Micah

1Chapter
1The word of the Lord that came to Micah the Moreshite —what he saw regarding Samaria and Jerusalem in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.

Coming Judgment on Israel

2Listen, all you peoples; pay attention, earth and everyone in it! The Lord God will be a witness against you, the Lord, from his holy temple. 3Look, the Lord is leaving his place and coming down to trample the heights of the earth. 4The mountains will melt beneath him, and the valleys will split apart, like wax near a fire, like water cascading down a mountainside. 5All this will happen because of Jacob’s rebellion and the sins of the house of Israel. What is the rebellion of Jacob? Isn’t it Samaria? And what is the high place of Judah? Isn’t it Jerusalem? 6Therefore, I will make Samaria a heap of ruins in the countryside, a planting area for a vineyard. I will roll her stones into the valley and expose her foundations. 7All her carved images will be smashed to pieces; all her wages will be burned in the fire, and I will destroy all her idols. Since she collected the wages of a prostitute, they will be used again for a prostitute.

Micah’s Lament

8Because of this I will lament and wail; I will walk barefoot and naked. I will howl like the jackals and mourn like ostriches. 9For her wound is incurable and has reached even Judah; it has approached my people’s city gate, as far as Jerusalem.
10Don’t announce it in Gath, don’t weep at all. Roll in the dust in Beth-leaphrah. 11Depart in shameful nakedness, you residents of Shaphir; the residents of Zaanan will not come out. Beth-ezel is lamenting; its support is taken from you. 12Though the residents of Maroth anxiously wait for something good, disaster has come from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem. 13Harness the horses to the chariot, you residents of Lachish. This was the beginning of sin for Daughter Zion because Israel’s acts of rebellion can be traced to you. 14Therefore, send farewell gifts to Moresheth-gath; the houses of Achzib are a deception to the kings of Israel. 15I will again bring a conqueror against you who live in Mareshah. The nobility of Israel will come to Adullam. 16Shave yourselves bald and cut off your hair in sorrow for your precious children; make yourselves as bald as an eagle, for they have been taken from you into exile.
2Chapter

Oppressors Judged

1Woe to those who dream up wickedness and prepare evil plans on their beds! At morning light they accomplish it because the power is in their hands. 2They covet fields and seize them; they also take houses. They deprive a man of his home, a person of his inheritance.
3Therefore, the Lord says: I am now planning a disaster against this nation; you cannot free your necks from it. Then you will not walk so proudly because it will be an evil time. 4In that day one will take up a taunt against you and lament mournfully, saying, “We are totally ruined! He measures out the allotted land of my people. How he removes it from me! He allots our fields to traitors.” 5Therefore, there will be no one in the assembly of the Lord to divide the land by casting lots.

God’s Word Rejected

6“Quit your preaching,” they preach. “They should not preach these things; shame will not overtake us.” 7House of Jacob, should it be asked, “Is the Spirit of the Lord impatient? Are these the things he does?” Don’t my words bring good to the one who walks uprightly? 8But recently my people have risen up like an enemy: You strip off the splendid robe from those who are passing through confidently, like those returning from war. 9You force the women of my people out of their comfortable homes, and you take my blessing from their children forever. 10Get up and leave, for this is not your place of rest because defilement brings destruction— a grievous destruction! 11If a man comes and utters empty lies — “I will preach to you about wine and beer” — he would be just the preacher for this people!

The Remnant Regathered

12I will indeed gather all of you, Jacob; I will collect the remnant of Israel. I will bring them together like sheep in a pen, like a flock in the middle of its pasture. It will be noisy with people. 13One who breaks open the way will advance before them; they will break out, pass through the city gate, and leave by it. Their King will pass through before them, the Lord as their leader.
3Chapter

Unjust Leaders Judged

1Then I said, “Now listen, leaders of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel. Aren’t you supposed to know what is just? 2You hate good and love evil. You tear off people’s skin and strip their flesh from their bones. 3You eat the flesh of my people after you strip their skin from them and break their bones. You chop them up like flesh for the cooking pot, like meat in a cauldron.” 4Then they will cry out to the Lord, but he will not answer them. He will hide his face from them at that time because of the crimes they have committed.

