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Commentary on Micah 4 verses 8–13
These verses relate to Zion and Jerusalem, here called the tower of the flock or the tower of Edor; we read of such a place (Gen 35:21) near Bethlehem; and some conjecture it is the same place where the shepherds were keeping their flocks when the angels brought them tidings of the birth of Christ, and some think Bethlehem itself is here spoken of, as Mic 5:2. Some think it is a tower at that gate of Jerusalem which is called the sheep-gate (Neh 3:32), and conjecture that through that gate Christ rode in triumph into Jerusalem. However, it seems to be put for Jerusalem itself, or for Zion the tower of David. All the sheep of Israel flocked thither three times a year; it was the stronghold (Ophel, which is also a name of a place in Jerusalem, Neh 3:27), or castle, of the daughter of Zion. Now here,
I. We have a promise of the glories of the spiritual Jerusalem, the gospel-church, which is; the tower of the flock, that one fold in which all the sheep of Christ are protected under one Shepherd: "Unto thee shall it come; that which thou hast long wanted and wished for, even the first dominion, a dignity and power equal to that of David and Solomon, by whom Jerusalem was first raised, that kingdom shall again come to the daughter of Jerusalem, which it was deprived of at the captivity. It shall make as great a figure and shine with as much lustre among the nations, and have as much influence upon them, as ever it had; this is the first or chief dominion." Now this had by no means its accomplishment in Zerubbabel; his was nothing like the first dominion either in respect of splendour and sovereignty at home or the extent of power abroad; and therefore it must refer to the kingdom of the Messiah (and to that the Chaldee-paraphrase refers it) and had its accomplishment when God gave to our Lord Jesus the throne of his father David (Luk 1:32), set him king upon the holy hill of Zion and gave him the heathen for his inheritance (Psa 2:6), made him, his first-born, higher than the kings of the earth, Psa 89:27; Dan 7:14. David, in spirit, called him Lord, and (as Dr. Pocock observes) he witnessed of himself, and his witness was true, that he was greater than Solomon, none of their dominions being like his for extent and duration. The common people welcomed Christ into Jerusalem with hosannas to the son of David, to show that it was the first dominion that came to the daughter of Zion; and the evangelist applies it to the promise of Zion's king coming to her, Mat 21:5; Zac 9:9. Some give this sense of the words: To Zion, and Jerusalem that tower of the flock, to the nation of the Jews, came the first dominion; that is, there the kingdom of Christ was first set up, the gospel of the kingdom was first preached (Luk 24:47), there Christ was first called king of the Jews.
II. This is illustrated by a prediction of the calamities of the literal Jerusalem, to which some favour and relief should be granted, as a type and figure of what God would do for the gospel-Jerusalem in the last days, notwithstanding its distresses. We have here,
1.Jerusalem put in pain by the providences of God. "She cries out aloud, that all her neighbours may take notice of her griefs, because there is no king in her, none of that honour and power she used to have. Instead of ruling the nations, as she did when she sat a queen, she is ruled by them, and has become a captive. Her counsellors have perished; she is no longer at her own disposal, but is given up to the will of her enemies, and is governed by their counsellors. Pangs have taken her." (1.) She is carried captive to Babylon, and there is in pangs of grief. "She goes forth out of the city, and is constrained to dwell in the field, exposed to all manner of inconveniences; she goes even to Babylon, and there wears out seventy tedious years in a miserable captivity, all that while in pain, as a woman in travail, waiting to be delivered, and thinking the time very long." (2.) When she is delivered out of Babylon, and redeemed from the hand of her enemies there, yet still she is in pangs of fear; the end of one trouble is but the beginning of another; for now also, when Jerusalem is in the rebuilding, many nations are gathered against her, Mic 4:11. They were so in Ezra's and Nehemiah's time, and did all they could to obstruct the building of the temple and the wall. They were so in the time of the Maccabees; they said, Let her be defiled; let her be looked upon as a place polluted with sin, and be forsaken and abandoned both of God and man; let her holy places be profaned and all her honours laid in the dust; let our eye look upon Zion, and please itself with the sight of its ruins, as it is said of Edom (Oba 1:12, Thou shouldst not have looked upon the day of thy brother); let our eyes see our desire upon Zion, the day we have long wished for. When they hear the enemies thus combine against them, and insult over them, no wonder that they are in pain, and cry aloud. Without are fightings, within are fears.
