remainder of My people. The flesh of My people:
"And they broke their bones in pieces." They broke them open to extract the marrow, just as it says (ibid. 14:7), "They broke forth into song," meaning they opened their mouths in song.
“And they break [them], as in a pot.” They break the limbs, as the pieces placed in the pot to cook are broken. “U-fareshu” is an expression of breaking, like “break [your bread] to the hungry” (Isaiah 58:7), “nor shall they break [bread] for them” (Jeremiah 16:7), “Zion breaks [forth]” (Lamentations 1:17):
“Kalachat” [a cauldron]. “Kalderya” in the vernacular:
Ibn Ezra
"And as for the remnant of My people" — the righteous.
“Pitzchu” – they called out, as it is written: “Pitzchu renah” (they shall break forth into song). And there are those who say: they broke and spread, as it is written: “Prose lare’av lechem’kha” (break your bread to the hungry), where the shin is in place of a samekh, and the meaning is “they broke.”
Kalchat – like a pot or like a plate.
Radak
“And that which they ate.” He exaggerated the act of destruction and ruin against the poor. And he said, “And they broke their bones and spread them out as in a pot, and as flesh within a cauldron, they shall break the bones, they shall cut the flesh,” like one who wishes to place the bones and the flesh in a pot and a cauldron. And all this is to emphasize the severity of the evil they do to the poor and the weak.
“Patzach.” The meaning is breaking:
“U-fareshu.” It denotes cutting, as in “Zion spreads forth her hands” (Lamentations 1:17) [and] “deal your bread to the hungry” (Isaiah 58:7).
“Sir.” A cooking pot; and likewise “kalachat,” except that it is made in a different fashion. “Sir,” “dud,” and “kalachat” — all three denote a cooking pot, except that each is made in a fashion unlike the others.
Metzudat David
"And those who ate." This means: "My people," whose flesh they ate, refers to the righteous.
Pitzchu. They crack open their bones to empty out the marrow, and this too is an expression of excess.
“And they chop [into pieces].” They break them into slices, just as one makes meat into slices to place in the pot and in the cauldron to cook them:
Metzudat Zion
“הפשיטו” – the matter of removal:
Pitzchu. The matter of breaking forth, as in “break forth and sing and make melody” (Psalms 98:4):
"Yifrosu." This is an expression of "perusah" (a broken piece) and "shevirah" (breaking), and it is spelled with a shin; and so too "poreis ein lahem" — there is none who breaks [bread] for them (Lamentations 4:4).
“In a pot.” A cooking pot, as in “set on the pot” (II Kings 4:38):
Kalachat. It too is a cooking vessel, as in “or in the kettle, or in the caldron” (I Samuel 2:14):
Malbim
"And as for 'and they shall crack their bones,' after they have already eaten the rest of my people and flayed their skin, and there is nothing more for them to plunder from them, for they have looted all that they had, then 'they shall crack their bones.' They will open the bones to search if there is marrow in the bones, and they will even spread out and break the bones in two, like when one places meat in a small pot, where the bones are broken, and like meat in a cooking pot, where the bones are boiled until all the marrow within them is extracted. So too will they press the poor in their property and in their bodies until the very dregs of the soul."
Then shall they cry to Hashem, But He will not answer them; indeed, He will hide His face from them at that time, According as they have wrought evil in their doings.
verse value 3304
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 58 letters. The shortest word is "then" (אָ֚ז, 2 letters) and the longest is "their·deeds" (מַעַלְלֵיהֶֽם, 7 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "then" (אָ֚ז), "they·will·cry" (יִזְעֲק֣וּ), "them" (אוֹתָ֑ם). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 40x in Micah). First appearance of the root ענה ("will·answer") in Micah. First appearance of the root רעע ("they·did·evil") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'them', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: אָ֚ז [then] (8) + יִזְעֲק֣וּ [they·will·cry] (193) + אֶל־יְהֹוָ֔ה [to·Hashem] (57) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + יַעֲנֶ֖ה [will·answer] (135) + אוֹתָ֑ם [them] (447) + וְיַסְתֵּ֨ר [and·He·hides] (676) + פָּנָ֤יו [his·face] (146) + מֵהֶם֙ [from·them] (85) + בָּעֵ֣ת [time] (472) + הַהִ֔יא [that] (21) + כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר [as] (521) + הֵרֵ֖עוּ [they·did·evil] (281) + מַעַלְלֵיהֶֽם [their·deeds] (225) = 3304.
