The big picture
Micah 3 opens in verse 1 with “And I said, Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes of the house of Israel…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 6 with “Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark…”, and closes in verse 12 with “Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become…” Repeated or prominent terms include LORD, house, flesh, heads, Hear. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Micah · King James Version · 12Micah 3:1-6
1–6: I said, Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes of the house…
Micah 3:1–6 opens with “And I said, Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes of the house of Israel; Is it not…” and reaches “Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Corrupt rulers, priests, and prophets exploiting the people while claiming security in Zion, with particular weight carried by flesh, bones, dark.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“And I said, Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes of the house of Israel; Is it not for you to know…” The question slows the passage down. Notice who is being pressed to answer, what the question assumes, and whether the next lines provide a response.
“Who hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck off their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones;” The line’s distinctive content terms include bones, evil, flesh. Its relationship to verses 1 and 3 shows what work it does in this passage.
Micah 3:1-6
King James Version1And I said, Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes of the house of Israel; Is it not for you to know judgment?
2Who hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck off their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones;
3Who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them; and they break their bones, and chop them in pieces, as for the pot, and as flesh within the caldron.
4Then shall they cry unto the LORD , but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings.
5Thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him.
6Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them.
Micah 3:7-12
7–12: Shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall…
Micah 3:7–12 opens with “Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their…” and reaches “Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Corrupt rulers, priests, and prophets exploiting the people while claiming security in Zion, with particular weight carried by house, LORD, heads.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Micah 3:7-12
King James Version7Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God.
8But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD , and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.
9Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes of the house of Israel, that abhor judgment, and pervert all equity.
10They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.
11The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD , and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us.
12Therefore 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 the forest.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Micah 3:1 begins with “And I said, Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, and ye princes of the house of Israel; Is it not for you to know judgment?”
Where the chapter turns
Micah 3:6 forms a natural hinge: “Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over…”
The final note
Micah 3:12 leaves the reader with “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 the forest.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words LORD, house, flesh, heads, Hear, Israel help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
How does blame move through the conversation?
The man points to the woman and indirectly to God; the woman points to the serpent. Neither response repairs trust.
Where does mercy appear?
Continued life, the promise involving offspring, and clothing accompany the expulsion.
KJV words made clear
- unto
- to
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.