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Micah 6:8
He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
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Interpretation

The prophet calls a justice and mercy that is embodied in limits and longings. Micah 6:8: trace "what" and "has". Align justice and mercy in promises we keep—anchor courage in promise. Through grace & mercy, Highlights God’s unmerited favor and covenantal compassion, culminating in Christ (Exod 34:6; Eph 2:8–9).

Context

Micah speaks here as prophetic oracle writing, naming justice and mercy. Placed in ch. 6, the nearby lines set its tone. There’s a line into grace & mercy. The nearby sentences supply the texture.

Authorship & Historical Background

Early attribution points to Micah for Micah. In current research on Micah, Oracles from rural prophet; edited.. Date: 8th century BC.. Grace & Mercy is especially relevant in this line.

More details
Traditional:Micah
Modern scholarship:Oracles from rural prophet; edited.
Date:8th century BC.
Manuscripts & Textual Witnesses
The Hebrew Masoretic Text is well–established. The Dead Sea Scrolls include Micah fragments (4QXIIa, 4QXIIg) from the 2nd century BCE, though not this exact verse. The Septuagint translation (3rd century BCE) closely matches the Hebrew. The triad 'justice, mercy, walking humbly' uses Hebrew terms (mishpat, chesed, tsana) that appear identically in all manuscripts. The Vulgate and Targums support this reading. This verse shows virtually no textual variation across 2,300 years.
Sources & witness notes
VulgateMT4QXIIa