Micah 3:7 kjv
Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God.
Micah 3:7 nkjv
So the seers shall be ashamed, And the diviners abashed; Indeed they shall all cover their lips; For there is no answer from God."
Micah 3:7 niv
The seers will be ashamed and the diviners disgraced. They will all cover their faces because there is no answer from God."
Micah 3:7 esv
the seers shall be disgraced, and the diviners put to shame; they shall all cover their lips, for there is no answer from God.
Micah 3:7 nlt
Then you seers will be put to shame,
and you fortune-tellers will be disgraced.
And you will cover your faces
because there is no answer from God."
Micah 3 7 Cross References
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| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 13:1-5 | If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you... and gives you a sign or a wonder... and if the sign or the wonder comes to pass... you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams... | Test for true prophets. |
| Deut 18:9-12 | When you come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination or tells fortunes or interprets omens, or a sorcerer or a charmer or a medium or a necromancer or one who inquires of the dead, for whoever does these things is an abomination to the LORD... | Divination is forbidden. |
| 1 Sam 28:6 | When Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets. | God's silence as judgment on unrighteous leadership. |
| Ps 6:10 | All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly confounded; they shall turn back and be put to shame suddenly. | Prayer for shame upon adversaries. |
| Ps 35:26 | Let them be put to shame and dishonor who magnify themselves against me. Let them be covered with shame and disgrace who seek my hurt. | Enemies brought to shame. |
| Isa 1:29 | For you shall be ashamed of the terebinths that you desired, and you shall blush for the gardens that you have chosen. | Shame for idol worship. |
| Isa 30:10 | who say to the seers, “Do not see!” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions." | People seeking comforting falsehoods. |
| Isa 41:11 | Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. | Enemies confounded and perishing. |
| Jer 14:14 | And the LORD said to me: “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them, nor have I commanded them, nor have I spoken to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds.” | False prophets speak lies, not from God. |
| Jer 23:21 | “I did not send the prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied." | God's indictment of unauthorized prophets. |
| Jer 29:8-9 | For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I have not sent them, declares the LORD. | Warning against deceptive diviners. |
| Eze 12:24 | For there shall be no more any false vision or flattering divination within the house of Israel. | End of false visions in Israel. |
| Eze 13:3-8 | Thus says the Lord GOD, “Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!... they have seen false visions and uttered lying divinations. They say, ‘Declares the LORD,’ when the LORD has not sent them... | Judgment against false prophets who see nothing. |
| Eze 24:17 | Sigh, but not aloud; make no mourning for the dead. Bind on your turban, and put your sandals on your feet; do not cover your lips... | (Contextual inverse) Showing a lack of covering lips as a command against typical mourning. Emphasizes "covering lips" as a sign of mourning/shame. |
| Amo 8:11-12 | “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord GOD, “when I will send a famine on the land— not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the LORD, but they shall not find it.” | A prophetic famine of God's word. |
| Zec 13:4-5 | “On that day every prophet will be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies... He will say, ‘I am no prophet, I am a worker of the soil...’" | Prophets denying their calling due to shame. |
| Matt 7:15 | “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." | Warning about deceptive false prophets. |
| 2 Pet 2:1-3 | But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. | New Testament warning against false teachers. |
| 1 John 4:1 | Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. | Exhortation to test spirits. |
| Rev 16:13-14 | And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world... | False prophets in end-time prophecy. |
Micah 3 verses
Micah 3 7 Meaning
Micah 3:7 declares a coming judgment upon the false prophets and diviners in Judah. They will be publicly disgraced, their claims and predictions proving worthless, because the Lord God will no longer communicate with them, thereby validating their fraudulent claims and exposing their true lack of divine connection. Their self-proclaimed ability to receive visions and interpret omens will cease, leading them to cover their mouths in shame and silence, signifying the removal of their false prophetic voice and the loss of any pretense of God's endorsement.
