Micah 7 · Verse 20

Micah 7:20

Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.
Micah 7:20, King James Version

Micah 7:20 in other translations

BSBYou will show faithfulness to Jacob and loving devotion to Abraham, as You swore to our fathers from the days of old.
WEBYou will give truth to Jacob, and mercy to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.
ASVThou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the lovingkindness to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.
YLTThou givest truth to Jacob, kindness to Abraham, That thou hast sworn to our fathers, from the days of antiquity!
DARBYThou wilt perform truth to Jacob, loving-kindness to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers, from the days of old.
BBEYou will make clear your good faith to Jacob and your mercy to Abraham, as you gave your oath to our fathers from times long past.
WebsterThou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn to our fathers from the days of old.

What does Micah 7:20 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
20. perform the truth--the faithful promise. to Jacob ... Abraham--Thou shalt make good to their posterity the promise made to the patriarchs. God's promises are called "mercy," because they flow slowly from grace; "truth," because they will be surely performed (Lu 1:72, 73; 1Th 5:24). sworn unto our fathers--(Psa 105:9, 10). The promise to Abraham is in Ge 12:2; to Isaac, in Ge 26:24; to Jacob, in Ge 28:13. This unchangeable promise implied an engagement that the seed of the patriarchs should never perish, and should be restored to their inheritance as often as they turned wholly to God (De 30:1, 2).

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 20 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob - The promises which he has made to Jacob and his posterity. Not one of them can ever fall to the ground. "And the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn;" viz., that "in his Seed all the families of the earth should be blessed;" that the Messiah should come from Abraham, through his son Isaac, by Jacob and David; be a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of his people Israel. And this promise, and this oath, God has most signally fulfilled by the incarnation of Christ, who was sent to bless us by turning away every one of us from his iniquities; and for this purpose he was delivered for our offenses, and rose again for our justification; and repentance and remission of sins are preached in his name to all nations. The proclamation was first made at Jerusalem; and that the prophet refers to this, is evident from the use made of these words by Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, when, under the full afflatus of the Spirit of God, he quoted this prophecy of Micah, as fulfilled in the incarnation of Christ, Luk 1:72, Luk 1:73. The Chaldee paraphrases this last verse with spirit and propriety: "Thou wilt give the truth to Jacob his son, as thou hast promised by oath to him in Beth-el. And the mercy to Abraham and to his seed after him, as thou didst swear to him amidst the divisions. Thou wilt be mindful of us on account of the binding of Isaac, who was bound upon the altar before thee. And thou wilt do us that good, which, from the most ancient days, thou hast promised to our fathers by an oath." Between the divisions, refers to the covenant made between God and Abraham, Gen 15:9-11, Gen 15:17, Gen 15:18. Well might the prophet exult in his challenge to earth and hell. Who Is a God Like unto Thee! Hell is speechless, earth is dumb. Infidels dare not open their mouths!!! Hallelujah! מי אל כמוך mi El camocha! Jesus is the mighty God and Savior, pardoning iniquity, transgression, and sin, and saving to the uttermost all that come unto God through him. Blessed be God! Reader, lay this to heart.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Micah 7:14-20

When God is about to deliver his people, he stirs up their friends to pray for them. Apply spiritually the prophet's prayer to Christ, to take care of his church, as the great Shepherd of the sheep, and to go before them, while they are here in this world as in a wood, in this world but not of it. God promises in answer to this prayer, he will do that for them which shall be repeating the miracles of former ages. As…

Read the full comment on Micah 7:14-20 →

Micah 7:20 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.

תִּתֵּ֤ןti.Tenyou will giveH5414
אֱמֶת֙'e.MetfaithfulnessH571
לְיַֽעֲקֹ֔בle.ya.'a.Koto JacobH3290
חֶ֖סֶדChe.sedcovenant loyaltyH2617
לְאַבְרָהָ֑םle.'av.ra.Hamto AbrahamH85
אֲשֶׁר\־'a.Sher-whichH834
נִשְׁבַּ֥עְתָּnish.Ba'.tayou sworeH7650
לַאֲבֹתֵ֖ינוּla.'a.vo.Tei.nuto fathers ourH1
מִ֥ימֵיMi.meifrom days ofH3117
קֶֽדֶם\׃Ke.demantiquityH6924

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

Cross references for Micah 7:20

  • Genesis 28:13-14

    And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

  • Luke 1:72-74

    To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,

  • Genesis 17:7-8

    And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.

  • Genesis 12:2-3

    And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

  • Genesis 22:16-18

    And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

  • Psalms 105:8-10

    He hath remembered his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations. Which covenant he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac; And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant:

  • Hebrews 6:13-18

    For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself, Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. …

  • Acts 3:25-26

    Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.

  • Genesis 26:3-4

    Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;

  • Jeremiah 33:25-26

    Thus saith the Lord; If my covenant be not with day and night, and if I have not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth; Then will I cast away the seed of Jacob, and David my servant, so that I will not take any of his seed to be rulers over the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: for I will cause their captivity to return, and have mercy on them.

  • Deuteronomy 7:8

    But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

  • Luke 1:54-55

    He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Ge 12:2,3; 17:7,8; 22:16-18; 26:3,4; 28:13,14; Ps 105:8-10
Jer 33:25,26; Lu 1:54,55,72-74; Ac 3:25,26; Ro 11:26-31
Heb 6:13-18

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

Context

  • Micah 7:19

    He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

  • Micah 7:20

    Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of old.

Read all of Micah 7

Micah 7:20 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Otorgarás á Jacob la verdad, y á Abraham la misericordia, que tú juraste á nuestros padres desde tiempos antiguos.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Tu accompliras envers Jacob ta vérité, envers Abraham ta bonté, que tu as jurées à nos pères dès les jours d’autrefois.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Du wirst an Jakob Wahrheit, an Abraham Güte erweisen, die du von den Tagen der Vorzeit her unseren Vätern geschworen hast.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Dabis veritatem Jacob, misericordiam Abraham, quæ jurasti patribus nostris a diebus antiquis.