Micah 5:12

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:

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

  • Divine Purification: The verse emphasizes God's active role ("I will cut off") in cleansing His people from unholy influences. This is not a human effort but a divine act of judgment and restoration.
  • Rejection of Occult Practices: God unequivocally condemns and promises to eradicate all forms of sorcery and divination. These practices are antithetical to true faith, as they seek knowledge or power through illicit means rather than relying on God's revealed will and providence.
  • Exclusive Reliance on God: By removing witchcrafts and soothsayers, God demands complete and exclusive trust in Him as the sole source of truth, wisdom, and power. There is no room for spiritual syncretism or reliance on pagan superstitions.
  • Preparation for a Righteous Kingdom: This spiritual cleansing is essential for the establishment of a righteous society under God's rule, free from the pollutions that had plagued Israel and Judah throughout their history.

Linguistic Insights

  • The Hebrew word for "witchcrafts" is kěšāpîm (כְּשָׁפִים), which refers to sorceries, enchantments, or magical arts used to manipulate or harm.
  • "Soothsayers" translates from ‘ōnĕnîm (עֹנְנִים), denoting those who practice divination, fortune-telling, or prognostication, often by observing omens or clouds. Both terms highlight attempts to gain forbidden knowledge or exert control outside of God's ordained ways.
  • The phrase "cut off" (kārat - כָּרַת) is a strong verb, indicating a decisive, complete, and often violent severance or eradication, underscoring the finality of God's judgment against these practices.

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:

  • Reliance on horoscopes, mediums, or psychic readings.
  • Superstitious beliefs or practices that attribute power to objects or rituals apart from God.
  • Any attempt to manipulate spiritual forces for personal gain or to gain hidden knowledge.

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.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • 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.

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