False Prophets Judged

5This is what the Lord says concerning the prophets who lead my people astray, who proclaim peace when they have food to sink their teeth into but declare war against the one who puts nothing in their mouths. 6Therefore, it will be night for you— without visions; it will grow dark for you— without divination. The sun will set on these prophets, and the daylight will turn black over them. 7Then the seers will be ashamed and the diviners disappointed. They will all cover their mouths because there will be no answer from God.
8As for me, however, I am filled with power by the Spirit of the Lord, with justice and courage, to proclaim to Jacob his rebellion and to Israel his sin.

Zion’s Destruction

9Listen to this, leaders of the house of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel, who abhor justice and pervert everything that is right, 10who build Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with injustice. 11Her leaders issue rulings for a bribe, her priests teach for payment, and her prophets practice divination for silver. Yet they lean on the Lord, saying, “Isn’t the Lord among us? No disaster will overtake us.” 12Therefore, because of you, Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become ruins, and the temple’s mountain will be a high thicket.
4Chapter

The Lord’s Rule from Restored Zion

1In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s house will be established at the top of the mountains and will be raised above the hills. Peoples will stream to it, 2and many nations will come and say, “Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us about his ways so we may walk in his paths.” For instruction will go out of Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 3He will settle disputes among many peoples and provide arbitration for strong nations that are far away. They will beat their swords into plows and their spears into pruning knives. Nation will not take up the sword against nation, and they will never again train for war. 4But each person will sit under his grapevine and under his fig tree with no one to frighten him. For the mouth of the Lord of Armies has spoken. 5Though all the peoples walk in the name of their own gods, we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever.
6On that day— this is the Lord’s declaration— I will assemble the lame and gather the scattered, those I have injured. 7I will make the lame into a remnant, those far removed into a strong nation. Then the Lord will reign over them in Mount Zion from this time on and forever. 8And you, watchtower for the flock, fortified hill of Daughter Zion, the former rule will come to you; sovereignty will come to Daughter Jerusalem.

From Exile to Victory

9Now, why are you shouting loudly? Is there no king with you? Has your counselor perished so that anguish grips you like a woman in labor? 10Writhe and cry out, Daughter Zion, like a woman in labor, for now you will leave the city and camp in the open fields. You will go to Babylon; there you will be rescued; there the Lord will redeem you from the grasp of your enemies! 11Many nations have now assembled against you; they say, “Let her be defiled, and let us feast our eyes on Zion.” 12But they do not know the Lord’s intentions or understand his plan, that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor. 13Rise and thresh, Daughter Zion, for I will make your horns iron and your hooves bronze so you can crush many peoples. Then you will set apart their plunder for the Lord, their wealth for the Lord of the whole earth.
5Chapter

From Defeated Ruler to Conquering King

1Now, daughter who is under attack, you slash yourself in grief; a siege is set against us! They are striking the judge of Israel on the cheek with a rod. 2Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; one will come from you to be ruler over Israel for me. His origin is from antiquity, from ancient times. 3Therefore, Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of the ruler’s brothers will return to the people of Israel. 4He will stand and shepherd them in the strength of the Lord, in the majestic name of the Lord his God. They will live securely, for then his greatness will extend to the ends of the earth. 5He will be their peace. When Assyria invades our land, when it marches against our fortresses, we will raise against it seven shepherds, even eight leaders of men. 6They will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword, the land of Nimrod with a drawn blade. So he will rescue us from Assyria when it invades our land, when it marches against our territory.

