Original Word: מְסוּכָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: mcuwkah
Pronunciation: meh-soo-KAH
Phonetic Spelling: (mes-oo-kaw')
KJV: thorn hedge
NASB: thorn hedge
Word Origin: [for H4881 (מְשׂוּכָה מְשׂוּכָה - hedge)]

1. a hedge

thorn hedge

For msuwkah; a hedge -- thorn hedge.

see HEBREW msuwkah

Word Origin
from suk
Definition
a hedge
NASB Translation
thorn hedge (1).

מְסוּכָה noun feminine hedge ("" form of מְשֻׂכָה q. v. below שׂוך); — only in figure יָשָׁר מִמְּסוּכָה Micah 7:4, read ׳יְשָׁרָם מְס ("" טוֺבָם כְּחֵדֶק), their most upright one is a hedge (an obstruction).

Biblical Occurrence

Micah 7:4 contains the sole appearance of מְסוּכָה (mesukah): “The best of them is like a brier; the most upright is worse than a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen—of your punishment—has come; now is the time of their confusion”. The prophet compares the nation’s supposed “best” citizens to a dense barrier of thorns, exposing the moral and social deterioration of Judah on the eve of judgment.

Literal and Symbolic Picture of a Thorn Hedge

In ancient Israel a living fence of interwoven thornbushes functioned as both protection for flocks and deterrent against intruders. Such hedges were deliberately tangled, painful to penetrate, and nearly impenetrable once fully grown. Scripture uses similar imagery to stress:
• Impenetrability—wickedness becomes a barrier that keeps people from walking in righteousness.
• Pain—contact brings injury, illustrating the harmful effect of sin on community life.
• Futility—unlike a fruitful vine, a thorn hedge bears no edible yield, symbolizing spiritual barrenness.

Prophetic Weight in Micah’s Oracle

Micah 7 opens with the lament, “Woe is me, for I am like one gathering summer fruit” (Micah 7:1). When no godly men remain, leadership itself turns into a thorn hedge (7:4). The imagery intensifies the indictment:

1. Leaders who should guard the people instead entangle them.
2. The “day of watchmen” becomes a day of divine visitation; the hedge cannot ward off God’s judgment.
3. Confusion follows, showing that moral corruption produces social disintegration.

Connections with Other Scriptural Imagery

Though other Hebrew terms are used, thorn hedges recur as a moral metaphor:
• Proverbs 15:19—“The way of the sluggard is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway.” Laziness erects obstacles where righteousness clears them.
• Hosea 2:6—God hedges unfaithful Israel with thorns to restrain her wandering, demonstrating chastening love.
• Isaiah 5:5—When God removes His protective hedge, judgment falls on an unfruitful vineyard.

These parallels underscore the dual function of hedges: divine protection when supplied by God, painful hindrance when self-constructed through sin.

Historical and Agrarian Setting

Thorn hedges (often made from buckthorn, acacia, or lotus) were common field boundaries in the Shephelah and hill country. They required regular pruning; neglect produced an impenetrable thicket. Micah’s audience, largely agrarian, grasped instantly how an overgrown hedge could choke pathways and harbor predators—apt illustrations of corrupt officials trapping the innocent and fostering violence (Micah 7:2–3).

Practical and Pastoral Insights

1. Spiritual leadership: Elders and ministers must tend the flock, not become a barrier to truth. A neglected heart can quickly resemble a mesukah, keeping others from Christ.
2. Self-examination: Personal sin is never static; left unchecked it thickens, wounds, and isolates. Repentance and the cleansing work of the Spirit uproot such thorns.
3. Hope through Christ: At Calvary the Redeemer wore a crown of thorns. The symbol of curse became the emblem of atonement, opening a “new and living way” (Hebrews 10:20). Believers, therefore, need not remain behind hedges of guilt or shame; the barrier has been pierced.
4. Eschatological assurance: Micah ends with confidence in God’s steadfast love (Micah 7:18–20). Divine judgment is real, yet mercy triumphs for all who turn to Him.

Summary

מְסוּכָה in Micah 7:4 is more than a botanical term; it is a vivid portrayal of society’s descent into self-inflicted entanglement. The thorn hedge warns against moral negligence, highlights the pain caused by sin, and ultimately points to the One who bore the thorns to set His people free.

מִמְּסוּכָ֑ה ממסוכה mim·mə·sū·ḵāh mimesuChah mimməsūḵāhInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts