The Meaning of Micah 6:15 Explained

Micah 6:15

KJV: Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil; and sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine.

YLT: Thou -- thou sowest, and thou dost not reap, Thou -- thou treadest the olive, And thou pourest not out oil, And new wine -- and thou drinkest not wine.

Darby: Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil; and new wine, but shalt not drink wine.

ASV: Thou shalt sow, but shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but shalt not anoint thee with oil; and the vintage, but shalt not drink the wine.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Thou shalt sow,  but thou shalt not reap;  thou shalt tread  the olives,  but thou shalt not anoint  thee with oil;  and sweet wine,  but shalt not drink  wine. 

What does Micah 6:15 Mean?

Verse Meaning

They would sow seed, but they would not reap a harvest because the Lord would not bless the land with rain and cause the crops to grow (cf. Deuteronomy 28:30). They would harvest and press their olive crops, but there would be so little product that they would not even be able to anoint themselves with oil. Similarly their grape harvests would be so small that they would produce too little wine to drink (cf. Deuteronomy 28:39-40; Amos 5:11).

Context Summary

Micah 6:1-16 - "what Doth The Lord Require Of Thee?"
In Micah 6:1-4 the prophet returns from his vision of the future to the actual condition of his people, which was utterly desperate. The mountains, as the most enduring monuments of nature, are summoned as witnesses in the great trial between Jehovah and His people. Like Israel, we have been delivered from the house of bondage with infinite love, but how wayward and willful we have been! Micah 6:5-8 prove the impotence of a religion which is only external.
Few have known more sublime truth than Baalim, Micah 6:5, but he loved the wages of unrighteousness; and this eclipsed the divine radiance that became overcast and finally overwhelmed. Micah 6:9-11 reveal the fruitlessness of a life of sin. Sooner or later nature herself becomes unresponsive-sowing, but no harvest; the treading of the press, but no juice. The only path to real satisfaction and peace is in the love and faithful service of God. Why are we so slow to tread it? [source]

Chapter Summary: Micah 6

1  God's punishment for ingratitude;
6  for ignorance,
10  for injustice;
16  and for idolatry

What do the individual words in Micah 6:15 mean?

You shall sow but not reap shall tread the olives but not anoint yourselves with oil and [make] sweet wine drink wine
אַתָּ֥ה תִזְרַ֖ע וְלֹ֣א תִקְצ֑וֹר תִדְרֹֽךְ־ זַ֙יִת֙ וְלֹא־ תָס֣וּךְ שֶׁ֔מֶן וְתִיר֖וֹשׁ תִשְׁתֶּה־ יָּֽיִן

תִזְרַ֖ע  shall  sow 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: זָרַע  
Sense: to sow, scatter seed.
וְלֹ֣א  but  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
תִקְצ֑וֹר  reap 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: קָצוּר 
Sense: to be short, be impatient, be vexed, be grieved.
תִדְרֹֽךְ־  shall  tread 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: דָּרַךְ  
Sense: to tread, bend, lead, march.
זַ֙יִת֙  the  olives 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: זַיִת  
Sense: olive, olive tree.
וְלֹא־  but  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
תָס֣וּךְ  anoint  yourselves 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: סוּךְ  
Sense: to anoint, pour in anointing.
שֶׁ֔מֶן  with  oil 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֶׁמֶן  
Sense: fat, oil.
וְתִיר֖וֹשׁ  and  [make]  sweet  wine 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: יָרַשׁ 
Sense: wine, fresh or new wine, must, freshly pressed wine.
תִשְׁתֶּה־  drink 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: שָׁתָה  
Sense: to drink.
יָּֽיִן  wine 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: יַיִן  
Sense: wine.