The Glorious and Purified Remnant

7Then the remnant of Jacob will be among many peoples like dew from the Lord, like showers on the grass, which do not wait for anyone or linger for mankind. 8Then the remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, among many peoples, like a lion among animals of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, which tramples and tears as it passes through, and there is no one to rescue them. 9Your hand will be lifted up against your adversaries, and all your enemies will be destroyed.
10In that day— this is the Lord’s declaration— I will remove your horses from you and wreck your chariots. 11I will remove the cities of your land and tear down all your fortresses. 12I will remove sorceries from your hands, and you will not have any more fortune-tellers. 13I will remove your carved images and sacred pillars from you so that you will no longer worship the work of your hands. 14I will pull up the Asherah poles from among you and demolish your cities. 15I will take vengeance in anger and wrath against the nations that have not obeyed me.
6Chapter

God’s Lawsuit against Judah

1Now listen to what the Lord is saying: Rise, plead your case before the mountains, and let the hills hear your complaint. 2Listen to the Lord’s lawsuit, you mountains and enduring foundations of the earth, because the Lord has a case against his people, and he will argue it against Israel. 3My people, what have I done to you, or how have I wearied you? Testify against me! 4Indeed, I brought you up from the land of Egypt and redeemed you from that place of slavery. I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam ahead of you. 5My people, remember what King Balak of Moab proposed, what Balaam son of Beor answered him, and what happened from the Acacia Grove to Gilgal so that you may acknowledge the Lord’s righteous acts.
6What should I bring before the Lord when I come to bow before God on high? Should I come before him with burnt offerings, with year-old calves? 7Would the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams or with ten thousand streams of oil? Should I give my firstborn for my transgression, the offspring of my body for my own sin?
8Mankind, he has told each of you what is good and what it is the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with your God.

Verdict of Judgment

9The voice of the Lord calls out to the city (and it is wise to fear your name): “Pay attention to the rod and the one who ordained it. 10Are there still the treasures of wickedness and the accursed short measure in the house of the wicked? 11Can I excuse wicked scales or bags of deceptive weights? 12For the wealthy of the city are full of violence, and its residents speak lies; the tongues in their mouths are deceitful.
13“As a result, I have begun to strike you severely, bringing desolation because of your sins. 14You will eat but not be satisfied, for there will be hunger within you. What you acquire, you cannot save, and what you do save, I will give to the sword. 15You will sow but not reap; you will press olives but not anoint yourself with oil; and you will tread grapes but not drink the wine. 16The statutes of Omri and all the practices of Ahab’s house have been observed; you have followed their policies. Therefore, I will make you a desolate place and the city’s residents an object of contempt; you will bear the scorn of my people.”
7Chapter

Israel’s Moral Decline

1How sad for me! For I am like one who— when the summer fruit has been gathered after the gleaning of the grape harvest — finds no grape cluster to eat, no early fig, which I crave. 2Faithful people have vanished from the land; there is no one upright among the people. All of them wait in ambush to shed blood; they hunt each other with a net. 3Both hands are good at accomplishing evil: the official and the judge demand a bribe; when the powerful man communicates his evil desire, they plot it together. 4The best of them is like a brier; the most upright is worse than a hedge of thorns. The day of your watchmen, the day of your punishment, is coming; at this time their panic is here. 5Do not rely on a friend; don’t trust in a close companion. Seal your mouth from the woman who lies in your arms. 6Surely a son considers his father a fool, a daughter opposes her mother, and a daughter-in-law is against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own household. 7But I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation. My God will hear me.

Zion’s Vindication

8Do not rejoice over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will stand up; though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. 9Because I have sinned against him, I must endure the Lord’s fury until he champions my cause and establishes justice for me. He will bring me into the light; I will see his salvation. 10Then my enemy will see, and she will be covered with shame, the one who said to me, “Where is the Lord your God?” My eyes will look at her in triumph; at that time she will be trampled like mud in the streets.
11A day will come for rebuilding your walls; on that day your boundary will be extended. 12On that day people will come to you from Assyria and the cities of Egypt, even from Egypt to the Euphrates River and from sea to sea and mountain to mountain. 13Then the earth will become a wasteland because of its inhabitants and as a result of their actions.

