Micah 5:12

And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand,.... Such as were formerly practised among the Jews, though forbidden them, and in mystical Babylon, or the antichristian church, whose sorceries are

And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers: I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand - i:e., which thou now usest.

In this verse the Lord foretells the downfall of all unlawful arts which had been in use, though forbidden by the law of God, . Though Israel should have consulted with God alone, yet they did consult with sorcerers. So did Manasseh, and before him, . Thou shalt have no more soothsayers; the very art shall be out of use, and none shall openly, as formerly, consult with them, or they make profession of foretelling events, or what a lucky day or hour to set upon an enterprise, or to curse, as Balaam would have done, an enemy to make way for victory; no more of these; the oracles ceased when Christ was born: much to this purpose . God will, in mercy to his people, take away these stumbling-blocks, these occasions of sin.

Micah 5:12 And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no [more] soothsayers:Ver. 12. And I will cut off witchcrafts, &c.] As before God had promised to take away such things as in themselves are not evil, but only by our abuse; so here he will also remove from his people things simply evil and unlawful, such as are witchcrafts, idolatry, &c., that he may make way for mercy, which he is ready to give were they but fit to receive it. The word here rendered witchcrafts hath the signification of changing or turning; and is used for unlawful devilish arts and artisans: λשׁσ hence βασκαινω, fascino, to bewitch. It is also applied to false teachers and their magic acts, Galatians 3:1-29 : 1 Kings 18:23. See a like promise Zechariah 13:2. See Malachi 3:5. And thou shalt have no more soothsayers] Or star gazers, diviners, fortune tellers. One derivation of the word clepeth them nebulones or knaves; as those that undertake to foretell future things, ex nebulis, by the clouds, planets, star, by calculating nativities, and the like unlawful practices of judiciary astrology, necromancy, pyromancy, oneiromancy, aruspicy, sortilegy, and other diabolical arts of that nature. The Ephesians were much addicted to such wicked practices: hence the proverb εφεσιαγραμματα for the black art. The Samaritans also, Acts 8:11; and hence that malicious slander of the Jews, "Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan," that is, one that dealeth with the devil, John 8:48; for otherwise they knew that Christ was no Samaritan, but a Galilean, as they called him in scorn, in truth a Bethlehemite, as Micah 5:2. The Jews themselves are taxed, Isaiah 2:6, that they were soothsayers, like the Philistines; and told that God had therefore forsaken them, or sent them away into captivity. See more against this sort of sin and sinners, Isaiah 44:24-26; Isaiah 47:12-14; Jeremiah 10:2; Jeremiah 10:25 Daniel 2:1-3, &c.; but especially Deuteronomy 18:10-11, where we have these five arguments (as one well observeth) against astrological and other unlawful predictions. First, that all such are abomination to the Lord, Deuteronomy 18:12; Secondly, that for such arts the Canaanites were driven out; Thirdly, that unless men cast away the use of the said arts they cannot be perfect, that is, upright and sincere with God, Deuteronomy 18:13; Fourthly, that godly men must differ from Canaanites and heathens, in the abandoning of such arts, Deuteronomy 18:14; Lastly, that instead of such ways of prediction, the Lord raiseth up Christ, the great prophet, to foretell unto them what is meet for them to foreknow, Deuteronomy 18:15 cf. Acts 3:23. To seek to know more is condemned for curiosity and rashness by Christ himself, in his own disciples, Acts 1:7; it derogateth from the glory of Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge: it is to go a whoring from Christ, Leviticus 20:6, and is therefore in this text fitly yoked with idolatry.

Verse 12. I will cut off witchcrafts] Thou shalt seek help only in Jehovah thy God. They have had neither soothsayers, images, groves, nor high places, from the captivity to the present day.

12. witchcrafts] Sorcery was highly developed in Syria and Palestine; the ancient Semites brought it from their early home in Mesopotamia (see Lenormant’s Chaldean Magic). Comp. Isaiah 2:6, Numbers 22-24, Deuteronomy 18:10-13. soothsayers] More precisely, diviners of the clouds (the clouds were much studied by the Chaldean diviners); or perhaps, cloud-makers (-falling, beneficent dew, and on the other to ths among savages, ‘rain-makers’).

12. Witchcrafts and soothsayers will be removed. Witchcrafts — That witchcrafts were practiced in Judah in Micah’s age is stated also by Isaiah (Isaiah 2:6; Isaiah 8:19), but what was their precise