If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people.

MICAH 2:11KJV
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Micah 2:11 (KJV)

What does Micah 2:11 mean?

Micah 2:11 describes how the people would gladly accept a prophet who tells them what they want to hear, even if he is lying and only promises them things like wine and strong drink. The verse points out the people's willingness to follow false prophets who encourage their desires rather than speak the truth from God.

In this verse, the prophet Micah is speaking to the people of Israel, criticizing their preference for comforting lies over hard truths. The setting is one of moral decline, where true prophets are rejected and false prophets, who speak of indulgence and pleasure, are welcomed. Micah uses this example to highlight the people's spiritual blindness and their desire for messages that justify their behavior.

The Hebrew behind Micah 2:11

  • רוּחַ (ruach) — "spirit": Here, "walking in the spirit" can mean someone acting under a certain influence or attitude, not necessarily the Holy Spirit, but possibly a spirit of deceit or falsehood.
  • שֶׁקֶר (sheqer) — "falsehood": This word emphasizes that the message is not just mistaken but deliberately untrue, pointing to intentional deception.
  • יַיִן (yayin) — "wine" and שֵׁכָר (shekar) — "strong drink": These words are used to symbolize promises of pleasure and indulgence, showing that the false prophet's message is about satisfying physical desires rather than spiritual truth.
  • נָבָא (nava) — "prophesy": This word is used both for true and false prophecy, so the context makes it clear that the prophecy here is not from God but from someone who is misleading the people.

Why Micah 2:11 matters

  • Micah 2:11 clarifies that the people’s problem was not just the presence of false prophets, but their own desire to hear comfortable lies rather than God’s truth.
  • The verse highlights the danger of valuing pleasure and self-indulgence over honesty and spiritual integrity.
  • This verse connects to the wider message of Micah, where the prophet repeatedly warns against corrupt leadership and a society that turns away from God’s standards.

Where else these words appear

“prophesy” Hebrew H5197 · used in 14 verses

  • Judges 5:4 LORD, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water.
  • Song of Solomon 4:11 Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.
  • Ezekiel 21:2 Son of man, set thy face toward Jerusalem, and drop thy word toward the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel,

“lie” Hebrew H3576 · used in 16 verses

  • Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
  • Job 41:9 Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him?
  • Proverbs 30:6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

“drink” Hebrew H7941 · used in 20 verses

  • Leviticus 10:9 Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations:
  • Judges 13:7 But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death.
  • Proverbs 31:6 Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish, and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.

“If” Hebrew H3863 · used in 21 verses

  • Genesis 17:18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!
  • Numbers 22:29 And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.
  • 2 Samuel 19:6 In that thou lovest thine enemies, and hatest thy friends. For thou hast declared this day, that thou regardest neither princes nor servants: for this day I perceive, that if Absalom had lived, and all we had died this day, then it had pleased thee well.