Bible Strands
Micah 1:10
Do not tell it in Gath; do not weep at all. Roll in the dust in Beth-leaphrah.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Micah pronounces judgment on multiple Judean and Philistine cities immediately after declaring that an incurable wound has reached Jerusalem. He addresses the inhabitants of these towns, commanding them to respond to the approaching disaster with specific, localized acts of mourning and silence.
The words — The verb תַּגִּ֔ידוּ (ta.Gi.du) means "you tell" and is negated by the prohibitive אַל־ ('al-) to forbid speech, while the toponym בְּ/בֵ֣ית לְעַפְרָ֔ה (be./Veit le.'af.Rah) literally identifies the location "Beth-leaphrah."
The thread — The command to withhold news from Gath mirrors the warning in 2 Samuel 1:20, and the directive to roll in dust aligns with the mourning practice described in Jeremiah 6:26.
Why it lands — The text requires readers to recognize that divine judgment forces a shift from public proclamation to constrained, earth-bound mourning, demanding acknowledgment of the coming disaster without offering comfort or explanation.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Declare ye it not at Gath, weep ye not at all: in the house of Aphrah roll thyself in the dust.
Cross-references
- 2 Samuel 1:20 Tell it not in Gath; proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, and the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.
- Jeremiah 6:26 O daughter of my people, dress yourselves in sackcloth and roll in ashes. Mourn with bitter wailing, as you would for an only son, for suddenly the destroyer will come upon us.
- Joshua 18:23 Avvim, Parah, Ophrah,
- Job 2:8 And Job took a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself as he sat among the ashes.
- Lamentations 3:29 Let him bury his face in the dust—perhaps there is still hope.
- Amos 5:13 Therefore, the prudent keep silent in such times, for the days are evil.
- Amos 6:10 And when the relative who is to burn the bodies picks them up to remove them from the house, he will call to one inside, “Is anyone else with you?” “None,” that person will answer. “Silence,” the relative will retort, “for the name of the LORD must not be invoked.”