Jude 1:9 (WEB)

Passage

But Michael, the archangel, when contending with the devil and arguing about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him an abusive condemnation, but said, “May the Lord rebuke you!”

Nearby Context

Jude 1:7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them, having, in the same way as these, given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are shown as an example, suffering the punishment of eternal fire.

Jude 1:8 Yet in the same way, these also in their dreaming defile the flesh, despise authority, and slander celestial beings.

Jude 1:9 But Michael, the archangel, when contending with the devil and arguing about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him an abusive condemnation, but said, “May the Lord rebuke you!”

Jude 1:10 But these speak evil of whatever things they don’t know. They are destroyed in these things that they understand naturally, like the creatures without reason.

Jude 1:11 Woe to them! For they went in the way of Cain, and ran riotously in the error of Balaam for hire, and perished in Korah’s rebellion.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "condemn", "michael", "archangel", "contending", "devil", "arguing", "body", and "moses". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "condemn" and "michael", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "Yet in the same way these also..." into verse 10's "But these speak evil of whatever things...", so "condemn" and "michael" belong inside that flow. In Jude context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

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