🌎❌✡️✝️ Tolerate: something is wrong – but what?
Readers approach this study from different directions. Some arrive from the Revelation post where Jesus praises the church in Ephesus: “I know you cannot tolerate wicked men.” Others may land here directly from a search.
Either way, the question is the same: how do we reconcile that statement with the Gospels, where Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners?
At first glance, it looks like a discrepancy — avoid sinners vs. sit with sinners. But the tension isn’t in Jesus’ actions; it’s in our understanding of the words. This breakout turns to Micah 6:16, where the Hebrew verb nāśāʾ (“to lift, carry, bear”) appears.
By examining how Jesus’ Jewish listeners would have understood this language, we move from the concept of “tolerating” to the reality of bearing reproach.” That shift shows why Jesus was right — presence with sinners did not mean carrying or endorsing their sin, but discerning what must not be lifted up.
This is all interesting stuff. And this is the short version! But what do we do with it?
Well, one of the cross references I had was to a book many people don’t really spend much time in. Micah. But I like it, so I looked it up. And couldn’t find what was supposed to be there. Sort of. I realized, it wasn’t a word I should’ve been looking for. Instead, it was a concept. The concept of toleration. Or not.
Once again, I went for confirmation. I don’t like to lead any AI. Some of them seem to like to agree as the first option. Others are more argumentative and like to tell you where you’re wrong. Almost sounds human, doesn’t it? They aren’t. But they are really good at some things.
Here’s what happened in this case.
AI Analysis from MS Copilot: excerpts from chat exchanges on the topic
according to my resource, נָשָׂא is in Micah 6:16 – but I don’t see it in my interlinear Bible.
Quick Answer: You’re right to be puzzled—נָשָׂא (nśʾ) does not appear in Micah 6:16 in the Hebrew text. The verb used there is different, and your resource may have been referencing a conceptual parallel (bearing reproach) rather than the actual word נָשָׂא.
🔎 What the Hebrew text of Micah 6:16 actually says
Looking at the Hebrew interlinear for Micah 6:16:
- וְיִשְׁתַּמֵּר חֻקּוֹת עָמְרִי — “For the statutes of Omri are kept”
- וְכֹל מַעֲשֵׂה בֵּית אַחְאָב — “and all the works of the house of Ahab”
- וַתֵּלְכוּ בְּמֹעֲצוֹתָם — “and you walk in their counsels”
- לְמַעַן תִּתִּי אֹתְךָ לְשַׁמָּה — “that I may make you a desolation”
- וְיֹשְׁבֶיהָ לִשְׁרֵקָה — “and her inhabitants a hissing”
- וְחֶרְפַּת עַמִּי תִשְּׂאוּ — “and you will bear the reproach of my people.”
👉 The last clause is where the verb תִשְּׂאוּ (tiss’ū) appears. That is from the root נָשָׂא (“to lift, carry, bear”). So the resource is correct that נָשָׂא occurs in this verse—but it’s not in the “tolerate” part; it’s in the phrase about bearing reproach.
⚖️ Why the confusion?
- Micah 6:16 uses נָשָׂא in the sense of bearing reproach (“you will carry the disgrace of my people”).
- The “tolerate” verb in Revelation 2:2 is Greek βαστάζω, which also means bear, carry, endure.
- Your resource likely drew a linguistic parallel: both verses use “carry/bear” language, but in different contexts. Revelation applies it to wicked men, Micah applies it to reproach.
✨ Implication
- Negating βαστάζω in Revelation = “you do not bear/endure wicked men.”
- Using נָשָׂא in Micah = “you will bear/carry reproach.”
- The overlap shows how Hebrew and Greek both use “carrying” metaphors for moral/spiritual burdens. But in Micah, it’s not about tolerating people—it’s about carrying shame.
✅ Conclusion: נָשָׂא does appear in Micah 6:16, but only in the phrase “you will bear the reproach of my people.” It’s not the word translated “tolerate” in Revelation 2:2. The connection is thematic: both passages use the metaphor of bearing—whether burdens, reproach, or wickedness.
🌎❌✡️✝️ Tolerate: something is wrong – but still, I don’t know what!
OK, that was nice. But at first glance, it didn’t sound helpful. Maybe I should say, it wasn’t fruitful. It didn’t appear to help me at all.
The, I remembered – we’re in negative mode. Coming up with opposites, in context, isn’t always easy. So here’s another exchange.
AI Analysis from MS Copilot: excerpts from chat exchanges on the topic
given the rest of the verse in Micah, reproach makes sense and in fact may strengthen the view of tolerate. In Micah they went full on with the practices of the wicked men so they bear the reproach. In Ephesus they did not, and so it’s praise.
Yes — you’ve drawn out a really important contrast. Let’s frame it clearly:
📖 Micah 6:16
- The people embraced the statutes of Omri and the practices of Ahab.
- As a result, the verse says: “you will bear (נָשָׂא) the reproach of my people.”
- Here, נָשָׂא = to carry, to bear, and the object is reproach/shame.
- The consequence of tolerating and even adopting wickedness is that the community itself becomes burdened with disgrace.
📖 Revelation 2:2 (Ephesus)
- The church is praised: “I know you cannot tolerate (βαστάζω) wicked men.”
- Here, βαστάζω = to bear, endure, carry.
- Negated: they refuse to carry/endure wicked men.
- Instead of sharing in their practices, they discern and resist.
- The result is commendation — they are not burdened with reproach, but honored for their discernment.
✨ The Contrast
- Micah’s audience: carried wickedness → bore reproach.
- Ephesus church: refused to carry wickedness → received praise.
So yes, “reproach” strengthens the sense of “tolerate.” To tolerate wickedness is to carry its weight and eventually bear its shame. To refuse tolerance is to refuse to carry that burden — which is why Jesus commends Ephesus.
🌍 Implication for today
This nuance challenges our modern “ban/exile” reading.
- Not tolerating doesn’t necessarily mean exclusion.
- It means refusing to lift up, endorse, or carry wickedness.
- Presence may still exist, but the community refuses to let wickedness define or burden them.
That’s a much more relational and discerning posture — one that explains why Jesus could sit with tax collectors and sinners without “tolerating” their sin. He didn’t carry or endorse it, but He also didn’t exclude them from His presence.
⬅🤿 Return
If you came from the study “I know you cannot tolerate wicked men”, click below to return:
Discover more from God versus religion
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.