Micah 5:14 — Word Study
WLCוְנָתַשְׁתִּ֥י אֲשֵׁירֶ֖יךָ מִקִּרְבֶּ֑ךָ וְהִשְׁמַדְתִּ֖י עָרֶֽיךָ׃
BSAto makeʻâsâh faceʼaph ragechêmâh vengeancenâqâm Obj.ʼêth Gentilegôwy whichʼăsher notlôʼ to hearshâmaʻ
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| וְנָתַשְׁתִּ֥י | and I will pluck up | Verb, Qal, sequential perfect first person common singular |
| אֲשֵׁירֶ֖יךָ | Asherah poles your | Noun, suffix |
| מִקִּרְבֶּ֑ךָ | from midst your | Preposition, noun common masculine singular construct, suffix |
| וְהִשְׁמַדְתִּ֖י | and I will destroy | Verb, Hiphil, sequential perfect first person common singular |
| עָרֶֽיךָ׃ | cities your | Noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | I will root out the Asherah poles from your midst and demolish your cities. |
| KJV | And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities. |
| ASV | and I will pluck up thine Asherim out of the midst of thee; and I will destroy thy cities. |
| YLT | And I have plucked up thy shrines out of thy midst, And I have destroyed thine enemies. |
| WEB | I will uproot your Asherah poles from among you; and I will destroy your cities. |
| BBE | I will have your Asherahs pulled up from among you: and I will send destruction on your images. |
Where they part company is in the choice of verbs for וְנָתַשְׁתִּ֥י and וְהִשְׁמַדְתִּ֖י — see How Translations Differ.
Two main clauses connected by a conjunction, each with its own object, emphasizing the dual actions of uprooting and demolishing.
7 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbעָשָׂה
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Micah 5:14
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — God's Judgment on Idolatrygenerated
Micah 5:14 is part of a larger prophetic message where God announces His judgment against Israel's idolatry. In the verses leading up to this, God declares His intention to cleanse His people from false worship and the consequences of their actions. This judgment is not only about removing idols but also about the destruction of cities that have turned away from Him, emphasizing the seriousness of their sin.
Cross References
The Key Word — וְנָתַשְׁתִּ֥י, ve.na.tash.Tigenerated
The verb נָתַשׁ (nathash) means to uproot or pluck up, used here to convey the act of removing idols from among the people. It is a Qal verb in the perfect tense, indicating a completed action in the first person singular, signifying that God Himself will perform this act of judgment.
The destructive connotation of this verb is significant, as it reflects God's decisive action against the Asherah poles, symbols of idolatry. This aligns with the broader biblical theme of God calling His people back to faithfulness and away from practices that lead them astray.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main finite verbs are וְנָתַשְׁתִּ֥י and וְהִשְׁמַדְתִּ֖י, and I will pluck up and and I will destroy, each governing their respective phrases. The structure emphasizes the actions God will take, with the objects being the Asherah poles and the cities.
The Hebrew syntax places the verbs at the forefront, highlighting God's decisive actions. The use of the conjunction וְ (and) connects these actions, indicating that both will occur as part of God's judgment.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates וְנָתַשְׁתִּ֥י as ποιήσω (poiesō), meaning I will make. This choice shows a broader interpretation of the act of uprooting, suggesting not just removal but also a transformative action.
For וְהִשְׁמַדְתִּ֖י, the translation is ἐκδίκησιν (ekdikēsin), which implies a sense of vengeance or retribution, aligning with the theme of divine judgment against idolatry.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Micah 5:14 tells us that God will remove the Asherah poles, symbols of idol worship, from among His people and will destroy their cities. This reflects God's judgment against idolatry and the consequences of turning away from Him.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Asherah poles were objects associated with the worship of the goddess Asherah, often represented by trees or wooden images, and were condemned in the Bible as symbols of idolatry.
The destruction of cities symbolizes God's judgment against the people for their idolatrous practices and their failure to follow His commands.
