The Meaning of Micah 3:11 Explained

Micah 3:11

KJV: 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 the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us.

YLT: Her heads for a bribe do judge, And her priests for hire do teach, And her prophets for silver divine, And on Jehovah they lean, saying, 'Is not Jehovah in our midst? Evil doth not come in upon us.'

Darby: The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money; yet do they lean upon Jehovah, and say, Is not Jehovah in the midst of us? no evil shall come upon us.

ASV: The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet they lean upon Jehovah, and say, Is not Jehovah in the midst of us? no evil shall come upon us.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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 the LORD,  and say,  [Is] not the LORD  among  us? none evil  can come  upon us. 

What does Micah 3:11 Mean?

Context Summary

Micah 3:1-12 - The Punishment Of Avarice
The princes who as magistrates should have administered justice to others sat around the caldron, casting in the very flesh and skin of the people whom they were set to rule. Their perversion of justice would lead to their inability to distinguish between evil and good. Sin not only sears the conscience but darkens the understanding, Ephesians 4:18. Their punishment would be like their guilt. As they had refused the cry of the oppressed, so would God refuse theirs. The false prophets had wilfully misled the people. Their one desire was to get food. For those who provided it, they uttered peace; for those who opposed them, war. Therefore they would be left without a vision; God's Spirit would cease to strive. How great the contrast between them and Micah, who spoke with the consciousness of spiritual power! Oh, that every minister and teacher of God's holy gospel were able to utter Micah 3:8! It may be ours through the Holy Spirit. [source]

Chapter Summary: Micah 3

1  The cruelty of the princes
5  The falsehood of the prophets
8  The false security of them both

What do the individual words in Micah 3:11 mean?

Her heads for a bribe judge and Her priests for pay teach and her prophets for money Divine and yet on Yahweh they lean and say is not Yahweh among us No can come upon us harm
רָאשֶׁ֣יהָ ׀ בְּשֹׁ֣חַד יִשְׁפֹּ֗טוּ וְכֹהֲנֶ֙יהָ֙ בִּמְחִ֣יר יוֹר֔וּ וּנְבִיאֶ֖יהָ בְּכֶ֣סֶף יִקְסֹ֑מוּ וְעַל־ יְהוָה֙ יִשָּׁעֵ֣נוּ לֵאמֹ֔ר הֲל֤וֹא יְהוָה֙ בְּקִרְבֵּ֔נוּ לֹֽא־ תָב֥וֹא עָלֵ֖ינוּ רָעָֽה

רָאשֶׁ֣יהָ ׀  Her  heads 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: רֹאשׁ 
Sense: head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning.
בְּשֹׁ֣חַד  for  a  bribe 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֹׁחַד  
Sense: present, bribe.
יִשְׁפֹּ֗טוּ  judge 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׁפַט  
Sense: to judge, govern, vindicate, punish.
וְכֹהֲנֶ֙יהָ֙  and  Her  priests 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: כֹּהֵן  
Sense: priest, principal officer or chief ruler.
בִּמְחִ֣יר  for  pay 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מְחִיר  
Sense: price, hire.
יוֹר֔וּ  teach 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: יׄורֶה 
Sense: to throw, shoot, cast, pour.
וּנְבִיאֶ֖יהָ  and  her  prophets 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person feminine singular
Root: נָבִיא  
Sense: spokesman, speaker, prophet.
בְּכֶ֣סֶף  for  money 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֶּסֶף  
Sense: silver, money.
יִקְסֹ֑מוּ  Divine 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: קָסַם  
Sense: (Qal) to practice divination, divine.
וְעַל־  and  yet  on 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
יְהוָה֙  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
יִשָּׁעֵ֣נוּ  they  lean 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׁעַן  
Sense: to lean on, trust in, support.
לֵאמֹ֔ר  and  say 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
הֲל֤וֹא  is  not 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יְהוָה֙  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
בְּקִרְבֵּ֔נוּ  among  us 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common plural
Root: קֶרֶב  
Sense: midst, among, inner part, middle.
לֹֽא־  No 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
תָב֥וֹא  can  come 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
עָלֵ֖ינוּ  upon  us 
Parse: Preposition, first person common plural
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
רָעָֽה  harm 
Parse: Adjective, feminine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.