Bible Strands
Micah 3:2
You hate good and love evil. You tear the skin from my people and strip the flesh from their bones.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The prophet Micah addresses the leaders and rulers of Jacob and the house of Israel, questioning their failure to administer justice.
The words — The Hebrew terms שֹׂ֥נְאֵי (So.ne.'ei, haters of) and ט֖וֹב (Tov, good) contrast with וְ/אֹ֣הֲבֵי (ve./'O.ha.vei, and lovers of) and רָ֑ע (ra.'ah, evil), while גֹּזְלֵ֤י (go.ze.Lei, tearers away of) and עוֹרָ/ם֙ (o.Ra/m, skin/ their) describe the physical violence inflicted on the people.
The thread — The motif of corrupt officials exploiting the vulnerable runs through Ezekiel 22:27 and Psalms 53:4, while Proverbs 28:4 addresses the broader dynamic of those who forsake the law praising the wicked.
Why it lands — The text states that leaders actively prefer evil over good and commit extreme violence against those they govern, demanding that readers recognize how spiritual corruption manifests as systemic exploitation.
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
Who hate the good, and love the evil; who pluck off their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones;
Cross-references
- Ezekiel 22:27 Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey, shedding blood, and destroying lives for dishonest gain.
- Psalms 53:4 Will the workers of iniquity never learn? They devour my people like bread; they refuse to call upon God.
- Proverbs 28:4 Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law resist them.
- 1 Kings 21:20 When Elijah arrived, Ahab said to him, “So you have found me out, my enemy.” He replied, “I have found you out because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the LORD.
- 1 Kings 22:6 So the king of Israel assembled the prophets, about four hundred men, and asked them, “Should I go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should I refrain?” “Go up,” they replied, “and the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.”
- 2 Chronicles 19:2 Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out to confront him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, the wrath of the LORD is upon you.
- Romans 12:9 Love must be sincere. Detest what is evil; cling to what is good.
- Acts 7:51 You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit, just as your fathers did.
- Romans 1:32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things are worthy of death, they not only continue to do these things, but also approve of those who practice them.
- 2 Timothy 3:3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good,