Micah 6:8

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

He has told you, O man, what is good, and what the LORD really wants from you: He wants you to carry out justice, to love faithfulness, and to live obediently before your God.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

הִגִּ֥יד לְךָ֛ אָדָ֖ם מַה־טּ֑וֹב וּמָֽה־יְהוָ֞ה דּוֹרֵ֣שׁ מִמְּךָ֗ כִּ֣י אִם־עֲשׂ֤וֹת מִשְׁפָּט֙ וְאַ֣הֲבַת חֶ֔סֶד וְהַצְנֵ֥עַ לֶ֖כֶת עִם־אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ׃

Transliteration

higgîd lekā ʾādām mah-ṭôb û-māh-YHWH dôrēš mimmekā kî ʾim-ʿăśôt mišpāṭ wə-ʾahăbat ḥesed wə-haṣnēaʿ leket ʿim-ʾĕlōhêkā

Grammar Details

• *higgîd*: hiphil perfect, 3rd person masculine singular - he has told
• *lekā*: preposition + 2nd person masculine singular suffix - to you
• *ʾādām*: noun, masculine singular - man/mankind
• *mah*: interrogative pronoun - what
• *ṭôb*: adjective, masculine singular - good
• *û-māh*: conjunction + interrogative pronoun - and what
• *YHWH*: proper noun - divine name
• *dôrēš*: qal participle, masculine singular - seeking
• *mimmekā*: preposition + 2nd person masculine singular suffix - from you
• *kî* *ʾim*: conjunction pair - except/but only
• *ʿăśôt*: qal infinitive construct - to do
• *mišpāṭ*: noun, masculine singular - justice
• *wə-ʾahăbat*: conjunction + noun, feminine singular construct - and love of
• *ḥesed*: noun, masculine singular - covenant faithfulness/mercy
• *wə-haṣnēaʿ*: conjunction + hiphil infinitive construct - and to walk humbly
• *leket*: qal infinitive construct - to walk
• *ʿim*: preposition - with
• *ʾĕlōhêkā*: noun, masculine plural + 2nd person masculine singular suffix - your God

Word Meanings

• *higgîd*: told/declared/made known
• *ʾādām*: man/mankind/humanity
• *mišpāṭ*: justice/judgment/right
• *ḥesed*: covenant faithfulness/steadfast love/mercy/kindness
• *haṣnēaʿ*: walk humbly/be modest/act prudently

Referenced Verses

• Deut 10:12-13 : 12 An Exhortation to Love Both God and People Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you except to revere him, to obey all his commandments, to love him, to serve him with all your mind and being, 13 and to keep the LORD’s commandments and statutes that I am giving you today for your own good?
• 1 Sam 15:22 : 22 Then Samuel said,“Does the LORD take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as he does in obedience? Certainly, obedience is better than sacrifice; paying attention is better than the fat of rams.
• Jer 22:3 : 3 The LORD says,“Do what is just and right. Deliver those who have been robbed from those who oppress them. Do not exploit or mistreat resident foreigners who live in your land, children who have no fathers, or widows. Do not kill innocent people in this land.
• Isa 66:2 : 2 My hand made them; that is how they came to be,” says the LORD. I show special favor to the humble and contrite, who respect what I have to say.
• Hos 6:6 : 6 For I delight in faithfulness, not simply in sacrifice; I delight in acknowledging God, not simply in whole burnt offerings.
• Col 3:12 : 12 Exhortation to Unity and Love Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,
• 1 Pet 5:5-6 : 5 In the same way, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. 6 And God will exalt you in due time, if you humble yourselves under his mighty hand
• 1 Pet 3:8 : 8 Suffering for Doing Good Finally, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, affectionate, compassionate, and humble.
• Prov 21:3 : 3 To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
• Gen 18:19 : 19 I have chosen him so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just. Then the LORD will give to Abraham what he promised him.”
• Luke 11:42 : 42 “But woe to you Pharisees! You give a tenth of your mint, rue, and every herb, yet you neglect justice and love for God! But you should have done these things without neglecting the others.
• Amos 5:24 : 24 Justice must flow like torrents of water, righteous actions like a stream that never dries up.
• Luke 6:36 : 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
• Jas 4:6-9 : 6 But he gives greater grace. Therefore it says,“God opposes the proud, but he gives grace to the humble.” 7 So submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and make your hearts pure, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter into mourning and your joy into despair. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.
• Matt 5:3 : 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
• Matt 5:7 : 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
• Isa 57:15 : 15 For this is what the high and exalted one says, the one who rules forever, whose name is holy:“I dwell in an exalted and holy place, but also with the discouraged and humiliated, in order to cheer up the humiliated and to encourage the discouraged.
• Lam 3:26 : 26 It is good to wait patiently for deliverance from the LORD.
• Matt 18:32-35 : 32 Then his lord called the first slave and said to him,‘Evil slave! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me! 33 Should you not have shown mercy to your fellow slave, just as I showed it to you?’ 34 And in anger his lord turned him over to the prison guards to torture him until he repaid all he owed. 35 So also my heavenly Father will do to you, if each of you does not forgive your brother from your heart.”
• Mark 12:30-34 : 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is:‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 The expert in the law said to him,“That is true, Teacher; you are right to say that he is one, and there is no one else besides him. 33 And to love him with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Jesus saw that he had answered thoughtfully, he said to him,“You are not far from the kingdom of God.” Then no one dared any longer to question him.
• Hos 12:6 : 6 But you must return to your God, by maintaining love and justice, and by waiting for your God to return to you.
• Gen 5:22 : 22 After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God for 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters.
• Dan 4:37 : 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all his deeds are right and his ways are just. He is able to bring down those who live in pride.
• 2 Chr 32:26 : 26 But then Hezekiah and the residents of Jerusalem humbled themselves and abandoned their pride, and the LORD was not angry with them for the rest of Hezekiah’s reign.
• 2 Chr 33:19 : 19 The Annals of the Prophets include his prayer, give an account of how the LORD responded to it, record all his sins and unfaithful acts, and identify the sites where he built high places and erected Asherah poles and idols before he humbled himself.
• 2 Chr 33:23 : 23 He did not humble himself before the LORD as his father Manasseh had done. Amon was guilty of great sin.
• 2 Chr 34:27 : 27 ‘You displayed a sensitive spirit and humbled yourself before God when you heard his words concerning this place and its residents. You humbled yourself before me, tore your clothes and wept before me, and I have heard you,’ says the LORD.
• Eccl 12:13 : 13 Having heard everything, I have reached this conclusion: Fear God and keep his commandments, because this is the whole duty of man.
• Isa 1:16-19 : 16 Wash! Cleanse yourselves! Remove your sinful deeds from my sight. Stop sinning! 17 Learn to do what is right! Promote justice! Give the oppressed reason to celebrate! Take up the cause of the orphan! Defend the rights of the widow! 18 Come, let’s consider your options,” says the LORD.“Though your sins have stained you like the color red, you can become white like snow; though they are as easy to see as the color scarlet, you can become white like wool. 19 If you have a willing attitude and obey, then you will again eat the good crops of the land.
• Isa 57:1-2 : 1 The godly perish, but no one cares. Honest people disappear, when no one minds that the godly disappear because of evil. 2 Those who live uprightly enter a place of peace; they rest on their beds.
• Ps 37:26 : 26 All day long he shows compassion and lends to others, and his children are blessed.
• Ps 73:28 : 28 But as for me, God’s presence is all I need. I have made the Sovereign LORD my shelter, as I declare all the things you have done.
• Ps 112:4 : 4 In the darkness a light shines for the godly, for each one who is merciful, compassionate, and just.
• Ps 112:9 : 9 He generously gives to the needy; his integrity endures. He will be vindicated and honored.
• Eph 4:32 : 32 Instead, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.
• Titus 2:11-12 : 11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people. 12 It trains us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,
• Rom 10:1-3 : 1 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God on behalf of my fellow Israelites is for their salvation. 2 For I can testify that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not in line with the truth. 3 For ignoring the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking instead to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.
• Zeph 2:3 : 3 Seek the LORD’s favor, all you humble people of the land who have obeyed his commands! Strive to do what is right! Strive to be humble! Maybe you will be protected on the day of the LORD’s angry judgment.
• Matt 3:8-9 : 8 Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance, 9 and don’t think you can say to yourselves,‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones! 10 Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
• Luke 18:13-17 : 13 The tax collector, however, stood far off and would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said,‘God, be merciful to me, sinner that I am!’ 14 I tell you that this man went down to his home justified rather than the Pharisee. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.” 15 Jesus and Little Children Now people were even bringing their babies to him for him to touch. But when the disciples saw it, they began to scold those who brought them. 16 But Jesus called for the children, saying,“Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. 17 I tell you the truth, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”
• 2 Pet 1:5-8 : 5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith excellence, to excellence, knowledge; 6 to knowledge, self-control; to self-control, perseverance; to perseverance, godliness; 7 to godliness, brotherly affection; to brotherly affection, unselfish love. 8 For if these things are really yours and are continually increasing, they will keep you from becoming ineffective and unproductive in your pursuit of knowing our Lord Jesus Christ more intimately.
• Rom 7:16 : 16 But if I do what I don’t want, I agree that the law is good.
• Rom 9:20 : 20 But who indeed are you– a mere human being– to talk back to God? Does what is molded say to the molder,“Why have you made me like this?”
• Luke 10:42 : 42 but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the best part; it will not be taken away from her.”
• 1 Cor 7:16 : 16 For how do you know, wife, whether you will bring your husband to salvation? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will bring your wife to salvation?
• 2 Thess 2:16 : 16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by grace gave us eternal comfort and good hope,
• Jas 2:20 : 20 But would you like evidence, you empty fellow, that faith without works is useless?
• Neh 9:13 : 13 “You came down on Mount Sinai and spoke with them from heaven. You provided them with just judgments, true laws, and good statutes and commandments.
• Lev 26:41 : 41 (and I myself will walk in hostility against them and bring them into the land of their enemies), and then their uncircumcised hearts become humbled and they make up for their iniquity,
• 1 Sam 12:23 : 23 As far as I am concerned, far be it from me to sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you! I will instruct you in the way that is good and upright.
• Ezek 16:63 : 63 Then you will remember, be ashamed, and remain silent because of your disgrace when I make atonement for all you have done, declares the Sovereign LORD.’”
• Isa 58:6-9 : 6 No, this is the kind of fast I want. I want you to remove the sinful chains, to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke, to set free the oppressed, and to break every burdensome yoke. 7 I want you to share your food with the hungry and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people. When you see someone naked, clothe him! Don’t turn your back on your own flesh and blood! 8 Then your light will shine like the sunrise; your restoration will quickly arrive; your godly behavior will go before you, and the LORD’s splendor will be your rear guard. 9 Then you will call out, and the LORD will respond; you will cry out, and he will reply,‘Here I am.’ You must remove the burdensome yoke from among you and stop pointing fingers and speaking sinfully. 10 You must actively help the hungry and feed the oppressed. Then your light will dispel the darkness, and your darkness will be transformed into noonday. 11 The LORD will continually lead you; he will feed you even in parched regions. He will give you renewed strength, and you will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring that continually produces water.
• 2 Chr 30:11 : 11 But some men from Asher, Manasseh, and Zebulun humbled themselves and came to Jerusalem.
• Jer 7:3-6 : 3 The LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel says: Change the way you have been living and do what is right. If you do, I will allow you to continue to live in this land. 4 Stop putting your confidence in the false belief that says,“We are safe! The temple of the LORD is here! The temple of the LORD is here! The temple of the LORD is here!” 5 You must change the way you have been living and do what is right. You must treat one another fairly. 6 Stop oppressing resident foreigners who live in your land, children who have lost their fathers, and women who have lost their husbands. Stop killing innocent people in this land. Stop paying allegiance to other gods. That will only bring about your ruin.