Micah 2:8

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. EVEN OF LATE - literally yesterday: 'long ago.' So "of old," Hebrew, 'yesterday,' ; "heretofore," Hebrew, 'since yesterday,' . MY PEOPLE IS RISEN UP AS AN ENEMY - i:e., has rebelled against my precepts; also has become an enemy to the unoffending passers-by. YE PULL OFF THE ROBE WITH THE GARMENT FROM THEM THAT PASS BY SECURELY - not content with the outer "garment," ye greedily rob passers-by of the ornamental "robe," fitting the body closely, and flowing down to the feet (Ludovicus de Dieu). (.) As men averse...

As the words of the Prophet are concise, they contain some obscurity. Hence interpreters differ. First, as to the word אתמיל, _atmul, _some think it to be one word, others divide it into את, _at _and מול, _mul, _which means, over against, opposite; and they regard it of the same import with ממול, which immediately follows. But as the repetition would be frigid, the Prophet no doubt intended that it should be taken here in its proper sense, and its meaning is yesterday. But this time is not strictly taken by the Hebrews, for they take yesterday as meaning the past time, even when many years have elapsed. I have therefore rendered it _formerly_, which suits this place. There is also another difference as to the sense of the text, for some think that this אתמול, _atmul_, is to be joined to

6-11 Since they say, "Prophesy not," God will take them at their word, and their sin shall be their punishment. Let the physician no longer attend the patient that will not be healed. Those are enemies, not only to God, but to their country, who silence good ministers, and stop the means of grace. What bonds will hold those who have no reverence for God's word? Sinners cannot expect to rest in a land they have polluted. You shall not only be obliged to depart out of this land, but it shall destroy you. Apply this to our state in this present world. There is corruption in the world through lust, and we should keep at a distance from it. It is not our rest: it was designed for our passage, but not for our portion; our inn, but not our home; here we have no continuing city; let us therefore arise and depart, let us seek a continuing city above. Since they will be deceived, let them be dece...

Verse 8. _MY PEOPLE IS RISEN UP AS AN ENEMY_] Ye are not only opposed to me, but ye are enemies to each other. Ye rob and spoil each other. Ye plunder the peaceable passenger; depriving him both of his _upper_ and _under_ garment; _ye pull off the robe_ from those who, far from being spoilers themselves, _are averse from war_....

EVEN OF LATE - (Literally, yesterday.) Jerome: “He imputeth not past sins, but those recent and, as it were, of yesterday.” “My people is risen up vehemently”. God upbraideth them tenderly by the title, “Mine own people,” as John complaineth, “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not” John 1:11. God became not their enemy, but they arose as one man, - “is risen up,” the whole of it, as His. In Him they might have had peace and joy and assured gladness, but they arose in rebellion against Him, requiting Him evil for good, (as bad Christians do to Christ,) and brought war upon their own heads. This they did by their sins against their brethren. Casting off the love of man, they alienated themselves from the love of God. YE PULL OFF (STRIP OFF VIOLENTLY) THE ROBE WITH THE GARMENT - Literally, “over against the cloak.”

EXPOSITION MICAH 2:1 § 6. _The prophet justifies his threat by recounting the sins of which the grandees and guilty._ MICAH 2:1 The prophet, himself one of the people, first inveighs against the sins of injustice and oppression of the poor. DEVISE … WORK … PRACTISE. A gradation. They are not led into these sins by others; they themselves conceive the evil purpose in their own heart; then they prepare and mature their scheme by reflection; then they proceed to execute it. Work evil; _i.e._ prepare the means for carrying out their conception (comp Isaiah 41:4). UPON THEIR BEDS. At night, the natural time for reflection (comp.

EVEN OF LATE MY PEOPLE IS RISEN UP AS AN ENEMY,.... Or "yesterday" o; meaning a very little while before this prophecy, the people of Israel, those of the ten tribes, who were the people of God by profession, rose up as an enemy, not only to God and true religion, worshipping idols; but rather to their brethren, those of the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin; as they did in the times of Pekah king of Israel, who slew a hundred and twenty thousand of them in one day, 2 Chronicles 28:6; and which is here mentioned as a reason why the Spirit of the Lord in his prophets threatened them with evil, and did not promise them good things: YE PULL OFF THE ROBE WITH THE GARMENT; the upper and nether garment, and so stripped them naked: or, "they stripped the robe from off the garment", as some p; they took the upper garment or cloak from them, and left them only

CHAPTER 2 _ 1. The guilt and punishment of Israel (Micah 2:1) _ 2. The future restoration (Micah 2:12) Micah 2:1. In the first two verses the special sins of Israel are mentioned, the same as in Amos--idolatry, covetousness and oppression. Therefore punishment is to fall upon them. There would be a doleful lamentation: “We be utterly spoiled: he changeth the portion of my people; how does he take it away from me!” Their fields would be divided. Nor did they listen to the true prophets; they gave ear to the false prophets who flattered them. It is interesting to note that the sentence, “Prophesy ye not, thus they prophesy,” literally translated is, “Do not sputter, thus they sputter.” They did not give out the

SOCIAL INJUSTICE AND ITS PENALTY. The prophet denounces those for whom might is right (Psalms 36:4; and work evil seems a thoughtless scribal addition), who acquire property by illegal or inequitable process (Isaiah 5:8). Against such plans Yahweh declares His own to bring this family (_i.e._ Israel as a whole, Amos 3:1) under the foreign yoke (Jeremiah 27:12). A lament shall be made over Israel, whose land shall be given to the heathen (Micah 2:4, _mg._ 1; but text is doubtful here, and often to end of...

EVEN OF LATE. Only yesterday, or recently: this highway robbery was. new and recent evil....