The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net.
The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net. Micah's lament intensifies. אָבַד חָסִיד מִן־הָאָרֶץ (avad chasid min-ha'arets, "the godly/faithful person has perished from the earth"). חָסִיד (chasid) is one who practices חֶסֶד (chesed)—covenant loyalty, steadfast love, mercy. Such people have vanished. וְיָשָׁר בָּאָדָם אָיִן (ve-yashar ba'adam ayin, "and upright among men there is none"). יָשָׁר (yashar) means straight, upright, righteous. Universal moral failure pervades.
כֻּלָּם לְדָמִים יֶאֱרֹבוּ (kullam le-damim ye'erovu, "all of them lie in wait for blood"). אָרַב (arav) means to lie in ambush or wait in hiding. Society has become predatory—everyone hunts others. אִישׁ אֶת־אָחִיהוּ יָצוּדוּ חֵרֶם (ish et-achihu yatsudu cherem, "each man hunts his brother with a net"). צוּד (tsud) means to hunt or trap; חֵרֶם (cherem) is a net. Even brothers hunt each other—family bonds dissolve into mutual exploitation.
This describes total social breakdown. When covenant loyalty (chesed) vanishes and uprightness (yashar) disappears, society becomes a Hobbesian war of all against all. Trust evaporates, relationships weaponize, community disintegrates. Jesus later described similar end-times conditions: "Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold" (Matthew 24:12). When love grows cold, predation increases.
Historical Context
Micah witnessed Judah's moral disintegration during the late 8th century BC. Corruption pervaded leadership (3:1-3, 9-11), false prophets proliferated (3:5-7), economic exploitation intensified (2:1-2). The social contract collapsed—those who should protect became predators. Similar conditions preceded other divine judgments: pre-flood violence (Genesis 6:11-13), Sodom's wickedness (Genesis 18:20-21), pre-exilic Judah's corruption (Jeremiah 5:26-29; Ezekiel 22:23-31). Paul's description of end-times apostasy echoes Micah: "lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud...without natural affection...fierce, despisers of those that are good" (2 Timothy 3:2-3). When societies abandon God's law, they descend into predatory chaos where everyone hunts everyone else.
Questions for Reflection
What causes societies to transition from covenant community to predatory competition?
How do believers maintain integrity and chesed (loyal love) when surrounded by exploitation and betrayal?
What does it mean that 'the good man has perished from the earth'—is this hyperbole or reality in certain contexts?
Analysis & Commentary
The good man is perished out of the earth: and there is none upright among men: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net. Micah's lament intensifies. אָבַד חָסִיד מִן־הָאָרֶץ (avad chasid min-ha'arets, "the godly/faithful person has perished from the earth"). חָסִיד (chasid) is one who practices חֶסֶד (chesed)—covenant loyalty, steadfast love, mercy. Such people have vanished. וְיָשָׁר בָּאָדָם אָיִן (ve-yashar ba'adam ayin, "and upright among men there is none"). יָשָׁר (yashar) means straight, upright, righteous. Universal moral failure pervades.
כֻּלָּם לְדָמִים יֶאֱרֹבוּ (kullam le-damim ye'erovu, "all of them lie in wait for blood"). אָרַב (arav) means to lie in ambush or wait in hiding. Society has become predatory—everyone hunts others. אִישׁ אֶת־אָחִיהוּ יָצוּדוּ חֵרֶם (ish et-achihu yatsudu cherem, "each man hunts his brother with a net"). צוּד (tsud) means to hunt or trap; חֵרֶם (cherem) is a net. Even brothers hunt each other—family bonds dissolve into mutual exploitation.
This describes total social breakdown. When covenant loyalty (chesed) vanishes and uprightness (yashar) disappears, society becomes a Hobbesian war of all against all. Trust evaporates, relationships weaponize, community disintegrates. Jesus later described similar end-times conditions: "Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold" (Matthew 24:12). When love grows cold, predation increases.