2.Jerusalem made easy by the promises of God: "Why dost thou cry out aloud? Let thy griefs and fears be silenced; indulge not thyself in them, for, though things are bad with thee, they shall end well; thy pangs are great, but they are like those of a woman in travail (Mic 4:9), that labours to bring forth (Mic 4:10), the issue of which will be good at last." Jerusalem's pangs are not as dying agonies, but as travailing throes, which after a while will be forgotten, for joy that a child is born into the world. Let the literal Jerusalem comfort herself with this, that, whatever straits she may be reduced to, she shall continue until the coming of the Messiah, for there his kingdom must be first set up, and she shall not be destroyed while that blessing is in her; and when at length she is ploughed as a field, and become heaps (as is threatened, Mic 3:12), yet her privileges shall be resigned to the spiritual Jerusalem, and in that the promises made to her shall be fulfilled. Let Jerusalem be easy then, for, (1.) Her captivity in Babylon shall have an end, a happy end (Mic 4:10): There shalt thou be delivered, and the Lord shall redeem thee from the hand of thy enemies there. This was done by Cyrus, who acted therein as God's servant; and that deliverance was typical of our redemption by Jesus Christ, and the release from our spiritual bondage which is proclaimed in the everlasting gospel, that acceptable year of the Lord, in which Christ himself preached liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those that were bound, Luk 4:18, Luk 4:19. (2.) The designs of her enemies against her afterwards shall be baffled, nay, they shall turn upon themselves, Mic 4:12, Mic 4:13. They promise themselves a day of it, but it shall prove God's day. They are gathered against Zion, to destroy it, but it shall prove to their own destruction, which Israel and Israel's God shall have the glory of. [1.] Their coming together against Zion shall be the occasion of their ruin. They associate themselves, and gird themselves, that they may break Jerusalem in pieces, but it will prove that they shall be broken in pieces, Isa 8:9. They know not the thoughts of the Lord. When they are gathering together, and Providence favours them in it, they little think what God is designing by it, nor do they understand his counsel; they know what they aim at in coming together, but they know not what God aims at in bringing them together; they aim at Zion's ruin, but God aims at theirs. Note, When men are made use of as instruments of Providence in accomplishing its purposes it is very common for them to intend one thing and for God to intend quite the contrary. The king of Assyria is to be a rod in God's hand for the correction of his people, in order to their reformation; howbeit he means not so, nor does his heart think so, Isa 10:7. And thus it is here; the nations are gathered against Zion, as soldiers into the field, but God gathers them as sheaves into the floor, to be beaten to pieces; and they could not have been so easily, so effectually, destroyed, if they had not gathered together against Zion. Note, The designs of enemies for the ruin of the church often prove ruining to themselves; and thereby they prepare themselves for destruction and put themselves in the way of it; they are snared in the work of their own hands. [2.] Zion shall have the honour of being victorious over them, Mic 4:13. When they are gathered as sheaves into the floor, to be trodden down, as the corn then was by the oxen, then, "Arise, and thresh, O daughter of Zion! instead of fearing them, and fleeing from them, boldly set upon them, and take the opportunity Providence favours thee with of trampling upon them. Plead not thy own weakness, and that thou art not a match for so many confederated enemies; God will make thy horn iron, to push them down, and thy hoofs brass, to tread upon them when they are down; and thus thou shalt beat in pieces many people, that have long been beating thee in pieces." Thus, when God pleases, the daughter of Babylon is made a threshing floor (it is time to thresh her, Jer 51:33), and the worm Jacob is made a threshing instrument, with which God will thresh the mountains, and make them as chaff, Isa 41:14, Isa 41:15. How strangely, how happily, are the tables turned, since Jacob was the threshing-floor and Babylon the threshing instrument! Isa 21:10. Note, When God has conquering work for his people to do he will furnish them with strength and ability for it, will make the horn iron and the hoofs brass; and, when he does so, they must exert the power he gives them, and execute the commission; even the daughter of Zion must arise, and thresh. [3.] The glory of the victory shall redound to God. Zion shall thresh these sheaves in the floor, but the corn threshed out shall be a meat-offering at God's altar: I will consecrate their gain unto the Lord (that is, I will have it consecrated) and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth. The spoils gained by Zion's victory shall be brought into the sanctuary, and devoted to God, either in part, as those of Midian (Num 31:28), or in whole, as those of Jericho, Jos 6:17. God is Jehovah, the fountain of being; he is the Lord of the whole earth, the fountain of power; and therefore he needs not any of our gain or substance, but may challenge and demand it all if he please; and with ourselves we must devote all we have to his honour, to be employed as he directs. Thus far all we have must have holiness to the Lord written upon it, all our gain and substance must be consecrated to the Lord of the whole earth, Isa 23:18. And extraordinary successes call for extraordinary acknowledgments, whether they be of spoils in war or gains in trade. It is God that gives us power to get wealth, which way soever it is honestly got, and therefore he must be honoured with what we get. Some make all this to point at the defeat of Sennacherib when he besieged Jerusalem, others to the destruction of Babylon, others to the successes of the Maccabees; but the learned Dr. Pocock and others think it had its full accomplishment in the spiritual victories obtained by the gospel of Christ over the powers of darkness that fought against it. The nations thought to ruin Christianity in its infancy, but it was victorious over them; those that persisted in their enmity were broken to pieces (Mat 21:44), particularly the Jewish nation; but multitudes by divine grace were gained to the church, and they and their substance were consecrated to the Lord Jesus, the Lord of the whole earth.
(Verse 8, 9.) And you, tower of the flock, cloudy daughter of Zion, there will come to you the first power, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem. Now why are you contracted with sorrow? Is there no king for you, or has your counselor perished? For pain has seized you like a woman in labor. LXX: And you, tower of the flock, darkened daughter of Zion, there will come to you the first principality, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem from Babylon. And now, why have you known evil? Was not the king your husband, or has your plan perished, because pains have overtaken you like a woman in childbirth? The cloudy or desolate tower, which is called Ophel in Hebrew, we should not accept any other but that which Isaiah says: And I built a tower in the midst of it, that is, the vineyard. But the vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel (Isaiah 5:2). This tower, as long as it has a winepress, that is, an altar, and a wall around it, namely the assistance of the Angels, and the devil, the wild boar, does not enter the vineyard, it is not desolate, it is not dark, but having received its name from the shining Lord, it is called a city, which cannot be hidden on the mountain. Therefore the tower of the flock and the people of God (because the wicked tenants killed the son of the master of the house (Luke 20) is now desolate and forsaken, and under the name Ariel, cries out from the earth in Isaiah. And this tower is the daughter of Zion, or as Symmachus renders it in Greek: She is the daughter of Zion (Isaiah 29): and to her will come God, or the first power, which is the power of the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem. And the first power, or the first principality, comes to this tower, the one who said: I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last (Revelation 22:13). And he who from the assumed person of man says in Proverbs, 'The Lord created me in the beginning of his ways, before his works' (Prov. VIII, 22), or, as it is written in Hebrew, 'The Lord possessed me: Canaanite did not create me, but possessed me and had me,' signifies. And the first power came, and the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem, that after the first one comes the second, just as he confidently says: 'I am the light of the world' (John VIII, 12): thus he also gives to his disciples that they too may be called the light of the world, and he says to them: 'You are the light of the world' (John VI). But also, calling himself the true vine in the Gospel, he speaks of the believers through Jeremiah: 'Yet I planted you a choice vine, a completely faithful seed.' (Jeremiah 21) And since he is the living bread descending from heaven, he gave it to his disciples so that it might be called bread. Hence, the apostle Paul speaks confidently: 'For we, though many, are one bread.' (1 Corinthians 17) In this manner, the first authority and kingdom enter into Jerusalem, so that it may grant power and kingdom to those who believe in it. But what is read in some books: And the first prince shall enter (Al. shall journey), the kingdom of the daughter of Zion, and from (Al. is from) Babylon, we know that it has been added because it is neither in Hebrew, nor in the other interpreters. And it seems to me that it refers to the captivity of Babylon, that the people who came out from there came to Jerusalem. It follows: And now why do you contract with sorrow? or, as it is written in the Seventy, And now why have you known the evils which the Lord and the first power and kingdom said were coming? Why are you now contracting with sorrow, or why have you known evil? Immediately it is answered and said: Because the king is not for you, and your counselor has perished, because sorrow has seized you like a woman in labor. Or certainly when you have all these things, by your own fault, you do not deserve the help of either the king or the counselor. But when he says: Why have you known evil? it is to be understood in this sense, that everyone who deserves and suffers evil, is said to know evil, and to be ignorant of good. According to what is written in the first book of the Kings: The sons of Eli, sons of wickedness, did not know God (1 Sam. 2:12). And elsewhere: Whoever keeps the commandment will not know evil speech (Eccles. 