Rashi
“Then they shall cry out to the Lord.” “Then” – when that time mentioned above arrives, “I will surely gather Jacob” – they shall cry out to the Lord, so that He may do good to them in His favor and the joy of His nation, and He will not answer them.
Ibn Ezra
"Then" — the officers grew powerful over the poor, and behold, the hand of the Lord will grow powerful over them, and they will cry out to the Lord, and He will not answer them, just as the poor were crying out.
Radak
“Then they will cry out.” “Then” means when the enemy comes upon them, they will cry out to God, and He will not answer them, just as they did not answer the cries of the poor who were oppressed—measure for measure. This is what it says: “As they had made their deeds evil,” just as they had done evil to the poor, so the enemy will do evil to them.
Metzudat David
"Then they will cry out." Therefore, at that time, when the calamity comes, they will cry out to the Lord, and He will not answer them.
"And He hid His face" — so that He would not look upon their distress.
"As they dealt evilly." Just as their deeds were evil, in that they did not heed the cry of the oppressed and hid their faces from them, so too shall I do to them.
Metzudat Zion
He shall answer. The matter of restitution:
"they did evil." The word is derived from the root "ra," meaning "evil."
Malbim
“Then, and if so, after they have committed such evil deeds, if then, at the time of the calamity, they cry out to the Lord and He does not answer them, and also He hides His face from them at that time, to remove His providence from them and to abandon them to the hand of chance, is this oppression from Him? Nay, this comes upon them according to the measure of justice, because their deeds were evil. And if so, how can you say, ‘If these are His deeds’? Nay, according as their deeds were evil, He hides His face from them, and evil comes upon them of itself, according to their deeds and their preparation.”
Thus says Hashem concerning the prophets that make my people to err; that cry: ‘Peace’, when their teeth have any thing to bite; and whoso puts not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him:
verse value 5005
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 79 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 5005 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֚ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "concerning·the·prophets" (עַל־הַנְּבִיאִ֖ים, 9 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "who·mislead" (הַמַּתְעִ֣ים), "my·people" (אֶת־עַמִּ֑י), "that·bite" (הַנֹּשְׁכִ֤ים). The root על appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 40x in Micah); "into·their·mouth" (root על, 21x in Micah). First appearance of the root נביא ("concerning·the·prophets") in Micah. First appearance of the root שלום ("peace") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'my·people', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 10 words.
Rashi
Those who gnash their teeth and eat the flesh of fattened animals—which My people, who err after them, feed to them.
And they shall call out peace. And when they feed them, they shall call out and prophesy to them peace.
"And they sanctify war against him." And they prepared themselves for war against him.
Ibn Ezra
As for "Keh"—the meaning is that they bite with their teeth, so that the speech of their tongue will mislead Israel and bite them.
"And those who do not give them what to eat, and they will ask."
Radak
Thus it is said: “They bite with both jaws.” They smooth their tongues toward them and greet them with “peace,” meaning, “May there be peace for you; do not heed the prophets who prophesy calamity to you.” Yet, with their smooth lips, they bite them with both jaws, meaning they harm them, for their kissing is biting to them, in accordance with the verse: “And profuse are the kisses of a hater.”
“And whoever does not put [food] into their mouth, they sanctify war against him.” This means: anyone who does not give them what they ask of him in food and drink, as it is written above, “I will give you wine and strong drink,” and if he does not give it to them, they will summon war against him, meaning they will gather together, the false prophets, and wage war against him with evil words. And there are those who explain, “biting with both jaws,” that which they give them—bread and meat and other foods—they bite with both jaws and eat, and then they will call out peace to them and prophesy good things for them, and so too does the Targum translate.
Metzudat David
Concerning the prophets. The false prophets:
The deceivers. Those who lead My people along a misleading path:
“The biters.” This refers to those who gnash their teeth against him in order to devour what is his; for him a prophecy of peace is proclaimed. But for one who does not give food to their mouths, they summon war against him; that is to say, they prophesy against him that war is prepared to come upon him.
Metzudat Zion
Ha-mat’im (those who lead astray). From the expression of going astray (to’eh):
“The biters.” They cut in order to eat. And likewise, “if the serpent bite” (Ecclesiastes 10:11).
"In both of them." The word is "tooth."
