Micah 7 1

Micah 7:1 kjv

Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit.

Micah 7:1 nkjv

Woe is me! For I am like those who gather summer fruits, Like those who glean vintage grapes; There is no cluster to eat Of the first-ripe fruit which my soul desires.

Micah 7:1 niv

What misery is mine! I am like one who gathers summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster of grapes to eat, none of the early figs that I crave.

Micah 7:1 esv

Woe is me! For I have become as when the summer fruit has been gathered, as when the grapes have been gleaned: there is no cluster to eat, no first-ripe fig that my soul desires.

Micah 7:1 nlt

How miserable I am!
I feel like the fruit picker after the harvest
who can find nothing to eat.
Not a cluster of grapes or a single early fig
can be found to satisfy my hunger.

Micah 7 verses

Micah 7 1 meaning

Micah 7:1 expresses a profound lament and despair, depicting a state of utter moral and spiritual barrenness in Judah. The prophet likens the nation to a vineyard and fig tree completely stripped bare after harvest, with no desirable fruit left. This signifies a comprehensive absence of righteousness, justice, and faithful individuals among the people, leading to a deep yearning in the prophet's soul for any sign of goodness or spiritual vitality. It is an outcry over the pervasive sin and corruption, where finding a righteous person is as impossible as finding fruit after the harvest and gleaning are complete.

Micah 7 1 Context

Micah 7:1 marks a sharp turn in the prophet's discourse. Chapters 6 and 7 comprise the third major prophetic address within the book, opening with God's lawsuit against Israel (Micah 6:1-5), detailing their injustices and idolatry (Micah 6:6-16), and pronouncing judgment. Verse 1 of chapter 7 shifts from God's indictment to a deep, personal lament by the prophet (or the nation representing a righteous remnant) over the moral collapse and pervasive corruption of his people. It stands as a despairing cry following a detailed expose of national sins—lying, oppression, coveting, bribery, violence—described in the preceding verses. Historically, Micah prophesied in Judah during a period of relative prosperity but deep moral decay under kings like Ahaz and Hezekiah, warning of the impending Assyrian and eventual Babylonian exiles. The agricultural imagery of barrenness speaks directly to an agrarian society, powerfully conveying the spiritual emptiness that permeated all levels of society.

Micah 7 1 Word analysis

• Woe (אוֹי, 'oy): An interjection expressing intense distress, grief, pain, or lament. Here, it signifies the prophet's personal agony and profound sorrow over the moral degradation he witnesses. It’s a cry of personal anguish, not primarily a prophetic judgment against others, though it stems from the sinfulness around him.
• is me! (לִי, li): Literally "to me." It attaches the "woe" directly to the prophet's person, emphasizing his subjective experience of the nation's spiritual plight. This is a personal identification with the sorrow.
• For I am like (כְּאָסְפֵי־קַיִץ, kĕʾospĕy-qayits): "For I have become like..." The particle kĕ means "like" or "as." The prophet uses an analogy to express his condition and the state of the nation. This introduces the powerful harvest metaphor.
• when they have gathered the summer fruits (אָסְפֵי־קַיִץ, ʾospĕy-qayits): Refers to the main harvest season for summer produce like figs and dates, implying a thorough gathering where little is left. This denotes the culmination of an intense effort to collect everything of value.
• like when they have gleaned (כְּעוֹלְלֹת, kĕʿōlĕlōt): Another comparative "like." ʿŌlĕlōt are the scattered grapes left after the main vintage, gathered by the poor (gleaning). The image intensifies the sense of utter emptiness; not only is the main harvest over, but even the sparse gleanings have been collected, leaving nothing.
• the grape harvest (בָּצִיר, batzir): The vintage, or grape harvest, an important agricultural event. The absence of grapes is a significant sign of barrenness or utter depletion.
• there is no cluster to eat (אֵין־אֶשְׁכּוֹל לֶאֱכֹל, ʾēn-ʾeshkol leʾĕkol): ʾēn means "there is no." ʾEshkol is a bunch of grapes. This is a direct statement of the futility of searching for any positive outcome or valuable spiritual substance.
• no first-ripe fig (בִּכּוּרָה, bikūrah): Bikkurah refers to the first or early figs, highly prized for their sweetness and desirability. Their absence means that even the most sought-after and finest fruits are nowhere to be found.
• that my soul desires (אִוְּתָה נַפְשִׁי, ʾiwwĕtah nafshi): ʾIwwĕtah is from ʾiwwah, "to long for" or "desire ardently." Nafshi is "my soul" or "my inner being." This expresses the prophet's deep personal longing for moral goodness, righteousness, or faithful individuals, which are utterly absent. It underscores the personal and spiritual hunger amidst barrenness.

Words-group by words-group analysis

• "Woe is me!": This phrase immediately sets a tone of profound personal grief and lament, emphasizing the prophet's internalization of the national crisis. It is an empathetic identification with the pain caused by sin.
• "For I am like when they have gathered the summer fruits, like when they have gleaned the grape harvest": This dual agricultural imagery forcefully conveys a scene of total depletion. The primary harvest and even the residual gleanings are gone, signifying a comprehensive stripping away of anything good, righteous, or spiritually fruitful within society. The comparison is to a field picked absolutely clean.
• "there is no cluster to eat, no first-ripe fig that my soul desires": This further elaborates on the lack of fruit. Not just common fruits but even the first-ripe figs (the choicest, most desirable produce) are missing. This isn't just an economic shortage; it represents the utter absence of spiritual integrity, justice, and devotion that the prophet yearns to find. His "soul's desire" indicates a deep spiritual hunger for moral goodness.

Micah 7 1 Bonus section

The self-lament in Micah 7:1 ("Woe is me!") positions the prophet as deeply entwined with the nation's spiritual suffering, moving beyond simple pronouncement to heartfelt grief. This serves as an act of prophetic intercession, a personal cry on behalf of a sin-sick people. The dual imagery of "summer fruits" and "grape harvest" suggests a total desolation not just of one aspect of national life but across all areas, spiritual and moral. The 'first-ripe fig' held symbolic weight in the ancient world as the most cherished and eagerly awaited fruit, representing peak delight and hope. Its absence, specifically desired by the prophet's soul, underscores a total failure of the nation to produce anything of intrinsic spiritual value or to maintain foundational righteousness, which are essential for God's favor and a just society.

Micah 7 1 Commentary

Micah 7:1 captures the prophet's lament, mirroring God's despair over His people. It’s an outcry not merely about scarcity, but absolute moral and spiritual barrenness in Judah. The harvest metaphor, crucial to ancient Israelite life, portrays a land stripped bare of its expected fruit—righteousness, justice, and faith. This wasn't merely a bad yield but an absolute failure to find any good among the people, akin to searching for a ripe fig or grape after both the main harvest and gleaning are completely finished. The prophet's personal "woe is me" reveals a heart broken over pervasive corruption and a longing for something pure. It illustrates that when sin takes root, it utterly depletes a society of its spiritual and moral vitality, leaving only emptiness where good fruit should have been. It is a cry for spiritual hunger in a land of moral drought.