Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied; and thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee; and thou shalt take hold, but shalt not deliver; and that which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword.

MICAH 6:14KJV
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Micah 6:14 (KJV)

What does Micah 6:14 mean?

Micah 6:14 describes a judgment in which ordinary efforts to sustain and protect life will fail. God tells the people that food will not bring satisfaction and that what they manage to save will still be exposed to violence.

God is speaking through Micah to people accused of dishonest dealing and violence. The phrase “thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee” pictures an inner condition of being brought low. The verse moves from trouble within the body to danger from the sword.

The Hebrew behind Micah 6:14

  • “casting down” — יֶשַׁח (yeshaḥ): This unusual word is often understood as a sinking or emptiness. In the KJV, “casting down” conveys a low condition within the person.
  • “take hold” — נָסַג (nasag): The word can carry the sense of moving something away or removing it. Here it suggests an attempt to carry something off to safety.
  • “deliver” — פָּלַט (palat): This word means to bring to safety or help escape. The verse uses it for what the people try to rescue, then for what they manage to rescue before it is given to the sword.

Why Micah 6:14 matters

  • The judgment is presented as a response to wrongdoing, not as a chance misfortune. Just before this, Micah names dishonest weights, violence, and lying in the city (Micah 6:10–12).
  • The verse presses beyond a single setback. Even “that which thou deliverest” does not remain secure, because God says he will give it “up to the sword.”
  • The sword points to deadly violence. The danger is therefore not limited to hunger or loss of possessions.

Where else these words appear

“hold” 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.

“deliver” Hebrew H6403 · used in 23 verses

  • 2 Samuel 22:2 And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;
  • Psalms 18:48 He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.
  • Psalms 70:5 But I am poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: thou art my help and my deliverer; O LORD, make no tarrying.

“satisfied” Hebrew H7646 · used in 92 verses

  • Exodus 16:8 And Moses said, This shall be, when the LORD shall give you in the evening flesh to eat, and in the morning bread to the full; for that the LORD heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD.
  • Psalms 88:3 For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.
  • Ecclesiastes 4:8 There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail.