In that day they shall take up a taunt song against you and moan bitterly, and say, “We are utterly ruined; he changes the portion of my people; how he removes it from me! To an apostate he allots our fields.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
The bitter irony here is that the people, experiencing God's judgment, will be forced to use their own words of lament – words describing their ruin – as a taunt song for their enemies. This reveals how their suffering will be amplified, their deepest grief turned into a mocking song by those who have taken their land.
In that day they shall take up a taunt song against you and moan bitterly, and say, “We are utterly ruined; he changes the portion of my people; how he removes it from me! To an apostate he allots our fields.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Micah has just pronounced a "woe" on those who plot evil and unjustly seize land. This verse describes the devastating consequence of that sin: the people of Judah will face a bitter lament, not just from their enemies who will mock them, but from themselves as they witness their land, their inheritance, being taken and divided by invaders. This turns their own words of despair into a taunt song for their conquerors.
Imagine your deepest sorrows twisted into mockery. That's the bitter reality described here, where enemies don't just defeat you, they steal your very words of pain and turn them into a weapon.
The taunt song, or 'parable' (mashal in Hebrew), here isn't just a song; it's a proverb, a mocking saying. The enemies will take the lamentations of the Israelites – their cries of ruin and loss – and repeat them in derision. It's a profound humiliation, turning the pain of the defeated into the triumph of the victor. This shows the depth of their national shame and the complete reversal of their fortunes. What was once a song of sorrow for themselves becomes a jeering victory chant for their oppressors.
What happens when the very land God promised as an inheritance is ripped away? This verse wrestles with the devastating exchange, leaving the people asking 'how?'
The core of the lament is the change in their 'portion' – their inheritance, their land, their livelihood. The people cry, 'he changes the portion of my people; how he removes it from me! To an apostate he allots our fields.' They recognize God's hand in this upheaval ('he changes,' 'he removes'). However, they direct their bitterness at the immediate cause: the enemy ('to an apostate he allots our fields'). The land, meant to be a symbol of God's faithfulness and provision, is now being divided among those who are 'apostates' or 'rebels' against God. This highlights the painful irony: God's people have lost their God-given inheritance to those who do not know or honor God. The question 'how?' reveals their bewilderment and anguish at this reversal, a consequence of their turning away from God.
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Understand the original words
māšāl · Hebrew Noun
A mocking or satirical poem/song composed to ridicule those who have fallen into disgrace or ruin.
šûb · Hebrew Noun/Participle
One who has turned away from God, a rebel or faithless person who has broken covenant with the Lord.
This verse describes the bitter lament of the Judean people during the Assyrian invasion under Sennacherib, where their lands are forcibly taken and divided among the conquerors, highlighting the devastating consequences of both external aggression and internal sin.
c. 740 BC
Micah Prophesies
Micah delivers his prophecies in the southern kingdom of Judah, during a time of internal corruption and external threat from the Assyrian Empire.
c. 734-732 BC
Syro-Ephraimitic War
The kingdoms of Israel (Samaria) and Syria attack Judah, seeking to force King Ahaz into their anti-Assyrian coalition. Ahaz appeals to Assyria for help, marking Judah's increasing dependence on the empire.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria
The capital of the northern kingdom of Israel, Samaria, falls to the Assyrians after a prolonged siege, leading to the exile of the northern tribes.
c. 701 BC— this verse
Sennacherib's Invasion of Judah
Assyrian king Sennacherib invades Judah, conquering many fortified cities and besieging Jerusalem. The Assyrians deport vast numbers of people and livestock.
c. 605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon deports a group of Judean captives, including members of the royal family and skilled laborers, to Babylon.
586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Second Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar destroys Jerusalem and its Temple, exiling the majority of the remaining population to Babylon.
This passage describes God dividing land among the tribes of Israel, mirroring the concept of 'portion' and 'fields' being allocated, but here it's presented as a righteous act of inheritance rather than dispossession.
Jeremiah 31:15This verse depicts Rachel weeping for her children, a profound lamentation over loss, which resonates with the 'doleful lamentation' and the deep sorrow expressed in Micah's taunt song over lost land and people.
Ezekiel 36:12Here, God promises to restore the land to Israel, directly addressing the fear and despair of the land being taken and divided among the nations, offering a counterpoint to Micah's prophecy of dispossession.
Luke 10:30-37The parable of the Good Samaritan illustrates how one's 'portion' (in this case, life and possessions) can be taken by 'robbers' (foes), leaving them stripped and vulnerable, a parallel to the 'utterly ruined' state described in Micah.
Romans 11:17-24This passage uses the metaphor of an olive tree where branches (representing Israel) are broken off and wild branches (representing Gentiles) are grafted in, illustrating a dramatic 'change' of 'portion' and inheritance, echoing the bitterness of dispossession and reallocation.
barnesMicah 2:4: "In that day shall one take up a parable against you, and lament with a doleful lamentation, and say, We be utterly spoiled: he hath changed the portion of my people: how hath he removed it from me! turning away he hath divided our fields."
In that day shall one take up a parable against you - The mashal or likeness may, in itself, be any speech in which one thing is likened to another: 1) "figured speech," 2) "proverb," and, since such proverbs were often sharp sayings against other…
calvinMicah 2:4: "In that day shall one take up a parable against you, and lament with a doleful lamentation, and say, We be utterly spoiled: he hath changed the portion of my people: how hath he removed it from me! turning away he hath divided our fields."
In that day shall one take up a parable against you, and lament with a doleful lamentation, and say, We be utterly spoiled: he hath changed the portion of my people: how hath he removed it from me! turning away he hath divided our fields.
I…
The bitter irony here is that the people, experiencing God's judgment, will be forced to use their own words of lament – words describing their ruin – as a taunt song for their enemies. This reveals how their suffering will be amplified, their deepest grief turned into a mocking song by those who have taken their land.
Micah has just pronounced a "woe" on those who plot evil and unjustly seize land. This verse describes the devastating consequence of that sin: the people of Judah will face a bitter lament, not just from their enemies who will mock them, but from themselves as they witness their land, their inheritance, being taken and divided by invaders. This turns their own words of despair into a taunt song for their conquerors.
Micah has just pronounced a "woe" on those who plot evil and unjustly seize land. This verse describes the devastating consequence of that sin: the people of Judah will face a bitter lament, not just from their enemies who will mock them, but from themselves as they witness their land, their inheritance, being taken and divided by invaders. This turns their own words of despair into a taunt song for their conquerors.
"In that day they shall take up a taunt song against you and moan bitterly, and say, “We are utterly ruined; he changes the portion of my people; how he removes it from me! To an apostate he allots our fields…" — The bitter irony here is that the people, experiencing God's judgment, will be forced to use their own words of lament – words describing their ruin – as a taunt song for their enemies. This reveals…
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Last reviewed October 2026