Vekidshu. The matter of designating/summoning, as in “sanctify a congregation” (Joel 2:16):
Malbim
Thus says the Lord, and in contrast to the fact that they did not wish to heed the prophets of truth, but rather heeded the voice of a false teacher and deceitful prophets, the Lord spoke concerning the prophets, that they lead My people astray from the good path, and they prophesy only for their own benefit; namely, that if they bite both of them [i.e., if they are given food to eat, and thereby seal their mouths from speaking evil], they will call for peace, but whoever does not place food in their mouths to silence them, they will declare war against him and prophesy evil against him, as in the case of Bar Hedya in the chapter "HaRo'eh" (The One Who Sees).
Therefore it shall be night to you, that you shall have no vision; and it shall be dark to you, that you shall not divine; and the sun shall go down upon the prophets, and the day shall be black over them.
verse value 2448
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 57 letters. Verse gematria: 2448 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "therefore" (לָכֵ֞ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "upon·the·prophets" (עַל־הַנְּבִיאִ֔ים, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 90: to·you, to·you. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "night" (לַ֤יְלָה), "from·vision" (מֵֽחָז֔וֹן), "and·will·darkness" (וְחָשְׁכָ֥ה). The root לכם appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "over·them" (root על, 21x in Micah). First appearance of the root קסם ("from·divining") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·divining', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: לָכֵ֞ן [therefore] (100) + לַ֤יְלָה [night] (75) + לָכֶם֙ [to·you] (90) + מֵֽחָז֔וֹן [from·vision] (111) + וְחָשְׁכָ֥ה [and·will·darkness] (339) + לָכֶ֖ם [to·you] (90) + מִקְּסֹ֑ם [from·divining] (240) + וּבָ֤אָה [and·will·go·in] (14) + הַשֶּׁ֙מֶשׁ֙ [sun] (645) + עַל־הַנְּבִיאִ֔ים [upon·the·prophets] (218) + וְקָדַ֥ר [and·shall·darken] (310) + עֲלֵיהֶ֖ם [over·them] (155) + הַיּֽוֹם [day] (61) = 2448.
Ibn Ezra
Therefore, "night"—[night] shall come upon you from this vision, and it shall be darkness, so that you will not be able to divine by night.
"And the day was dark upon them" – The meaning is: For a day of their doom will come upon them, a day of darkness, cloud, and thick darkness.
Radak
Therefore, night shall be for you instead of vision. From this vision that you prophesy, night and darkness shall be yours when the enemy comes and your words are tested, for they are false. And he repeated the matter in different words, saying, “And darkness to you instead of divination,” for their prophecy was a prophecy of divination, or some of them were diviners and some of them were dreamers.
Maksum. [This is] the infinitive:
“And the sun came.” Because of the great distress that will befall them:
“Today.” This implies the light of the sun, for on that day it will be seen, but for them it will be darkened due to the abundance of their distress. And the Targum [renders]: “Today” as “time.”
Metzudat David
“Night shall be for you instead of vision.” Darkness like night shall come upon you because of the false vision and the worthless divination.
“And the sun came.” The sun will set upon those prophets, and the light of day will be darkened for them; that is to say, they will be in distress until the world becomes dark for them. The matter is repeated in what follows, to emphasize the severity of the matter.
Metzudat Zion
From a vision. The matter of prophecy:
Miksom. A type of sorcery:
And it sets (uva’ah). The matter of setting, as in “for the sun had set” (Genesis 28:11):
And darkened. The meaning is darkness and blackness, as it is said: "The sun and the moon are darkened" (Joel 4:15).
Malbim
Therefore, "night shall be for you instead of vision," because there were three types among them: diviners, sorcerers, and prophets. He said: Against the diviners, whose method is that the vision comes at night, the vision shall not come through the night; rather, night shall come to you through the vision. And against the sorcerers, whose method is to perform sorcery in a dark place, sorcery shall no longer come through the darkness; rather, darkness shall come to you through the sorcery. And against the false prophets, who used to prophesy during the day, the sun shall come upon the prophets. And he adds that not only shall the sun come upon them, but also the day shall be darkened over them: even while it is day and the sun is in the heavens, the day shall be darkened over them. This means that distress shall overtake them before its appointed time.
