Micah 4:9 (ASV)

Passage

Now why dost thou cry out aloud? Is there no king in thee, is thy counsellor perished, that pangs have taken hold of thee as of a woman in travail?

Nearby Context

Micah 4:7 and I will make that which was lame a remnant, and that which was cast far off a strong nation: and Jehovah will reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth even for ever.

Micah 4:8 And thou, O tower of the flock, the hill of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, yea, the former dominion shall come, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.

Micah 4:9 Now why dost thou cry out aloud? Is there no king in thee, is thy counsellor perished, that pangs have taken hold of thee as of a woman in travail?

Micah 4:10 Be in pain, and labor to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail; for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and shalt dwell in the field, and shalt come even unto Babylon: there shalt thou be rescued; there will Jehovah redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies.

Micah 4:11 And now many nations are assembled against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye see [our desire] upon Zion.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "dost", "thou", "aloud", "king", "thee", "counsellor", "perished", and "pangs". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "dost" and "thou", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "And thou O tower of the flock..." into verse 10's "Be in pain and labor to bring...", so "dost" and "thou" belong inside that flow. In Micah context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "dost" and "thou" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.