Micah 2:8

But of late My people have risen up like an enemy: You strip off the splendid robe from unsuspecting passersby like men returning from battle.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Yahweh speaks through the prophet Micah to the house of Jacob immediately after questioning whether His Spirit grows impatient and whether His words bring good to the upright. The declaration follows the warning that the people are abandoning covenant loyalty.

The words — The Hebrew תַּפְשִׁטוּן (taf.shi.Tu/n) means "you strip off," applied directly to אֶדֶר ('E.der), rendered as "mantle" or "splendid robe." The verb describes the violent removal of outer garments from unsuspecting travelers.

The thread — The pattern of aggression against vulnerable communities surfaces in 2 Samuel 20:19, Psalm 120:6, and 2 Chronicles 28:5. These passages record a plea to spare a peaceful city, a complaint about dwelling among those who hate peace, and a record of foreign armies taking captives.

Why it lands — The text requires readers to recognize that covenant betrayal manifests as predatory violence against defenseless neighbors. It demands a clear-eyed assessment of how religious communities can mirror the conduct they condemn.

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

וְאֶתְמ֗וּלve./'et.Muland/ yesterday עַמִּי֙'a.M/ipeople/ my לְאוֹיֵ֣בle./'o.Yevto/ an enemy יְקוֹמֵ֔םye.ko.Memhe raises up מִמּ֣וּלmi./Mulfrom/ in front of שַׂלְמָ֔הsal.Maha garment אֶ֖דֶר'E.dera mantle תַּפְשִׁט֑וּןtaf.shi.Tu/nyou strip off/ !מֵעֹבְרִ֣יםme./'oe.Rimfrom/ [those who] pass by בֶּ֔טַחBe.tachsecurity שׁוּבֵ֖יshu.Vei[those who] return of מִלְחָמָֽה׃mil.cha.Mahwar

King James Version

Even of late my people is risen up as an enemy: ye pull off the robe with the garment from them that pass by securely as men averse from war.

Cross-references

2 Samuel 20:19 I am among the peaceable and faithful in Israel, but you are trying to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why would you swallow up the LORD’s inheritance?”
Psalms 120:6 Too long have I dwelt among those who hate peace.
2 Chronicles 28:5 So the LORD his God delivered Ahaz into the hand of the king of Aram, who attacked him and took many captives to Damascus. Ahaz was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who struck him with great force.
Psalms 55:20 My companion attacks his friends; he violates his covenant.
Isaiah 9:21 Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh; together they turn against Judah. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.