And the seers shall be put to shame, and the diviners confounded; indeed, they shall all cover their upper lips; for there shall be no answer of God.
verse value 1982
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 46 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִֽים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֛י, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·practice·divination" (הַקֹּ֣סְמִ֔ים, 6 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "and·they·will·put·to·shame" (וּבֹ֣שׁוּ), "seer" (הַחֹזִ֗ים), "and·they·will·be·ashamed" (וְחָֽפְרוּ֙). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for" (root כי, 20x in Micah). First appearance of the root בוש ("and·they·will·put·to·shame") in Micah. First appearance of the root אין ("nothing") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'all·of·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: וּבֹ֣שׁוּ [and·they·will·put·to·shame] (314) + הַחֹזִ֗ים [seer] (70) + וְחָֽפְרוּ֙ [and·they·will·be·ashamed] (300) + הַקֹּ֣סְמִ֔ים [that·practice·divination] (255) + וְעָט֥וּ [and·they·will·cover] (91) + עַל־שָׂפָ֖ם [upon·the·lip] (520) + כֻּלָּ֑ם [all·of·them] (90) + כִּ֛י [for] (30) + אֵ֥ין [nothing] (61) + מַעֲנֵ֖ה [answer·of] (165) + אֱלֹהִֽים [God] (86) = 1982.
Rashi
"Answer of God." The word *me'anah* is vocalized with a qamats (i.e., tsere), because it is attached to the Divine Name.
Ibn Ezra
"and the seers shall be put to shame" — namely, your seers.
"For there is no answer from God - in your mouths, only falsehoods."
Radak
“And they shall be ashamed, and cover their beards.” This means that they will be like mourners who cover their beards, when they see that their prophecy has not been fulfilled, they will be ashamed and will be like mourners who cover their beards, as it is said to Ezekiel: “And you shall not cover your beard.”
For there is no answer from God. For the people knew and recognized that what they were saying to them was not the word of God.
Answer. Like "word," and likewise, "And the Lord answered him." What is the meaning of "answered"?
Metzudat David
"And their prophets shall be ashamed."—At the time when they see that their words have not been fulfilled.
"And they shall wrap themselves..." All diviners and sorcerers shall wrap themselves over the opening of the lips, like mourners, for then they shall mourn over the evil of the occurrence.
For there is no answer from God. All their words were without an answer from God, for they devised falsehood from their heart.
Metzudat Zion
And they shall be ashamed (vechafru). The matter of shame, as in “and the moon shall be abashed” (Isaiah 24:23):
And wrapping. The matter of wrapping:
Safam. It is the hair of the upper lip (the mustache), as in “and he shall cover his upper lip” (Leviticus 13:45):
Ma’aneh. The matter of speaking, as in “and from the LORD is the answer of the tongue” (Proverbs 16:1):
Malbim
And they shall be ashamed, and consequently those who practice divination shall be put to shame, and those who practice sorcery shall be disgraced (for disgrace is a greater affliction than shame), and the prophets who speak with the utterance of their lips shall cover their upper lip, like a mourner who covers his mouth so as not to speak. The reason for all this is that there is no answer from God; all that they divined, practiced sorcery, and prophesied was not through an answer from God, but rather through falsehood and the deceit of their hearts.
But I truly am full of power by the spirit of Hashem, and of justice, and of might, to declare to Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.
verse value 3692
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 62 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 3692 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "strength" (כֹ֙חַ֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·to·Israel" (וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל, 7 letters). 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "and·porch" (וְאוּלָ֗ם), "I" (אָנֹכִ֞י), "I·filled" (מָלֵ֤אתִי). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 40x in Micah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·might', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְאוּלָ֗ם [and·porch] (83) + אָנֹכִ֞י [I] (81) + מָלֵ֤אתִי [I·filled] (481) + כֹ֙חַ֙ [strength] (28) + אֶת־ר֣וּחַ [the·spirit·of] (615) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + וּמִשְׁפָּ֖ט [and·judgment] (435) + וּגְבוּרָ֑ה [and·might] (222) + לְהַגִּ֤יד [to·tell] (52) + לְיַֽעֲקֹב֙ [to·Jacob] (212) + פִּשְׁע֔וֹ [his·transgression] (456) + וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל [and·to·Israel] (577) + חַטָּאתֽוֹ [his·sin] (424) = 3692.
Ibn Ezra
However, “I have filled myself with strength” — from the Spirit of the Lord, and with a judgment of truth in my mouth, and with might to speak, and I will not fear the officers and the heads, for my words will be believed, and I will not be ashamed.
Radak
"And as for me." The prophet said: Truly, I am not like them, who have no answer from God; but I am filled with strength, with the Spirit of the Lord. I am full of the Spirit of the Lord, with power of justice and might, to declare to them their transgressions, and I will not fear them, as the false prophets do, who flatter them and praise their evil deeds, and their words are falsehood; but I will declare to them words of truth and justice.
Metzudat David
However, “But I am filled with power, from the Spirit of the Lord” means that the power of all my words comes from the Spirit of the Lord, and I am filled with justice, which are righteous words, and with might, which is strength of heart, that I will not fear anyone. “And I declare to Jacob his transgression, etc.” For My ways are not to change, like the ways of the false prophets.
Metzudat Zion
“Et ruach” (the spirit). Here את is like the word מן ("from"), as in “when I go out of the city (et ha-ir)” (Exodus 9:29):
Malbim
Yet I am not like these false prophets; they have no answer of God in their mouths, but I have filled my strength with the Spirit of the Lord who speaks within me—not with false divination nor a vain vision. They sanctify war for that which He has not placed in their mouths, but I have filled myself with justice to speak according to law and truth, and with might I will not fear any man. They lead My people astray, but I have filled my strength to declare to Jacob his transgression.
Hear this, I pray you, you heads of the house of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel, that abhor justice, and pervert all equity;
verse value 5658
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "this" (זֹ֗את, 3 letters) and the longest is "who·abhor" (הַֽמְתַעֲבִ֣ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 412: house·of, house·of. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "this" (זֹ֗את), "who·abhor" (הַֽמְתַעֲבִ֣ים), "and·(object marker)" (וְאֵ֥ת). The root בית appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 5 words. Full calculation: שִׁמְעוּ־נָ֣א [hear·now] (467) + זֹ֗את [this] (408) + רָאשֵׁי֙ [heads·of] (511) + בֵּ֣ית [house·of] (412) + יַעֲקֹ֔ב [Jacob] (182) + וּקְצִינֵ֖י [and·chiefs·of] (266) + בֵּ֣ית [house·of] (412) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [Israel] (541) + הַֽמְתַעֲבִ֣ים [who·abhor] (567) + מִשְׁפָּ֔ט [judgment] (429) + וְאֵ֥ת [and·(object marker)] (407) + כׇּל־הַיְשָׁרָ֖ה [all·the·straight] (570) + יְעַקֵּֽשׁוּ [they·pervert] (486) = 5658.
Ibn Ezra
Hear, you abominable ones, the judgment that I will speak. And every straight word that came forth from My mouth, they pervert, or its interpretation, is that they commit an iniquity against all.
Radak
“Hear now.” He returns to reprove the heads and the princes, as it said above, “they make crooked and pervert the straight path,” for they distort it, and all their ways and deeds are oppression and robbery.
Metzudat David
“The ones who detest.” Those who loathe justice and twist every upright matter, for they claim that what is straight is crooked.
Metzudat Zion
The loathsome. The word is derived from the terms "to'evah" (abomination) and "sheqets" (detestable thing).
Ye’akshu. The matter of crookedness and perversion, as in “and with the crooked You show Yourself froward” (II Samuel 22:27):
Malbim
“Hear now this,” after having said (in verse 1) “Hear now, heads of the house of Jacob,” and having justified the ways of the Lord, that everything comes by justice and judgment, He concludes His words: “Therefore, hear this,” that which I am saying to you now. Since you detest justice, which is the established law, and also all upright matters that reason demands, they pervert, going against uprightness and reason, until they will not heed either the fixed, agreed-upon convention, nor even straightforward reason.
That build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.
verse value 1014
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 24 letters. Verse gematria: 1014 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "building" (בֹּנֶ֥ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Jerusalem" (וִירוּשָׁלִַ֖ם, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "building" (בֹּנֶ֥ה), "in·blood" (בְּדָמִ֑ים), "with·iniquity" (בְּעַוְלָֽה). 5 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root ציון ("Zion") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·blood', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: בֹּנֶ֥ה [building] (57) + צִיּ֖וֹן [Zion] (156) + בְּדָמִ֑ים [in·blood] (96) + וִירוּשָׁלִַ֖ם [and·Jerusalem] (592) + בְּעַוְלָֽה [with·iniquity] (113) = 1014.
Ibn Ezra
"Building" – each of those mentioned subsequently is building Zion, by plundering the house of the poor; and here he explained this reason.