8:5). And to the sinners: Depart from me, says the Lord, you who work iniquity, for I do not know you (Ps. 6:9). On the other hand, concerning the Lord: He who knew no sin, for us he made sin (2 Cor. 5:21), understood as God the Father. But the king, and the angel of great counsel, is understood to be the Savior, who perished for the unbelieving people, whom pains seized like a woman in labor: for he, thinking that Israel was to obtain the empire, was suddenly devastated. And just as a woman in labor cannot escape the pain: so he could not avoid and delay the impending captivity and the army surrounding the city. Let us read the Scriptures, and we will never find that holy women, except Rachel, gave birth with pain: because she was on the way and in the hippodrome, that is, in the race of horses, which are sold in Egypt, she gave birth to a son of pain, whom later the father called the son of his right hand (Genesis 35). Eve, expelled from paradise and hearing: 'In pain you will bring forth children' (Ibid., III, 16), is said to have given birth in pain. The wife of Phineas, contracted and unable to straighten herself, like the woman whom the devil bound in the Gospel (Luke XIII), gave birth after she learned of the capture of the ark of God and the ruin of the people (2 Samuel IV). But Sarah, because she was holy and had ceased to menstruate, after the birth of Isaac said: 'God has made me laugh; whoever hears will laugh with me' (Genesis XXI, 6). Therefore, those who occupied the tower of the flock, they are pains of the underworld and pains of death, who indeed surrounded and encircled even the Savior; but they were by no means able to obtain him, as he himself speaks in the seventeenth Psalm: Pains of death surrounded me, and rivers of iniquity troubled me, and pains of hell enclosed me. Some think that the squalid tower, or dark tower, and daughter of Jerusalem, are to be understood as the heavenly Jerusalem, which is the mother of the saints, of whom the Apostle also says: You have come to Mount Zion, and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem (Heb. XII, 22), which remains squalid as long as her sons are not brought back to her, and a king and counselor are not in her, and pains seize her like a woman in labor, because she has given birth in vain, seeing so many sons killed.
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SUMMARY
Micah 4:9 presents a stark and poignant lament, abruptly shifting from the glorious future of Zion to the present reality of Judah's profound distress. The prophet questions the nation's leadership—its king and counselor—implying their failure or absence, and vividly portrays the nation's suffering through the metaphor of a woman in intense labor. This verse captures the deep anguish and confusion experienced by God's people during a period of national crisis, highlighting a moment of perceived abandonment and vulnerability before the promised restoration.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: Micah 4:9 stands in sharp contrast to the preceding verses, Micah 4:1-8, which paint a magnificent vision of Zion's future exaltation. In that vision, Jerusalem is established as the spiritual center of the world, a place of peace, divine instruction, and universal pilgrimage where the Lord reigns. The sudden shift in verse 9 from this glorious eschatological hope to a present, agonizing lament serves as a dramatic literary device. It grounds the future hope in the immediate, painful reality of Judah's impending judgment and exile, demonstrating that the path to glory often involves a period of intense suffering and purification. This juxtaposition emphasizes the depth of the current despair against the backdrop of God's ultimate redemptive plan.
Historical & Cultural Context: The questions posed in Micah 4:9, "is there no king in thee? is thy counsellor perished?", directly address the precarious political and spiritual state of Judah in the late 8th century BCE. This was a period marked by the looming threat of Assyrian, and later Babylonian, invasion. The fall of the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 BCE to Assyria served as a stark warning. Judah's kings often failed to lead the people in faithfulness to Yahweh, and their counselors frequently offered misguided political alliances rather than divine wisdom. The eventual fall of Jerusalem in 586 BCE and the subsequent Babylonian exile would see the Davidic monarchy temporarily cease and many of its leaders and wise men taken captive or killed. The imagery of a "woman in travail" was a common biblical metaphor for intense, unavoidable national distress, signifying a period of excruciating pain and desperate helplessness, often associated with divine judgment or the birth of a new era.
