Prophesy ye not, say they to them that prophesy: they shall not prophesy to them, that they shall not take shame.

MICAH 2:6KJV
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Micah 2:6 (KJV)

What does Micah 2:6 mean?

Micah 2:6 describes how certain people are telling God’s prophets to stop prophesying, insisting that they should not speak messages that might bring shame or discomfort. The verse shows a rejection of prophetic warnings, as some do not want to hear words that challenge or correct them.

In the setting of Micah 2:6, the prophet Micah is addressing people in Israel who are resisting his and other prophets’ messages from God. These people are essentially saying, “Don’t prophesy!” because they do not want to feel exposed or convicted by what God is saying through the prophets. The verse highlights a tension between the message God wants delivered and the unwillingness of the audience to receive it.

The Hebrew behind Micah 2:6

  • The word “prophesy” (נָטַף, nataph) appears several times in this verse. It often means “to drip” or “to drop,” but in prophetic language, it refers to speaking or delivering a message from God. The repetition emphasizes how strongly the people want the prophets to stop speaking.
  • The word “take” (נָסַג, nasag) in this context is about receiving or experiencing something, here connected to shame.
  • The word “shame” (חֶרְפָּה, cherpah) means disgrace or reproach. The people are saying they do not want the prophets to speak in a way that would cause them to feel ashamed or exposed.

Why Micah 2:6 matters

  • Micah 2:6 clears up that the resistance to prophecy was not just about disagreement but about a desire to avoid uncomfortable truth and accountability.
  • The verse reveals a key theme in Micah: the struggle between God’s call to justice and the people’s reluctance to hear hard truths.
  • Understanding this verse helps explain why prophetic voices were often unpopular and resisted, setting the stage for the warnings and judgments that follow in the book.

Where else these words appear

“take” Hebrew H5253 · used in 9 verses

  • Deuteronomy 19:14 Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour's landmark, which they of old time have set in thine inheritance, which thou shalt inherit in the land that the LORD thy God giveth thee to possess it.
  • Proverbs 22:28 Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.
  • Isaiah 59:14 And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.

“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,

“shame” Hebrew H3639 · used in 29 verses

  • Job 20:3 I have heard the check of my reproach, and the spirit of my understanding causeth me to answer.
  • Isaiah 30:3 Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion.
  • Ezekiel 16:63 That thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord GOD.