The Meaning of Micah 3:4 Explained

Micah 3:4

KJV: Then 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.

YLT: Then do they cry unto Jehovah, And He doth not answer them, And hideth His face from them at that time, As they have made evil their doings.

Darby: Then shall they cry unto Jehovah, but he will not answer them; and he will hide his face from them at that time, according as they have wrought evil in their doings.

ASV: Then shall they cry unto Jehovah, but he will not answer them; yea, he will hide his face from them at that time, according as they have wrought evil in their doings.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then 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. 

What does Micah 3:4 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Because these rulers had turned deaf ears to the pleas of orphans and widows, they would eventually cry out to Yahweh in prayer asking Him for help. But He would not answer them (cf. Psalm 27:7-9; Proverbs 21:13; Jeremiah 7:12-15). God hiding His face from them is an anthropomorphism picturing God disregarding them, turning His back on them. God hears all prayers because He is omniscient, but He chooses not to respond to some of them.

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 3:4 mean?

Then they will cry to Yahweh but not He will hear them and even He will hide His face from them at time that because they have been evil in their deeds -
אָ֚ז יִזְעֲק֣וּ אֶל־ יְהוָ֔ה וְלֹ֥א יַעֲנֶ֖ה אוֹתָ֑ם וְיַסְתֵּ֨ר פָּנָ֤יו מֵהֶם֙ בָּעֵ֣ת הַהִ֔יא כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר הֵרֵ֖עוּ מַעַלְלֵיהֶֽם פ

יִזְעֲק֣וּ  they  will  cry 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: זָעַק  
Sense: to cry, cry out, call, call for help.
יְהוָ֔ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
וְלֹ֥א  but  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יַעֲנֶ֖ה  He  will  hear 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: לְעַנּׄות 
Sense: to answer, respond, testify, speak, shout.
וְיַסְתֵּ֨ר  and  even  He  will  hide 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive imperfect Jussive, third person masculine singular
Root: סָתַר  
Sense: to hide, conceal.
פָּנָ֤יו  His  face 
Parse: Noun, common plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
מֵהֶם֙  from  them 
Parse: Preposition-m, Pronoun, third person masculine plural
Root: הֵם 
Sense: they, these, the same, who.
בָּעֵ֣ת  at  time 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, common singular
Root: עֵת  
Sense: time.
הַהִ֔יא  that 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, third person feminine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר  because 
Parse: Preposition-k, Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
הֵרֵ֖עוּ  they  have  been  evil 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: מֵרֵעַ 
Sense: to be bad, be evil.
מַעַלְלֵיהֶֽם  in  their  deeds 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: מַעֲלִיל 
Sense: deed, practice.
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation