Micah 6 15

Micah 6:15 kjv

Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil; and sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine.

Micah 6:15 nkjv

"You shall sow, but not reap; You shall tread the olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil; And make sweet wine, but not drink wine.

Micah 6:15 niv

You will plant but not harvest; you will press olives but not use the oil, you will crush grapes but not drink the wine.

Micah 6:15 esv

You shall sow, but not reap; you shall tread olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil; you shall tread grapes, but not drink wine.

Micah 6:15 nlt

You will plant crops
but not harvest them.
You will press your olives
but not get enough oil to anoint yourselves.
You will trample the grapes
but get no juice to make your wine.

Micah 6 verses

Micah 6 15 meaning

Micah 6:15 declares a judgment of economic futility upon the people of Judah due to their covenant infidelity. Despite their laborious efforts in farming, they will not receive the expected benefits of their work. They will sow grain but fail to harvest it, process olives without benefiting from the oil, and tread grapes without drinking the resulting wine. This pronouncement signifies a reversal of divine blessing, leading to widespread deprivation and an inability to enjoy the fruits of their own land and labor.

Micah 6 15 Context

Micah 6 opens with God initiating a riv, a legal dispute or covenant lawsuit, against Israel (v. 1-2). He calls creation to witness His case. God reminds the people of His faithfulness through history, from the Exodus to the deliverance from Balaam's curse (v. 3-5). The people respond, asking how to please God, offering escalating sacrifices from burnt offerings to their firstborn (v. 6-7). God rejects these external rituals, declaring that He requires "justice, mercy, and humility" (v. 8). However, Israel has failed dramatically, embracing wickedness, dishonest weights, and violence (v. 9-12). Therefore, beginning in verse 13, God pronounces judgment upon them. Verse 15 is a specific aspect of this judgment, outlining severe economic hardship and futility in their agricultural endeavors, which were the backbone of their economy. It's a direct consequence of their idolatry, social injustice, and failure to walk with God as prescribed in the covenant. The historical context is a period of widespread corruption in Judah during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, mirroring the earlier apostasy of Israel.

Micah 6 15 Word analysis

Word-by-word analysis

• תזרע (tizra') - "You will sow" (2nd person singular, future tense of זרע, zara). This indicates personal, laborious effort. The focus is on the human action.
• ולא (wəlo’) - "but not." This conjunction highlights the direct contradiction and futility, separating effort from outcome.
• תקצור (tiqtsor) - "you will reap" (2nd person singular, future tense of קצר, qatsar). The expected positive outcome of sowing will be withheld. It's an act of divine prevention.
• אתה (‘attah) - "You" (masculine singular pronoun, often omitted but present here for emphasis). Reinforces the personal nature of the judgment against the individual within the community.
• תדרוך (tidrokh) - "you will tread" (2nd person singular, future tense of דרך, darakh). Refers specifically to treading olives in a press. A significant labor-intensive process.
• זית (zayit) - "olives." A primary crop in Israel, essential for oil, food, and light.
• ושמן (wəshemen) - "and oil." The product of treading olives. Essential for anointing (hygiene, religious rites), food, and medicine.
• לא (lo’) - "not." Again, emphasizes denial.
• תסוך (tasukh) - "you will anoint yourselves" (2nd person singular, future tense of סוך, suk). To smear, rub, or anoint. It implies not just the lack of oil but the inability to use it for personal care or pleasure.
• וענבים (wə'anavim) - "and grapes." The raw material for wine, another staple crop.
• לא (lo’) - "not." Another emphatic denial.
• תשתה (tishteh) - "you will drink" (2nd person singular, future tense of שתה, shatah). To consume, specifically wine. Drinking wine was associated with joy and celebration.

Words-group analysis

• "You will sow but not reap": This phrase captures the essence of divine judgment upon their labor. The natural order of cause and effect is broken. It is a direct reversal of the blessing for obedience found in Deuteronomy 28:12, where abundant harvests are promised. It speaks to agricultural failure due to various curses like drought, pests, or invaders.
• "You will tread olives but not anoint yourselves with oil": This extends the judgment beyond just basic food to comfort and well-being. Olive oil was crucial for daily life—for anointing, cooking, and illumination. The inability to use the oil implies both personal deprivation (hygiene, skin care) and economic loss (no trade). This again echoes curses in Deuteronomy 28:40.
• "You will tread grapes but not drink wine": Wine was not only a drink but a symbol of joy and celebration (Isa 16:10). This aspect of the curse points to the loss of joy and pleasure, signifying a life of hardship without respite. Like the oil, it was also a significant commodity for trade, so the inability to benefit from it signals economic collapse and deep sorrow.
• Parallel structure (A-B-C): The threefold repetition using parallel grammatical construction ("you will X but not Y") emphasizes the totality and certainty of the judgment across all primary agricultural sectors. Each instance highlights the futility of human effort in the face of divine opposition, directly challenging any trust in the land's natural productivity or their own industry. This is a common form of literary emphasis in biblical poetry and prophetic literature.
• Polemic against Baal worship: These curses (failure of crops, oil, and wine) are specifically targeted against the areas Baal was thought to control. By showing YHWH's power to withhold these necessities, Micah directly challenges the idolatrous belief that Baal (a Canaanite fertility god) was the provider of the land's produce. YHWH alone controls fertility and harvest, and He can deny it as punishment.

Micah 6 15 Bonus section

• The sequence of agricultural products—grain (sowing/reaping), olives (oil), and grapes (wine)—often appears together in the Bible as indicators of basic sustenance and the economic health of the land (e.g., Deut 7:13; Hos 2:8; Jer 31:12). Their failure thus represents a complete economic and existential collapse.
• This verse can be understood as an indirect "eating by another" curse. While it states they won't reap/drink/anoint, the implied result in other curses is that others (e.g., enemies, pests) would consume their produce, further adding insult to injury (Deut 28:33, 51; Neh 9:36-37).
• The pronouncement of judgment on agriculture, essential for life, often carried a strong polemical force in ancient Near Eastern contexts. Such judgments reinforced the monotheistic truth that the Lord of Israel, Yahweh, was the sole sovereign over creation's fruitfulness, in direct opposition to polytheistic fertility deities like Baal, which the Israelites were prone to worship.

Micah 6 15 Commentary

Micah 6:15 delivers a poignant verdict against Israel, stripping them of the most basic returns on their labor. This is a covenant curse, directly mirroring the blessings and curses outlined in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. Their diligence will be met with destitution; their sweat will yield no sweetness. The repeated phrase "you will... but not..." underscores a fundamental disconnect: the divinely ordained relationship between human effort and natural prosperity has been severed. This isn't merely poor agricultural luck, but an act of sovereign judgment from God. Grain, oil, and wine were the staples of their economy and daily life, symbolizing sustenance, comfort, and joy respectively. By withholding these, God demonstrates the comprehensive nature of their punishment, impacting every facet of their existence. It's a forceful reminder that all prosperity comes from Him, and continued disobedience, particularly their pervasive social injustice and idolatry, provokes His hand to withdraw His favor, rendering all human toil meaningless. The land, once flowing with milk and honey, would become a land of futile labor. This judgment aims to turn the people back to the true source of blessing—Yahweh.