MICAH

1 This is not Michaiah who prophesied in the time of Ahab and Jehoshaphat, and who was the son of Imlah, 1 Kings 22:8, etc.; 2 Chron. 18:7, etc.

2 See Jer. 26 on verse 18, where express mention is made of this prophet and his prophecy. See also below verses 14, 15.

3 At the time of these kings Isaiah also prophesied, Isa. 1:1. Of the reign of these kings see 2 Kings from the 15th chapter to the 21st and 2 Chronicles from the 27th chapter to the 33rd.

4 That is, which word was revealed to him of God by visions. See Ezek. 13 on verse 3; Amos 1:1, etc.

5 That is, the kingdom of Israel of the ten tribes, and the kingdom of Judah. Samaria was the capital city of Israel, as Jerusalem was of Judah.

6 Hebr. ye people, all of them, as elsewhere. A figurative summons of all people and creatures to appear and to assist in God’s court of judgment, which He wanted to pronounce upon His people. Compare Deut. 32:1; Psalm 50:1; Isa. 1:2; Jer. 6:18, 19; Amos 3:9. Compare also Micah 6:1, 2. Some understand by people all the tribes of God’s people, and by the earth the land of Canaan.

a Deut. 32:1; Isa. 1:2.

7 Other, land.

8 As Psalm 24:1.

9 Or, and the Lord God shall be a witness.

10 Or, among; as having a regard to the nations in whose presence God would testify thus against His people.

11 Ye of Samaria and Jerusalem, this is to convince you of your wickedness and the righteousness of His punishments in a full process of justice. Compare Psalm 50:7, with the annotation.

12 Or, the temple of his holiness, or, his holy palace, intending to come down, as it were, out of heaven (where He dwells with His glory), or, out of the temple of Jerusalem (where He dwells with His gracious presence), not to show grace and favor, but to keep judgment. See Psalm 11:4; Jonah 2:4, 7, with the annotations.

b Isa. 26:21.

13 See Isa. 26:21, with the annotation.

c Psalm 115:3.

14 See Amos 4 on verse 13.

d Deut. 32:13; 33:29.

15 As not being able to endure the presence and wrath of this Judge. Figuratively spoken, as Psalm 97:5.

e Psalm 97:5; Amos 9:5.

16 Understand, melt.

17 Understand, being split, that is, which is divided into small drops and, as it were, that they are lost in a manner, when they are poured out from a high place. Compare 2 Sam. 14:14.

18 Hebr. descent, going down.

19 What is said before, shall all come to pass.

20 That is, who are the most important authors and founders of the wickedness and idolatry in Israel? Surely, they are those of Samaria.

21 Compare verse 13.

22 Or, apostasy, that is, who are the authors and founders of the idolatrous high places, and who entice the people to that end and lead by their evil example in Judah? (See Lev. 26 on verse 30; Ezek. 20:29) Surely, they are those of Jerusalem.

23 Or, earth heap, that is, the city, which now is built so magnificently and stately, shall I make into an heap of earth, cast up in the field, or, become like a field that is dug up and turned upside down, and as a place which is delved and turned up to plant a vineyard in it. Compare Micah 3:12.

24 Of their walls and buildings.

25 While Samaria was situated on a mountain.

26 To overthrow the city, that the foundations shall become bare and nothing shall remain in its place. See Ezek. 13:14, with the annotation.

27 The Hebrew word is used for the wage of a harlot, but here it is in the plural. Understand thereby all their riches and abundance which God indeed had given them, but they accounted them as gifts of their lovers, that is, of the Baals or idols, and a reward of their adultery, that is, idolatry, whereof they in turn offered gifts and presents unto their idols, to adorn them and their temples. See hereof Hosea 2:4, 7, 8, 11; 9:1. Besides that, they were so corrupt, that, in lieu of receiving harlots’ wages, they even gave harlots’ wages to obtain new idols and idolatrous alliances. See Ezek. 16:31, 34, 41.

28 See 2 Sam. 5 on verse 21.

29 That is, vanish away as the hire of an harlot, as we say: lightly come, lightly go. Or, it may be applied to the Assyrians, who would rob and plunder it again, as a gift and reward of the idols, or pay their harlots’ hire. Compare Joel 3:3.

30 These are the words of the prophet, as Isa. 21:3; 22:4; Jer. 4:19; 9:1, etc., to induce the people to reflection and repentance.

31 Or, spoiled, (compare Job 12:17) and naked. Compare Isa. 20:2, with the annotation.

32 See Job 30 on verse 29, and compare Psalm 102:6, with the annotation.

f Job 30:29.

33 Or, For her wounds are incurable. Hebr. is, and so in the sequel. That is, every one of her (Samaria’s) plagues; they are all past cure, past help.

34 Unto a sign that the ten tribes were laid waste already and that the enemy was pressing on into Judah. Compare 2 Kings 18:13; Isa. 8:7, 8.

35 The enemy. Or, it, namely, evil, out of verse 12.

36 Some gather from this that this prophet was of Judah, wherewith agrees what is said of him, Jer. 26:19 and above verse 1.

g 2 Sam. 1:20.

37 Lest the Philistines rejoice at it. See 2 Sam. 1:20, with the annotation.

38 Hebr. weeping weep not.

39 Or, over the house of Aphrah, for his sake. We read indeed of an Ophrah in Manasseh, and another in Benjamin; see Judges 6 on verse 11, but Aphrah, or Beth-Aphrah, occurs nowhere but in this place, and also the following places Saphir, Zaanan, Bethezel, Maroth. From which some are of the opinion that they are but fictitious names, whereby the prophet aimed at certain places of note, having regard to the signification of these words. Or, at leastwise that he had respect to the signification of the names of such places, as also verses 14, 15. Beth-Aphrah is as much as to say: house of dust, or dust-house, dusty house, as if the prophet want to say: Roll yourself in the dust (or, about, over that place) who shall be laid into the dust or made a desolation. Saphir is to say: beautiful, fair; Zaanan: where there is abundance of cattle or (according to others) where is much issue; Bethezel: the house which is hard by, beside, or separated, is kept or spared; Maroth: bitter places, or bitternesses, whereby one may understand dry and barren places. By all these places the prophet foretells their approaching miseries. Some would guess that Aphrah means Ephraim, Saphir Samaria, Zaanan Zion, Bethezel Bethel, Maroth Ramoth in Gilead, etc.

40 Or, sprinkle thyself with dust, unto a sign of mourning. Compare Jer. 6:26; Ezek. 27:30, with the annotations.

h Jer. 6:26.

41 Hebr. Pass yourselves, pass thou, namely, forth out of the land into captivity. As for the redundancy of the word yourselves, see Amos 7 on verse 12.

42 Hebr. uncovered at the shame. See Isa. 47:2, 3; Jer. 13:22, with the annotations.

i Isa. 47:3.

43 With their cattle, to feed them as they were wont, as some do take this; or, shall not be able to go forth, being so straitened and beset by the enemy, and standing in such fear of him. Some do construe it thus with the sequel, went not forth to the bewailing of Bethezel, as not being in a condition to lament for or comfort their neighbors, being themselves so much distressed.

44 That is, God shall take away from you His assistance, or further residence and abode among you. Or, he, namely, the enemy shall be strengthened by your ruin. Other, which shall receive his standing from you, namely, Bethezel. That is, as it fairs with the foresaid fat and goodly places, so shall it go likewise with their neighbors of meaner condition, who must needs very sensibly participate of the destruction of those, from and by whom they had their best subsistence and livelihood, whereof further in the sequel.

45 Which the inhabitants lost by the devastation of the fat bordering parts and places, even unto Jerusalem; or, which the enemy took away from Maroth itself.

46 Namely, of the punishment, meaning the desolation of the land by the Assyrians.

j Amos 3:6.

47 See 2 Kings 14 on verse 19.

48 Hebr. fasten or bind (the Hebrew word is nowhere else found but here) the chariot to or with the swift beast, or camel, or horse, or post-horse, runner, or mule. See 1 Kings 4 on verse 28. The prophet implies thus: Make what haste you will to escape the approaching Assyrians to besiege you, it shall avail you nothing. See 2 Kings 18:14, 17; 19:8.

49 Some do gather from this that this city was the first in Judah which followed the idolatry of Israel or the ten tribes, and by the example thereof, even unto Jerusalem itself and many others with it, became infected. Others apply it to the defection from the house of David, in that they were now become like unto the ten tribes, for having caused their own king Amaziah (retired or fled thither from the conspirators) to be put to death. Both senses may well be comprehended in these words, so, that first being turned idolaters with the ten tribes, they became afterwards disloyal also to their own king, and traitorously caused him to be murdered, for to please the king of Israel and conspirators, the king of Israel making war at that time against Amaziah, and probably having (according to the manner of corrupt Israel) contrived and plotted this assassination. See 2 Kings 14:15, 19.

50 That is, of the ten tribes. See the previous annotation.

51 Thus the Hebrew word, derived from sending, is likewise used in 1 Kings 9:16.

52 See Jer. 26 on verse 18. Other, to the possession, that is, the environs of Gath.

53 A royal city of the Philistines (as verse 10), whose friendship and help they would seek then by presents, but in vain, implies the prophet. There was also a city, called Mareshah, belonging to Judah, and placed by Achzib, Joshua 15:44. Gath and Mareshah are likewise joined together, 2 Chron. 11:8; see there.

54 See of Achzib in Judah, Joshua 15:44, and of another in the tribe of Asher (situated at the Mediterranean Sea, as some maps have it) Judges 1:31. It may be that by the houses of Achzib there are understood here the soldiers whom the kings of Israel hired now and then from the remaining Canaanites, or, that they had made and yet stood in some confederacy with the inhabitants of these parts, for to assist them against the Assyrians, though all in vain. The prophet names only the city of Achzib because of the affinity of the word Achzib and achzab, that is, a lie, or a liar, as in the sequel, Mareshah and heir. Others understand by the kings of Israel, the kings of Judah, who were to reign over the remnant of Israel or the ten tribes, but would be destroyed by the Babylonians.

55 That is, they shall fail, and deceive them.

56 Or, inheriting possessor; understand the enemy. The prophet reflects to the signification of the word Mareshah and Moresheth, which (both signifying inheritance) it seems he takes for one and the same.

57 See Joshua 15:44; 2 Chron. 11 on verse 8; 14 on verse 9. Likewise Jer. 26 on verse 18. Also 2 Maccabees 12:35.

58 The new heir or possessor, the enemy, shall pass through and advance into Judah itself, where Adullam, formerly a royal city, was situated. See Joshua 12:15; 15:35; Neh. 11:30.

59 Namely, Jerusalem, which indeed was the glory of all Israel. These words, being somewhat obscure, they are diversely taken and constructed by the interpreters. Other, he (the enemy) shall come unto Adullam, the glory of Israel, that is, which city is glorious and renowned in Israel, situated far in the country, near the cave of Adullam, the shelter place of David.

60 Thou inhabitress of Mareshah and the other aforementioned places (that is, Hebr. inhabitress, in verses 11, 12, 13, 15 for inhabitant). Some apply it to Jerusalem or Zion, and their transportation to Babel.

61 Unto a sign of deep mourning. See Jer. 16 on verse 6.

62 Hebr. children or sons of thy pleasures or delights, that is, your dearly beloved children.

63 That is, make yourself extremely bald all about, even as the eagle does when he is to renew his feathers, and loosing thereby all his plumes and feathers.

64 Namely, your delicate children.