INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF MICAH. His strength of expression: Chap. i. 6. —“Therefore will I make Samaria a heap of the field, a place for the plantings of a vineyard: And I will pour down her stones into the valley, and I will discover her foundations." iii. 2.- -"Ye who hate good and love evil : Who pluck their skin from off them, And their flesh from off their bones. 3.—Who have also eaten the flesh of my people, And have flayed their skin from off them, And have broken their bones; And have divided them asunder, as flesh in the pot : And as meat within the caldron." vii. 1.-"Wo is me; for I am become As the gatherers of late figs, as the gleaners of the vintage. My soul desireth the first-ripe fig. 2.-The good man is perished from the land, His pathos : Chap. i. 16. And there is none upright among men. All of them lie in wait for blood; They hunt every man his brother for his destruction." -“Make thee bald, and cut off thine hair for thy delicate children; For they are gone into captivity from thee." ii. 4." In that day shall a proverb be taken up against you Saying, 'We are utterly laid waste : He hath changed the portion of my people: To bring again him that divided our fields !" Chap. i. 2. "Hear, O ye people, all of you: Hearken, O land, and all that are therein. And let the Lord Jehovah be witness against you;. 3. For, behold, Jehovah will go forth from his place: And he will come down, and will tread upon the high places of the earth. Chap. i. 4. And the mountains shall be molten under him; Chap. vi. 1. And the valleys shall cleave asunder; As wax before the fire, As waters poured down a steep place." "Hear ye now what Jehovah saith: Arise, contend thou before the mountains; And let the hills hear thy voice." vii. 15.-"The nations shall see, and shall be confounded because of their might: They shall lay their hand upon their mouth; their ears shall be deaf. 7. They shall lick the dust as the serpent; As the creeping things upon the earth, they shall tremble from their close places: Because of Jehovah our God, they shall stand in awe; and they shall fear because of thee. 712 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 Idæi 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, 346.-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 Corcbus 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.-Twentyfirst year of Theopompus, king of Lacedæmon, of the family of the Proclid. 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. Prophecies against Samaria A. M. cir. 3254. B. C. cir. 750. A. U. C. eir. 4. Romuli, R. Roman., cir. annum 4. 6 Therefore I will make Samaria as a heap of the field, and as plantings of a vineyard: A. M. cir. 3254. A. U. C. cir. 4 B. C. cir. 750. Romuli, R. Roman., cir. annum. 4. that therein is: and let the Lord GOD be Witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. 3 For, behold, the LORD and I will pour down the stones cometh forth out of his place, and will come thereof into the valley, and I will discover the down, and tread upon the high places of the foundations thereof. earth. k 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? f Psa. 1. 7; Mal. iii. 5. - Psa. xi. 4; Jonah ii. 7; Hab. ii. 20.h Isa. xxvi. 21.- Psa. cxy. 3.-k Deut. xxxii. 13; xxxiii. 29; Amos iv. 13. