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Read the Bible

New American Standard Bible (1995)

Micah 4:12

"But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD, And they do not understand His purpose; For He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Blindness;   Thompson Chain Reference - Discernment-Dullness;   Dullness;   Ignorance;   Knowledge-Ignorance;   Spiritual;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Counsels and Purposes of God, the;   Threshing;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Farming;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Agriculture;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Micah;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Micah, Book of;   Sheaf;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Micah, Book of;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Kingdom of christ of heaven;   Kingdom of god;   Kingdom of heaven;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Floor;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Gather;   Micah (2);   Threshing;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Agriculture;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for December 10;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
But they do not know the Lord’s intentionsor understand his plan,that he has gathered themlike sheaves to the threshing floor.
Hebrew Names Version
But they don't know the thoughts of the LORD, Neither do they understand his counsel; For he has gathered them like the sheaves to the threshing floor.
King James Version (1611)
But they know not the thoughts of the Lord, neither vnderstand they his counsell: for hee shall gather them as the sheaues into the floore.
King James Version
But they know not the thoughts of the Lord , neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor.
English Standard Version
But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord ; they do not understand his plan, that he has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor.
New American Standard Bible
"But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD, And they do not understand His plan; For He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
New Century Version
But they don't know what the Lord is thinking; they don't understand his plan. He has gathered them like bundles of grain to the threshing floor.
Amplified Bible
"But they (Gentile nations) do not know the thoughts of the LORD, Nor do they understand His purpose and plan; For He has gathered them (Gentiles) like sheaves to the threshing floor [for destruction].
Geneva Bible (1587)
But they knowe not the thoughtes of the Lord: they vnderstand not his counsell, for he shall gather them as the sheaues in the barne.
Legacy Standard Bible
But they do not know the thoughts of Yahweh,And they do not understand His counsel;For He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
Berean Standard Bible
But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD or understand His plan: that He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
Contemporary English Version
But they don't know that I, the Lord , have gathered them here to grind them like grain.
Complete Jewish Bible
But they don't know the thoughts of Adonai , they don't understand his plan; for he has gathered them like sheaves on the threshing-floor.
Darby Translation
But they know not the thoughts of Jehovah, neither understand they his counsel; for he hath gathered them together as the sheaves into the threshing-floor.
Easy-to-Read Version
They have their plans, but they don't know what the Lord is planning. He brought them here for a special purpose. They will be crushed like grain on a threshing floor.
George Lamsa Translation
But they know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither do they understand his counsel; for he shall gather them as sheaves into the threshing floor.
Good News Translation
But these nations do not know what is in the Lord 's mind. They do not realize that they have been gathered together to be punished in the same way that grain is brought in to be threshed.
Lexham English Bible
But they do not know the thoughts of Yahweh, and they do not understand his plan, that he has gathered them as sheaves to his threshing floor.
Literal Translation
But they do not know the plans of Jehovah, nor do they understand His counsel. For He has gathered them like the sheaf to the threshing floor.
American Standard Version
But they know not the thoughts of Jehovah, neither understand they his counsel; for he hath gathered them as the sheaves to the threshing-floor.
Bible in Basic English
But they have no knowledge of the thoughts of the Lord, their minds are not able to see his purpose: for he has got them together like stems of grain to the crushing-floor.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
But they know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither understand they His counsel; for He hath gathered them as the sheaves to the threshing-floor.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
But they know not the thoughtes of the Lord, they vnderstand not his counsel: for he shall gather them together as the sheaues in the barne.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
But they know not the thought of the Lord, and have not understood his counsel: for he has gathered them as sheaves of the floor.
English Revised Version
But they know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither understand they his counsel: for he hath gathered them as the sheaves to the threshingfloor.
World English Bible
But they don't know the thoughts of Yahweh, Neither do they understand his counsel; For he has gathered them like the sheaves to the threshing floor.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe thei knewen not the thouytis of the Lord, and vndurstoden not the councel of hym, for he gaderide hem as the hei of feeld.
Update Bible Version
But they don't know the thoughts of Yahweh, neither do they understand his counsel; for he has gathered them as the sheaves to the threshing-floor.
Webster's Bible Translation
But they know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither understand they his counsel: for he will gather them as sheaves into the floor.
New English Translation
But they do not know what the Lord is planning; they do not understand his strategy. He has gathered them like stalks of grain to be threshed at the threshing floor.
New King James Version
But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD, Nor do they understand His counsel; For He will gather them like sheaves to the threshing floor.
New Living Translation
But they do not know the Lord 's thoughts or understand his plan. These nations don't know that he is gathering them together to be beaten and trampled like sheaves of grain on a threshing floor.
New Life Bible
But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord. They do not understand His plan. For He has gathered them like grain to the crushing-floor.
New Revised Standard
But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord ; they do not understand his plan, that he has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But, they, know not the purposes of Yahweh, neither have they discerned his counsel, - for he hath gathered them, as sheaves, to a threshing-floor.
Douay-Rheims Bible
But they have not known the thoughts of the Lord, and have not understood his counsel: because he hath gathered them together as the hay of the floor.
Revised Standard Version
But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD, they do not understand his plan, that he has gathered them as sheaves to the threshing floor.
Young's Literal Translation
They have not known the thoughts of Jehovah, Nor have they understood His counsel, For He hath gathered them as a sheaf [into] a threshing-floor.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But they knowe not the thoughtes off the LORDE, they vnderstonde not his councell, that shall gather them together as the sheeues in the barne.

Contextual Overview

8 "As for you, tower of the flock, Hill of the daughter of Zion, To you it will come— Even the former dominion will come, The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem. 9 "Now, why do you cry out loudly? Is there no king among you, Or has your counselor perished, That agony has gripped you like a woman in childbirth? 10 "Writhe and labor to give birth, Daughter of Zion, Like a woman in childbirth; For now you will go out of the city, Dwell in the field, And go to Babylon. There you will be rescued; There the LORD will redeem you From the hand of your enemies. 11 "And now many nations have been assembled against you Who say, 'Let her be polluted, And let our eyes gloat over Zion.' 12 "But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD, And they do not understand His purpose; For He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.13 "Arise and thresh, daughter of Zion, For your horn I will make iron And your hoofs I will make bronze, That you may pulverize many peoples, That you may devote to the LORD their unjust gain And their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

they know: Isaiah 55:8, Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 11:33, Romans 11:34

for he shall: Isaiah 21:10, Joel 3:12, Joel 3:13, Zechariah 14:1-3, Luke 3:17, Revelation 14:14-20

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 10:15 - gathered 1 Chronicles 19:16 - and drew Psalms 33:11 - thoughts Isaiah 10:7 - he meaneth Jeremiah 29:14 - and I will turn Ezekiel 22:19 - I will Hosea 6:11 - he hath Joel 3:11 - Assemble Habakkuk 3:12 - thresh John 8:43 - do

Cross-References

Genesis 4:3
So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the LORD of the fruit of the ground.
Genesis 4:4
Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and for his offering;
Genesis 4:14
"Behold, You have driven me this day from the face of the ground; and from Your face I will be hidden, and I will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."
Genesis 4:17
Cain had relations with his wife and she conceived, and gave birth to Enoch; and he built a city, and called the name of the city Enoch, after the name of his son.
Genesis 4:18
Now to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad became the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael became the father of Methushael, and Methushael became the father of Lamech.
Genesis 4:23
Lamech said to his wives, "Adah and Zillah, Listen to my voice, You wives of Lamech, Give heed to my speech, For I have killed a man for wounding me; And a boy for striking me;
Genesis 4:24
If Cain is avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold."
Leviticus 26:20
'Your strength will be spent uselessly, for your land will not yield its produce and the trees of the land will not yield their fruit.
Leviticus 26:36
'As for those of you who may be left, I will also bring weakness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies. And the sound of a driven leaf will chase them, and even when no one is pursuing they will flee as though from the sword, and they will fall.
Psalms 109:10
Let his children wander about and beg; And let them seek sustenance far from their ruined homes.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But they know not the thoughts of the Lord, neither understand they his counsel,.... Which are very different from theirs: the thoughts and designs of the enemies of Zion, in the times of the Maccabees, were, to destroy utterly the people of God, and root them out of the earth, and abolish their religion and worship; but the intentions of God were to defeat them, and bring them to ruin: the views of the kings of the earth, being stirred up by unclean spirits to the battle of Almighty God, will be to extirpate the interest and kingdom of Christ; but the end of the Lord, in suffering them to be gathered together, will be utterly and totally to destroy them; and the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand, and the thoughts of his heart, to all generations. Men know their own designs, but they do not know the designs of the Lord; they intend the ruin of others, but God intends to bring about theirs; and his intentions are never frustrated, but theirs are;

for he shall gather them as sheaves into the floor; as, when the harvest is ripe, it is cut down, and bound up in sheaves, and brought home, and these are laid in order upon the floor to be threshed; so, when the nations of the earth are fully ripe for ruin, God will put, or order to be put; in the sickle, and cut them down, and bind them in bundles, and lay them on his threshingfloor of wrath and vengeance, and utterly destroy them contrary to their views and expectations.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But they know not the thoughts of the Lord, neither understand they His counsel - The pagan did, for their own ends, what God willed for His. The first step was the same; God willed that His people should be punished; they willed to punish them. But all which lay beyond, they saw not; that God willed (on their repentance) to pardon His own people, but to punish themselves for their pride Isaiah 10:7, Isaiah 10:12 and cruelty Zechariah 1:15, Zechariah 1:19. : “Almighty God corrects the elect through the reprobate, as with a rod; after which He condemns the reprobate eternally, as when the son has been disciplined, the rod is cast into the fire.”

For He shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor - The multitude of the sheaves hinders not the threshing; the multitude of God’s enemies hinders not their destruction. They think that they strengthen themselves, as they gather together; God sees them but as ripened and fitted for destruction, gathered into one bundle together, to perish together. God gathers them, not by constraint or force, but by giving free scope to their own wayward wills, and overruling these to His ends.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Micah 4:12. But they know not the thoughts of the Lord — These think that God has utterly rejected his people, and they shall have a troublesome neighbour no more: but this is not his design; he will afflict them for a time; but these, the enemies of his people, he will gather as sheaves into the threshing-floor, there to be trodden, and the wheel to go over them. This is the counsel, the purpose of God, which these do not understand. The persons here referred to are not only the Chaldeans which were threshed by the Persians and Medes; but the Idumeans, Ammonites, Moabites, and Philistines, which the Jews afterwards subdued.


 
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