Micah 7:4 (GNV)

Passage

The best of them is as a brier, and the most righteous of them is sharper then a thorne hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation commeth: then shalbe their confusion.

Nearby Context

Micah 7:2 The good man is perished out of the earth, and there is none righteous among men: they all lye in wayte for blood: euery man hunteth his brother with a net.

Micah 7:3 To make good for the euil of their hands, the prince asked, and the iudge iudgeth for a reward: therefore the great man he speaketh out the corruption of his soule: so they wrapt it vp.

Micah 7:4 The best of them is as a brier, and the most righteous of them is sharper then a thorne hedge: the day of thy watchmen and thy visitation commeth: then shalbe their confusion.

Micah 7:5 Trust ye not in a friend, neither put ye confidence in a counseller: keepe the doores of thy mouth from her that lyeth in thy bosome.

Micah 7:6 For the sonne reuileth the father: ye daughter riseth vp against her mother: the daughter in lawe against her mother in lawe, and a mans enemies are the men of his owne house.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "best", "brier", "most", "righteous", "sharper", "thorne", "hedge", and "watchmen". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "best" and "brier", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "To make good for the euil of..." into verse 5's "Trust ye not in a friend neither...", so "best" and "brier" 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 "best" and "brier" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.