Micah1

Micah 1 introduces the prophet's vision concerning Samaria and Jerusalem, announcing the Lord's coming judgment. God declares He will descend to punish the transgressions of Jacob and the sins of Israel, particularly Samaria, which will be utterly destroyed. The prophet then laments the incurable wound that has reached Judah, foretelling the desolation and captivity of various towns.
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Title and Scope of the Prophecy

1
The word of Jehovah that came to Micah the Morashtite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. ​

The Lord Appears for Judgment

2
Hear, ye peoples, all of you; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord Jehovah be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. ​
3
For, behold, Jehovah cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth. ​
4
And the mountains shall be melted under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, as waters that are poured down a steep place.
5
For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? is it not Samaria? and what are the high places of Judah? are they not Jerusalem? ​
6
Therefore I will make Samaria as a heap of the field, and as places for planting vineyards; and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will uncover the foundations thereof. ​
7
And all her graven images shall be beaten to pieces, and all her hires shall be burned with fire, and all her idols will I lay desolate; for of the hire of a harlot hath she gathered them, and unto the hire of a harlot shall they return.

Micah's Lament and the Spread of Judgment

8
For this will I lament and wail; I will go stripped and naked; I will make a wailing like the jackals, and a lamentation like the ostriches. ​
9
For her wounds are incurable; for it is come even unto Judah; it reacheth unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem. ​

Judgment Pronounced on the Cities of Judah

10
Tell it not in Gath, weep not at all: at Beth-le-aphrah have I rolled myself in the dust. ​
11
Pass away, O inhabitant of Shaphir, in nakedness and shame: the inhabitant of Zaanan is not come forth; the wailing of Beth-ezel shall take from you the stay thereof.
12
For the inhabitant of Maroth waiteth anxiously for good, because evil is come down from Jehovah unto the gate of Jerusalem.
13
Bind the chariot to the swift steed, O inhabitant of Lachish: she was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion; for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee. ​
14
Therefore shalt thou give a parting gift to Moresheth-gath: the houses of Achzib shall be a deceitful thing unto the kings of Israel. ​
15
I will yet bring unto thee, O inhabitant of Mareshah, him that shall possess thee: the glory of Israel shall come even unto Adullam.
16
Make thee bald, and cut off thy hair for the children of thy delight: enlarge thy baldness as the eagle; for they are gone into captivity from thee. ​

Study Notes for Micah 1

Verse 1

Micah, whose name means 'Who is like the LORD?', prophesied during the reigns of three Judean kings, placing his ministry around 750–700 BC. He focuses primarily on the capital cities, Samaria (Israel) and Jerusalem (Judah).

Verse 2

The prophet calls upon the cosmos (heaven and earth) to act as witnesses in the divine lawsuit (Hebrew: *rib*), a common prophetic motif where God formally charges His people with breaking the covenant.

Verse 3

This describes a dramatic theophany—a visible manifestation of God—using powerful imagery common in ancient Near Eastern storm and war descriptions, indicating the terrifying nature of the impending judgment.

Verse 5

The root cause of the judgment is identified as the transgression of both northern Israel (centered in Samaria) and southern Judah (centered in Jerusalem). The 'high places' refer to illicit shrines where syncretistic worship occurred.

Verse 6

This prophecy of destruction refers to the historical fall of Samaria to the Assyrians in 722 BC, which resulted in the city being utterly reduced to ruins suitable only for agriculture.

Verse 8

Micah models the appropriate response to impending disaster by engaging in extreme mourning, symbolized by going 'stripped and naked.' This is a prophetic sign-act indicating humiliation and distress.

Verse 9

While the judgment began with Samaria, the wound is now spreading into Judah, reaching the very gate of Jerusalem. This confirms that the Assyrian threat, which destroyed Israel, is now menacing Judah.

Verse 10

This section uses intense wordplay (paronomasia) based on the names of towns in the Shephelah (Judean foothills). 'Declare ye it not at Gath' is an allusion to David's lament (2 Sam. 1:20), seeking to prevent the enemy (Philistines) from rejoicing.

Verse 13

Lachish was a major fortified city and a key strategic point. Micah implies that Lachish was a source or early adopter of the idolatry and sin that spread throughout Judah from the North.

Verse 14

The pun here highlights deception: 'Achzib' sounds like the Hebrew for 'lie' or 'deception,' suggesting that these towns will fail to provide the promised protection or support to the kings of Israel.

Verse 16

The command to make oneself bald is a traditional sign of extreme grief and mourning for the dead (or those taken captive). The 'eagle' refers to the vulture, known for its extensive bald patch, symbolizing the total loss of the young people to exile.

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