Do not tell it in Gath
The phrase "Do not tell it in Gath" is a poignant directive from the prophet Micah. Gath was one of the five Philistine cities and often represented the enemies of Israel. The Hebrew root for "tell" is "nagad," which means to declare or make known. This instruction echoes the sentiment found in 2 Samuel 1:20, where David laments the death of Saul and Jonathan, urging that the news not be spread in Gath to prevent the enemies from rejoicing. Theologically, this highlights the importance of discretion and the avoidance of giving the adversaries of God's people any cause for celebration over their misfortunes. It serves as a reminder of the spiritual warfare that believers face and the need to guard against giving the enemy a foothold.

do not weep at all
The command "do not weep at all" seems counterintuitive in a context of impending judgment and calamity. The Hebrew word for "weep" is "bakah," which conveys a deep, mournful crying. In this context, the instruction may suggest a stoic acceptance of God's judgment, recognizing that the time for repentance has passed, and now is the time to endure the consequences. It also reflects a cultural understanding of mourning practices, where public displays of grief could be seen as a sign of weakness or defeat. Spiritually, it calls believers to a place of trust in God's sovereignty, even in the face of discipline or hardship.

Roll in the dust in Beth-leaphrah
"Roll in the dust in Beth-leaphrah" is a vivid image of mourning and humiliation. "Beth-leaphrah" means "house of dust," and the act of rolling in the dust is a traditional expression of deep sorrow and repentance in the ancient Near East. The Hebrew word for "roll" is "hithpallel," which implies a self-inflicted action, indicating a voluntary submission to God's judgment. This phrase serves as a powerful metaphor for humility and repentance, urging the people to acknowledge their sins and the resulting consequences. It is a call to return to God with a contrite heart, recognizing that true restoration begins with humility and acknowledgment of one's own failings. In a broader spiritual sense, it reminds believers of the need for genuine repentance and the hope of redemption that follows sincere contrition.

(10) Declare ye it not at Gath.--The prophet lets his lament flow after the strain of David's elegy, "Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon." In this passage the parallelism seems to require the name of a town where the English Version has "at all." But the Hebrew word thus represented may, by the addition of a letter which has dropped out of the text, be rendered "in Accho," or Ptolemais, now called Acca. The LXX. translation ?? ?? ???, ?? ??????????? ?? ?? ????, ?? (=?? ?? ???? ??), accords with this reading. The parallelism is thus maintained, and the thought is completed: "Mention not the trouble in our enemies' cities; bewail it in our own."

Verses 10-15. - 4. The judgment on Judah is exemplified by the fate of certain of its cities, whose names the prophet connects with their punishment in a series of paronomasias. Verse 10. - Declare ye it not at Gath. This phrase from David's elegy over Saul (2 Samuel 1:20) had become a proverbial saying, deprecating the malicious joy of their hostile neighbours over the misfortunes that befell them. Gath is mentioned as the seat of the Philistines, the constant and powerful enemy of Judah. (For its situation, see note on Amos 6:2.) The paronomasias in this passage, which seem to modern ears artificial and puerile, are paralleled in many writings both Hebrew and classic, and were natural to a people who looked for mystical meaning in words and names. Thus Gath is taken to signify "Tell town," and the clause is, "In Tell town tell it not." Weep ye not at all; Vulgate, lacrymis ne ploretis; i.e. "weep in silence," or "hide your tears," that the enemy may not know your grief. As in cash of the other clauses a town is mentioned, some editors would here read, "In Acco ('Weep town') weep not!" - Acco being the later Ptolemais, the modern St. Jean d'Acre, and taken here to represent another foreign city which would rejoice at Judah's misfortunes (see, Judges 1:31). The Septuagint alone of all the versions seems to countenance this reading, by translating, Οἱ Ἐνακεὶμ μὴ ἀνοικοδομεῖτε, "Ye Enakim, do not rebuild," which has been resolved into οἱ ἐν Ἀκεὶμ, supposed to be an error for οἱ ἐν Ἀχί The objections against this reading may be seen in Keil and Pusey. There is a play on the words in both these clauses (as in the following five verses), which is not seen in the English Version, begath al taggidu, and bako al tibeku. Knabenbauer imitates the paronomasia in Latin, "Cannis ne canite; Anconae ne angamini;" Ewald and Schegg in German, "In Molln meldet nicht; in Weinsberg. weinet nicht;" Reuss in French, "N'allez pas le dire a Dijon! N'allez pas pleurer a Ploermel!" In these puns, as we should call them, the prophet is far, indeed, from jesting. "He sees," says Dr. Cheyne, "like Isaiah, in Isaiah 10:30, a preordained correspondence between names and fortunes;" and he wishes to impress this on his countrymen, that the judgment may not come upon them unwarned. In the house of Aphrah; better, at Beth-le-Aphrah, i.e. "House of dust;" Vulgate, in domo pulveris. The site of Aphrah is unknown. Some identify it with Ophrah in Benjamin (Joshua 18:23), four miles northeast of Bethel; others, with Ophrah in Philistia (1 Chronicles 4:14). Host of the towns named below lie in the Shephelah. Keil notes that the word is pointed with pathach here for the sake of the paronomasia. Roll thyself in the dust; sprinkle dust upon thyself. This was a common sign of mourning (comp. 2 Samuel 13:19; Jeremiah 6:26). The Hebrew text (in contradistinction to the margin, Keri) gives, "I roll myself," or "I have besprinkled myself," the prophet identifying himself with the people. But as in all the subsequent passages, not what the prophet does, but what the inhabitants do, is the point impressed, the reading of the Keri is hem to be preferred. Vulgate, pulvere vos conspergite. The Septuagint has an inexplicable rendering, κατὰ γέλωτα γῆν καταπάσασθε, "against laughter sprinkle earth," which Brenton translates, "sprinkle dust in the place of your laughter." With this section (vers. 10-15) should be compared Isaiah 10:28-32, which describes the alarm occasioned by Sennacherib's invasion of Judah from the northeast, as Micah represents his progress to the southwest.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Do not
אַל־ (’al-)
Adverb
Strong's 408: Not

tell it
תַּגִּ֔ידוּ (tag·gî·ḏū)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 5046: To be conspicuous

in Gath;
בְּגַת֙ (bə·ḡaṯ)
Preposition-b | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 1661: Gath -- 'wine press', a Philistine city

do not weep
בָּכ֖וֹ (bā·ḵōw)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 1058: To weep, to bemoan

at all.
תִּבְכּ֑וּ (tiḇ·kū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 1058: To weep, to bemoan

Roll
הִתְפַּלָּֽשִׁי׃ (hiṯ·pal·lā·šî)
Verb - Hitpael - Imperative - feminine singular
Strong's 6428: (act of mourning) perhaps to roll in

in the dust
עָפָ֖ר (‘ā·p̄ār)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6083: Dust, clay, earth, mud

in Beth-leaphrah.
לְעַפְרָ֔ה (lə·‘ap̄·rāh)
Preposition | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 1036: Beth-le-aphrah -- 'house to dust', a place in Palestine


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OT Prophets: Micah 1:10 Don't tell it in Gath (Mc Mic. Mi)