Introduction: A Prophecy of Rebuke for Robbery and Oppression
Chapter 2 of Micha is a sharp rebuke directed against the wealthy and tyrannical among the people, those who turned robbery and extortion into a way of life. The prophet describes how they plot iniquity by night and carry it out in the morning, how they seize fields and houses, and how they refuse to hear words of rebuke from the prophets. Micha's language is especially difficult, and therefore there are many commentaries - each commentator attempting to decipher the verses in a slightly different manner. We will primarily follow the Malbim, while also citing Rashi, the Radak, and Targum Yonatan where they take a different approach.
Verse 1: Evil Intent That Is Already Considered an Action
הוֹי חֹשְׁבֵי־אָוֶן וּפֹעֲלֵי רָע עַל־מִשְׁכְּבוֹתָם בְּאוֹר הַבֹּקֶר יַעֲשׂוּהָ כִּי יֶשׁ־לְאֵל יָדָם׃ - "Woe to those who devise iniquity and work evil upon their beds! In the light of morning they execute it, because it is in the power of their hand."
The Radak explains the phrase "upon their beds": when a person lies on his bed, he thinks more deeply, since none of his physical senses are actively occupied. This is a familiar reality - when a person lies in bed, all kinds of thoughts begin entering his heart, for he is not engaged in anything else, and his thoughts naturally wander. And "in the light of morning they execute it, because it is in the power of their hand" - they carry it out as soon as morning dawns, because they have the power to oppress the poor.
The Malbim adds a sharp insight: while lying in bed, they are physically unable to rob and extort. If so, are they considered righteous at that moment? After all, he is in bed right now and not actively stealing! The prophet says: No. They are so wicked that even upon their beds they are wicked - on their beds they devise iniquity, scheming how to oppress and how to rob.
Furthermore, why does the verse call them "workers of evil" (po'alei ra), when on their beds they are only thinking and have not yet acted? The Malbim explains that the answer lies in the continuation of the verse: "in the light of morning they execute it, because it is in the power of their hand" - the moment morning breaks, since the power is in their hands, they immediately go out and execute everything they schemed at night. It emerges that their thought to commit iniquity is considered as though they are already actively working it, since nothing holds them back - the moment he can put it into action, he immediately does so.
The Malbim previously explained in Sefer Yeshayahu the difference between "to do" (la'asot) and "to work" (lif'ol): lif'ol refers to engaging in the process of an action, while la'asot refers to completing the act. Therefore, at first they are "workers of evil" - occupying themselves with the thoughts of evil and planning how to carry it out; and then "in the light of morning they execute it" (ya'asuha) - where they put it into practice and bring their deeds to completion.
Verse 2: From Field to House, and from House to Servitude
וְחָמְדוּ שָׂדוֹת וְגָזָלוּ וּבָתִּים וְנָשָׂאוּ וְעָשְׁקוּ גֶּבֶר וּבֵיתוֹ וְאִישׁ וְנַחֲלָתוֹ׃ - "And they covet fields and seize them, and houses and take them away; and they oppress a man and his house, a person and his heritage."
"And they covet fields and seize them" - these wicked people, whom the prophet addresses and rebukes, covet their fellow's field and seize it by force. Afterwards, "and houses and take them away" - the verb "and they covet" applies to this as well: they coveted fields and seized them, and they coveted houses and took them away. The conjunctive vav connects them, indicating that they coveted the houses as well.
However, a house is situated in the city, and it cannot simply be seized openly. A field is located outside the settlement, but a house is difficult to rob publicly. Therefore the verse says "and took them away" (venasa'u) - the Malbim explains that he takes it through trade and transaction (massa umattan). How so? Does he actually pay for it? Heaven forbid. He owns fields - and from where? From the robbery we just saw! He gives the stolen fields in exchange for the houses. It cost him nothing: he robbed fields, and now trades them for the houses he takes from these people.
And then, "and they defraud a man and his house." After the exchange, it becomes clear to the victim that he has no field, since the field he received was stolen land and its original owners are demanding it back, and the house is already out of his hands. It turns out that they are taking away his house, and this is called oshek (defrauding). For the house rightfully belongs to him - "What did you give me, a stolen field?" - and when he comes to demand his house back, you withhold it from him, so you are defrauding him. And they do this in the city as well.
The difference between gezel (robbery) and oshek (defrauding), the Malbim explains, is that robbery is when you actively go and take what does not belong to you. Defrauding is when you retain what rightfully belongs to someone else. You do not actively go and seize it, but you withhold what is rightfully his. That is why we speak of defrauding the wages of a hired worker - the wages belong to him, yet you keep them for yourself. Here, too: "and they defraud a man and his house" - you withhold the house, for the field was stolen and its rightful owners came and reclaimed it, and now he wants his house back, yet you withhold what is rightfully his and keep it for yourself.
"A man and his heritage" - the heritage, which is the field, he takes back, yet he refuses to return his house. And what does "a man" (gever) mean? This refers to the person himself. This man, whose house was also taken from him, falls into destitute poverty. And what happens to him? He is forced into servitude as a slave. Thus, they have defrauded not only his house but also the man himself - for he must earn a living somehow, and he ends up becoming like a slave to the very person who robbed him of his house.
Pasuk 3: An Iron Yoke on the Neck in an Evil Time
לָכֵן כֹּה אָמַר יְהֹוָה הִנְנִי חֹשֵׁב עַל־הַמִּשְׁפָּחָה הַזֹּאת רָעָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא־תָמִישׁוּ מִשָּׁם צַוְּארֹתֵיכֶם וְלֹא תֵלְכוּ רוֹמָה כִּי עֵת רָעָה הִיא׃ - Therefore, so said Hashem: Behold, I am devising evil against this family, from which you will not remove your necks, nor will you walk upright, for it is an evil time.
"This family" refers to the wicked people we discussed, these plunderers. And the calamity that will come upon them will be like an iron chain wrapped around their necks: "from which you will not remove your necks" - you will not be able to free your necks from the evil that will ensnare you.
"Nor will you walk upright" - as the Targum renders it: you will not walk with an erect posture. You will not be able to raise your head, because the iron yoke weighs heavily upon your neck.
"For it is an evil time" - when calamity befalls a person during a time that is otherwise good, there is still a chance to escape. But when calamity strikes and the time itself is bad - a time of distress, a time of war, a time of widespread catastrophe - the chance of being saved is far slimmer. Therefore, the prophet says that this is a misfortune from which there is no escape, for the era itself is an evil time, and in such a situation there is no deliverance.
Pasuk 4: The Lament of the Robbers and the Reply of the Robbed
בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִשָּׂא עֲלֵיכֶם מָשָׁל וְנָהָה נְהִי נִהְיָה אָמַר שָׁדוֹד נְשַׁדֻּנוּ חֵלֶק עַמִּי יָמִיר אֵיךְ יָמִישׁ לִי לְשׁוֹבֵב שָׂדֵינוּ יְחַלֵּק׃ - On that day, one shall take up a parable against you, and lament a bitter lamentation, saying: "We are utterly plundered! He exchanges the portion of my people; how He removes it from me! To the rebellious one He divides our fields."
"And lament a bitter lamentation" (venaheh nehi nihyah) - all of these expressions are forms of mourning and lamentation. A kinah is a lament, where a person cries out and wails aloud over his distress. And what is the difference between them? Naheh is the verb, while nehi is the noun - just like "to sing" and "a song": "song" is the noun and "to sing" is the action. Here too: he wails (naheh), and what does he wail? The wailing (nehi), the lament itself. And nihyah, explains the Malbim, is the greater lament, while nehi is the lesser one. Thus, there is a major lamentation and a minor lamentation.
The Malbim explains that the prophet is describing here the words of those plundered by the gentiles - the wailing and lamentation they utter, where one laments and the other responds in turn. This is the nature of "nehi venihyah." Anyone familiar with ancient poetry and song knows that this antiphonal style was very widespread: one recites a verse and the other responds. The Gemara mentions this in the phrase "the women sang and the men responded" or "the men sang and the women responded," noting that it is like fire to flax. Today, this style of responsorial singing is hardly known, perhaps preserved only among Yemenite Jews, where one person recites a verse and another responds, while among other communities it is not customary - yet we see that in their days, it was a prevalent form of chant and song.
And here is the content of the lamentation: "We are utterly ruined." The plunderers lament that the enemies came and robbed them of what they had robbed from their brethren. Who is the lamenter here? The plunderers, who complain about why they are being plundered. You robbed your brother - the enemy will come and take it from you. And he takes up a lament: the enemies destroyed the houses and then divided our fields by lot, and this is "he divides our fields."
And the one responding to him replies: "He changes the portion of my people" - this house that you are lamenting over, you took it in exchange for the field, and the enemy is exchanging the portion back in order to return it to its rightful owner. If so, what are you complaining about? It is not yours at all. Then the lamenter retorts: "How he removes it from me!" - how does he remove from me what belongs to me? Now he laments over the field: after all, he did not give me a field in exchange for the house; he took my field and gave nothing in return. They answer him: "To an apostate he divides our fields" - that the enemy divides the fields is only to restore to us the fields you stole.
And to whom are these words addressed? The Malbim explains that this refers to those of the poorest of the land who would remain, as vinedressers and plowmen. They are the destitute, those from whom the wicked and tyrants had stolen. The enemy will come and take the fields and houses from the plunderers and return them to the poorest of the people remaining here, who were the original victims of the robbery. Therefore, they say to him: Why are you complaining that you were robbed? You robbed us, and now the enemy is returning to us what you took.
Verse 5: You Shall Have No Share in the Apportionment
לָכֵן לֹא־יִהְיֶה לְךָ מַשְׁלִיךְ חֶבֶל בְּגוֹרָל בִּקְהַל יְהֹוָה׃ - Therefore you will have no one casting a measuring line by lot in the congregation of Hashem.
"Lot" refers to the apportionment, and they used to divide the land using a measuring line, with which they would measure and allot shares. The prophet says to him: You will take no part in the distribution of the fields, for the fields are not yours but stolen property in your hands, and now Hashem is returning them to their owners. This corresponds to the reality where the enemy takes the fields and leaves behind the poorest of the land, giving them the land to cultivate so that it does not become desolate. It turns out that these wicked people will have no share or lot in the congregation of Hashem.
Verse 6: "Do Not Preach" - Their Refusal to Hear Rebuke
אַל־תַּטִּפוּ יַטִּיפוּן לֹא־יַטִּפוּ לָאֵלֶּה לֹא יִסַּג כְּלִמּוֹת׃ - "Do not preach," they preach; "let them not preach to these, insults will not depart."
This is a difficult verse, and we will explain it according to the Malbim. Who is speaking these words? The false prophets and the wicked people, who had no desire to hear the true prophets. The true prophets would come and rebuke, and their words were unpleasant to their ears. We see this throughout all the books of the Prophets: sometimes they fought against the prophet, sometimes they tried to distort his words, and sometimes they even beat him - "I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair; I hid not my face from shame and spitting." We saw Yirmiyahu thrown into the court of the prison, and several times he was a mere step away from death. The words of prophecy were harsh and unpleasant to the ear: the enemy will come, there will be exile, repent. They did not want to hear, and therefore they argued with the prophet.
"Do not preach" - from the expression to preach, to speak words of rebuke, as in the contemporary phrase "he preaches mussar to him." That is to say: Do not preach these prophecies of rebuke and dire destinies that you always utter - "they preach" - these prophecies that are habitual with you, we have no interest in hearing.
Furthermore, they say: "Let them not preach to these, insults will not depart." According to the Malbim: Do not preach disgraces that will never retreat. That is, do not rebuke for transgressions and do not publicize the disgraces of the people. When you rebuke, you say harsh things, uncovering their hidden sins and shaming them, and these shames and reproaches will not turn back - they will remain as an everlasting reproach, as in "and his reproach shall not be wiped away." Do not speak words of humiliation to the people and humiliate them with eternal disgrace. And the phrase "will not depart [lo yisag]" means that those disgraces will not separate from them, as in the phrase "the bow of Yonatan did not turn back [nasog achor]" - the disgraces will remain attached to them forever.
Rashi explains differently: They are telling the prophets, "Be careful; do not rebuke the people so that you will not incur insults from them." You will rebuke them, and they will shame and despise you, as they did to the prophets. According to this, "yisag" is from the root of overtaking or attaining [lehasig], as if spelled with a shin.
Targum Yonatan explains in a manner that connects most directly to the plain meaning: "humiliation will not depart" - they do not accept submission; they do not humble themselves in their hearts. You will not succeed in making the people feel ashamed. After all, why do you rebuke? So that they feel ashamed and repent - yet that you will not achieve. If so, it is better for you to keep quiet: do not rebuke the people; you see that it does no good, and if it does no good, be silent.
Verse 7: "Is the Spirit of Hashem Shortened?" - The Claim of the Pious Pretenders
הֶאָמוּר בֵּית־יַעֲקֹב הֲקָצַר רוּחַ יְהֹוָה אִם־אֵלֶּה מַעֲלָלָיו הֲלוֹא דְבָרַי יֵיטִיבוּ עִם הַיָּשָׁר הוֹלֵךְ׃ - Is this said, O house of Jacob: 'Is the spirit of Hashem shortened? Are these His doings?' Do not My words do good to him who walks uprightly?
The Malbim explains: everything said previously was spoken of the "house of Jacob." As we have already explained, "house of Jacob" refers to the lowly, whereas "Israel" refers to those of lofty spiritual stature. When speaking of men and women, "house of Jacob" refers to the women, whose level is lower in this respect, since a man is obligated in all 613 mitzvot. But when speaking of the nation as a whole, "Israel" expresses the higher standing, related to noble leadership (serarah), while "house of Jacob" refers to the people at the lower level, the wicked and problematic ones. They are the ones who utter all of this talk.
And they continue and argue: "Is the spirit of Hashem shortened? Are these His doings?" An impatient person (ketzar ruach) is someone lacking forbearance, whom everything bothers - someone does something, and he immediately erupts, unable to tolerate it. Thus they claim against the prophets: You depict calamities and harsh prophecies to us - is the Holy One, Blessed be He, short-tempered? Is He incapable of tolerating the deeds of the people, immediately issuing decrees and punishing them? Is it His way to bring evil upon His creatures? On the contrary, Hashem is not impatient; the Holy One, Blessed be He, is full of lovingkindness and mercy, and He does not issue harsh decrees and calamities.
And see how "wonderful" this is, for such has always been their foolish way: when they want to pursue wickedness, suddenly the glorious melodies begin, full of praise for the Master of the Universe and esteem for Him - Hashem is so good, so beneficent, why do you say unpleasant things in His Name? Hashem is abundant in lovingkindness! And so it was regarding the Beit HaMikdash: when they were told that because of your sins the Beit HaMikdash would be destroyed, they retorted - what are you talking about? Do you know how holy the Beit HaMikdash is? There is no chance it will ever be destroyed. Yet if it is so holy, why did you bring idolatry into it? Whenever it suited them, they suddenly clung to the notion that Hashem is merciful and that the Beit HaMikdash is holy - just so you would leave us alone, just so you would not tell us that calamity is about to strike.
To this, the Holy One, Blessed be He, replies: "Do not My words do good to him who walks uprightly?" Why do you complain that My words are always words of doom and bad tidings? For one who walks uprightly, who follows the path of Hashem, My words do good to him, and the decrees concerning him are good decrees. Moreover, even when the decree is harsh, the upright walker does not see it as mere trouble and disaster, but rather as the Divine providence of Hashem and His way, and as proof that the Holy One, Blessed be He, repays a person according to his deeds. He rejoices in this, realizing that we are under Divine providence, and resolves to better his ways, so that through this the Holy One, Blessed be He, will shower upon us only goodness. If so, if you claim "Is the spirit of Hashem shortened?" - evidently your way is not upright, and that is why you raise such arguments.
Verse 8: Why the Words of Hashem Arouse Your Indignation
וְאֶתְמוּל עַמִּי לְאוֹיֵב יְקוֹמֵם מִמּוּל שַׂלְמָה אֶדֶר תַּפְשִׁטוּן מֵעֹבְרִים בֶּטַח שׁוּבֵי מִלְחָמָה׃ - But recently My people rises up as an enemy; from off the garment you strip the mantle from those who pass by securely, like men returning from war.
Radak explains "etmol" according to its plain sense, denoting the past. We will follow the approach of the Malbim, which also aligns with Rashi, that "etmol" is not an adverb of time but two words: "et mul" (with and opposite). In other words, as it were, the Holy One, Blessed be He, argues: Why, with My people and facing My people, do My words "rise up as an enemy"?
For we have seen that with an upright people, My words do good, and they do not view them as doom, but as rebuke from Hashem and proof that the Holy One, Blessed be He, accompanies us and still desires us. If so, how do these good words become in your eyes like an enemy and a foe, like harsh and terrible threats? If it hurts you, it is a sign that you have a problem. After all, if you walk uprightly, My words are pleasant to you. But if it pains you - evidently the sore spot is within you; you are the problem.
And what is the reason? "From off the garment you strip the mantle." My words arouse your indignation because of the garment and the mantle you strip from people passing securely along the road. You tear off and strip away their clothes, their robes and the cloaks they wear, "like captives of war" - until they look like prisoners of war whose garments have been stripped away. In other words, you pounce upon travelers, plunder their possessions, beat them, and rob them. That is why My words are not pleasant to you - for My words are never pleasant to those who practice wickedness. But to the upright of path, on the contrary, "My words do good."
Verse 9: Driving Out the Women and Taking Away the Splendor
נְשֵׁי עַמִּי תְּגָרְשׁוּן מִבֵּית תַּעֲנֻגֶיהָ מֵעַל עֹלָלֶיהָ תִּקְחוּ הֲדָרִי לְעוֹלָם׃ - The women of My people you drive out from their delightful homes; from her young children you take away My splendor forever.
The prophet continues to enumerate their sins. There are several interpretations as to how they drove the women of My people from their delightful homes. Rashi cites one explanation: you kill their husbands, and as a result the women sit as widows, and in this way you have driven the woman out of her delightful home, her husband's home. Another possibility: you take away their husbands' wealth, and then the husbands, instead of gladdening their wives, sit in mourning and weeping - and in doing so you have driven the woman out of her delightful home and distanced her from her husband. And "you take away My splendor forever" - the glory and wealth that I gave them, you take from them.
The Radak explains that you cause the poor man to divorce his wife. How? You enter the poor man's home without permission in order to fabricate false accusations against him and rob him. When the poor man arrives and suddenly sees someone in his house, suspicion immediately arises within him that someone was with his wife; he suspects her and divorces her. Thus, by your actions - entering his home to rob and fabricate accusations - you caused his wife's divorce, and you separated a husband from his wife.
And what is "My splendor"? The Radak explains that the splendor of the Holy One, Blessed be He, is the union of husband and wife to be fruitful and multiply. I created them from the rib of man, I commanded them to be fruitful and multiply - and you take away that very splendor and honor. "May the glory of Hashem endure forever, let Hashem rejoice in His works" - and who are His works? Man. When human beings stand in the proper order of their nature and creation, being fruitful and multiplying, that is the glory of God; when you prevent this, you take away My splendor and My glory forever.
The Malbim explains differently: they would seize the women from their husbands' homes as collateral. The husband owed a debt, and the creditor would take his wife as a pledge until he repaid it. This is the meaning of "from her young children you take away My splendor" - since they took the women, when the woman gives birth six months or a year later, people begin to say: Wait, whose child is this? Her husband's, or the creditor's who took his wife as collateral, where she stayed with him for a week or two until the debt was paid? Thus, a doubt of mamzerut falls upon the children. This is "from her young children you take away My splendor forever" - you remove the splendor from the infants, for it is unknown to whom they belong, and the splendor of the Holy One, Blessed be He, departs from them. For the Shechinah and Its splendor rest only upon families of documented pedigree in Israel, and here, where a suspicion of mamzerut has been cast upon them, the Shechinah does not dwell. You take My splendor from them forever. Will you act like this forever and expect Me to remain silent? Do you expect no response to follow, and that the prophet will speak words of comfort and good tidings to you while you commit such wicked deeds?
"The Women of My People You Drive Out" in the Gemara in Eruvin
This verse is familiar to anyone who has studied Gemara, in Masechet Eruvin (63b). Rav Berona said in the name of Rav: Whoever sleeps in a chamber where a husband and wife reside, regarding him the verse states, "The women of My people you drive out from their delightful homes." One who sleeps in a room where a husband and wife are located causes them to be embarrassed to be intimate with one another, because an additional person is with them. About him this verse is applied - this is a severe sin, for you cause a separation between husband and wife. And what should he do? He must refuse and say: I do not want to sleep there; I will not sleep in a room where a husband and wife sleep.
Rav Yosef said: This was needed only even if his wife is a niddah. Seemingly, why do we care if his wife is a niddah, given that she is forbidden to him anyway? And that was Rava's contention, who said: If his wife is a niddah, a blessing should come upon him, for to prevent him from intimacy with her, it is good that he sleeps there. The Gemara's conclusion, however, is: "And it is not so" - the halachah does not follow Rava. The reason is: "For until now, who guarded her?" You claim it is good that you are here guarding them - but until now, who guarded them? That is to say, a person is not suspected of violating the prohibition of niddah, and since it is considered "bread in his basket," there is no need for you here.
Why, then, did Rav Yosef say that the prohibition applies even when his wife is a niddah, when sleeping there does not prevent intimacy? Rabbeinu Yonatan and the Maharsha explain that they are embarrassed before him to speak of intimate matters between husband and wife. They want to converse about personal matters and cannot, because another person is sleeping in the room with them. We see from here that this is forbidden. Incidentally, one must also be cautious of another matter: one does not allow a stranger to sleep on the bed of a husband and wife. That is, when guests arrive, even one's parents, one should not let them sleep in the bedroom of a husband and wife - unless one is renting out his apartment to another and leaving, or the like. But someone hosting guests does not allow them to sleep in his bedroom, and the reason cited for this is to prevent improper thoughts.
Verse 10: "Arise and Depart" - There Is No Rest in This Path
קוּמוּ וּלְכוּ כִּי לֹא־זֹאת הַמְּנוּחָה בַּעֲבוּר טָמְאָה תְּחַבֵּל וְחֶבֶל נִמְרָץ׃ - Arise and depart, for this is not the resting place; because of defilement it will destroy, with a grievous destruction.
The prophet tells them: Know that you are destined to go into exile - arise and depart from the land into exile. "For this is not the resting place" - this is not the path through which you will have rest in the Land; the deeds you perform are not the way of rest.
And now the prophet explains how they would drive out the women of My people from their pleasant homes: "Because it is defiled, it shall be seized as a pledge." Lachbol is an expression of taking a pledge, as in "He shall not take a lower or upper millstone as a pledge" (lo yachavol). What were you doing? You would take a married woman as a pledge from her husband's home, as we saw that the lender takes his debtor's wife as collateral - "because of defilement," in order to defile her. "And a grievous pledge (vechevel nimratz)" - nimratz means explicit and clarified, meaning you would stipulate in advance to take her as a pledge under the explicit condition that you would be with her to defile her, Heaven spare us.
All of this is an answer to what they said to the prophets: Do not prophesy rebukes to us, do not speak harsh things to us; would the Holy One, blessed be He, do evil? Is Hashem's patience too short to bear our sins? The prophet answers them: How do you expect Hashem to tolerate your deeds? How can you expect the Holy One, blessed be He, to allow you to persist in your corruption? Look at what grievous, appalling ruin you are causing, until there is no choice but to deny you rest. "Arise and depart, for this is not the resting place" - Hashem will not grant you rest in the Land so long as you persist in your corrupt ways.
Rashi offers a different explanation: to him, chevel means a band or group, as in "a band of prophets" (chevel nevi'im), or "the bands of the wicked" (chevlei resha'im). They would form organized groups among themselves, with an explicit, distinct, and clear arrangement, to carry out wicked deeds. Thus, according to the Malbim, chaval is used in the sense of a pledge, while according to Rashi it is in the sense of an association, a band of evildoers.
Verse 11: The False Prophet Everyone Runs To
לוּ־אִישׁ הֹלֵךְ רוּחַ וָשֶׁקֶר כִּזֵּב אַטִּף לְךָ לַיַּיִן וְלַשֵּׁכָר וְהָיָה מַטִּיף הָעָם הַזֶּה׃ - If a man walking after wind and falsehood should lie: 'I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,' he would become the preacher of this people.
The prophet argues to them: If I were to send you one of the false prophets who would preach falsehoods to you - "If a man walking after wind and falsehood should lie" - a person whose delusions are mere wind, and who deceives.
And what is the meaning of kizev (deceives)? The Malbim explains that there is a difference between sheker (a lie) and kazav (a deceptive expectation). Sheker is an overt falsehood in the present. Kazav is something that is not overtly false right now, but is destined to be exposed later - what will prove disappointing in the future - like a nachal achzav (a deceptive brook), whose waters fail and are destined to dry up: at present it still flows, but it will eventually stop. Therefore we say achzav where there was an expectation that something would be fulfilled, yet in the end it never materialized. These prophets were in the category of kazav: they would not say things that were overtly false on the surface, but rather falsehoods that would only later be exposed as lies.
"I will preach to you of wine and strong drink" - you say to the true prophets, "Do not preach to us and do not rebuke us." Yet when a false prophet comes and preaches to you according to his errant spirit and his delusions, what will he preach? "Of wine and strong drink" - he will tell you, drink well, join the ranks of the wine drinkers. "He would become the preacher of this people" - that is the preacher this people desires.
Verse 12: "I Will Surely Gather" - The False Prophet's Message or a Prophecy of Consolation
אָסֹף אֶאֱסֹף יַעֲקֹב כֻּלָּךְ קַבֵּץ אֲקַבֵּץ שְׁאֵרִית יִשְׂרָאֵל יַחַד אֲשִׂימֶנּוּ כְּצֹאן בׇּצְרָה כְּעֵדֶר בְּתוֹךְ הַדׇּבְרוֹ תְּהִימֶנָה מֵאָדָם׃ - I will surely gather all of you, Yaakov; I will surely assemble the remnant of Yisrael; I will put them together like sheep of Botzrah, like a flock in the midst of its pasture; they will be bustling with people.
According to the Malbim, this is the very content of the prophecy that the false prophet would preach: Know that I will gather and assemble the dispersed, those who are not here in the Land, those who have already gone into exile. Indeed, part of the people of Yisrael had already been exiled prior to this.
The Malbim explains this based on the verse, "He will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah": Judah were dispersed, and therefore they require gathering. In contrast, Israel - the Ten Tribes - are not scattered far and wide, but rather concentrated; however, they are banished, cast away to a distant place. One who is cast away does not need gathering, but rather assembly, merely to be taken in and brought home. This is the meaning of "I will surely assemble all of you, O Jacob" - I will assemble the banished ones, who are the Ten Tribes exiled to Chalah, Chavor, the river of Gozan, and beyond the Mountains of Darkness. Notice what he calls them: Jacob. For as we explained, wherever Jacob and Israel are contrasted, Jacob refers to the lower level, and the Ten Tribes are on a lower level relative to the distinguished tribe of Judah.
"I will surely gather the remnant of Israel" - this refers to Judah. "Israel" connotes rulership and nobility; they are more distinguished and, relatively speaking, fulfill Hashem's will to a greater degree. And why is gathering stated specifically regarding them? Because they were widely scattered and dispersed, and whoever is widely scattered requires gathering.
"I will put them together like sheep of Bozrah" - the false prophet reassures you that Hashem will assemble the banished and gather the dispersed, and they will be like sheep of Bozrah. Bozrah was the capital city of Edom, and its sheep - the people within it - are free from all Torah and mitzvos. In other words: Hashem will gather you here and you will be like the sheep of Bozrah, without any obligations, without Torah and mitzvos, like gentiles who have no Torah.
"Like a flock in the midst of their pasture, bustling with men" - if a prophet comes and delivers such pleasant tidings, people will not hide in their homes as they do today. Today, when the true prophet speaks words of truth and rebuke, everyone flees home and hides, unwilling to listen, because he obligates them to observe Torah and mitzvos. On the contrary, when the prophet tells you to drink your fill and that all will be well, and that I will gather the banished - everyone will crowd together like a flock to hear his words, and that prophet's house will bustle with crowds coming to hear his prophecies. Just like a pasture, or according to Targum Yonatan, a sheepfold into which the flock is gathered without a single sheep missing, so too the false prophet's house bustles with people, while from the true prophet they flee, unwilling to hear words of rebuke. You seek only someone who will tell you how good you are and how good things will be for you, because that is pleasant to hear.
However, Rashi offers a different explanation here than the Malbim, maintaining that the entire prophecy from here onward is not rebuke, but the beginning of a prophecy of consolation, along the lines of Targum Yonatan. According to Rashi and Targum Yonatan, "I will surely assemble" is not the continued speech of the false prophet; rather, Micah himself is speaking words of comfort: Know that days are coming when I will gather all of you like the sheep of Bozrah, like the abundant sheep kept in fortified sheepfolds; "in the midst of their fold" - within the pen; Hashem will gather them to one place, just as sheep are concentrated. "Bustling with men" - the cities will bustle with the multitude of people within them, full of vitality, as the entire Jewish people returns to its land.
Verse 13: "The Breaker Goes Up" - A Reed Swaying in the Wind, or Tidings of Redemption
עָלָה הַפֹּרֵץ לִפְנֵיהֶם פָּרְצוּ וַיַּעֲבֹרוּ שַׁעַר וַיֵּצְאוּ בוֹ וַיַּעֲבֹר מַלְכָּם לִפְנֵיהֶם וַיהֹוָה בְּרֹאשָׁם׃ - The breaker goes up before them; they break through, pass through the gate, and go out by it; their king passes before them, and Hashem is at their head.
Here too, the Malbim continues along the line that the prophecy is negative. He says: Come and see how flawed these people are in their faith, how they sway like a reed tossed by the wind, wavering between two opinions. Look at the tribe of Judah: when a king arose who broke through the fences of religion and served idols, the people followed after him and acted like him. When there was a righteous king, the people were generally righteous; when there was a wicked king, the people were generally wicked. So it was in the days of Ahaz and in the days of Manasseh, and afterward, when a righteous king arose like Hezekiah, or like Josiah who arose after Manasseh, everyone began to serve Hashem. And what does this show? That they have no deep-rooted faith and no inner devotion. They are like a reed: one king pulled it this way, it bent this way; a righteous king came and pulled it that way, it bent that way.
Concerning this it is said, "The breaker goes up before them" - a king arose who breached the fence; "they break through and pass through" - following him, the people break through and transgress the Torah. He breaches the fences of religion and tears down its walls, and they too break through and transgress.
"The gate and go out by it" - there is a difference between a breach and a gate. A breach is for sneaking through, by which a person slips out covertly; a gate represents exiting openly and brazenly. At first, "the breaker goes up before them; they break through and pass through" - there was a breach through which they slipped away from observing religious law. Afterward, "the gate and go out by it" - they established a regular gate through which they marched out publicly, abandoning the service of Hashem.
"Their king passes before them, and Hashem is at their head" - on the other hand, when they had a king who ruled in the fear of Hashem, one truly worthy to reign and sit upon the throne of David, then Hashem was at their head. According to the Malbim, all of this is a continuation of the rebuke: when they had a righteous king, they were righteous, and when they had a wicked king, they were wicked, which demonstrates that faith in Hashem was not firmly rooted in their hearts.
Targum Yonatan continues here in his approach, explaining that this verse is also a continuation of future consolation. Chazal expound: "the breaker" - this is Elijah; "their king" - this is the scion of David; "and Hashem is at their head." Here lies a prophecy of good tidings: the breaker will come, break through the barriers, restore and perfect the world under the sovereignty of the Almighty - this refers to Elijah the Prophet and the King Mashiach. According to this, the prophecy expresses a positive message about the future, aligning with Targum Yonatan's view that the final two verses are the words of Micah himself, delivering consolation to the people.
The Radak cites an explanation in the name of his father, that the verse depicts what befell Tzidkiyahu. We find that when Nevuchadnezzar arrived, Tzidkiyahu fled through the underground tunnel meant to spirit him out of the city. A deer wandered above, and the pursuers tracking it ultimately caught Tzidkiyahu and delivered him into the hands of Nevuchadnezzar. Regarding this it is said, "The breacher goes up before them" - when they breached the wall before him, as recorded in Yechezkel's prophecy, where they dug through the wall to escape; they had a secret wall through which they dug, leading to the tunnel they used to flee. "And their king passes before them" - this refers to Tzidkiyahu, who went out through that breach thinking he could escape. And what is the meaning of "and Hashem at their head," given that he was ultimately captured? Rather, this is part of the lamentation, as it were: see, previously Hashem was at their head - so why did they rebel against Him and do such a thing? And now, look, they have gone into exile. Those people who abandoned the way of Hashem and made a breach to flee from Nevuchadnezzar - ultimately, Hashem delivered him into his hand.
In summary:
Chapter 2 opens with the wicked who do not rest from evil even in their beds - plotting iniquity at night and carrying it out at morning light, robbing fields, taking houses through fraudulent exchanges, and oppressing a person until he is sold into slavery. In response, calamity is decreed upon them like an iron yoke upon the neck in a time of evil, and their lament over what has been plundered from them is met with the victims' reply: the enemy is merely returning to us what was rightfully ours. They refuse to hear rebuke, telling the prophets, "Do not preach," and boasting with the claim, "Is the spirit of Hashem shortened?" - to which the answer comes: "Do not My words do good to him who walks uprightly?"; if the words of prophecy disturb you, it is a sign that the problem lies within you. The acts of robbery, stripping travelers, taking women's garments as pledges and driving a wedge between husband and wife - these are what brought about the verdict that "this is not the resting place," causing the people to chase after the false prophet who preaches for wine and strong drink and for living like a flock in Bozrah without Torah and mitzvos. And in the final verse, according to the Malbim, it is a rebuke of a nation whose faith wavers like a reed after its kings, whereas according to Targum Yonasan and Chazal, it is a message of the future: the breacher goes up, who is Eliyahu; their king, Tzemach the son of David; and Hashem at their head.