‘My people, what have I done to you? Testify against Me how I have wearied you!
Parallel translations
- WEB My people, what have I done to you? How have I burdened you? Answer me!
- KJV O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me.
- NKJV “O My people, what have I done to you? And how have I wearied you? Testify against Me.
- NASB “My people, what have I done to you, And how have I wearied you? Answer Me.
- NLT “O my people, what have I done to you? What have I done to make you tired of me? Answer me!
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
God tenderly asks His people what He has done to weary them, exposing that their unfaithfulness has no just cause. It shows that Israel's rebellion is against a God who has only blessed them.
Overview
Rather than opening with accusation, the LORD pleads with disarming gentleness, "My people, what have I done to you?" This rhetorical question highlights that God's covenant has been a burden of grace, not oppression, and that the fault lies entirely with Israel. It anticipates the heart of a God who would later be wounded by those He loved, supremely at the cross.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Jer 2:5This is what the LORD says: “What fault did your fathers find in Me that they strayed so far from Me, and followed worthless idols, and became worthless themselves?
- Isa 43:22–23But you have not called on Me, O Jacob, because you have grown weary of Me, O Israel.
- Jer 2:31You people of this generation, consider the word of the LORD: “Have I been a wilderness to Israel or a land of dense darkness? Why do My people say, ‘We are free to roam; we will come to You no more’?
- Ps 81:13If only My people would listen to Me, if Israel would follow My ways,
- Ps 50:7“Hear, O My people, and I will speak, O Israel, and I will testify against you: I am God, your God.
- Mic 6:5My people, remember what Balak king of Moab counseled and what Balaam son of Beor answered. Remember your journey from Shittim to Gilgal, so that you may acknowledge the righteousness of the LORD.’”
- Rom 3:19Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God.
- Rom 3:4–5Certainly not! Let God be true and every man a liar. As it is written: “So that You may be proved right when You speak and victorious when You judge.”
- Ps 81:8Hear, O My people, and I will warn you: O Israel, if only you would listen to Me!
- Ps 51:4Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You may be proved right when You speak and blameless when You judge.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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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 6:3 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.