Micah’s Prayer Answered

14Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock that is your possession. They live alone in a woodland surrounded by pastures. Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead as in ancient times.
15I will perform miracles for them as in the days of your exodus from the land of Egypt. 16Nations will see and be ashamed of all their power. They will put their hands over their mouths, and their ears will become deaf. 17They will lick the dust like a snake; they will come trembling out of their hiding places like reptiles slithering on the ground. They will tremble in the presence of the Lord our God; they will stand in awe of you.
18Who is a God like you, forgiving iniquity and passing over rebellion for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not hold on to his anger forever because he delights in faithful love. 19He will again have compassion on us; he will vanquish our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. 20You will show loyalty to Jacob and faithful love to Abraham, as you swore to our ancestors from days long ago.
Study
Chapter 5
ESV

The Shepherd-King Arrives and the Remnant Is Restored. A new hope for Israel, and for the whole world, comes by means of a new David. His deeds are praised (vv. 1–6), and the influence of the remnant among the nations is described (vv. 7–9). The chapter concludes with divine removal of all idolatries (vv. 10–15).

ESV

Now. As earlier (4:9, 11), this word signals distress for Zion. The play on words between muster your troops (Hb. titgodedi) and daughter of troops (Hb. bat-gedud) suggests Zion’s inability to establish an army to defend itself. siege. Probably that of Sennacherib (701 B.C.). strike the judge of Israel. A metaphor of humiliation for Israel’s king now under siege (2 Chron. 32:10).

CSB

Ephrathah was a clan that was part of the tribe of Judah (Ru 1:2; 4:11; 1Sm 17:12); it may have received its name from Caleb’s second wife (1Ch 2:19). Bethlehem was the main town in Ephrathah’s small territory, and the two became associated in order to distinguish the place from another Bethlehem in the north. Bethlehem was David’s hometown (1Sm 16:4-13), and therefore, Micah spoke of a coming ruler who would be in David’s line. This ruler’s “origin is from antiquity, from ancient times” (Mc 5:2). Thus, it is likely that this prophecy does refer to the Messiah’s origins or descent from David and to his birthplace in Bethlehem. The name Bethlehem means “house of bread,” a fitting name for the birthplace of him who said, “I am the bread of life” (Jn 6:35,48).

ESV

But you. Both here and in 4:8, these words signal renewed kingship. Ephrathah is the name of the district in which Bethlehem is located and David was born (1 Sam. 17:12). too little. The unlikely choice of David as king foreshadows the unlikely choice of Bethlehem as the hometown of the greater David. Matthew 2:6 (combining this with Mic. 5:4) shows that Jewish scholars of Jesus’ day read this as a prediction of the Messiah’s birthplace (cf. John 7:42). The Messiah’s reign is at God’s behest (for me), and his coming forth (or “origins”; plural of Hb. motsa’ah, “coming out”) is from of old, from ancient days. This has been taken to indicate either an ancient (Davidic) lineage or eternal (and therefore divine) origin of the predicted Messiah. The first time-related expression (“from of old”; Hb. miqqedem) generally refers to ancient historical times (e.g., Neh. 12:46; Ps. 77:5, 11; 78:2; 143:5; Isa. 45:21; 46:10) but can also refer to eternity past (e.g., Ps. 74:12; Hab. 1:12). The second time-related expression (“from ancient days”; Hb. mime ‘olam), however, refers to ancient historical times both in Micah (7:14; cf. 7:20) and elsewhere (Deut. 32:7; Isa. 63:9, 11; Amos 9:11; Mal. 3:4); thus this text is referring to the Messiah’s ancient Davidic lineage, confirming that the ancient covenantal promises made to David still stand.

CSB

The woman who gives birth most probably refers to the mother of the Messiah. Micah called Israel without a king “like a woman in labor” (4:9), but here he distinguished between Israel and the woman and had just referred to the birth of the Messiah.

