You will sow, but won’t reap. You will tread the olives, but won’t anoint yourself with oil; and crush grapes, but won’t drink the wine.
Parallel translations
- KJV Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap; thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint thee with oil; and sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine.
- BSB You will sow but not reap; you will press olives but not anoint yourselves with oil; you will tread grapes but not drink the wine.
- NKJV “You shall sow, but not reap; You shall tread the olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil; And make sweet wine, but not drink wine.
- NASB “You will sow but you will not harvest. You will tread the olive press but will not anoint yourself with oil; And tread out sweet wine, but you will not drink any wine.
- NLT You will plant crops but not harvest them. You will press your olives but not get enough oil to anoint yourselves. You will trample the grapes but get no juice to make your wine.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
They will sow, press olives, and crush grapes yet enjoy none of the harvest. It continues the curse of fruitless toil as the wage of their sin.
Overview
Echoing the covenant curses, God promises that planting, olive-pressing, and wine-making will yield no benefit to them, their oil and wine taken away. The blessings of the land are forfeited through covenant unfaithfulness. This reversal of harvest joy highlights the bitter cost of sin and our need for the One who restores fruitfulness and gives the true wine of His kingdom.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Zeph 1:13Their wealth will become a plunder, and their houses a desolation. Yes, they will build houses, but won’t inhabit them. They will plant vineyards, but won’t drink their wine.
- Amos 5:11Therefore, because you trample on the poor, and take taxes from him of wheat: You have built houses of cut stone, but you will not dwell in them. You have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.
- Jer 12:13They have sown wheat, and have reaped thorns. They have put themselves to pain, and profit nothing. You shall be ashamed of your fruits, because of the fierce anger of Yahweh.”
- Lev 26:20Your strength will be spent in vain; for your land won’t yield its increase, neither will the trees of the land yield their fruit.
- Deut 28:38–40You will carry much seed out into the field, and will gather little in; for the locust will consume it.
- Isa 62:8–9Yahweh has sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, “Surely I will no more give your grain to be food for your enemies; and foreigners will not drink your new wine, for which you have labored;
- Hag 1:6You have sown much, and bring in little. You eat, but you don’t have enough. You drink, but you aren’t filled with drink. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm, and he who earns wages earns wages to put them into a bag with holes in it.”
- Isa 65:21–22They will build houses, and inhabit them. They will plant vineyards, and eat their fruit.
- Joel 1:10–12The field is laid waste. The land mourns, for the grain is destroyed, The new wine has dried up, and the oil languishes.
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Christ at the center
Micah names the town — 'But you, Bethlehem... from you shall come forth one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origins are from of old' — the birthplace of the eternal King.
How Micah 6:15 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.