Notwithstanding the land shall be desolate because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings.

MICAH 7:13KJV
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Micah 7:13 (KJV)

What does Micah 7:13 mean?

Micah 7:13 says that the land will become empty and ruined because of the people living there and the consequences of their actions. The verse points out that the destruction is a direct result of what the people have done.

Micah, a prophet, is speaking to the people of Israel during a time when they have turned away from God and acted unjustly. The verse comes near the end of Micah’s message, where he describes both judgment and hope. Here, he makes it clear that the coming devastation is not random but is tied to the people's own choices and behavior.

The Hebrew behind Micah 7:13

  • The word for "land" is אֶרֶץ (erets), which often refers to the whole territory or country, not just a small area. This shows the scale of the coming desolation.
  • "Desolate" comes from שָׁמָה (shamah), meaning laid waste or ruined. This word stresses the seriousness of the destruction—it's not just damaged, but emptied and devastated.
  • "Fruit" is פְּרִי (peri), which literally means the result or outcome of something, like harvest from a tree. Here, it refers to the consequences or results of the people’s actions.
  • "Doings" is מַעֲלָל (ma'alal), meaning deeds or actions. This word highlights that the destruction is a direct result of what the people have chosen to do.

Why Micah 7:13 matters

  • Micah 7:13 makes it clear that the coming hardship is not accidental or unfair; it is the natural outcome of the people's own choices.
  • The verse connects personal and communal actions to real-world consequences, showing a cause-and-effect relationship that runs through the whole book of Micah.
  • This verse sets up the contrast with the hope and restoration Micah describes later, making the promise of renewal more meaningful by first showing the seriousness of judgment.

Where else these words appear

“doings” Hebrew H4611 · used in 41 verses

  • Deuteronomy 28:20 The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.
  • Jeremiah 4:4 Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings.
  • Jeremiah 26:13 Therefore now amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of the LORD your God; and the LORD will repent him of the evil that he hath pronounced against you.

“desolate” Hebrew H8077 · used in 54 verses

  • Exodus 23:29 I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.
  • Jeremiah 44:6 Wherefore my fury and mine anger was poured forth, and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as at this day.
  • Ezekiel 33:29 Then shall they know that I am the LORD, when I have laid the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed.

“fruit” Hebrew H6529 · used in 107 verses

  • Genesis 1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
  • Nehemiah 10:35 And to bring the firstfruits of our ground, and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, unto the house of the LORD:
  • Isaiah 37:30 And this shall be a sign unto thee, Ye shall eat this year such as groweth of itself; and the second year that which springeth of the same: and in the third year sow ye, and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit thereof.