Micah 2:1-2

1, 2. A vivid description of the corrupt conduct of the aristocracy.

Work evil upon their beds To be distinguished from “they practice it” in the next clause; the first refers to the preparation of the ways and means with which they carry out their evil schemes. In the darkness of the night they lay their plans; in the morning they carry them out.

In the power of their hand No one can prevent their crimes, for their wealth and power enable them to do anything they please (Micah 7:3).

The general accusation in Micah 2:1 is followed by a specific condemnation of the greed and avarice manifesting itself in the attempts to rob poor property owners of their holdings. Elijah (1 Kings 21:0) and Isaiah (Isaiah 5:8 ff.) championed the rights of the common people against similar outrages. The accumulation of wealth and resources in the hands of a few seriously threatened the national stability and permanence. “The old Israelite state was so entirely based on the participation of every freeman in the common soil, and so little recognized the mere possession of capital, that men were in danger of losing civil rights along with house and fields, and becoming mere hirelings or even slaves.”

Oppress Margin, “defraud.”

Heritage The hereditary portion of the land assigned to each family at the time of the conquest and guarded by the “Jubilee Law” (Leviticus 25:8 ff.; compare Numbers 27:1-11; Deuteronomy 27:17).