Original Word: עָבַת
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: `abath
Pronunciation: ah-vath
Phonetic Spelling: (aw-bath')
KJV: wrap up
NASB: weave it together
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to interlace, i.e. (figuratively) to pervert

wrap up

A primitive root; to interlace, i.e. (figuratively) to pervert -- wrap up.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to wind, weave
NASB Translation
weave it together (1).

Meaning and Imagery

ʿāvat pictures the deliberate twisting or braiding of strands into a single cord. In Scripture the image is applied figuratively to moral conduct: individuals who should uphold righteousness intertwine their wills and resources in order to carry out evil schemes, binding themselves—as it were—into a single rope of sin.

Biblical Context

Only Micah 7:3 employs the verb, but the scene it paints is vivid and comprehensive:

“Both hands are skilled at evil; the prince demands a bribe, the judge is paid off, the powerful dictate what they desire—and they all conspire together.” (Micah 7:3)

The prophet stacks three societal pillars—prince (political power), judge (judicial power), and great man (economic or land-owning power)—and shows them wrapping their individual strands into one cord of corruption. The Hebrew verb underscores the intentional, crafted nature of their collusion; wickedness is not accidental but artfully woven.

Historical Background

Micah ministered during the latter half of the eighth century B.C., overlapping the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah in Judah. Rapid urban growth, unprecedented wealth for the elite, and international pressures from Assyria fostered conditions in which bribes, land-grabs, and judicial partiality flourished. Archaeological evidence (e.g., the Samaria ostraca) confirms taxation abuses and property manipulation in the period. Micah exposes this injustice in sermons that move from courtroom indictment to gracious promise (Micah 1–7), and ʿāvat seals the final indictment before the book turns to hope (Micah 7:7-20).

Theological Significance

1. Corporate Responsibility: The verb stresses joint action. Sin here is social, not merely individual. When lines between offices blur, justice collapses (compare Deuteronomy 16:18-20; Habakkuk 1:4).
2. Willful Perversion: The “twisting” motif contrasts sharply with God’s straightforward statutes (Psalm 19:8). What leaders twist, the LORD will unbraid in judgment.
3. Prelude to Deliverance: Micah’s accusations heighten the wonder of verses 18-19: “Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity…?” The same chapter that lays bare humanity’s tangled corruption announces God’s untangling mercy.

Intertextual Echoes

While ʿāvat itself appears only once, the Bible repeatedly condemns the same kind of deliberate entwinement:
• “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20).
• “Hands that shed innocent blood… a heart that devises wicked schemes” (Proverbs 6:17-18).
• “Justice is perverted” (Habakkuk 1:4).

These parallels illuminate Micah 7:3 and confirm the canonical unity of the theme.

Christological Trajectory

In the Gospels the religious, political, and popular powers similarly conspire to condemn Jesus (Luke 23:1-25; Acts 4:26-28). Yet God uses their twisted plot to accomplish the straightest path of redemption. What human hands weave for evil, God overrules for salvation (Acts 2:23-24).

Practical Ministry Application

• Integrity in Leadership: Church officers, civil servants, and judges must resist the subtler forms of collusion—networking that trades favors at the expense of righteousness.
• Corporate Repentance: Congregations should confess institutional sins, not only personal faults, asking God to untwist cultural patterns within their fellowship.
• Prophetic Courage: Like Micah, believers are called to speak truth to intertwined powers, trusting the LORD for vindication (Micah 7:7).

Questions for Reflection

1. Where might I be “braiding” my influence with others in ways that compromise justice?
2. How does the cross demonstrate God’s ability to straighten what humanity twists?
3. What communal practices can my church adopt to promote transparency and accountability?

Summary

ʿāvat exposes the intentional, cooperative nature of societal sin. In Micah’s day princes, judges, and magnates literally “twisted together” their evil plans, exemplifying how power can be braided into cords of injustice. Yet the same chapter that records this conspiracy points ahead to divine mercy that unravels human corruption. The term therefore warns, convicts, and ultimately leads the reader to the hope of God’s redemptive untwisting in Christ.

וַֽיְעַבְּתֽוּהָ׃ ויעבתוה׃ VayabbeTuha way‘abbəṯūhā way·‘ab·bə·ṯū·hāInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts