Micah 5:15
in Micah 5I will take vengeance in anger and wrath upon the nations that have not obeyed Me.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And I will execute vengeance in anger and wrath upon the nations which hearkened not.
KJV
And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.
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This verse in Micah 5
Commentary
8 notes on this verseI will execute vengeance - upon the heathen - And he did so; for the empires of the Assyrians, Chaldeans, and others, the sworn enemies of the Jews, have long since been utterly destroyed.
This site's exposition
cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand
on Micah 5:12-15
The purge turns from weapons and walls to the occult and the idol, witchcrafts and soothsayers cut off, graven images and standing images destroyed, and the groves, the wooden Asherah poles set up beside so many altars, plucked up entirely, so that nothing rivaling the Lord is left standing in the land. The chapter closes outward rather than inward, vengeance executed in anger and fury upon the heathen such as they have not heard, judgment falling on nations that never received the revelation Israel was given. The whole sweep from verse 9 to verse 15 leaves Israel purified of every false confidence before the peace the ruler brings can be fully realized.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
(Verse 7 onwards) And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples, like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass, which do not wait for man or delay for the sons of men.
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
Have not heard - In an unprecedented manner. Christ will give his Son either the hearts or necks of his enemies, and make them either his friends or his footstool.
The Abasement and Distress of Zion; Birth of the Messiah Predicted; 1 Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:82%@v1-3
): I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen (that is, upon heathenism), such as they have not heard; idolatries shall be done away, and idolaters put to shame. I will execute vengeance upon the heathen who have not heard (so some read it), or who would not hear and receive the doctrine of Christ.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
And I will execute vengeance in anger, and fury upon the Heathen,....
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
vengeance . . . such as they have not heard--or, as the Hebrew order favors, "the nations that have not hearkened to My warnings." So the Septuagint (Ps 149:7).
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The words behind it
9 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְעָשִׂ֜יתִי | veasiti | and I will do | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| בְּאַ֧ף | beaf | in anger | H639 → | |
| וּבְחֵמָ֛ה | uvechemah | and in rage | H2534 → | |
| נָקָ֖ם | nakam | vengeance | H5359 → | |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | with | H854 → | 929 times |
| הַגּוֹיִ֑ם | hagoyim | the nations | H1471 → | 561 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֖ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| לֹ֥א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| שָׁמֵֽעוּ׃ ס | shameu | they have obeyed | H8085 → | 1159 times |
וְעָשִׂ֜יתִיand I will do
veasitiH6213 →2628 times
בְּאַ֧ףin anger
beafH639 →
וּבְחֵמָ֛הand in rage
uvechemahH2534 →
נָקָ֖םvengeance
nakamH5359 →
אֶת־with
ʾet-H854 →929 times
הַגּוֹיִ֑םthe nations
hagoyimH1471 →561 times
אֲשֶׁ֖רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
לֹ֥אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
שָׁמֵֽעוּ׃ סthey have obeyed
shameuH8085 →1159 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
2 Thessalonians 1:8in blazing fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
it leads to
- 1 Peter 4:17
For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?
- 2 Peter 3:7
And by that same word, the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
- Hebrews 10:27
but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume all adversaries.
- Psalms 79:6
Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not acknowledge You, on the kingdoms that refuse to call on Your name,
- Hebrews 10:30
For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge His people.”
- 1 Peter 4:17
Through
Isaiah 65:12I will destine you for the sword, and you will all kneel down to be slaughtered, because I called and you did not answer, I spoke and you did not listen; you did evil…
it leads to
- Jeremiah 7:13
And now, because you have done all these things, declares the LORD, and because I have spoken to you again and again but you would not listen, and I have called to you but…
- Jeremiah 7:13
Through
Micah 5:8Then the remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, which…
it leads to
- Zechariah 10:5
They will be like mighty men in battle, trampling the enemy in the mire of the streets. They will fight because the LORD is with them, and they will put the horsemen to shame.
- Zechariah 10:5
Through
Psalms 149:7to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples,
it leads to
- Zechariah 14:17–19
And should any of the families of the earth not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of Hosts, then the rain will not fall on them.
- Zechariah 14:17–19
Where this verse is studied
About Micah
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Micah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.