And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no [more] soothsayers:
And I will cut off {H3772} witchcrafts {H3785} out of thine hand {H3027}; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers {H6049}:
I will cut off sorceries from your land; you will no longer have soothsayers.
I will cut the sorceries from your hand, and you will have no fortune-tellers.
And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thy hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers:
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Deuteronomy 18:10
There shall not be found among you [any one] that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, [or] that useth divination, [or] an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, -
Deuteronomy 18:12
For all that do these things [are] an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee. -
Isaiah 8:19
And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? -
Isaiah 8:20
To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, [it is] because [there is] no light in them. -
Isaiah 2:20
In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made [each one] for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats; -
Revelation 22:15
For without [are] dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie. -
Isaiah 2:18
And the idols he shall utterly abolish.
Context of Micah 5:12
Micah, a prophet in Judah during the late 8th century BC, delivered messages of both judgment and hope to the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. This particular verse is part of a broader prophetic section (Micah 5:10-15) detailing God's radical purification of His people. After promising the coming of a Messiah from Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), the prophet describes the removal of all elements that hinder a pure relationship with God. In ancient Israel, as in the surrounding pagan nations, practices like witchcraft and soothsaying were prevalent and represented a direct affront to God's exclusive sovereignty and the Mosaic Law's prohibitions against seeking guidance outside of Him.
Key Themes and Messages
Linguistic Insights
Practical Application
Micah 5:12 remains profoundly relevant today. While overt forms of witchcraft and soothsaying may seem distant to some, the underlying temptation to seek guidance or power from sources other than God persists. This can manifest in modern forms such as:
The verse calls believers to a life of complete dependence on God, trusting in His Word for guidance and seeking His will through prayer and obedience. It serves as a powerful reminder that God's people are to be holy and set apart, rejecting all practices that defile or diminish His unique sovereignty. For more on God's prohibition against these practices, see Deuteronomy 18:10-12. Believers are called to discern spiritual truth and to stand firm against spiritual deceptions, as highlighted by Ephesians 6:12 concerning the spiritual battle against forces of darkness.