[Mi’cah]
Nothing is known of the prophet personally. He prophesied during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and was thus contemporary with Isaiah and Hosea. His prophecy was concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. God spoke from His holy temple, and the prophet exclaimed, "Hear, all ye peoples." He spoke to all people saying "Hearken, O earth. " All the earth was involved in the judgements that God was going to bring upon His chosen people: a solemn consideration when the people of God, instead of being a testimony for Him, bring the judgements of God down on the world. The time has come that judgement must begin at the house of God. The prophecy seems to divide itself into three sections: the word ’hear’ introducing each.
1. Micah 1, 2;
2. Micah 3 - 5; and
3. Micah 6, 7
Micah 1, 2 may be regarded as introductory. Judgements should fall upon Samaria, her wound was incurable; but they should also approach Judah and Jerusalem. The Assyrian is the special instrument of the judgements.
Micah 2. The prophet speaks of the moral state of the people that called for judgement. Schemes of violence were devised by them to gratify their covetousness. They had turned away from the testimony, and it should be taken from them. Mic 2:6 may be translated "Prophesy ye not, they prophesy. If they do not prophesy to these, the ignominy will not depart." Their wickedness spared neither women nor children. There was a call to arise and depart, for the land of promise was polluted. Nevertheless, God does not renounce His purpose concerning Israel, He will gather them together for blessing in the last days. There shall be a ’breaker’ by whom He will remove all obstacles.
Micah 3. The princes and prophets are denounced because of their iniquity; but the prophet himself was full of power to declare the sin of Israel, consequently Zion should be ploughed as a field, and Jerusalem should become heaps. This prophecy has been literally fulfilled.
Micah 4 turns to the blessing of the last days, when Mount Zion will have the first place, and many nations will approach the mountain of the Lord that they may learn His ways. The people will be judged in righteousness; and there will be peace, safety, and plenty. But before this there would be the loss of the royal power established in Zion, and their captivity in Babylon, but they should be redeemed. Eventually there would be many nations come against Zion, but the daughter of Zion should beat them to pieces, and consecrate their spoils to Jehovah, the Lord of the whole earth: comp. Psa 83; Isa 17:12-14; Zec 14:2.
Micah 5 Another subject and another Person are introduced before the final blessings of Israel can be brought to them, namely, the MESSIAH, ’the judge of Israel,’ whose goings forth had been from of old, from everlasting. Mic 5:2 tells where Christ would be born, and this prophecy was referred to by the religious rulers when Herod inquired of them respecting His birth. If this verse be read as a parenthesis it will make the context clearer. Because the Judge of Israel was smitten on the cheek with a rod, therefore He gave them up until the time of bringing forth, when the remnant of His brethren should return unto the children of Israel; that is, they will no longer be added to the church as in Act 2:27. "He shall stand and feed in the strength of Jehovah, in the majesty of the name of Jehovah his God; and they shall abide."
The Assyrian will appear at the close, but only to be destroyed; for Jehovah will have renewed His connection with Israel. The remnant of Jacob will then be in power as a lion: horses and chariots will be destroyed; and all graven images and symbols of idolatry. God will execute such vengeance as will not previously have been heard of.
Micah 6 returns to the moral condition of the people, and the judgements that must follow. Jehovah pathetically appeals to His people. He recounts what He has done for them, and asks wherein He had wearied them. Let them testify against Him. He rehearses their sins, and the punishments that must follow.
Micah 7. The prophet takes the place of intercessor, and pleads with God for the people, lamenting their condition; but in faith he says, "I will look unto Jehovah; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me." Those who rejoiced at their tribulation shall be trodden down as mire. The city will be rebuilt and the people brought from far, to the amazement of the nations, who will be confounded to see them in power again. The prophet closes with expressions of faith in and adoration of the God that pardons. He has confidence that God will perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which He had sworn to their fathers from the days of old.