To uproot means to pull something out from its roots, indicating a complete removal or destruction, which in this context refers to eradicating idolatry.
This verse illustrates God's active role in judging His people for their sins, particularly their worship of false gods, and emphasizes the seriousness of turning away from Him.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What idols or distractions do I need to remove from my life to draw closer to God?
- How can I recognize areas in my life where I may be turning away from God's commands?
- In what ways can I actively participate in promoting true worship in my community?
- What does it mean for me to trust in God's judgment and His plans for restoration?
Commentators on this verse — 7 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Micah 5:14 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee,.... Planted for idolatrous worship, and which the Jews in the reigns of some of their kings raised, and made use of for such purposes; see 1
Read John Gill on Micah 5 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAnd I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities. And I will pluck up thy groves ... so will I destroy thy cities.
Read Robert Jamieson on Micah 5 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleI will pluck up thy groves: the groves where some of them abused in downright idolatrous worship, others of them used superstitiously, thus beside the word; the other way, quite against the word: but after the return from Babylon, there was a great reformation in this point, and after the appearing of the Messiah there hath been a greater eradication of idolatry. So will I destroy thy cities, or thine enemies; for the word, here used indifferently, signifieth both, and they will either agree to this place. If cities, they are those devoted to idolatry, which, , were to be destroyed; if you interpret it enemies, it is either an argument to confirm them that they shall not need horses and…
Read Matthew Poole on Micah 5 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsMicah 5:14 And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities.Ver. 14. And I will pluck up thy groves, &c.] Wherein thou placest a part of thy happiness (as the Hebrew word importeth), and hast an overly high opinion of them, because anciently frequented by the Fathers, before the law. But it should have been considered that it was but will worship at best; yea, that God had flatly forbidden the planting of groves, Deuteronomy 16:21, as things in use among Pagans for honour either of some god or some great man’ s ghost which was thought to dwell there. Nulli certa domus, lucia habitamus opacis (Virg. Aeneid). The worshippers of Priapus (that shame), when…
Read John Trapp on Micah 5 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(14) I will pluck up thy groves—i.e., either the statues, pillars, or trees connected with the worship of Baal and Astarte. Some such statue was placed by Manasseh even in the house of the Lord, from which it was brought out and burnt by Josiah (2 Kings 23:6). Thy cities—i.e., the pollutions, tumults, &c., of which the cities were the strongholds.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Micah 5 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges14. thy groves] Rather, thy Ashçrahs. Ashçrah was a sensual Canaanitish goddess, corresponding to the feminine variety of the Assyrian Ishtar; her symbol was a wooden pillar or artificial tree.thy cities] But the cities have been already mentioned (Micah 5:11). It is better perhaps to render thy adversaries (giving the word its Aramaic sense; or, if this be preferred, slightly altering the first letter—‘ayin into çere—to suit the general Hebrew usage). Thus we shall obtain a transition to Micah 5:15.
Read Cambridge on Micah 5 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the BibleTHE MESSIAH AND THE ERA, 1-15 (in Hebrew, Micah 4:14-5:14).In Micah 5:1, the prophet returns once more (Micah 4:9; Micah 4:11) to the condition now present or imminent; but immediately he rises from
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Micah 5 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
I will root out the Asherah poles from your midst and demolish your cities.
I will uproot your Asherah poles from among you; and I will destroy your cities.
I will root out the Asherah poles from your midst and demolish your cities.
I will uproot your images of Asherah from your midst, and destroy your idols.
Tyndale line
And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities.
and I will pluck up thine Asherim out of the midst of thee; and I will destroy thy cities.
and I will pluck up thine Asherim out of the midst of thee: and I will destroy thy cities.
And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities.
And I wil plucke vp thy groues out of the middes of thee: so will I destroy thine enemies.
Strictly literal
And I will pluck up thine Asherahs out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy cities.
And I have plucked up thy shrines out of thy midst, And I have destroyed thine enemies.
And I have plucked up your Asherim out of your midst, || And I have destroyed your enemies.
(5:13) And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee; and I will destroy thy enemies.
I will uproot your Asherah poles from among you, and I will destroy your cities.
From the Latin
And I will execute vengeance in wrath and in indignation among all the nations that have not given ear.
Simplified
I will pull up the Asherah poles that you have and destroy your pagan places.
I will have your Asherahs pulled up from among you: and I will send destruction on your images.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text reads וְנָתַשְׁתִּ֥י אֲשֵׁירֶ֖יךָ מִקִּרְבֶּ֑ךָ וְהִשְׁמַדְתִּ֖י עָרֶֽיךָ׃, and this is closely matched by the Septuagint, which shares all five words in the verse. The Dead Sea Scrolls — Mur88 also reflect similar themes, though two words are partly restored.
וְנָתַשְׁתִּ֥י אֲשֵׁירֶ֖יךָ מִקִּרְבֶּ֑ךָ וְהִשְׁמַדְתִּ֖י עָרֶֽיךָ׃
5 of the 5 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
ועשיתי באף ובחמה נקם את הגוים אשר לא שמעו
7 words on the leather — 2 partly restored.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Micah 5:14
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
נָתַשׁ (nathash) is a Hebrew verb meaning to pull or pluck up, and it conveys the idea of uprooting or destroying. It can appear in various forms, including Qal (to pull up), Niphal (to be plucked up), and Hophal (to be plucked up). The entries consistently emphasize its destructive connotation, with no significant disagreement among the lexicons.
נָתַשׁ vb. pull or pluck up, root out
Qal pull or pluck up
Niph. it shall not be rooted up
Hoph. and she was rooted up
base
H5428 נָתַשׁ pull or pluck up, root out
5428 nathash naw-thash'
a primitive root; to tear away:--destroy, forsake, pluck
(out, up, by the roots), pull up, root out (up), X utterly.
נָתַשׁ (na.tash) — to uproot.
1) to pull up, expel, root out, pluck up
1a) (Qal) to pull or pluck up
1b) (Niphal) to be plucked up
1c) (Hophal) to be plucked up
Hc/Vqq1cs — Verb · Qal · sequential perfect first person common singularHc/Vqq1cs
אֲשֵׁרָה (asherah) refers to a Phoenician goddess associated with happiness and fortune, as well as to the images or groves used for idol worship. It is linked to the goddess Astarte and is often represented by sacred trees or poles near altars. The term appears in contexts related to idol worship in the Old Testament.
אֲשֵׁרָה, אֲשֵׁירָה n.pr.f. Ashera
base
H842 אֲשֵׁרָה, אֲשֵׁירָה Ashera
842 'asherah ash-ay-raw'
or masheyrah {ash-ay-raw'}; from 833; happy; Asherah (or
Astarte) a Phoenician goddess; also an image of the same:--
grove. Compare 6253.
see HEBREW for 0833
see HEBREW for 06253
אֲשֵׁרָה (a.she.rah) — Asherah.
§ Ashera(h) = "groves (for idol worship)"
a Babylonian (Astarte)-Canaanite goddess (of fortune and happiness), the supposed consort of Baal, her images
her images
sacred trees or poles set up near an altar
HNtmpc/Sp2ms — Noun · suffixHNtmpc/Sp2ms
קֶ֫רֶב (qereb) refers to the inward part or midst of something, encompassing both physical and figurative meanings. It can denote the center of a person or object, as well as the seat of thought and emotion. The term also relates to the entrails of sacrificial animals. It is used in various contexts, including references to being among or within a group.
קֶ֫רֶב 227 n.[m.] inward part, midst
base
H7130 קֶ֫רֶב inward part, midst
7130 qereb keh'-reb
from 7126; properly, the nearest part, i.e. the center,
whether literal, figurative or adverbial (especially with
preposition):--X among, X before, bowels, X unto charge, +
eat (up), X heart, X him, X in, inward (X -ly, part, -s,
thought), midst, + out of, purtenance, X therein, X through, X
within self.
see HEBREW for 07126
קֶ֫רֶב (qe.rev) — entrails: among.
: among/within
1) midst, among, inner part, middle
1a) inward part
1a1) physical sense
1a2) as seat of thought and emotion
1a3) as faculty of thought and emotion
1b) in the midst, among, from among (of a number of persons)
1c) entrails (of sacrificial animals)
Also means: qe.rev (קֶ֫רֶב ": inner_parts" H7130H)
קֶ֫רֶב (qe.rev) — entrails: inner parts.
: inner_parts
1) midst, among, inner part, middle
1a) inward part
1a1) physical sense
1a2) as seat of thought and emotion
1a3) as faculty of thought and emotion
1b) in the midst, among, from among (of a number of persons)
1c) entrails (of sacrificial animals)
HR/Ncmsc/Sp2ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular construct · suffixHR/Ncmsc/Sp2ms
שָׁמַד (shamad) is a Hebrew verb meaning to destroy or exterminate. It has forms in both the Niph'al, indicating being destroyed, and the Hiph'il, indicating the act of destroying. The entries emphasize its use in contexts of annihilation and devastation, with a focus on complete destruction.
[שָׁמַד] 90 vb. Niph. be exterminated, destroyed
Hiph. 69
annihilate, exterminate
destroy
base
H8045 [שָׁמַד] Niph. be exterminated, destroyed
8045 shamad shaw-mad'
a primitive root; to desolate:--destory(- uction), bring to
nought, overthrow, perish, pluck down, X utterly.
שָׁמַד (sha.mad) — to destroy.
1) to destroy, exterminate, be destroyed, be exterminated
1a) (Niphal)
1a1) to be annihilated, be exterminated
1a2) to be destroyed, be devastated
1b) (Hiphil)
1b1) to annihilate, exterminate
1b2) to destroy
Aramaic equivalent: she.mad (שְׁמַד "to destroy" H8046)
Hc/Vhq1cs — Verb · Hiphil · sequential perfect first person common singularHc/Vhq1cs
The Hebrew word עִיר (*'iyr*) has meanings related to both excitement and city. It can denote excitement, particularly of terror or rage, as well as refer to a city or town, indicating a place that is guarded or inhabited. The entries suggest a broad application, from fortified cities to simple encampments. There is a specific mention of a man named Ir in 1 Chronicles 4:12.
עִיר n.[m.] excitement;—of terror; of rage
base
עִיר 1092 n.f. city, town
city, town, abode of men
of fortress in a city
appar. fortified place, of any size
base
H5892a עִיר excitement;—of terror; of rage H5892b עִיר city, town . city, town, abode of men
. of fortress in a city
. appar. fortified place, of any size
5892 `iyr eer
or (in the plural) par {awr}; or ayar (Judges 10:4)
{aw-yar'}; from 5782 a city (a place guarded by waking or a
watch) in the widest sense (even of a mere encampment or
post):--Ai (from margin), city, court (from margin), town.
see HEBREW for 05782
עִיר (ir) — excitement.
1) excitement, anguish
1a) of terror
עִיר (ir) — city.
1) city, town (a place of waking, guarded)
1a) city, town (a place of waking, guarded)
1a) city, town
עִיר (ir) — City (of On).
Combined with on (אֹן "On" H0204)
This name means city, town
Another name of on (אֹן "On" H0204)
עִיר (ir) — Ir-.
#A man of the tribe of Judah living at the time of Divided Monarchy, only mentioned at 1Ch.4.12;
son of: Tehinnah (H8468)
HNcmpc/Sp2ms — Noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHNcmpc/Sp2ms