Micah 1 7

Micah 1:7 kjv

And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the hires thereof shall be burned with the fire, and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate: for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot, and they shall return to the hire of an harlot.

Micah 1:7 nkjv

All her carved images shall be beaten to pieces, And all her pay as a harlot shall be burned with the fire; All her idols I will lay desolate, For she gathered it from the pay of a harlot, And they shall return to the pay of a harlot."

Micah 1:7 niv

All her idols will be broken to pieces; all her temple gifts will be burned with fire; I will destroy all her images. Since she gathered her gifts from the wages of prostitutes, as the wages of prostitutes they will again be used."

Micah 1:7 esv

All her carved images shall be beaten to pieces, all her wages shall be burned with fire, and all her idols I will lay waste, for from the fee of a prostitute she gathered them, and to the fee of a prostitute they shall return.

Micah 1:7 nlt

All her carved images will be smashed.
All her sacred treasures will be burned.
These things were bought with the money
earned by her prostitution,
and they will now be carried away
to pay prostitutes elsewhere."

Micah 1 verses

Micah 1 7 Meaning

Micah 1:7 prophesies the complete and utter destruction of Samaria's idolatry and the illicit wealth acquired through it. All her sculpted images and cultic artifacts will be shattered, and the "wages" she accumulated, which originated from spiritual unfaithfulness—likened to the "hire of a prostitute"—will be consumed by fire and brought to nothing. The verse declares that the source of her wealth, gained through covenant breaking and idolatry, will be exposed as shameful and will return to its debased origins, signifying divine judgment that completely nullifies any perceived benefit from sin.

Micah 1 7 Context

Micah chapter 1 opens with God's majestic descent to judge Samaria (the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel) and Jerusalem (the capital of the Southern Kingdom of Judah) for their transgressions, particularly idolatry. The prophet Micah acts as a divine herald, announcing the imminent, destructive judgment. Verse 7 specifically details the fate of Samaria's idols and the wealth that flowed from her unholy practices. Historically, this prophecy points to the impending Assyrian invasion which would devastate Samaria in 722 BCE. Samaria's prosperity was largely due to strategic alliances and commercial endeavors often involving pagan religious syncretism and breaking of covenant laws, actions here characterized as spiritual prostitution. The verse signifies that all aspects of this apostate society—religious artifacts, material wealth, and the very foundation of its "success"—are targeted for destruction because of their defilement and rebellion against Yahweh.

Micah 1 7 Word analysis

• All her carved images (וְכָל־פְּסִילֶיהָ v'khol-p'sileha):

  • v'khol means "and all," emphasizing totality and complete destruction.
  • p'sileha refers to "carved images" or "idols," specifically statues or figures sculpted from wood, stone, or metal. These were central to Canaanite worship (Baal, Asherah, etc.), explicitly forbidden by the second commandment (Exod 20:4).
  • Significance: These represent Samaria's devotion to foreign deities, a direct violation of their covenant with Yahweh.

• shall be beaten to pieces (יֻכְּתוּ yukkeṭū):

  • A strong verbal form indicating crushing, smashing, or utterly breaking something into fragments.
  • Significance: Not just removal, but humiliating destruction, akin to Moses grinding the golden calf (Exod 32:20). It denotes God's absolute contempt for these objects and their nullification.

• and all her wages (וְכָל־אֶתְנַנֶּיהָ v'khol-etnanneyha):

  • v'khol again emphasizes totality.
  • etnanneyha is crucial. Etnan specifically means "prostitute's hire" or "harlot's wages" (cf. Deut 23:18; Ezek 16:34). It's illicit gain, stained with moral defilement.
  • Significance: This signifies the material prosperity Samaria accumulated was viewed by God as the result of "spiritual prostitution"—her seeking alliances with pagan nations and adopting their gods for political and economic advantage, thereby betraying her covenant with Yahweh. It was not legitimate blessing but tainted profit.

• shall be burned with fire (בָּאֵשׁ יִשָּׂרְפוּ ba'esh yishśārpū):

  • Fire symbolizes purification, consumption, and divine judgment. Often used for destroying cultic objects (Deut 7:5, 12:3).
  • Significance: The wealth, no matter how substantial, is reduced to ashes, indicating its worthlessness in God's eyes and its ultimate destruction.

• and all her idols (וְכָל־עֲצַבֶּיהָ v'khol-ʻaṣṣabeyha):

  • v'khol reiterates completeness.
  • ʻaṣṣabeyha refers to "idols," derived from a root meaning "to grieve" or "to labor in pain." It can refer to cultic images, or wealth acquired that brings sorrow or vexation (Isa 48:5, Prov 5:10).
  • Significance: This broadens the scope of destruction from "carved images" (p'silim) to include all forms of Samaria's objects of worship and perhaps even the associated ill-gotten gains themselves. The choice of word might subtly connect idolatry to ultimate grief and futility.

• I will lay waste (אָשִׂים ’āśîm):

  • The first-person singular verb directly states that God is the active agent of this destruction. It's a declaration of divine authority and intention.
  • Significance: This is not a random misfortune but Yahweh's direct, purposeful judgment.

