God's Lawsuit and What the Lord Requires
Micah 6:1-8
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Mic.6.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- שמעו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- נא: PART
- את: PRT,acc
- אשר: PRON,rel
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- קום: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- ריב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- ההרים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- ותשמענה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,f,pl
- הגבעות: NOUN,f,pl,def
- קולך: NOUN,m,sg,suf
Parallels
- Deut. 32:1 (verbal): A summons to the heavens and earth to listen to God's words—linguistic and rhetorical parallel to calling the mountains and hills as witnesses.
- Isa. 1:2 (verbal): 'Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth' closely echoes Micah's call for cosmic witnesses to hear the LORD's case.
- Psalm 50:4 (thematic): God calls to heaven and earth in the context of divine judgment—parallels Micah's summons to the mountains and hills to hear and judge.
- Isa. 41:21 (allusion): God challenges others to 'present your case' (bring proof/reasonings), mirroring Micah's imperative to 'arise, plead your case' before the mountains.
- Hosea 4:1 (thematic): Uses legal/contest language ('the LORD has a controversy' with the land/people), echoing Micah's depiction of God bringing a suit against Israel.
Alternative generated candidates
- Hear now what the LORD says: arise, plead your case before the mountains; let the hills hear your voice.
- Hear now what the LORD says: arise, plead your case—O mountains—and let the hills hear your voice.
Mic.6.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- שמעו: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,pl
- הרים: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- את: PRT,acc
- ריב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- והאתנים: CONJ+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- מסדי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- ריב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ליהוה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,def
- עם: PREP
- עמו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- ועם: CONJ+PREP
- ישראל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יתוכח: VERB,hitpael,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Hosea 4:1 (verbal): Uses the same legal language—'the LORD has a controversy/strife with the inhabitants of the land'—a direct summons/accusation against Israel.
- Isaiah 1:2 (verbal): Begins by addressing heaven and earth to hear the LORD's charge against his people; parallels Micah's summons of creation as witness to God's indictment.
- Deuteronomy 32:1 (structural): Moses calls heaven and earth to 'give ear' before delivering a song of indictment—same cosmic‑witness and covenant‑lawsuit framework.
- Psalm 50:1–6 (thematic): God summons the earth/heavens and brings a legal summons/plea against his people—shares courtroom imagery of divine accusation and witness.
Alternative generated candidates
- Hear, O mountains, the LORD’s lawsuit, and you enduring foundations of the earth; for the LORD has a quarrel with his people, he will contend with Israel.
- Hear, O mountains, the LORD’s dispute, and you enduring foundations of the earth; for the LORD has a case with his people, and he will contend with Israel.
Mic.6.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- עמי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- מה: PRON,int
- עשיתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- ומה: CONJ+PRON,int
- הלאתיך: VERB,hiphil,perf,1,com,sg
- ענה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 5:4 (verbal): Rhetorical question asking what more God could have done for Israel/the vineyard—parallel challenge about God's prior benefactions and their failure to respond.
- Isaiah 43:26 (structural): God calls for a legal plea—'put me in remembrance, let us plead together'—matching Micah's summons to state the case and answer God.
- Jeremiah 2:5 (thematic): Rhetorical complaint—'What wrong did your fathers find in me that they went far from me?'—echoes Micah's question about what God has done to deserve Israel's unfaithfulness.
- Malachi 1:6 (verbal): God's rebuke framed as a question about honor—'If I am a father, where is my honor?'—similar accusatory tone and demand for an answer from the people.
Alternative generated candidates
- My people—what have I done to you? How have I wearied you? Answer me.
- My people, what have I done to you, and in what have I wearied you? Answer me.
Mic.6.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- העלתיך: VERB,hiph,perf,1,sg
- מארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מצרים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- ומבית: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עבדים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- פדיתיך: VERB,piel,perf,1,sg
- ואשלח: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- לפניך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- משה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אהרן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ומרים: VERB,hiph,part,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Exodus 3:7-10 (thematic): God announces he has seen Israel's affliction in Egypt, will bring them out, and commissions Moses to lead them—paralleling Micah's reminder that God brought Israel up and sent leaders.
- Deuteronomy 5:15 (verbal): Uses the same rescuing formula—'brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage'—echoing Micah's language of deliverance.
- Psalm 105:26 (verbal): Explicitly states, 'He sent Moses his servant; also Aaron whom he had chosen,' closely matching Micah's citation of God sending Moses and Aaron (and by extension the leadership trio).
- Exodus 15:20 (allusion): Names Miriam the prophetess leading Israel's response after the Red Sea deliverance, connecting to Micah's inclusion of Miriam among the leaders God sent.
Alternative generated candidates
- For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery; and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
- For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery; and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
Mic.6.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- עמי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- זכר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נא: PART
- מה: PRON,int
- יעץ: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בלק: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלך: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- מואב: NOUN,m,sg,prop
- ומה: CONJ+PRON,int
- ענה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אתו: PRON,3,m,sg,acc
- בלעם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בעור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מן: PREP
- השטים: NOUN,prop,pl,def
- עד: PREP
- הגלגל: NOUN,m,sg,def
- למען: PREP
- דעת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- צדקות: NOUN,f,pl,constr
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Numbers 22–24 (quotation): The primary narrative Micah alludes to: Balak king of Moab hires Balaam son of Beor to pronounce curses/blessings on Israel (the Balaam speeches and incidents 'from Shittim to Gilgal').
- Numbers 31:16 (verbal): Attributes Israel’s sin with the Moabite women to Balaam’s counsel—connects Balaam’s advice to the later moral consequences alluded to in Micah’s appeal to remember Shittim/Gilgal.
- Deuteronomy 23:4–5 (quotation): Explicitly mentions Balak and Balaam and God’s refusal to heed Balaam’s curse, echoing Micah’s summons to recall these events as testimony to the LORD’s righteousness.
- 2 Peter 2:15 (allusion): New Testament reference to 'the way of Balaam' who loved the wages of unrighteousness—uses Balaam as a negative exemplar, echoing the prophetic critique of Balaam’s corrupt role.
- Jude 1:11 (allusion): Condemns those who 'ran after the error of Balaam'—another NT allusion that treats Balaam/Balak as paradigmatic of false teaching and corrupt counsel, resonant with Micah’s recall.
Alternative generated candidates
- O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab plotted, and what Balaam son of Beor answered him—from Shittim to Gilgal—so that you might know the righteousness of the LORD.
- O my people, remember what Balak king of Moab counseled, and what answer he received from Balaam son of Beor—from Shittim to Gilgal—so that you may know the righteous acts of the LORD.
Mic.6.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- במה: PREP+PRON,interr
- אקדם: VERB,hiph,impf,1,sg
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אכף: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- לאלהי: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,const
- מרום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- האקדמנו: VERB,hiph,impf,1,pl
- בעולות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- בעגלים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בני: NOUN,m,pl,construct
- שנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Hosea 6:6 (verbal): Declares God's preference for mercy/knowledge over sacrifice—directly parallels Micah's question about offering bulls and calves by emphasizing that ritual offerings are not what God chiefly desires.
- Isaiah 1:11-17 (thematic): God rejects the multitude of sacrifices and festivals as hollow; the passage denounces ritual worship divorced from justice and righteousness, echoing Micah's challenge to mere sacrificial offerings.
- Psalm 50:7-15 (verbal): God questions the value of sacrifices and insists they are not needed for His benefit—language and argument closely parallel Micah's interrogation of what one should bring before the LORD.
- Psalm 51:16-17 (verbal): Asserts that God does not delight in sacrifices but in a contrite heart, countering the assumption behind Micah's sacrificial options and underscoring repentance over ritual.