Radak
“Building up Zion.” Each of the leaders and officers builds his house with “blood,” meaning through robbery and oppression that they perpetrate against the poor, who lack the strength to stand against them. And behold, that wealth which they acquire through robbery is the blood of the oppressed, for it is as though they shed their blood, since they have nothing to eat and thus lose their lives. Similarly, Solomon said, “So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; it takes away the life of its owners.” And the Targum translates: “They built their houses in Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with deceit.” It appears that he understood “blood” in its literal sense, and according to his view, the explanation is that they were taking ransom from murderers, and with that ransom they were building their houses.
Metzudat David
“Building Zion.” Each one builds his house in Zion with bloodshed, for they shed the blood of men to take his wealth to build a house.
“And Jerusalem [is built] with iniquity.” The houses of Jerusalem are to be constructed with money of iniquity, that is, money taken through robbery and fraud.
Malbim
(10-11) “Building” means: I will then ask them, “Do they really think that the Lord builds Zion with bloodshed? Is it because their leaders judge for bribes that they rely on the Lord, saying, ‘Surely the Lord is in our midst’? Could it enter their minds that the Lord loves bloodshed and injustice, and that He builds Zion and Jerusalem through this, so that because they judge for bribes they rely on the Lord, since they say that this is what the Lord desires and that through this Zion will be built and Jerusalem established? No! The Lord builds Zion with justice and establishes it with righteousness. And if so, since their leaders, who are appointed to render justice between man and his fellow, judge for bribes, and their priests, who are appointed for halakhic instruction, teach for a price—according to the price given to them, they declare things impure or pure, forbidden or permitted—and their prophets do not prophesy but rather practice divination through sorcery for the money given to them, how can they rely on the Lord, saying, ‘Surely the Lord is in our midst,’ and that He will shield them so that no evil will befall them?”
The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money; yet will they lean upon Hashem, and say: ‘Is not Hashem in the midst of us? No evil shall come upon us’?
verse value 4423
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 89 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "evil" (רָעָֽה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·her·prophets" (וּנְבִיאֶ֖יהָ, 7 letters). 14 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "her·heads" (רָאשֶׁ֣יהָ), "in·bribe" (בְּשֹׁ֣חַד), "they·will·judge" (יִשְׁפֹּ֗טוּ). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·upon·Hashem" (root יהוה, 40x in Micah); "upon·us" (root על, 21x in Micah). First appearance of the root שפט ("they·will·judge") in Micah. First appearance of the root קרב ("in·our·midst") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·will·practice·divination', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 9 words.
Ibn Ezra
"Her heads" – these are the heads of Jerusalem, namely the kings.
"By bribery shall they judge, and her priests for a price" – that they take [bribes].
“And their prophets” – these are the false prophets, for the money that is given to them. “They will practice divination” – and the word *qesem* in Arabic is like “cutting,” meaning “thus it shall be,” and it is close to this that we derive [its meaning]. And behold, “a diviner of divinations” is a general term for the practices mentioned subsequently.
And the meaning of “Is not the Lord in our midst?” is like: “The Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord.”
Radak
"Roshayha" (their heads): These are the kings, or the Sanhedrin and the priests, who were obligated to teach the Torah, as it is stated, "They shall teach Your judgments to Jacob" (Deuteronomy 33:10). And they would teach for a fee: whoever gave them money, they would provide him with instruction according to his desire.
“And her prophets” – these are the false prophets.
They will bewitch. For their prophecy is false, and "bewitch" (kasem) is as explained above:
“And upon the Lord we shall hope.” That is to say, since His Divine Presence is among us, no evil shall befall us, and He will not destroy His Temple, as those who said, “The Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, are these.”
Metzudat David
“By bribery they shall judge.” According to the bribe they judge, in order to acquit the one who gives the bribe.
And their priests. The priest is to serve as a teacher, as it is written: "For the lips of the priest shall guard knowledge, and they shall seek the Torah from his mouth" (Malachi 2:7).
"With a fee they teach." According to the price, the instruction is given as the giver's desire:
“With silver they divine.” According to the silver they divine, to proclaim peace to the giver [of the silver]:
"And on the LORD they lean." Even though they perform all these deeds, they dare to rely on the LORD, saying: "Is not His Divine Presence in the Temple? Therefore, no evil will befall us, for He will not destroy the place of His dwelling."
