The judgment upon Samaria and the land of Judah; and the prophet's lament. The historical fulfilment of the prophecy is in the capture of Samaria by Sargon in 722 and that same king's invasion of Judah in 711 (see note A). Compare the topographical allusions in Micah 1:10-15 with the corresponding s... [ Continue Reading ]
Heading (see Introduction) 1. _Micah the Morasthite_ i.e. Micah of Moresheth-gath (see Micah 1:14). _which he saw_ To -see" is a very early and very natural synonym for -to prophesy;" -he that is now (called) a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer" (1 Samuel 9:9). Hence the prophecies of Isaiah are... [ Continue Reading ]
The Threat of Punishment 2. _all ye people_ Rather PEOPLES. God's judgment upon the world is now in progress (comp. Isaiah 3:13-14; Isaiah 34:1-5), and one of the principal acts in the great drama is the judgment impending over Israel. Hence all nations are summoned, not merely as legal witnesses (a... [ Continue Reading ]
_cometh forth out of his place_ Two persons may use the same expressions in very different senses. Heathen poets imagined that divine beings -came forth" and mingled in the strife of mortals; the prophets adopt the same language as the symbol of the working of a spiritual Deity.... [ Continue Reading ]
_the mountains shall be molten_ The figure is that of a storm, but no ordinary storm. Lightning descends, and dissolves the very mountains, and torrents of rain scoop out channels in the valleys. Similar symbolic descriptions occur in Judges 5:5; Isaiah 64:1; Habakkuk 3:6; comp. Exodus 19:18.... [ Continue Reading ]
The cause of this awful manifestation the sin of Samaria and Jerusalem. _Jacob_ A poetic synonym for Israel. The term has a slightly different meaning in the two halves of the verse. In the first, it clearly means the whole of the chosen people, including Judah; but in the second, only the Ten Trib... [ Continue Reading ]
_as a heap_ Rather, INTO A HEAP (i.e. into ruins). _as plantings of a vineyard_ Rather, INTO THE PLANTINGS, &c. Samaria should remain so long in ruins, that vineyards should be laid out upon it (comp. Isaiah 28:1 -the fat valley of those who are smitten down with wine"). _I will pour down the stone... [ Continue Reading ]
_the hires_ i.e. the rich votive offerings in the sanctuaries, shortly afterwards called -the hire of a harlot," with reference to the shameful practices of heathenish religion (Deuteronomy 23:17-18). _shall return_ i.e. shall again become (as Genesis 3:19 -unto dust shalt thou return"). The materi... [ Continue Reading ]
Micah's Lamentation 8. _Therefore I will wail_ Such exuberance of emotion specially characterizes the Jews and the Arabs; it reminds us of the Homeric heroes. The prophets did not cease to be men when they received the gift of inspiration. Sometimes they seem to have had a kind of double consciousn... [ Continue Reading ]
_her wound_ Lit. HER STRIPES. Samaria's trouble is a chastisement (comp. Isaiah 1:3-4), but it is not Samaria's trouble only. It has reached Jerusalem; hence the -incurableness" of the -wound," for Jerusalem is the heart of the nation. The past tenses vividly express the certainty of the prophet's i... [ Continue Reading ]
_Declare ye it not_ -May we at least be spared the sight of the malicious joy of our envious neighbours!" Here begins a series of paronomasias, which however are far from indicating a playful mood in the prophet. Most of them refer to Judæan towns in the prophet's own neighbourhood. He could not pos... [ Continue Reading ]
_inhabitant_ The word in the Hebrew is feminine, the population of the city being (as often, e.g. Isaiah 1:8) personified as a virgin. _Saphir_ as if Fair town (a play on the name). _Zaanan_ The Zenan of Joshua 15:37. _came not forth_, &c. Rather, IS NOT COME FORTH; THE MOURNING OF BETH-EZEL TAKE... [ Continue Reading ]
_Maroth_ The name might mean Bitternesses, i.e. -perfect grief." Comp. Ruth 1:20, -Call me Mara, for the Lord hath made it bitter unto me," i.e. hath grieved me. _waited carefully_ Rather, HATH BEEN IN PAIN. _for good_ i.e. for the good of liberty which it has lost. _but evil came down_ Rather, F... [ Continue Reading ]
_Lachish_ That well-known fortified town in the Shephélah, or maritime plain, the capture of which was commemorated by Sennacherib in two bas-reliefs in his palace; comp. Isaiah 36:2; Isaiah 37:8. These small Syrian and Palestinian fortresses had to sustain repeated sieges. -Lachish" and _rechesh_(-... [ Continue Reading ]
_Therefore_ There is no logical sequence implied: -therefore" often introduces a threatening passage sin leading to punishment. The prophet abruptly turns to the people of Judah. _shalt thou give presents_, &c. More strictly, FAREWELL-PRESENTS. The meaning of the whole clause is that Judah will hav... [ Continue Reading ]
_Yet will I bring_, &c. Rather, MOREOVER UNTO THEE WILL I BRING HIM THAT SHALL POSSESS THEE (viz. Sargon and his Assyrians). -Mareshah" was near Achzib (Joshua 15:44). There is an allusion to its possible meaning of -possession." _he shall come unto Adullam_, &c. Rather, THE GLORY OF ISRAEL SHALL CO... [ Continue Reading ]
_Make thee bald_ The prophet addresses the sorrowing mother, Judah, who sees her children go forth into exile. The injunction is to be understood poetically (see on Micah 1:13). Artificial baldness, as a sign of mourning, was against the Law (Leviticus 19:27-28; Deuteronomy 14:1), but this prohibiti... [ Continue Reading ]