Micah 7:1

¶ Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: [there is] no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit.

Woe {H480} is me! for I am as when they have gathered {H625} the summer fruits {H7019}, as the grapegleanings {H5955} of the vintage {H1210}: there is no cluster {H811} to eat {H398}: my soul {H5315} desired {H183} the firstripe fruit {H1063}.

Woe to me! for I have become like the leavings of summer fruit, like the gleanings when the vintage is finished - there isn't a cluster worth eating, no early-ripened fig that appeals to me.

Woe is me! For I am like one gathering summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster to eat, no early fig that I crave.

Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grape gleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat; my soul desireth the first-ripe fig.

Commentary on Micah 7:1 (KJV)

Micah 7:1 opens with a profound lament from the prophet Micah, expressing deep sorrow and despair over the spiritual and moral condition of Judah. This verse serves as a poignant transition, following Micah's earlier indictments against the nation's leaders, judges, and prophets for their corruption and injustice (Micah 6:10-12).

Context

The book of Micah addresses both the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah during a period of significant moral decay and political instability, particularly in the 8th century BC. Chapter 6 details God's lawsuit against His people, highlighting their covenant unfaithfulness. Micah 7:1 shifts from God's direct accusation to the prophet's personal cry of anguish, reflecting the dire spiritual landscape he observes. He feels like a scavenger after a harvest, finding nothing of value left, symbolizing the absence of righteous individuals or moral integrity within society.

Key Themes

  • Profound Despair and Lament: The phrase "Woe is me!" is a classic prophetic lament, expressing deep sorrow and distress. It echoes similar cries from other prophets who grieved over their nation's sinfulness, such as Jeremiah's anguish over Judah.
  • Spiritual Barrenness and Moral Famine: The imagery of "gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat" vividly portrays a society devoid of goodness. After the main harvest, there are typically some gleanings, but here, there is absolutely nothing left. This signifies a severe spiritual drought and a complete lack of righteous people or acts of justice and kindness. It's a land where a famine of righteousness prevails.
  • Longing for Righteousness: Micah's soul "desired the firstripe fruit." This expresses a yearning for genuine godliness, integrity, and the presence of upright individuals. The "firstripe fruit" (Hebrew: bikkurah) was often considered the best and most desirable part of the harvest, symbolizing the ideal or what is truly good and pleasing to God.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew term for "Woe is me!" ('oy li) conveys a strong sense of lament, personal grief, and often a recognition of impending judgment or deep distress. The agricultural metaphors – "summer fruits" (qayits) and "grapegleanings" ('oleloth) – are powerful. Qayits refers to the fig or date harvest, and 'oleloth to the sparse grapes left after the main vintage. The combination emphasizes utter scarcity, not just a poor yield, but a complete absence of anything good to find.

Practical Application

Micah's lament resonates deeply in any era where moral decay or spiritual apathy is prevalent. This verse prompts us to:

  1. Examine Our Surroundings: Do we see a "famine" of righteousness in our communities or even within ourselves?
  2. Lament Over Sin: Like Micah, believers are called to grieve over sin and injustice, both personal and societal, rather than becoming complacent.
  3. Long for Godly Fruit: Cultivate a desire for the "firstripe fruit" – the fruit of the Spirit, which includes love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance (Galatians 5:22-23). This verse is a powerful reminder of the importance of pursuing personal holiness and praying for spiritual revival in a morally barren world.
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.

  • Isaiah 28:4

    And the glorious beauty, which [is] on the head of the fat valley, shall be a fading flower, [and] as the hasty fruit before the summer; which [when] he that looketh upon it seeth, while it is yet in his hand he eateth it up.

  • Isaiah 24:13

    ¶ When thus it shall be in the midst of the land among the people, [there shall be] as the shaking of an olive tree, [and] as the gleaning grapes when the vintage is done.

  • Hosea 9:10

    I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the firstripe in the fig tree at her first time: [but] they went to Baalpeor, and separated themselves unto [that] shame; and [their] abominations were according as they loved.

  • Isaiah 17:6

    ¶ Yet gleaning grapes shall be left in it, as the shaking of an olive tree, two [or] three berries in the top of the uppermost bough, four [or] five in the outmost fruitful branches thereof, saith the LORD God of Israel.

  • Isaiah 6:5

    ¶ Then said I, Woe [is] me! for I am undone; because I [am] a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

  • Jeremiah 15:10

    ¶ Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury; [yet] every one of them doth curse me.

  • Jeremiah 45:3

    Thou didst say, Woe is me now! for the LORD hath added grief to my sorrow; I fainted in my sighing, and I find no rest.

Add TrulyRandomVerse to your Home Screen for quick access!

← Back