• for from the hire of a prostitute (מֵאֶתְנַן־זוֹנָה me'etnan-zōnâ):

  • me'etnan ("from the hire") explicitly reiterates the source as "harlot's earnings."
  • zōnâ is the Hebrew word for "prostitute" or "harlot."
  • Significance: This phrase provides the reason for the comprehensive destruction. It clearly identifies Samaria's (spiritual) prostitution as the origin of its condemned wealth and objects. This polemic powerfully condemns any prosperity or religious practice born out of disloyalty to Yahweh.

• she gathered them (קִבָּצָה qibbāṣâ):

  • "She collected/gathered them." The verb describes the act of accumulating this wealth.
  • Significance: Samaria actively amassed these ill-gotten gains through her apostate practices, implying a willful pursuit of spiritual harlotry.

• and to the hire of a prostitute they shall return (וְעַד־אֶתְנַן־זוֹנָה יָשׁוּבוּ v'ʿad-’etnan-zōnâ yāšûḇū):

  • v'ʿad means "and to" or "until."
  • etnan-zōnâ ("harlot's hire") repeated emphasizes the degraded origin and destiny.
  • yāšûḇū means "they shall return."
  • Significance: This signifies a complete reversal and undoing. The wealth and idols, once collected as if valuable, will revert to their intrinsic nature of worthlessness and shame, characteristic of their sinful origin. This isn't literal restitution to prostitutes, but that the defiled nature of their acquisition determines their ignominious fate—perhaps to be plundered by similarly corrupt invaders, or simply becoming part of a landscape of shame and destruction, demonstrating that illicit gain offers no lasting security or honor. It completes a cycle of moral corruption, from corrupt origin to corrupt end.

• Word-Groups Analysis:

  • "All her carved images shall be beaten to pieces... and all her idols I will lay waste": This pair of phrases highlights the thoroughness of God's judgment on every representation of idolatry, from sculpted images (p'silim) to other cultic objects (ʻaṣṣabim). It’s an eradication of the physical manifestations of their rebellion. The direct action "I will lay waste" confirms divine agency.
  • "All her wages shall be burned with fire... for from the hire of a prostitute she gathered them, and to the hire of a prostitute they shall return": This forms a powerful parallel construction, framing the entire verse with the devastating metaphor of "prostitute's hire." The "wages" refer to Samaria's wealth, security, and prestige obtained through illegitimate means (spiritual unfaithfulness to God for worldly alliances and benefits). The fire symbolizes complete destruction, and the "return" signifies that these gains will be stripped away and revert to their base, shameful origin, leaving no enduring benefit. This chiastic-like structure emphasizes the self-defeating nature of sin: what was gathered through unfaithfulness will return to its source, revealing its emptiness.

Micah 1 7 Bonus section

The metaphor of Israel as a harlot (prostitute) is a recurring theme in prophetic literature, especially prominent in Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Hosea. This strong language is not merely condemnatory but illustrates the deeply personal nature of the covenant between God and His people, often described as a marriage (cf. Jer 31:32, Ezek 16, Hos 2). Thus, Israel's idolatry and alliances with foreign nations were seen as an egregious act of adultery against Yahweh, deserving of severe consequences. The "hire of a prostitute" returning to its source highlights a profound reversal of fortune. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, a harlot’s hire was often used for pagan worship (Deut 23:18) or symbolized extreme degradation. Therefore, the destruction not only signifies a loss of wealth but a complete desecration and reversal of status for Samaria, demonstrating that all things obtained outside of God’s blessing are tainted and unsustainable. It also acts as a profound theological polemic against the perception that Samaria’s wealth was a sign of divine blessing; rather, it was a curse.

Micah 1 7 Commentary

Micah 1:7 is a profound declaration of God's unyielding judgment against Samaria, whose outward prosperity concealed deep-seated spiritual apostasy. The verse strips away any illusion of success derived from her ungodly ways. By meticulously detailing the destruction of "carved images" and "idols," it highlights Yahweh's absolute intolerance for competing deities. More powerfully, it indicts Samaria's entire economic and political foundation by labelling her amassed wealth as "the hire of a prostitute." This vivid metaphor of spiritual harlotry signifies Israel's grave sin of forsaking Yahweh, her divine Husband, and "prostituting" herself through illicit alliances with foreign powers and adoption of their idolatrous practices, all for perceived material gain.

The twin declarations of the idols being "beaten to pieces" and the "wages" being "burned with fire" underscore a judgment that is both comprehensive and humiliating. Fire, here, represents a cleansing and consuming divine wrath, reducing all ill-gotten gain to worthlessness. The climax, "for from the hire of a prostitute she gathered them, and to the hire of a prostitute they shall return," seals the fate of this defiled wealth. It means that the apparent benefits of their unfaithfulness would not only vanish but would be utterly exposed for their vile origins. They would be taken by those whose ways are themselves corrupt (e.g., invading armies) or simply lose their value, returning to a state of shame and worthlessness—a powerful lesson that riches gained through disloyalty to God yield no true or lasting profit, only ultimate shame and ruin. This serves as a warning that any foundation built on spiritual unfaithfulness is destined for total collapse.