About Micah

Micah condemns social injustice while prophesying the Messiah's birthplace and God's ultimate mercy.

Author: MicahWritten: c. 735-700 BCReading time: ~2 minVerses: 13
JusticeJudgmentHopeMessiahCompassionTrue Religion

King James Version

Micah 4

13 verses with commentary

The Mountain of the Lord

But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established</strong> (<em>vehayah be'acharit hayamim yihyeh har beit-YHWH nakhon</em>, וְהָיָה בְּאַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים יִהְיֶה הַר בֵּית־יְהוָה נָכוֹן). The phrase "last days" (<em>acharit hayamim</em>, אַחֲרִית הַיָּמִים) refers to the Messianic age inaugurated by Christ and consummated at His re...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

IV. (1) **But in the last days.**—There is again a sudden transition. As the third chapter commenced with a startling denunciation, following immediately upon the predicted blessings of the restored kingdom, so upon that chapter, closed in deepest gloom, there now rises a vision of glorious light. The first three verses are almost identical with the second chapter of Isaiah, Micah 4:2-4; and it ha...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**4. no blemish--**A handsome form was connected, in Oriental ideas, with mental power. "Children" means youths of twelve or fourteen years old. **teach ... tongue of ... Chaldeans--**their language and literature, the Aramaic-Babylonian. That the heathen lore was not altogether valueless appears from the Egyptian magicians who opposed Moses; the Eastern Magi who sought Jesus, and who may have d...
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And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

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KJV Study Commentary

Messianic prophecy of universal pilgrimage: 'And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.' This envisions Gentiles streaming to Jerusalem to learn God's torah (law/instruction...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(2) **Many nations shall come.**—This prepares. the way to the more definitive prophecies, that there shall be a common consent among the nations journeying forth to the house of the Lord: asking the way thither in this world—finding the house itself in the eternal world. Even to this day the hearts of Jews and Christians alike yearn towards Jerusalem—a physical representative of the love which tu...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**5. king's meat--**It is usual for an Eastern king to entertain, from the food of his table, many retainers and royal captives (Jr 52:33, 34). The Hebrew for "meat" implies delicacies. **stand before the king--**as attendant courtiers; not as eunuchs.

And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. pruninghooks: or, scythes

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off</strong> (וְשָׁפַט בֵּין עַמִּים רַבִּים וְהוֹכִיחַ לְגוֹיִם עֲצֻמִים עַד־רָחוֹק, <em>we-shafat bein ammim rabbim we-hokhiach le-goyim atsumim ad-rachoq</em>). שָׁפַט (<em>shafat</em>, judge) and הוֹכִיחַ (<em>hokhiach</em>, rebuke/arbitrate/decide) describe Messiah's judicial authority over עַמִּים (<em>ammim</em>, p...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(3) The name of the Messiah is the Prince of Peace; and we still look into the dim future out of a present life, rife with wars and rumours of wars, for the full realisation of His reign of peace. And we are sure that the time will come, for “the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” **They shall beat their swords** . . .—See Note on Joel 3:10.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**6. children of Judah--**the most noble tribe, being that to which the "king's seed" belonged (compare Da 1:3).

But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid</strong> (וְיָשְׁבוּ אִישׁ תַּחַת גַּפְנוֹ וְתַחַת תְּאֵנָתוֹ וְאֵין מַחֲרִיד, <em>we-yashvu ish tachat gafno we-tachat te'enato we-ein macharid</em>). This idyllic imagery depicts security, prosperity, and peace. גֶּפֶן (<em>gefen</em>, vine) and תְּאֵנָה (<em>te'enah</em>, fig tree) repres...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(4) **They shall sit** . . .—This was a proverbial expression for the feeling of security brought about by a peace which no foreign power was strong enough to disturb. It describes the state of the Israelites under Solomon—“Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even unto Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.” The vine and the fig-tree are the repres...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**7. gave names--**designed to mark their new relation, that so they might forget their former religion and country (Ge 41:45). But as in Joseph's case (whom Pharaoh called Zaphnath-paaneah), so in Daniel's, the name indicative of his relation to a heathen court ("Belteshazzar," that is, "Bel's prince"), however flattering to him, is not the one retained by Scripture, but the name marking his rela...
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For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>For all people will walk every one in the name of his god</strong> (כִּי כָּל־הָעַמִּים יֵלְכוּ אִישׁ בְּשֵׁם אֱלֹהָיו, <em>ki khol-ha'ammim yelkhu ish be-shem elohav</em>). This verse presents interpretive challenge. Does it describe continued polytheism during the messianic age, or acknowledge present reality before transition? הָלַךְ בְּשֵׁם (<em>halakh be-shem</em>, walk in the name of...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(5) **For all people will walk.**—The comparatively near future to Micah, and the still distant future to us, are blended in the prophet’s vision: just as in the prophecies of our Lord the destruction of Jerusalem is described in terms which have their final accomplishment in the day of judgment. Micah’s description of the universal rule of Messiah is primarily applicable to the antecedent prosper...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**8. Daniel ... would not defile himself with ... king's meat--**Daniel is specified as being the leader in the "purpose" (the word implies a decided resolution) to abstain from defilement, thus manifesting a character already formed for prophetical functions. The other three youths, no doubt, shared in his purpose. It was the custom to throw a small part of the viands and wine upon the earth, as ...
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In that day, saith the LORD, will I assemble her that halteth, and I will gather her that is driven out, and her that I have afflicted;

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>In that day, saith the LORD, will I assemble her that halteth</strong> (בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא נְאֻם־יְהוָה אֹסְפָה צֹלֵעָה, <em>bayyom hahu ne'um-YHWH osefah tsole'ah</em>). "That day" (בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא, <em>bayyom hahu</em>) points to the messianic age. God promises to אָסַף (<em>asaph</em>, assemble/gather) the צֹלֵעָה (<em>tsole'ah</em>, lame/limping/halting one). This feminine singular person...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(6, 7) **Her that halted.**—Like flocks wearied with heat and journeyings. The promise immediately refers to the return when God would re-establish the Jews, and eventually come Himself to the restored Temple. And, further, His own promise sanctions the words of Micah as to the abiding character of His rule, that legacy which He left to the Church—“Lo, I am with yon alway, even unto the end of the...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**9. God ... brought Daniel into favour--**The favor of others towards the godly is the doing of God. So in Joseph's case (Ge 39:21). Especially towards Israel (Psa 106:46; compare Pr 16:7).

And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the LORD shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And I will make her that halted a remnant</strong> (וְשַׂמְתִּי אֶת־הַצֹּלֵעָה לִשְׁאֵרִית, <em>we-samti et-hatsole'ah lish'erit</em>). God transforms the צֹלֵעָה (<em>tsole'ah</em>, limping/lame one) into שְׁאֵרִית (<em>she'erit</em>, remnant). Remnant theology is central to prophetic hope—though most perish in judgment, God preserves a faithful minority through whom He continues redempti...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**10. worse liking--**looking less healthy. **your sort--**of your age, or class; literally, "circle." **endanger my head--**An arbitrary Oriental despot could, in a fit of wrath at his orders having been disobeyed, command the offender to be instantly decapitated.

And thou, O tower of the flock , the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion</strong> (וְאַתָּה מִגְדַּל־עֵדֶר עֹפֶל בַּת־צִיּוֹן, <em>we-attah migdal-eder ofel bat-Tsiyyon</em>). מִגְדַּל־עֵדֶר (<em>migdal-eder</em>, tower of the flock) was a watchtower near Bethlehem where shepherds guarded flocks (Genesis 35:21). Symbolically, it represents Jerusalem as protector of God's flock. עֹפֶל (<em>o...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(8) **O tower of the flock.**—Israel having been compared to a flock, Jerusalem is called its tower, or protection; and in Messiah the ancient dominion shall return to the Holy City. This is a more satisfactory interpretation than that which makes the tower of the flock *Migdol-Edah* (Genesis 35:21), a place near Bethlehem.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**11. Melzar--**rather, the steward, or chief butler, entrusted by Ashpenaz with furnishing the daily portion to the youths [Gesenius]. The word is still in use in Persia.

The Lord's Plan and Deliverance

Now why dost thou cry out aloud? is there no king in thee? is thy counsellor perished? for pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Now why dost thou cry out aloud? is there no king in thee? is thy counsellor perished?</strong> (עַתָּה לָמָּה תָרִיעִי רֵעַ הֲמֶלֶךְ אֵין בָּךְ אִם־יוֹעֲצֵךְ אָבָד, <em>attah lammah tari'i rea hamelekh ein bakh im-yo'atsekh avad</em>). The prophet shifts from glorious future (v. 1-8) to present crisis. רוּעַ (<em>rua</em>, cry out/wail) indicates alarm and anguish. The rhetorical question...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(9) **Now why dost thou cry out aloud?**—The prophet places again, side by side with his vision of returned glory, the circumstances of misery which will intervene. The king and the counsellors of Jerusalem will be powerless to help in the moment of emergency.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**12. pulse--**The Hebrew expresses any vegetable grown from seeds, that is, vegetable food in general [Gesenius].

Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the LORD shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail</strong> (חוּלִי וָגֹחִי בַּת־צִיּוֹן כַּיּוֹלֵדָה, <em>chuli va-gochi bat-Tsiyyon kayyoledah</em>). The imperatives חוּל (<em>chul</em>, writhe/travail) and גָּחַה (<em>gachah</em>, labor/burst forth) command Jerusalem to embrace the painful process. This isn't permission but prophetic necessity—exile must ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(10) **Thou shalt go even to Babylon**.—This prediction has naturally caused difficulty to those who doubt the power of prophets to prophesy: for Babylon was not at all considered in the days of Micah, when Assyria was in the ascendant. It was a century after Micah’s time before Babylon recovered its ancient dignity. The fact, however, remains that Micah wrote, “Thou shalt go to Babel;” and there ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

13-15. Illustrating De 8:3, "Man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord."

Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion</strong> (וְעַתָּה נֶאֶסְפוּ עָלַיִךְ גּוֹיִם רַבִּים הָאֹמְרִים תֶּחֱנַף וְתַחַז בְּצִיּוֹן עֵינֵינוּ, <em>we-attah ne'esefu alayikh goyim rabbim ha'omerim techenaf we-tachaz be-Tsiyyon eineinu</em>). גּוֹיִם רַבִּים (<em>goyim rabbim</em>, many nations) gather against Jerusalem. ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(11) **Let her be defiled.**—The seventy-fourth Psalm records the calamity foreseen by the prophet: “They have cast fire into Thy sanctuary, they have defiled (*by casting down*) the dwelling-place of Thy Name to the ground.” **Look upon**—*i.e.*, contemplate her destruction with pleasure.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

13-15. Illustrating De 8:3, "Man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord."

But they know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither understand they his counsel: for he shall gather them as the sheaves into the floor.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>But they know not the thoughts of the LORD, neither understand they his counsel</strong> (וְהֵמָּה לֹא יָדְעוּ מַחְשְׁבוֹת יְהוָה וְלֹא הֵבִינוּ עֲצָתוֹ, <em>we-hemmah lo yade'u machshevot YHWH we-lo hevinu atsato</em>). The adversative "but" (וְ, <em>we</em>) contrasts enemies' intentions (v. 11) with God's hidden purposes. They don't יָדַע (<em>yada</em>, know/perceive) Yahweh's מַחְשָׁב...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(12) **They know not the thoughts of the Lord.**—As a commentary upon this passage, we may compare the message of God with reference to the haughty thoughts of Sennacherib. Then the Lord declared that the Assyrian king was but His instrument in all he had done; so that when he presumed to arrogate to himself the glory of his victories, the Lord revoked his commission: “I will put my hook in thy no...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

13-15. Illustrating De 8:3, "Man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord."

Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion: for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thy hoofs brass: and thou shalt beat in pieces many people: and I will consecrate their gain unto the LORD, and their substance unto the Lord of the whole earth.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion</strong> (קוּמִי וָדֹשִׁי בַת־צִיּוֹן, <em>qumi va-doshi vat-Tsiyyon</em>). Following God's gathering enemies as sheaves (v. 12), He commands Jerusalem to קוּם (<em>qum</em>, arise) and דּוּשׁ (<em>dush</em>, thresh). Threshing separated grain from chaff by animals trampling or sledges crushing stalks. The imagery: Zion becomes God's threshing instrumen...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(13) **Arise and thresh**.—Micah, having likened Israel to the sheaves safely gathered, pursues the metaphor by calling upon the daughter of Zion to thresh her enemies after the manner of oxen treading out the corn; and under the symbolism of the horn—the weapon of strength—he promises that God will strengthen her for the work **I will consecrate**.—The better reading is that of the LXX., Vulg., a...
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