A common misinterpretation is that this passage teaches believers should never directly rebuke Satan or demons, ignoring instances like Jesus commanding evil spirits to depart or Zechariah 3:2 where the Lord similarly rebukes Satan, thus overlooking the context of Jude's warning against irreverent speech toward authorities; others wrongly assume Michael showed fear or weakness toward the devil, missing the emphasis on respectful protocol, or treat the cited event from the non-canonical Assumption of Moses as unquestioned history rather than an illustrative allusion supporting Jude's point about ungodly presumption.
Jude 1:9
King James Version (1769)
9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
Jude 1:9 illustrates the proper attitude of humility and deference to God's authority even in spiritual conflict, as Michael the archangel, disputing with the devil over Moses' body, refrained from issuing a railing accusation or presuming to judge but instead invoked 'The Lord rebuke thee,' modeling restraint against evil dignities in contrast to the arrogant false teachers Jude condemns who blaspheme celestial beings without restraint.