Micah 3 7 Context
h2Micah chapter 3 stands as a severe indictment of the corrupt leaders, priests, and prophets in Judah, particularly in Jerusalem, during the late 8th century BCE. The chapter opens by condemning the civil rulers for their oppressive injustice, "eating the flesh of my people" (v. 1-4). Following this, verses 5-7 target the false prophets who mislead the people. These prophets are characterized by prophesying "peace" when well-paid but declaring war against those who do not put food in their mouths. They promise blessings and safety, fostering a false sense of security, especially in Zion (Jerusalem). Verse 6 states that darkness and night will fall upon them, meaning their visions will cease and they will have no answer from God. Verse 7 logically extends this judgment, predicting the shame and confusion of these "seers" and "diviners" because their source of supposed revelation, which they claimed came from God, will utterly dry up, exposing their deception and leaving them without a word. This verse directly contrasts with Micah's own true prophetic message in verse 8, where he declares that he is filled with power, justice, and might by the Spirit of the Lord to declare sin.
Micah 3 7 Word analysis
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- Then (וְעָטָה - wəʿaṭāh): A strong consequential connector, linking the state of the false prophets described in verse 6 (their vision turning to darkness, no answer) to the resulting public disgrace.
- shall the seers (רֹאִים - ro'im): Literally "those who see." This term designates professional prophets or visionaries who claimed direct visual revelation from God. They were expected to receive visions (maḥăzōn) as a primary mode of divine communication.
- be ashamed (יֵבֹשׁוּ - yēbošū): This verb signifies a profound sense of public humiliation and disgrace. It implies their lies and deceptive practices will be unequivocally exposed, causing them great dishonor.
- and the diviners (קֹסְמִים - qosmīm): Individuals who practiced divination, an occult art of discerning the future or hidden knowledge through various forbidden methods (e.g., omens, dreams, consulting spirits). Such practices were explicitly condemned in Israelite law (Deut 18:9-12) as abominations.
- confounded (יֵחָפְרוּ - yehaperu): This verb parallels "be ashamed" and deepens its meaning. It suggests being frustrated, put to confusion, and experiencing deep disappointment when one's expectations or boasts are proven utterly false. Their prognostications will fail completely.
- yea, they shall all cover their lips (וְעָטָה עַל-שָׂפָם - wəʿaṭāh ʿal-śāp̄ām): This idiom signifies a deep state of mourning, shame, and enforced silence. In ancient Near Eastern culture, covering the mouth or beard was a common gesture of grief (Eze 24:17) or, notably, for lepers who were to cover their upper lip and cry unclean (Lev 13:45), signifying isolation and disgrace. For prophets, it symbolizes the removal of their prophetic voice; they will have nothing left to say.
- for there is no answer of God (כִּי אֵין מַעֲנֵה אֱלֹהִים - kī ʾēn maʿăneh ʾĕlōhīm): This phrase is the core reason for their downfall and judgment. Maʿaneh refers to a direct divine answer, oracle, or communication. God will actively withhold any form of communication or confirmation for their fraudulent activities. Their purported source of truth is nullified, leaving them exposed and impotent. It emphasizes God's sovereign control over revelation and His righteous judgment against those who falsely claim His authority.
Micah 3 7 Bonus section
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- The pronouncements in Micah 3 against the false prophets echo the divine warning system found throughout the Torah, particularly Deuteronomy 18, which strictly prohibits various forms of divination and false prophecy.
- The specific mention of "covering their lips" acts as a strong literary device, visually communicating the end of their supposed prophetic utterances and the disgrace associated with public exposure. It's an anti-thesis to their former verbose and confident declarations.
- This verse provides a crucial contrast to Micah 3:8, where the true prophet, Micah, explicitly states he is "filled with power by the Spirit of the LORD, and with justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin." This highlights the difference between those whom God has truly sent and those who speak from their own imaginations for profit.
- The absence of an "answer of God" signifies a divine abandonment of these false seers. It's not merely that God chooses not to speak to them, but that His absence validates their fraud. This is a terrifying consequence for those who presume upon God's name without His sanction.
Micah 3 7 Commentary
h2Micah 3:7 serves as a poignant judgment against religious charlatans who manipulate faith for personal gain. It underscores the profound theological truth that authentic prophecy flows from genuine divine revelation. When God chooses to withhold His word, whether as a consequence of their sin or as a deliberate act of judgment, those who falsely claim His authority are exposed for their deceit. The shame and confusion they experience are a direct result of their reliance on their own schemes and lying visions rather than on the Living God. Their silenced lips vividly portray the cessation of their deceptive utterances and the loss of the prophetic platform they abused. This passage emphasizes that God will not be used, nor will He confirm falsehoods; His silence in judgment is as powerful as His speech in revelation, confirming the ultimate sovereignty of God over all spiritual matters.