Micah 3:7 (KJV)

What does Micah 3:7 mean?

Micah 3:7 says that people who claimed to tell others what God would reveal will be exposed and disgraced. When they seek an answer, none comes from God. Their standing as people who can provide such guidance collapses.

Micah pictures them covering their lips, a gesture associated with shame and mourning. Following the darkness described in verse 6, the gesture also suits their silence: they have no answer to give.

The Hebrew behind Micah 3:7

• “diviners” — קֹסְמִים (qosemim): This word refers to people who seek hidden knowledge or guidance by divination. Micah places them alongside “seers,” another group expected to provide insight.
• “lips” — שָׂפָם (safam): The word can refer specifically to the upper lip or the hair above it. Covering that part of the face was a visible gesture of distress or shame.
• “answer” — מַעֲנֶה (maʿaneh): This means a response to a question or request. Here it points to the response the seers and diviners would need in order to speak with authority.

Why Micah 3:7 matters

• The shame falls on those who claimed special insight. Micah names “seers” and “diviners,” not the whole community, as the people who cover their lips.
• The silence answers a problem Micah has already raised. In verse 5, he says that prophets gave favorable messages when they were fed but opposed those who gave them nothing.
• Micah draws a contrast between these figures and himself. In verse 8, he says he is filled with power by the spirit of the Lord to declare the people’s wrongdoing.