John Calvin Commentary Micah 2:1

"Woe to them that devise iniquity and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand." — Micah 2:1 (ASV)

The Prophet does not speak here only against the Israelites, as some think, who have incorrectly limited this part of his teaching to the ten tribes. On the contrary, in discharging his office, he also addresses the Jews. He does not refer here to idolatry, as in the last chapter, but denounces sins condemned in the second table.

Since the Jews had not only polluted the worship of God but also gave free rein to many iniquities, so that they wronged their neighbors and there was no regard among them for justice and equity, the prophet, as we shall see, denounces here avarice, robberies, and cruelty. His message is full of vehemence, for undoubtedly such licentiousness was then prevailing among the people that there was need for severe and sharp rebukes. At the same time, it is easy to perceive that his message is mainly directed against the leading men, who exercised authority and abused it.

Woe, he says, to those who meditate on iniquity and devise evil on their beds, that, when the morning shines, they may execute it. Here the Prophet vividly describes the character and practices of those who were devoted to gain and intent only on self-advancement.

He says that in their beds they were meditating on iniquity and devising wickedness. Undoubtedly, the night has been given to people entirely for rest; but they should also use this kindness of God to restrain themselves from what is wicked. For whoever refreshes his strength by nightly rest should think within himself that it is an unfitting and even monstrous thing that he should meanwhile devise frauds, deceptions, and iniquities.

For why does the Lord intend that we should rest, except that all evil things should rest also? Thus, the Prophet shows here by implication that those who are intent on devising frauds, while they ought to rest, subvert, as it were, the course of nature. For they have no regard for that rest, which has been granted to people for this purpose—that they may not trouble and annoy one another.

He then shows how great their desire was to do mischief, When it shines in the morning, he says, they execute it. He might have said only, 'They do in the daytime what they contrive in the night.' But he says, In the morning; as if he had said that they were so inflamed by avarice that they did not rest for a moment. As soon as it dawned, they were immediately ready to carry out the frauds they had devised in the night. Thus, we now understand the Prophet’s meaning.

He then adds, For according to their power is their hand. Since אל, al, means God, an old interpreter has rendered it, 'Against God is their hand,' but this does not fit the passage. Others have explained it thus: 'For strength is in their hand,' and almost all those well-skilled in Hebrew agree with this explanation.

They think that those who had power are pointed out here by the Prophet—that because they had strength, they dared to do whatever they pleased. But the Hebrew phrase is not accurately rendered by them, and I greatly wonder that they have been mistaken about such a clear matter. For it is not, 'There is power in their hand,' but 'their hand is to power.'

The same manner of speaking is found in Proverbs 3, and there also many interpreters are wrong. For Solomon there forbids us to withhold from our neighbor his right: 'When your hand,' he says, 'is for power.' Some say, 'When there is power to help the miserable.' But Solomon means no such thing; for on the contrary, he means this: 'When your hand is ready to execute any evil, abstain.' So also the Lord says in Deuteronomy 28:

When the enemy shall take away your spoils,
your hand will not be for power;

That is, “You will not dare to move a finger to restrain your enemies; when they plunder you and rob you of your substance, you will stand in dread, for your hand will be as though it were dead.”

I come now to the present passage: 'Their hand is for power.' The Prophet means that they dared to try what they could, and therefore their hand was always ready; whenever there was hope of profit or gains, their hand was immediately prepared.

How so? Because they were restrained neither by the fear of God nor by any regard for justice. Instead, their hand was for power; that is, what they could do, they dared to do. We now, then, see what the Prophet means, as far as I can judge. He then adds—