THE BOOK OF THE PROPHET MICAH. Chronological notes relative to this Book. Year from the Creation, according to Archbishop Usher, 3254.-Year of the Julian period, 3964.-Year since the flood, 1598.-Year from the vocation of Abram, 1171.-Year since the first celebration of the Olympic games in Elis by the Idai Dactyli, 704.-Year from the destruction of Troy, according to the general computation of chronologers, 434.-Year since the commencement of the kingdom of Israel, by the divine appointment of Saul to the regal dignity, 3446.-Year from the foundation of Solomon's temple, 262.-Year since the division of Solomon's monarchy into the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, 226.-Year since the restoration of the Olympic games at Elis by Lycurgus, Iphitus, and Cleosthenes, 135.-Year from the foundation of the kingdom of Macedon by Caranus, 65.-Year from the foundation of the kingdom of Lydia by Ardysus, 49.-All before this reign concerning Lydia is entirely fabulous.-Year since the conquest of Corobus at Olympia, usually called the first Olympiad, 27.Third year of the seventh Olympiad.-Year before the building of Rome, according to the Varronian computation, 4.-Year from the building of Rome, according to Cato and the Fasti Consulares, 3.— Year from the building of Rome, according to Polybius the historian, 2.-Year before the building of Rome, according to Fabius Pictor, 2.-Year before the commencement of the era of Nabonassar, 2.— Year before the birth of Christ, 746.-Year before the vulgar era of Christ's nativity, 750.-Cycle of the sun, 16.-Cycle of the moon, 12.-Twenty-first year of Theopompus, king of Lacedæmon, of the family of the Proclida.-Twenty-seventh year of Polydorus, king of Lacedæmon, of the family of the Eurysthenida.-Twelfth year of Alyattes, king of Lydia.-Fifth year of Charops, the first decennial archon of the Athenians.-Fourth year of Romulus, the first king of the Romans.-Tenth year of Pekah, king of Israel.-Ninth year of Jotham, king of Judah. CHAPTER I. The prophet begins with calling the attention of all people to the awful descent of Jehovah, coming to execute his judgments against the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, 1-5; first against Samaria, whose fate the prophet laments in the dress of mourners, and with the doleful cries of the fox or ostrich, 6-8; and then against Jerusalem, which is threatened with the invasion of Sennacherib. Other cities of Judah are likewise threatened; and their danger represented to be so great as to oblige them to have recourse for protection even to their enemies the Philistines, from whom they desired at first to conceal their situation. But all resources are declared to be vain; Israel and Judah must go into captivity, 9-16. Verse 1. The word of the Lord that came to Micah the Morasthite] For all authentic particulars relative to this prophet, see the preface. In the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah] These three kings reigned about threescore years; and Micah is supposed to have prophesied about forty or Prophecies against Samaria A. M. cir. 3254. B. C. cir. 750. A. U. C. cir. 4. Romuli, A. M. cir. 3254. that therein is : and let the Lord | heap of the field, and as plant- B. C. cir. 750. a C GOD be Witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. 3 For, behold, the LORD 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 molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the 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 h a Ps. 1. 7. Mal. iii. 5.20.- c Isai. xxvi. 21. xxxiii. 29. Amos iv. 13.Isai. Ixiv. 1, 2, 3. Amos ix. 5. descent.- h2 Kings xix. 25. ings of a vineyard: and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will 1 discover the foundations thereof. A. U. C. cir. 4. 7 And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the *hires thereof shall be burned with the fire, and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate: for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot, and they shall return to the hire of an harlot. 8 Therefore I will wail and howl, "I will go stripped and naked: "I will make a wailing like the dragons, and mourning as the owls. 9 For P her wound is incurable; for it is come unto Judah; he is come unto the gate of as an my people, even to Jerusalem. b Ps. xi. 4. Jonah ii. 7. Hab. ii. ment of this prophecy supposes preceding exhortations and predictions. Hearken, O earth] rarets, here, should be translated land, the country of the Hebrews being only intended. And let the Lord God be Witness] Let him who has sent me with this message be witness that I have delivered it faithfully; and be a witness against you, if you take not the warning. The Lord from his holy temple.] The place where he still remains as your King, and your Judge; and where you profess to pay your devotions. The temple was yet standing, for Jerusalem was not taken for many years after this; and these prophecies were delivered before the captivity of the ten tribes, as Micah appears to have been sent both to Israel and to Judah. See ver. 5-9, 12, 13. Verse 3. For, behold, the Lord cometh forth] See this clause, Amos iv. 13. He represents Jehovah as a mighty conqueror, issuing from his pavilion, stepping from mountain to mountain, which rush down and fill the vallies before him; a consuming fire accompanying him, that melts and confounds every hill and dale, and blends all in universal confusion. God is here represented as doing that himself which other conquerors do by the multitude of their hosts: levelling the mountains, filling some of the vallies, and digging for waters in others, and pouring them from hills and dales for the use of the conquering armies, by pipes and aqueducts. and its idol worship, in opposition to the worship of the true God. That there was idolatry practised by the elders of Israel, even in the temple of Jehovah. see Ezek. viii. 1, &c. As the royal cities in both kingdoms gave the example of gross idolatry, no wonder that it spread through the whole land, both of Israel and Judah. Verse 6. I will make Samaria] I will bring it to desolation: and, instead of being a royal city, it shall be a place for vineyards. Newcome observes, that Samaria was situated on a hill, the right soil for a vineyard. I will discover the foundations thereof.] I will cause its walls and fortifications to be razed to the ground. Verse 7. All the hires thereof shall be burned] Multitudes of women gave the money they gained by their public prostitution at the temples for the support of the priesthood, the ornamenting of the walls, altars, and images. So that these things, and perhaps several of the images themselves, were literally the hire of the harlots: and God threatens here to deliver all into the hands of enemies, who should seize on this wealth, and literally spend it in the same way in which it was acquired; so that "to the hire of a harlot these things should return." Verse 8. I will make a wailing like_the_dragons] Newcome translates:— I will make a wailing like the foxes (or jackals), And mourning like the daughters of the ostrich. This beast, the jackal or shiagal, we have often me with in the prophets. Travellers inform us that its howlings by night are most lamentable; and as to the ostrich, it is remarkable for its fearful shrieking and agonizing groanings after night. Dr. Shaw says he has often heard them groan as if they were in the greatest agonies. C 2 Sam. i. 20.- b That is, dust.- - Jer. vi. 26. thou that dwellest fairly. e Heb. inhabitress. xx. 4. xlvii. 2, 3. country of flocks. grieved. k Amos iii. 6. d Or, f Isai. Jer. xiii. 22. Nah. ii. 5.- - Or, the hOr, a place near. i Or, was 2 Kings xviii. 14, 17. Verse 9. Her wound is incurable] Nothing shall prevent their utter ruin, for they have filled up the measure of their iniquity. He is come-even to Jerusalem.] The desolation and captivity of Israel shall first take place; that of Judah shall come after. Verse 10. Declare ye it not at Gath] Do not let this prediction be known among the Philistines, else they will glory over you. House of Aphrah] Or, Beth-aphrah. This place is mentioned Josh. xviii. 23, as in the tribe of Benjamin. There is a paronomasia, or play on words, here: ay may bebeith leaphrah aphar, "Roll thyself in the dust, in the house of dust. with desolution. A. M. cir. 3254. ginning of the sin to the daugh- B. C. cir. 750. ter of Zion: for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee. m A. U. C. cir. 4 14 Therefore shalt thou give presents "to Moresheth-gath: the houses of Achzib shall be a lie to the kings of Israel. 15 Yet will I bring an heir unto thee, O inhabitant of 9 Mareshah: The shall come unto Adullam the glory of Israel. u 16 Make thee bald, and poll thee for thy " delicate children; enlarge thy baldness as the eagle; for they are gone into captivity from thee. by their assistance he might frustrate the hopes of the king of Israel; and this may be the meaning of "The houses of Achzib shall be a lie to the kings of Israel." In these verses there are several instances of the paronomasia. See ver. 10, aphar, dust, and ¬¬у aphrah, the name of the city. Ver. 11, tsaanan, the city, and л yatsah, to go out. Ver. 13, w lachish, the city, and wɔ rechesh, the swift beast. Ver. 14, 8 achzib, the city, and 1 achzab, a lie. Such paronomasias were reputed ornaments by the prophets. They occur in Isaiah with great effect. See Isai. v. 7. Verse 15. Yet will I bring an heir unto thee, 0— Mareshah] Here is another instance, w haiyeresh, Verse 11. Inhabitant of Saphir] Sapher, Sepphoris, to bring an heir, and w¬ mareshah, the city, the or Sephora, was the strongest place in Galilee.-name of which signifies heirship. And so of the Calmet. It was a city in the tribe of Judah, between Eleutheropolis and Ascalon.-Houbigant. Zaanan] Another city in the tribe of Judah, Josh. Verse 12. The inhabitant of Maroth] There was a city of a similar name in the tribe of Judah, Josh. XV. 59. Verse 13. Inhabitant of Lachish] This city was in the tribe of Judah, Josh. xv. 39, and was taken by Sennacherib when he was coming against Jerusalem, 2 Kings xviii. 