Key Themes: This verse contributes significantly to several key themes within Micah and the broader prophetic literature. Firstly, it underscores the theme of Divine Judgment and Suffering, portraying the intense pain Judah must endure as a consequence of its unfaithfulness, a necessary process for purification before restoration. Secondly, it highlights the Crisis of Human Leadership, questioning the efficacy and presence of the earthly king and counselors, thereby implicitly pointing to the ultimate sovereignty of God and the need for divine guidance. This theme resonates with the promise of a future, righteous ruler found elsewhere in Micah, such as the one described in Micah 5:2-5. Lastly, the vivid metaphor of "pangs as a woman in travail" introduces the theme of Redemptive Suffering, suggesting that while the pain is severe, it is purposeful, akin to birth pains that precede new life and the establishment of God's kingdom, a concept echoed in Isaiah 26:17-19.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Micah 4:9 is rich in Rhetorical Questions, which are used not to elicit information but to emphasize the prophet's (and God's) perspective on Judah's dire situation. The questions "why dost thou cry out aloud?", "is there no king in thee?", and "is thy counsellor perished?" underscore the depth of the nation's despair and the perceived failure of its human leadership, forcing the audience to confront the gravity of their circumstances. The most prominent device is Metaphor, specifically the comparison of Judah's suffering to the "pangs... as a woman in travail." This vivid imagery conveys intense, unavoidable, and agonizing pain, highlighting the severity of the national crisis while also subtly suggesting the potential for new life or a new era to emerge from this period of suffering, much like birth precedes new life. Furthermore, the verse employs Personification, addressing Jerusalem (or Judah) as "thou" and depicting it as a woman crying out and experiencing labor pains, thereby making the nation's suffering more relatable and emotionally impactful.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Micah 4:9, while a lament, is deeply theological, revealing God's perspective on human suffering and leadership. It asserts that even in profound despair and the apparent failure of earthly institutions, God remains sovereign. The rhetorical questions about the king and counselor expose the inadequacy of human leadership when faced with divine judgment, implicitly pointing to the need for a true, divine King and an unerring Counselor. The metaphor of birth pangs, though depicting intense pain, carries a profound theological implication: suffering is not always punitive but can be purposeful, a necessary, purifying process that precedes the birth of something new and glorious—God's ultimate redemptive plan for His people. This suffering, therefore, is framed within the larger narrative of God's faithfulness to His covenant, even as He disciplines His people.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Micah 4:9 offers profound solace and insight for those navigating overwhelming despair, whether individually or collectively. It validates the reality of profound pain, acknowledging that there are moments when we feel utterly helpless, without direction, and consumed by anguish. The prophet's questions about the king and counselor resonate with our own experiences of failed leadership, broken systems, or a sense of abandonment in times of crisis. Yet, embedded within this lament, especially when viewed in the broader context of Micah 4, is an implicit call to trust in God's enduring sovereignty. Just as birth pangs are a painful but necessary precursor to new life, our periods of intense suffering can be part of God's refining process, preparing us for greater spiritual maturity, deeper understanding, and ultimately, a glorious future. This verse encourages us to cry out to God in our pain, even as we look beyond the immediate agony to His redemptive purpose, knowing that He sees, understands, and works through our deepest travails.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why does Micah 4:9 suddenly shift from a glorious vision of Zion to a lament of suffering?
Answer: The abrupt shift in Micah 4:9 serves as a powerful literary and theological device. The preceding verses (Micah 4:1-8) describe an idealized future for Zion, a time of peace, divine instruction, and universal worship. However, the prophet, in a common prophetic pattern, brings the audience back to their present reality. This immediate reality for Judah was one of impending judgment, exile, and profound suffering due to their unfaithfulness. The sudden lament highlights the stark contrast between God's ultimate glorious plan and the painful, purifying process His people must endure to reach that destiny. It emphasizes that the path to restoration often passes through periods of intense distress, reminding the people that their present anguish is a necessary prelude to the promised future glory, much like the "birth pains" for a new era. This dramatic juxtaposition underscores the severity of their sin and the depth of God's redemptive work, which includes discipline.
What is the significance of the "woman in travail" metaphor in this verse?
Answer: The metaphor of "pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail" is profoundly significant, drawing on a universal human experience to convey intense, unavoidable, and agonizing suffering. In biblical literature, this imagery is frequently used to describe periods of national distress, divine judgment, or the onset of eschatological events. It signifies:
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Micah 4:9, with its raw portrayal of a nation crying out in anguish, devoid of effective human leadership, and experiencing the "pangs" of judgment, finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment in several profound ways. Firstly, the rhetorical questions "is there no king in thee? is thy counsellor perished?" foreshadow the ultimate failure of all human kings and counselors to truly deliver or guide God's people. This points directly to Jesus Christ as the true and eternal King of kings and the Wonderful Counselor. He is the one whose reign is everlasting and whose counsel is perfect and unfailing, unlike the temporary and flawed leaders of Judah. Secondly, the imagery of "pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail" speaks to the necessary suffering that precedes new life and the establishment of God's kingdom. Christ Himself endured the ultimate "pangs" on the cross, a suffering so profound it was likened to birth pains for a new creation. His suffering, death, and resurrection were the "birth pangs" of the new covenant and the spiritual kingdom, bringing forth a new humanity redeemed from sin. Furthermore, the Church, as the body of Christ, often experiences its own "birth pangs" in a fallen world, groaning along with creation for the full manifestation of God's kingdom and the redemption of all things, as described in Romans 8:22-23. Thus, Micah 4:9, while a lament of despair, ultimately points to the Messiah who would perfectly fulfill the roles of King and Counselor, and whose suffering would bring about the glorious new birth of God's eternal purposes.