Metzudat Zion
Bemechir. Its meaning is the value of the assessed worth, as in “he buys a purchase for a price” (I Kings 10):
"Yor'u" (They shall teach). The word is derived from the root of "hora'ah" (instruction) and "limud" (learning).
“Yish’anu.” The word is from the root of “hash’anah” and “bitachon” (trust).
Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest.
verse value 4136
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 50 letters. The shortest word is "therefore" (לָכֵן֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Jerusalem" (וִירוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "on·account·of·you" (בִּגְלַלְכֶ֔ם), "field" (שָׂדֶ֣ה), "will·be·cut·in" (תֵֽחָרֵ֑שׁ). 12 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root יער ("forest") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·be·cut·in', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 7 words. Full calculation: לָכֵן֙ [therefore] (100) + בִּגְלַלְכֶ֔ם [on·account·of·you] (125) + צִיּ֖וֹן [Zion] (156) + שָׂדֶ֣ה [field] (309) + תֵֽחָרֵ֑שׁ [will·be·cut·in] (908) + וִירוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙ [and·Jerusalem] (592) + עִיִּ֣ין [heaps] (140) + תִּֽהְיֶ֔ה [it·will·be] (420) + וְהַ֥ר [and·Mount] (211) + הַבַּ֖יִת [the·house] (417) + לְבָמ֥וֹת [to·high·places·of] (478) + יָֽעַר [forest] (280) = 4136.
Rashi
Iyin (heaps). D’gorin (piles/mounds):
Ibn Ezra
Therefore, “Zion [shall become] a field” — it will return as a field, that it shall be plowed. The nun of “iyyin” (עיין) is like the nun of “ketz ha-yamin” (the end of the days, Daniel 12:13), [and] of “chayin” (life) [and] “chitin” (wheat).
And the Temple Mount—where the Glory of God resides—shall become a forest of high places.
Radak
Therefore, because of you. Explanation: On account of your sins, which have multiplied, He will not turn His attention to His glory and to His house, as you said, “Zion, which you have built with blood, shall be plowed as a field”—meaning, like a field that is plowed, so that no building shall remain in it, and it shall be like a plowed field. And Jerusalem, which you have built with iniquity, shall become a heap of stones, so that the enemies shall demolish it and place stone upon stone, and the stones of the buildings shall become heaps. And similarly it is said, “They have made Jerusalem a heap of ruins.” And Targum Jonathan renders: “To heaps.” And the Targum: “And Babylon shall become heaps,” that is, heaps; “a desolation of the field,” that is, heaps of the field.
"It shall become heaps" – with a nun, just as with a mem; and similarly, "at the end of days" and the like.
And the Temple Mount shall become a forest of high places. The Temple Mount, where the Holy Temple stood, will become a forest of high places; that is, it will become a forest because, due to its desolation, grasses and trees will grow there. As for the phrase “of high places” being in the plural, it is because there were two adjacent mountains: the Temple Mount and the Mount of Olives. Alternatively, he called the heaps of stones “high places.” And Jonathan rendered it in the Targum as “the rustling of the forest.”
Metzudat David
"Because of you." On account of your sins:
“A field that is plowed.” The enemy will destroy it, and it will become plowed, like a field.
"See, you will be." You will be full of heaps of stones from the collapse of the buildings:
“Like the mounds of the forest.” It should be similar to the mounds of the forest, meaning that many heaps and mounds will be found there, corresponding in number to the mounds found in a forest. These are the bases of the trees, located at the roots remaining after the trees have been cut down, and they resemble mounds in their height.
Metzudat Zion
"Because of you." On your account. And similarly: "Because of Joseph" (Genesis 39:
Field. As a field:
See. Like *ayim* with a mem, and likewise “until the end of the days” (Daniel 12:13); and *ayim* means heaps of stones, and likewise “to the heaps of the field” (above 1:6).
To the high places. The word is spelled with a *matres lectionis* (i.e., with the letter *heh* at the end): *bamah*.
Malbim
Therefore, you will see the opposite: that because of you Zion will become a field to be plowed, for Zion will not be built with blood, but rather it will be destroyed. And he depicts that the holier something is, the greater its destruction will be. Thus, Zion will be plowed until it becomes like a field, and Jerusalem will not be plowed but will become a heap of ruins due to the collapse of the houses. And the Temple Mount, where the Temple and the altar were, and of which only the Western Wall remains, will resemble the high places found in the forest, into which no person enters, but only foxes and wild beasts will walk among them.
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim