Micah 7:1
Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit.
Original Language Analysis
Cross References
Historical Context
Micah 7:1-6 depicts late 8th century BC Judah's moral collapse. The northern kingdom had fallen to Assyria (722 BC); Judah faced similar threats. Social fabric disintegrated—leaders oppressed the poor (3:1-3), prophets deceived for profit (3:5-7), courts perverted justice (7:3). Even family relationships fractured (7:6). The righteous felt isolated in a sea of corruption. This mirrors later periods: Jeremiah's era (Jeremiah 5:1-5), Ezekiel's generation (Ezekiel 22:23-31), and Paul's description of end-times apostasy (2 Timothy 3:1-5). When society's moral foundation erodes, the faithful experience profound loneliness—"first-fruits" are rare, righteousness scarce. Yet God always preserves a remnant (1 Kings 19:18; Romans 11:4-5).
Questions for Reflection
- How should believers respond to living in a morally depleted society where righteousness seems scarce?
- What does it mean to long for 'first-fruits' of righteousness—how do we cultivate this desire?
- How can the faithful avoid despair when godliness appears to have vanished from the land?
Analysis & Commentary
Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the summer fruits, as the grapegleanings of the vintage: there is no cluster to eat: my soul desired the firstripe fruit. Micah laments social and moral desolation using agricultural metaphor. אַלְלַי־לִי (allai-li, "Woe is me!") expresses deep anguish. כִּי הָיִיתִי כְּאָסְפֵּי־קַיִץ כְּעֹלְלֹת בָּצִיר (ki hayiti khe-ospei-qayits khe-olelot batsir, "for I am as gatherings of summer fruit, as gleanings of vintage") describes arriving after harvest when fields are stripped bare.
אֵין אֶשְׁכּוֹל לֶאֱכוֹל (ein eshkol le'ekhol, "there is no cluster to eat"). אֶשְׁכּוֹל (eshkol) is a grape cluster. The harvest imagery depicts complete depletion—no fruit remains. בִּכּוּרָה אִוְּתָה נַפְשִׁי (bikkurah ivvetah nafshi, "the early fig my soul desired"). בִּכּוּרָה (bikkurah) is the first-ripe fruit, especially prized (Hosea 9:10; Nahum 3:12). Micah's soul longs for righteous people (the "first-fruits") but finds none.
This agricultural metaphor illustrates spiritual reality: godly people have been "harvested" (removed through death, exile, or apostasy), leaving moral wasteland. Isaiah used similar imagery: "the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint" (Isaiah 1:5). When righteousness disappears from society, the faithful feel isolated desolation. Paul later quoted this sentiment: "All seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's" (Philippians 2:21).