Micah 3 · Verse 11

Micah 3:11

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.
Micah 3:11, King James Version

Micah 3:11 in other translations

BSBHer leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets practice divination for money. Yet they lean upon the LORD, saying, “Is not the LORD among us? No disaster can come upon us.”
WEBHer leaders judge for bribes, and her priests teach for a price, and her prophets tell fortunes for money; yet they lean on the LORD, and say, “Isn’t the LORD among us? No disaster will come on us.”
ASVThe 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.
YLTHer 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.'
DARBYThe 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.
BBEIts heads take rewards for judging, and the priests take payment for teaching, and the prophets get silver for reading the future: but still, supporting themselves on the Lord, they say, Is not the Lord among us? no evil will overtake us.
WebsterHer heads judge for reward, and her priests teach for hire, and her prophets divine for money; yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? no evil can come upon us.

What does Micah 3:11 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
11. heads thereof--the princes of Jerusalem. judge for reward--take bribes as judges (Mi 7:3). priests teach for hire--It was their duty to teach the law and to decide controversies gratuitously (Le 10:11; De 17:11; Mal 2:7; compare Jr 6:13; Jude 11). prophets ... divine--that is, false prophets. Is not the Lord among us?--namely in the temple (Is 48:2; Jr 7:4, 8-11).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 11 The heads thereof judge for reward - This does not apply to the regular law officers, who have their proper salaries for giving up their whole time and attention to the conscientious discharge of the duties of their office; but to those who take a reward, who take Bribes, for the perversion of justice; who will decide in favor of those from whom they get the greatest reward. The prophets - divine for money - These are evidently the false prophets; for none, professing to be sent by God, used any kind of divination. Yet will they lean upon the Lord - They will prescribe fasts and public thanksgivings, while not one sin is repented of or forsaken, and not one public grievance is redressed. Is not the Lord among us? - Here is his temple, here are his ordinances, and here are his people. Will he leave these? Yes, he will abandon the whole, because all are polluted.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Micah 3:9-12

Zion's walls owe no thanks to those that build them up with blood and iniquity. The sin of man works not the righteousness of God. Even when men do that which in itself is good, but do it for filthy lucre, it becomes abomination both to God and man. Faith rests in the Lord as the soul's foundation: presumption only leans upon the Lord as a prop, and would use him to serve a turn. If men's having the Lord among them…

Read the full comment on Micah 3:9-12 →

Micah 3:11 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

רָאשֶׁ֣יהָ\׀ra.Shei.hachiefs itsH7218
בְּשֹׁ֣חַדbe.Sho.chadfor a bribeH7810
יִשְׁפֹּ֗טוּyish.Po.tuthey judgeH8199
וְכֹהֲנֶ֙יהָ֙ve.kho.ha.Nei.haand priests itsH3548
בִּמְחִ֣ירbim.Chirfor a priceH4242
יוֹר֔וּyo.Ruthey teachH3384
וּנְבִיאֶ֖יהָu.ne.vi.'Ei.haand prophets itsH5030
בְּכֶ֣סֶףbe.Khe.seffor moneyH3701
יִקְסֹ֑מוּyik.So.muthey divineH7080
וְעַל\־ve.'al-and onH5921
יְהוָה֙Yah.wehYahwehH3068
יִשָּׁעֵ֣נוּyi.sha.'E.nuthey dependH8172
לֵאמֹ֔רle.Mor<to> sayingH559
הֲל֤וֹאha.Lo'¿ notH3808
יְהוָה֙Yah.weh[is] YahwehH3068
בְּקִרְבֵּ֔נוּbe.kir.Be.nuin midst ourH7130
לֹֽא\־lo'-notH3808
תָב֥וֹאta.Vo'it will comeH935
עָלֵ֖ינוּ'a.Lei.nuon usH5921
רָעָֽה\׃ra.'AhcalamityH7451

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Micah 3:11

  • Jeremiah 6:13

    For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.

  • Isaiah 1:23

    Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the cause of the widow come unto them.

  • Micah 3:5

    Thus 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.

  • Titus 1:11

    Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre’s sake.

  • Jeremiah 7:4

    Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, are these.

  • Acts 8:18-20

    And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.

  • Isaiah 48:2

    For they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves upon the God of Israel; The Lord of hosts is his name.

  • 1 Peter 5:2

    Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

  • Micah 7:3

    That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, the prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward; and the great man, he uttereth his mischievous desire: so they wrap it up.

  • 1 Samuel 12:3-4

    Behold, here I am: witness against me before the Lord, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you. And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man’s hand.

  • Numbers 16:15

    And Moses was very wroth, and said unto the Lord, Respect not thou their offering: I have not taken one ass from them, neither have I hurt one of them.

  • Jeremiah 8:10

    Therefore will I give their wives unto others, and their fields to them that shall inherit them: for every one from the least even unto the greatest is given to covetousness, from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
heads.
7:3; Nu 16:15; 1Sa 8:3; 12:3,4; Isa 1:23; Eze 22:12,27; Ho 4:18
Zep 3:3
and the priests.
Jer 6:13; 8:10; Mal 1:10; 1Ti 3:3; Tit 1:11; 1Pe 5:2
and the prophets.
5; Isa 56:11; Ac 8:18-20; 2Pe 2:1-3,14,15; Jude 1:11
yet.
1Sa 4:3-6; Isa 48:2; Jer 7:4,8-12; Mt 3:9; Ro 2:17-29
and say. Heb. saying. none evil can come.
Am 9:10

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Micah 3:10

    They build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.

  • Micah 3:11

    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.

  • Micah 3:12

    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.

Read all of Micah 3

Micah 3:11 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Sus cabezas juzgan por cohecho, y sus sacerdotes enseñan por precio, y sus profetas adivinan por dinero; y apóyanse en Jehová diciendo: ¿No está Jehová entre nosotros? No vendrá mal sobre nosotros.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Ses chefs jugent pour des présents, et ses sacrificateurs enseignent pour un salaire, et ses prophètes devinent pour de l’argent et s’appuient sur l’ Éternel, disant: L’ Éternel n’est-il pas au milieu de nous? Il ne viendra point de mal sur nous!
German
Elberfelder 1871
Seine Häupter richten um Geschenke, und seine Priester lehren um Lohn, und seine Propheten wahrsagen um Geld; und sie stützen sich auf Jehova und sagen: Ist nicht Jehova in unserer Mitte? kein Unglück wird über uns kommen!
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Principes ejus in muneribus judicabant, et sacerdotes ejus in mercede docebant, et prophetæ ejus in pecunia divinabant: et super Dominum requiescebant, dicentes: Numquid non Dominus in medio nostrum? non venient super nos mala.