By: Isidore Singer, M. Seligsohn
—Biblical Data:
The sixth book in the collection known as "The Twelve Minor Prophets"; it is ascribed to Micah the Morasthite (see Micah No. 1). It consists of seven chapters, the contents of which are as follows: Ch. i.: The idolatry of Samaria and Jerusalem are denounced; the prophet laments their fall and exhorts, the people to mourning. Ch. ii.: Denunciation of oppression; prediction of the punishment of the people therefor; the restoration of Israel foretold. Ch. iii.: The prophet reproves first the princes for their cruelty, then the false prophets, who are the cause of all the evil. He again reproves the princes for their oppression, which, he says, will cause the ruin of Jerusalem. Ch. iv.: In poetical language the restoration of Jerusalem and of the glory of the house of the Lord and the victory of Israel over the other nations are foretold. Ch. v.: Prediction that a powerful king of Judah will vanquish the other nations, particularly Ashur, and will destroyidolatry. Ch. vi.: Israel is reproved for its sins, particularly its injustice; its punishment is prophesied. Ch. vii.: The lack of righteous men and the corruption of Israel are lamented; the prophet comforts Israel, promising that it will be restored to its land and will triumph over its enemies.
—Critical View:
With regard to the period of Micah's activity, it has been remarked under Micah (No. 1) that there is a difference between the superscription of the Book of Micah, where it is said that Micah began his prophetical career in the days of Jotham, and Jer. xxvi. 18, where his prophecies are confined to Hezekiah's reign. But a closer examination of the prophecies themselves may lead to the acceptance of a period between the two; for it is evident from Mic. i. 2 et seq. that Micah prophesied before the fall of Samaria, which, contrary to II Kings xviii. 10, took place under the reign of Ahaz, as may be inferred from a comparison between II Kings xviii. 13 and the cuneiform inscriptions (see Hezekiah, Critical View). Hence it may be concluded that Micah prophesied as early as the reign of Ahaz; but nothing in his prophecies shows that they were pronounced earlier than that period. It does not follow, however, that the above-cited passage of Jeremiah really conflicts with this view; for it may be that Hezekiah's reign is mentioned alone either because it was more important than that of his predecessors or because the redaction of Micah's prophecies possibly took place during the rule of that king.
As the opening words of the book, "Hear, all ye people!" are the same as those terminating the prophecy of Micaiah, the son of Imlah (I Kings xxii. 28), it may be that the latter was identified with Micah by the compiler of the Book of Kings, as he was later by pseudo-Epiphanius (see Micah No. 1). The termination of Micaiah's prophecy with the identical words of the beginning of the Book of Micah seems to indicate in the former an allusion to the latter (comp. end of II Chron. with beginning of Ezra). Hengstenberg ("Christologic des Alten Testaments," i. 475) and Keil ("Lehrbuch der Historisch-Kritischen Einleitung in die Schriften des Alten Testaments," §§ 92, 93), however, suppose that the words of Micaiah in I Kings (l.c.) were added later, in the eighth century B.C.
Contents and Unity.
With regard to the division of the contents modern critics do not agree. Some divide them into three parts, ch. i.-ii.; iii.-v.; vi-vii.; others, into two main divisions: prophetic-political, ch. i-v.; and reflective, ch. vi-vii. The question arises whether the whole of the book was written by Micah. It is generally accepted that the first three chapters, apart from ii. 12-13, belong to him. He begins with announcing the divine judgment upon Samaria and Judah (ch. i.), and then states the reason for that judgment (ii.-iii). The two verses ii. 12-13 are considered by Stade and Kuenen as of the exilic, and by Wellhausen as of the post-exilic, period; and Micah's authorship of them is denied by all the critics. Ch. iv.-v., which refer to the Messianic time, seem to have emanated from some other hand, for the following reasons: (1) the contrast of these chapters with iii. 12; (2) the nature of certain verses—for instance, "and thou shalt come to Babylon" (iv. 10)—shows clearly that they were not pronounced by Micah (comp. Hartmann, "Das Buch Micha Neu Uebersetzt und Erklärt," 1800); (3) the ideas set forth in certain passages (e.g., iv. 11-13, v. 9-13) were not current in the time of Micah. Ch. vi.-vii. 6 representing Yhwh's controversy with Israel, the denunciation of the corruption of the people, and the prophet's lament over the decay of the Israelites, might from their contents proceed from Micah; but vii. 7 and the following verses are considered by most of the critics as spurious, inasmuch as the fall of Jerusalem, which is foretold in the preceding chapter, is here stated as having already taken place (comp. Driver, "Introduction," pp. 310 et seq.).
Other theories concerning the composition of the book are advanced, among which that of Elhorst, in his "De Profetie van Micha" (1891), is the most peculiar. He thinks that, owing to a misunderstanding on the part of the transcriber, the arrangement of the chapters is a confused one, and that the true order should be: i.; ii. 1-5; iii. 1-5; ii. 6-11; iii. 6-11; ii. 12 et seq.; iii. 12; vi. 1-5; vii. 1-6; vi. 6-16; vii. 13, 7-12, 14-20; iv. 1-8; v. 1-7; iv. 9-14; v. 8-14. He admits, however, that iv. 9-14 and v. 8 are post-exilic. This arrangement is plausible to a certain extent, but the location of iii. 12 after ii. 13 and of vii. 13 before vii. 7 is impossible. Finally, it may be remarked that the words of iv. 1-3 are identical with those of Isa. ii. 2-4, and that most probably they were interpolated later by the transcriber.
Style.
Micah's language is classical. With regard to rhetorical peculiarity he stands between Hosea and Isaiah, but nearer to the latter than to the former; for although, like the former, he is sometimes abrupt, he is similar to the latter in the mingling of mildness and strength, of gentleness and elevation. Another point of similarity between Micah and Isaiah is the frequent use of paronomasia (comp. Mic. i. 10-15, ii. 4), with the difference that Isaiah's scope is greater than that of Micah, who in his prophecies lingers among the towns of the maritime plain, wherein was his birthplace. As to his message, Micah, like Isaiah, attacks the false prophets (ib. iii. 6-8; comp. Isa. xxix. 10 et seq.), but he goes even further than Isaiah in warning against the overvaluation of sacrifices (Mic. vi. 6-8; comp. Isa. i. 11 et seq.), and in showing that the family of David must lose the throne before the most perfect scion will be born (Mic. v. 1 et seq.; comp. Isa. xi. 1 et seq.).
Bibliography:
Baudissin, Einleitung in die Bücher des Alten Testaments, 1901, sections 132 et seq.;
Cornill, Einleitung, section 2, pp. 182 et seq.;
Nowack, Erklärung des Zwölfprophetenbuches, in Handkommentar zum Alten Testament, 1897;
G. A. Smith, The Twelve Minor Prophets, in The Expositor's Bible.
MICAH, BOOK OF.—The Book of Micah stands in EV
The book divides into three clearly marked sections—chs. 1–3, Prophecies of Judgment for sin (exception Mic 2:12 f.); chs. 4, 5, Prophecies of Promise (mainly, if not entirely); chs. 6, 7, more miscellaneous in character, but containing in ch. 7 confessions of national sin.
The first of these sections contains, and for the most part consists of, prophecies of Micah. The allusion to Samaria (which was destroyed in 722) as still standing, and the accordance of the other conditions presupposed with what is otherwise known of the latter half of the 8th cent. b.c., would suffice to prove this; but we also possess early external evidence that Micah was the author of a saying occurring in this section of the book. At the close of the following century (b.c. 608) the prophet Jeremiah was denounced by the priests and prophets as worthy of death, because he had predicted the destruction of Jerusalem; but certain elders cited against the priests and prophets the precedent of Micah the Morashtite, who had made a similar prediction in the days of Hezekiah, and yet, so far from being put to death, had led his people to repentance; in citing this case the speakers quote the words with which Mic 3:1-12 closes (see Jer 26:1-24, esp. Jer 26:17-18). Of course, the citation of this single verse does not prove that even the first three chapters of the Book of Micah were then in circulation in their present form; but the narrative in Jeremiah shows that Micah, a century after he prophesied, ranked as a prophet of judgment, and Mic 1:1-16; Mic 2:1-13; Mic 3:1-12 is preeminently prophecy of judgment. The two verses (Mic 2:12 f.) which interrupt the general tenor of chs. 1–3 with a promise, represent Israel as scattered, and appear to presuppose the Exile; they are certainly not part of the preceding prophecy, and probably are an insertion in the book after the time of Jeremiah. It is held by some that the Book of Micah known to Jeremiah’s contemporaries also lacked the following portions of chs. 1–3;—Mic 1:1-5 a, Mic 1:7, Mic 1:10-15, Mic 2:5. Note, for example, that Mic 1:7 stands most awkwardly before Mic 1:3, which may give the reason for Mic 1:6, but certainly not for Mic 1:7. Yet the grounds given for deleting these passages in order to recover the earliest form of the Book of Micah are by no means in all cases equally conclusive. For the teaching of Micah, see preceding article.
Two not quite identical questions now naturally arise: Did the Book of Micah in the time of Jeremiah extend beyond ch. 3? Do chs. 4–7 contain any prophecies of Micah? The answers, so far as they can be given, must rest mainly on internal evidence. What suggestion the narrative of Jer 26:1-24 offers in this connexion may best be put in the form of a question. Could the elders have cited (Jer 26:18) the words of Mic 3:12 if those words were then, as now, immediately followed (Mic 4:1-4) by a glowing description of the future glory of Jerusalem? Would they not thereby have given the priests an opening to say that Micah’s life was spared because he repented of his blasphemy against their city and spoke of its glory?
Chs. 4, 5 appear to be a cento of brief prophecies, several of them being fragments as follows: Mic 4:1-13, Mic 5:1-14. The first of these (Mic 4:1-4) stands also in the Book of Isaiah (Isa 2:2-4). Neither in Isaiah nor in Micah is the passage connected either with what precedes or with what follows; owing to mistranslation, RV
Turning next to chs. 6, 7, we remark first that since Ewald the allusion to sacrificing the firstborn, and certain other features, have been commonly considered to point to the period of Manasseh as that in which chs. 6, 7 were written—a date which would not quite necessarily exclude Micah’s authorship, for Manasseh began to reign about 695 b.c.
In Mic 6:1-8 some points, such as the use of ‘burnt-offering’ (not ‘sin-offering’) and the nature of the allusion to Balaam, may be more easily explained if the passage be at least pre-exilic. The classical prophetic definition of religion with which this section closes (Mic 6:8), though it embraces and summarizes the fundamental teaching of Amos, Hosea, and Isaiah, does not pass beyond it—a fact which is thoroughly compatible with Ewald’s theory, though not, of course, in itself a proof of its correctness.
But it is more than doubtful whether chs. 6, 7 should be treated as a single prophecy; Mic 6:9-16 and Mic 7:1-6, though scarcely a continuation of Mic 6:1-8, are not obviously separated from it at all widely in situation or time. On the other hand, as compared with Mic 7:1-20 show a marked difference. Wellhausen (cited by Driver, LOT
‘Mic 7:1-6 consists of a bitter lamentation uttered by Zion over the corruption of her children: and the day of retribution, though ready, is yet future, Mic 7:4.’ In Mic 7:7-20 ‘Zion, indeed, is still the speaker; but here she has already been overpowered by her foe, the heathen world, which is persuaded that by its victory over Israel it has at the same time vanquished Jahweh (Mic 7:10). The city has fallen, its walls are destroyed, its inhabitants pine away in darkness, i.e. in the darkness of captivity (Mic 7:8; Mic 7:11). Nevertheless, Zion is still confident, and though she may have to wait long, she does not question her final triumph over the foe (Mic 7:7-8; Mic 7:10 a, Mic 7:11). She endures patiently the punishment merited by her past sins, assured that when she has atoned for them, God will take up her cause and lead her to victory (Mic 7:9). What was present in Mic 7:1-6, viz., moral disorder and confusion in the existing Jewish State, is in Mic 7:7-20 past: what is there future, viz., the retribution of Mic 7:4 b, has here come to pass, and has been continuing for some time. Between Mic 7:8 and Mic 7:7 yawns a century.’
Briefly, then, the history of the Book of Micah seems to have been this: a summary of the teaching of the prophet Micah, not improbably prepared and written by himself, was well known in Jerusalem at the end of the seventh century—a century after the lifetime of the prophet. This small book was re-edited and provided with its present expanded title, and enlarged by the addition of a collection of prophetic pieces, some of pre-exilic, and several of post-exilic, origin. It is not necessary to suppose that this added matter was originally attributed to Micah, though subsequently it came to he regarded as his work in the same way as Isa 40:1-31; Isa 41:1-29; Isa 42:1-25; Isa 43:1-28; Isa 44:1-28; Isa 45:1-25; Isa 46:1-13; Isa 47:1-15; Isa 48:1-22; Isa 49:1-26; Isa 50:1-11; Isa 51:1-23; Isa 52:1-15; Isa 53:1-12; Isa 54:1-17; Isa 55:1-13; Isa 56:1-12; Isa 57:1-21; Isa 58:1-14; Isa 59:1-21; Isa 60:1-22; Isa 61:1-11; Isa 62:1-12; Isa 63:1-19; Isa 64:1-12; Isa 65:1-25; Isa 66:1-24 and Zec 9:1-17; Zec 10:1-12; Zec 11:1-17; Zec 12:1-14; Zec 13:1-9; Zec 14:1-21 came to he looked upon as writings of Isaiah and Zechariah respectively. The final stage in. the history of the book was its incorporation, probably towards the close of the 3rd cent. b.c., in the great prophetic work ‘The Book of the Twelve.’ It is impossible to determine through how many stages of editorial treatment the book passed, but some of these stages certainly fell within the post-exilic period.
The most convenient English commentaries are those by T. K. Cheyne in the Cambridge Bible, and R. F. Horton in the Century Bible. The discussion and new translation from an emended text in G. A. Smith, Book of the Twelve Prophets, i. 355 ff., will be found most valuable and helpful.
G. B. Gray.
Of the four eighth century prophets whose writings have been preserved in the Old Testament, Micah was the last. Amos and Hosea had brought God’s message mainly to the northern kingdom Israel, whereas Isaiah and Micah were more concerned with the southern kingdom Judah. The two men prophesied during the same period (Isa 1:1; Mic 1:1) and both were especially concerned with the sins of Jerusalem. The two books contain many similarities, and it has been suggested that Micah might have been one of Isaiah’s disciples (cf. Isa 8:16).
Social conditions
With the prosperity of the eighth century came the social evils of greed, corruption, injustice and immorality. Those who profited most from the economic development were the merchants, officials and other upper class city dwellers. Corruption in the law courts made it easy for these people to do as they wished, while poorer class people found it impossible to gain even the most basic justice (Mic 3:9-11; Mic 7:3).
Micah was particularly concerned with the injustice done to the poor farmers. He was from a farming village himself (Mic 1:1), and he saw that the corruption of Israel and Judah was centred in the capital cities, Samaria and Jerusalem (Mic 1:5; Mic 6:9).
Because of the injustice of the officials and merchants with whom they had to deal, the farmers were forced to borrow from the wealthy to keep themselves in business (Mic 3:1-3; Mic 6:10-12). The wealthy lent them money at interest rates so high that the farmers found it impossible to pay their debts. The wealthy then seized the farmers’ possessions as payment. First they seized their clothing and household items (Mic 2:8), then, when these were not sufficient, their houses and land (Mic 2:1-3; Mic 2:9). The farmers then had to rent back their land from their new masters, thereby increasing the farmers’ burden even more.
These practices showed no knowledge of the character of God or the nature of true religion. The people still followed the sacrifices and ceremonies of the Israelite religion, but Micah warned that formal religion was hateful to God if justice and love were absent (Mic 6:6-8). Unless they repented, God would send the people into captivity and leave their homeland desolate (Mic 3:12; Mic 6:16).
Religious leaders also were corrupt. Preachers had comforting words for the upper class people from whom they received their income, but they condemned the prophet Micah for his forthright speaking (Mic 2:6; Mic 2:11; Mic 3:5). Hezekiah the king, however, heeded Micah’s warnings. He managed to achieve some reformation in Judah, and as a result God postponed the day of judgment (Jer 26:18-19; cf. Mic 3:12).
Eventually, in the reign of a later king, the judgment fell. Yet Micah saw that beyond the judgment lay the hope of a restored nation, a glorious kingdom and an ideal king (Mic 2:12-13; Mic 4:1-4; Mic 5:2; Mic 5:4).
Summary of the book
From his prophetic viewpoint, Micah gives a picture of the judgment about to fall on Israel and Judah (1:1-16). He goes on to point out that the reason for the judgment is the oppression of the poor by the corrupt leaders (2:1-3:12). But, looking further ahead, he sees that after captivity in a foreign land, Israel’s shame will be replaced by glory (4:1-5:1), and God’s chosen king will reign over his people in an ideal kingdom (5:2-15). Returning to the present, Micah announces God’s accusations against his people (6:1-16), then confesses their sin to God and pleads for God’s mercy (7:1-20).