13, &c., and it is supposed that he wished to reduce this city first, that, possessing it, he might prevent Hezekiah's receiving any help from Egypt. She is the beginning of the sin] This seems to intimate that Lachish was the first city in Judah which received the idolatrous worship of Israel. Verse 14. Give presents to Moresheth-gath] Calmet says that Moresa or Morashti, and Achzib, were cities not far from Gath. It is possible that when Ahaz found himself pressed by Pekah, king of Israel, he might have sent to these places for succour, that above proper names. Adullam the glory of Israel.] This was a fenced city in the south of Judah (see 2 Chron. xi. 7) towards the Dead Sea. There is much obscurity in the concluding verses of this chapter. They undoubtedly refer to the captivity of Israel, and to circumstances of distress, &c., which are not mentioned in any of the historical books; and therefore their reference and meaning can only be conjectured. Verse 16. Make thee bald] Cutting off the hair was a sign of great distress, and was practised on the death of near relatives; see Amos viii. 10. The desolation should be so great that Israel should feel it to her utmost extent; and the mourning should be like that of a mother for the death of her most delicate children. Enlarge thy baldness as the eagle] Referring to the moulting of this bird, when in casting its feathers and breeding new ones, it is very sickly, and its strength wholly exhausted. They are gone into captivity] This is a prediction of the captivity by Shalmaneser. Samaria, the chief city, is called on to deplore it, as then fast approaching. Judgments threatened against MICAH. CHAPTER II. the plotters of wickedness. Here the prophet denounces a woe against the plotters of wickedness, the covetous, and the oppressor, 1, 2. God is represented as devising their ruin, 3. An Israelite is then introduced as a mourner, personating his people, and lamenting their fate, 4. Their total expulsion is now threatened on account of their very numerous offences, 5-10. Great infatuation of the people in favour of those pretenders to divine inspiration who prophesied to them peace and plenty, 11. The chapter concludes with a gracious promise of the restoration of the posterity of Jacob from captivity; possibly alluding to their deliverance from the Chaldean yoke, an event which was about two hundred years in futurity at the delivery of this prophecy, 12, 13. Woe to them that devise iniquity] Who lay schemes and plans for transgression; who make it their study to find out new modes of sinning; and make these things their nocturnal meditations, that, having fixed their plan, they may begin to execute it as soon as it is light in the morning. Because it is in the power of their hand.] They think they may do whatever they have power and opportunity to do. Verse 2. They covet fields] These are the rich and mighty in the land; and, like Ahab, they will take the vineyard or inheritance of any poor Naboth on which they may fix their covetous eye; so that they take away even the heritage of the poor. Verse 3. Against this family (the Israelites) do I devise an evil] You have devised the evil of plundering the upright; I will devise the evil to you of punishment for your conduct; you shall have your necks brought under the yoke of servitude. Tiglathpileser ruined this kingdom, and transported the people to Assyria, under the reign of Hezekiah, king of Judah; and Micah lived to see this catastrophe. See on ver. 9. Verse 4. Take up a parable against you] Your wickedness and your punishment shall be subjects of common conversation; and a funeral dirge shall be 5 Therefore thou shalt have none that shall cast "a cord by lot in the congregation of the LORD. 6 P Prophesy ye not, say they to them that prophesy: they shall not prophesy to them, that they shall not take shame. r 7 0 thou that art named the house of Jacob, is the Spirit of the LORD straitened? are these his doings? do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly? instead of restoring. Deut. xxxii. 8, 9.-—o Or, Pr phesy not as they prophesy.- -P Heb. drop, &c. Ezek. xi 2. -4 Isai. xxx. 10. Amos ii. 12. vii. 16. Or, shortened.- Heb. upright. composed and sung for you as for the dead. The lamentation is that which immediately follows: We be utterly spoiled; and ends, Are these his doings? ver. 7. Verse 5. None that shall cast a cord] You will no more have your inheritance divided to you by lot, as it was to your fathers; ye shall neither have fields nor possessions of any kind. Verse 6. Prophesy ye not] Do not predict any more evils, we have as many as we can bear. We are utterly ruined,-shame and confusion cover our faces. The original is singular, and expressive of sorrow and sobbing. Literally, "Do not cause it to rain; they will cause it to rain; they cannot make it rain sooner than this; confusion shall not depart from us.' To rain, often means to preach, to prophesy; Ezek. xx. 46, xxi. 2; Amos vii. 16; Deut. xxxii. 2; Job xxix. 22; Prov. v. 3, &c. The last line Bp. Newcome translates, "For he shall not remove from himself reproaches ;" and paraphrases, "The true prophet will subject himself to public disgrace by exercising his office." Verse 7. Is the Spirit of the Lord straitened?] This is the complaint of the Israelites, and a part of the lamentation. Doth it not speak by other persons as well as by Micah? Doth it communicate to us such influences as it did formerly? Is it true that The wickedness A. M. cir. 3274. B. C. cir. 730. A. U. C. cir. 24. Romuli, R. Roman., cir. annum 24. CHAP. II. 8 Even of late my people is | thee of wine and of strong drink; he shall even be the prophet of this people. b risen up as an enemy: ye pull off the robe with the garment from them that pass by securely f 11 If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, I will prophesy unto a Heb. yesterday. b Heb. over against a garment. e Or, wives.- d Deut. xii. 9.- Lev. xviii. 25, 28. Jer. iii. 2. f Or, walk with the wind, and lie falsely.- -Ezek. these evils are threatened by that Spirit? Are these his doings? To which Jehovah answers, "Do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly?” No upright man need fear any word spoken by me: my words to such yield instruction and comfort; never dismay. Were ye upright, ye would not complain of the words of my prophets. The last clause may be translated, "Walking with him that is upright." The upright man walks by the word; and the word walks with him who walks by it. Verse 8. My people is risen up as an enemy] Ye are not only opposed to me, but ye are enemies to each other. Ye rob and spoil each other. Ye plunder the peaceable passenger; depriving him both of his upper and under garment: ye pull off the robe from those who, far from being spoilers themselves, are averse from war. Verse 9. The women of my people] Ye are the cause of the women and their children being carried into captivity,-separated from their pleasant habitations, and from my temple and ordinances, and from the blessings of the covenant, which it is my glory to give, and theirs to receive. These two verses may probably relate to the war made on Ahaz by Rezin, king of Syria, and Pekah, king of Israel. They fell suddenly upon the Jews; killed in one day one hundred and twenty thousand, and took two hundred thousand captive; and carried away much spoil. Thus, they rose up against them as enemies, when there was peace between the two kingdoms; spoiled them of their goods, carried away men, women, and children, till, at the remonstrances of the prophet Oded, they were released. See 2 Chron. xxviii. 6, &c. Micah lived in the days of Ahaz, and might have seen the barbarities which he here describes. Verse 10. Arise ye, and depart] Prepare for your captivity; ye shall have no resting place here: the very land is polluted by your iniquities, and shall i 12 h I will surely assemble, of Israel. A. M. cir. 3274. B. C. cir. 730. A. U. C. cir. 24. Romuli, R. Roman., cir, annum 24. O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men. 13 The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: "and 'their king shall pass before them, " and the LORD on the head of them. xiii. 3.—h Ch. iv. 6, 7. xxxvi. 37. Hos. iii. 5. m 1 Jer. xxxi. 10.- Ezek. --m Isai. lii. 12. vomit you out, and it shall be destroyed; and the destruction of it shall be great and sore. Some think this is an exhortation to the godly, to leave a land that was to be destroyed so speedily. Verse 11. If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood] The meaning is: If a man who professes to be divinely inspired do lie, by prophesying of plenty, &c., then such a person shall be received as a true prophet by this people. It not unfrequently happens that the Christless worldling, who has got into the priest's office for a maintenance, and who leaves the people undisturbed in their unregenerate state, is better received than the faithful pastor, who proclaims the justice of the Lord, and the necessity of repentance and forsaking sin, in order to their being made partakers of that holiness without which no man shall see God. Verse 12. I will surely assemble] This is a promise of the restoration of Israel from captivity. He compares them to a flock of sheep rushing together to their fold, the hoofs of which make a wonderful noise or clatter. So when one hundred sheep run, eight hundred toes or divisions of these bifid animals make a clattering noise. This appears to be the image. Verse 13. The breaker is come up] He who is to give them deliverance, and lead them out on the way of their return. He who takes down the hurdles, or makes a gap in the wall or hedge, to permit them to pass through. This may apply to those human agents that shall permit and order their return. And Jehovah being at their head, may refer to their final restoration, when the Lord Jesus shall become their leader, they having returned unto him as the shepherd and bishop of their souls; and they and the Gentiles forming one fold under one shepherd, to go no more out into captivity for ever. Lord, hasten the time! |