- Oct 2, 2011
- 6,061
- 2,239
- Country
- Canada
- Gender
- Male
- Faith
- Christian
- Marital Status
- Married
NKJV Micah 6:
The immediate context here is justice to fellow men. Micah is calling the people to love and to show mercy and kindness. Take another step back; the context is appeasing God:
ESV:8b To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
HCSB:to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
The Hebrew word is חֵסֵד H2617 hesed. It is used 248 times being applied to men and God. In Micah 6, it is applied to man. Brown-Driver-Briggs offers this range of meanings:to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.
- kindness of men towards men, in doing favours and benefits
- kindness (especially as extended to the lowly, needy and miserable), mercy
- (rarely) affection if Israel to ׳י love to God, piety
- lovely appearance
The immediate context here is justice to fellow men. Micah is calling the people to love and to show mercy and kindness. Take another step back; the context is appeasing God:
Jesus confirmed the comparison of mercy and sacrifice in Matthew 9:6 With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
I'd say that "mercy" is the best translation for Micah 6:8. It is better than sacrifice.13 But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.'