The Meaning of Micah 2:1 Explained

Micah 2:1

KJV: Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand.

YLT: Woe to those devising iniquity, And working evil on their beds, In the light of the morning they do it, For their hand is -- to God.

Darby: Woe to them that devise iniquity and work evil upon their beds! When the morning is light they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand.

ASV: Woe to them that devise iniquity and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Woe  to them that devise  iniquity,  and work  evil  upon their beds!  when the morning  is light,  they practise  it, because it is  in the power  of their hand. 

What does Micah 2:1 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Micah announced that those who lay awake at night plotting evil that they put into practice the next day would experience woe. Woe announces punishment coming because of guilt (cf. Isaiah 3:9; Isaiah 3:11; Jeremiah 13:27; Ezekiel 13:3; Ezekiel 13:18; Hosea 7:13; Amos 5:18; Habakkuk 2:6; Zephaniah 2:5). The people in view seem to be the rich because they had the ability to carry out their schemes. In times of affluence and peace, the rich and the poor in society normally become richer and poorer, and this was true in Israel and Judah in the late eighth century B.C.
"This expectation of divine help and justice at morning (also in 2 Samuel 15:2; Job 7:18; Psalm 37:6; Psalm 73:14; Psalm 90:14; Psalm 143:8; Jeremiah 21; Jeremiah 12; Hosea 6:3; Hosea 6:5; Zephaniah 3:5) probably had to do in part with the king"s practice of administering justice in the morning ..." [1]

Context Summary

Micah 2:1-13 - The Harvest Of Greed And Injustice
Micah 1:1-16 dealt with sins against the first table of the law; this deals with those against the second. Evil must sooner or later befall those who devise evil against their neighbors, covet their goods, and oppress their persons. So absolute would be the destruction, that estates would no longer descend from father to son, or be measured by lot, Micah 2:5; and the people would become hard and callous to the prophet's voice, Micah 2:6. Yet through it all God's Spirit would yearn over His people, Micah 2:7-13; His words would still comfort humble souls. But the cruelty of men who despoiled their poor neighbors, not only of their ornaments but of the tunic next their skin, would bring disaster upon the entire nation. The guilty people must prepare to arise and depart, for Canaan could no longer be their home.
But even from captivity God would restore His people, breaking the way through walls of difficulty. Our Breaker is the Lord Jesus who broke the way for us from the prison-house of death. Let us follow Him as He passes on His way to victory. [source]

Chapter Summary: Micah 2

1  Against oppression
4  A lamentation
7  A reproof of injustice and idolatry
12  A promise to restore Jacob

What do the individual words in Micah 2:1 mean?

Woe to those who devise iniquity and work out evil on their beds at light morning they practice it because it is in the power of their hand
ה֧וֹי חֹֽשְׁבֵי־ אָ֛וֶן וּפֹ֥עֲלֵי רָ֖ע עַל־ ! מִשְׁכְּבוֹתָ֑ם בְּא֤וֹר הַבֹּ֙קֶר֙ יַעֲשׂ֔וּהָ כִּ֥י יֶשׁ־ לְאֵ֖ל יָדָֽם

ה֧וֹי  Woe 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הֹוי  
Sense: ah!, alas!, ha!, ho!, O!, woe!.
חֹֽשְׁבֵי־  to  those  who  devise 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct
Root: חָשַׁב 
Sense: to think, plan, esteem, calculate, invent, make a judgment, imagine, count.
אָ֛וֶן  iniquity 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָוֶן 
Sense: trouble, wickedness, sorrow.
וּפֹ֥עֲלֵי  and  work  out 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct
Root: פָּעַל  
Sense: to do, make.
רָ֖ע  evil 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
! מִשְׁכְּבוֹתָ֑ם  their  beds 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: מִשְׁכָּב  
Sense: a lying down, couch, bier, act of lying.
בְּא֤וֹר  at  light 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, common singular construct
Root: אֹור  
Sense: light.
הַבֹּ֙קֶר֙  morning 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בֹּקֶר 
Sense: morning, break of day.
יַעֲשׂ֔וּהָ  they  practice  it 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural, third person feminine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
כִּ֥י  because 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
יֶשׁ־  it  is 
Parse: Adverb
Root: יֵשׁ  
Sense: being, existence, substance, there is or are.
לְאֵ֖ל  in  the  power 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: אֵל 
Sense: god, god-like one, mighty one.
יָדָֽם  of  their  hand 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.