- Jeremiah 7:21-23 (thematic): God emphasizes obedience to His voice rather than mere burnt offerings, rejecting ritual as a substitute for covenant faithfulness—a theme that answers Micah's question about appropriate worship.
Alternative generated candidates
- With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself to God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves?
- With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves?
Mic.6.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הירצה: VERB,qal,impf,3,ms
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- באלפי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,const
- אילים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ברבבות: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs
- נחלי: NOUN,m,pl,cs
- שמן: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- האתן: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- בכורי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- פשעי: NOUN,m,sg,suff,1,sg
- פרי: NOUN,m,sg,cs
- בטני: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs,poss1cs
- חטאת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- נפשי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+1cs
Parallels
- Isaiah 1:11-17 (thematic): Isaiah likewise rejects ritual sacrifices disconnected from justice and righteousness, calling the people's offerings worthless and urging ethical reform instead of mere cultic observance.
- Hosea 6:6 (verbal): Hosea records God’s preference for steadfast love and knowledge of God over burnt offerings—an explicit verbal/thematic counterpoint to Micah’s rhetorical offer of extravagant sacrifices.
- Amos 5:21-24 (thematic): Amos condemns Israel’s festivals and offerings while demanding justice and righteousness, echoing Micah’s critique of ritual piety divorced from moral conduct.
- Psalm 51:16-17 (verbal): The psalmist asserts that God does not delight in sacrifices but values a broken and contrite heart, paralleling Micah’s thrust that ritual gifts cannot atone for the soul’s sin.
- Jeremiah 7:21-23 (verbal): Jeremiah records God distancing himself from commanded burnt offerings and emphasizing obedience to his voice—resonant with Micah’s rhetorical questioning of whether lavish offerings could win God’s favor.
Alternative generated candidates
- Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
- Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand streams of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
Mic.6.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הגיד: VERB,hifil,perf,3,m,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מה: PRON,int
- טוב: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- ומה: CONJ+PRON,int
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- דורש: VERB,qal,part,0,m,sg
- ממך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- אם: CONJ
- עשות: VERB,qal,inf
- משפט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואהבת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- חסד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- והצנע: CONJ+ADJ,m,sg,abs
- לכת: VERB,qal,infc
- עם: PREP
- אלהיך: NOUN,m,sg,prsuf-2ms
Parallels
- Isaiah 1:17 (thematic): Calls Israel to ‘learn to do good; seek justice; defend the oppressed’—echoing Micah’s prioritizing of justice and concrete ethical action over ritual.
- Hosea 6:6 (thematic): God prefers steadfast love/mercy and knowledge of God rather than sacrifices—parallels Micah’s emphasis on loving kindness over cultic offerings.
- Zechariah 7:9–10 (verbal): Commands to ‘administer true justice, show mercy and compassion’ and not to oppress mirror Micah’s trio of justice, loving-kindness (chesed), and right relationship with God.
- Deuteronomy 10:12–13 (structural): Begins with ‘Now what does the LORD your God require of you?’ and lists fearing, walking, loving and serving God—structurally and thematically parallels Micah’s opening question and summons to proper conduct.
- Matthew 23:23 (allusion): Jesus reproves Pharisees for neglecting ‘justice, mercy, and faithfulness,’ a New Testament echo of Micah’s compact ethic (do justice, love mercy, walk humbly).
Alternative generated candidates
- He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love steadfast love, and to walk humbly with your God?
- He has shown you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
Hear now what the LORD says: arise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your voice.
Hear, O mountains, the LORD’s case, and you enduring foundations of the earth; for the LORD has a contention with his people, and he will contend with Israel.
My people, what have I done to you? How have I wearied you? Answer me.
For I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery; and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
My people, remember what Balak king of Moab planned and what Balaam son of Beor answered him—from Shittim to Gilgal—so that you may know the righteousness of the LORD.
With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves?
Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
He has declared to you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?