ESV

he shall give them up. Israel’s loss of king and subjection to enemies will prevail until the birth of the Lord’s ruler. the rest of his brothers shall return. The statement emphasizes the unity of the people of God under the Messiah’s rule.

CSB

These verses await fulfillment at the second coming of Christ. The mention of Assyria seems at first glance to shift the focus back to Micah’s own day. The Lord did save Jerusalem from the Assyrian Sennacherib, but the end of v. 6 says that the Messiah (“he”) will deliver the nation from Assyria. Micah mentioned “the land of Nimrod” in addition to Assyria, a designation that meant he had something broader than just Assyria in mind. In Genesis, Nimrod was viewed as the founder of both Babylonia and Assyria (Gn 10:8-12). Micah viewed Assyria, the major world power of his day, as symbolic of all the kingdoms of the world (Zch 10:11). Even so, the Messiah will deliver Israel in the last days from all the powers that come against it.

ESV

he shall stand and shepherd. The Messiah’s rule and protection of Yahweh’s flock are accomplished by Yahweh’s authority and power. dwell secure … ends of the earth. The breadth of his greatness ensures that those who return (Hb. yeshubun, v. 3) will also dwell (Hb. yashabu) without fear.

ESV

True peace among people is achieved by the Messiah, who overcomes conflict (cf. Eph. 2:14). The Assyrian of Micah’s day represents the enemies of God’s people in every age. seven shepherds … eight princes. This traditional formula (cf. Eccles. 11:2) expresses a parallel between the Messiah’s actions and those who faithfully lead in his place. This is evidenced in the main verbs they shall shepherd … he shall deliver, extending the Messiah’s rule even among these Gentiles.

ESV

These verses, with parallel structures, describe: (1) the presence of the remnant among the nations; (2) two comparisons; and (3) an explanation of the comparisons. delay not … nor wait. Like dew and rain, the beneficial influence of the remnant is given or withheld by the Lord alone. goes through, treads … tears … none to deliver. The remnant––no longer a gentle rain—is now a destructive lion.

ESV

This verse may be read as a prayer uttered by the remnant. cut off. This action of the Lord is featured in the final section (vv. 10–15).

ESV

The Lord cleanses his people from military and cultic idols. The paired verses include elements natural (vv. 10–11) and supernatural (vv. 12–13). A summary statement closes the section (vv. 14–15).

ESV

in that day. See 4:1, 6. The Lord answers the implicit prayer of 5:9 to cut off things that compromise the holiness of his people. horses … strongholds. Armies and fortifications, rather than the Lord, were often relied on as security against external enemies (cf. Isa. 31:1; Hos. 8:14).

ESV

sorceries … tellers of fortunes. Seeking occult knowledge was explicitly forbidden to Israel (Deut. 18:10, 14). your carved images … your pillars. In representing the presence of the deity in this wrongful way, Israel was tempted to bow down to created things rather than to the Creator (Mic. 1:7; Rom. 1:22–23).

ESV

Asherah images are wooden images of the female fertility goddess of the Canaanites, regularly denounced by the prophets. (A grim reminder of these pagan ways in Israel has been found at the site of Kuntillat Ajrud, perhaps the southernmost outpost of Judah during the early eighth century B.C. Remarkable discoveries of inscriptions and drawings were made here, including one that reads, “I bless you by Yahweh of Samaria and his Asherah.” This refers to the Lord and his consort goddess, an idea that is utterly contrary to the revealed biblical beliefs, and is thus a clear example of pagan influence on God’s people.)

ESV

execute vengeance. The Lord alone, as the sovereign ruler, has the right to rescue his people and punish the nations that did not obey. The nature of the disobedience is not mentioned, but a contrast is established in the wider context. The nations returning to the Lord receive instruction (4:1–2), while those that will not submit to his rule receive destruction (5:15).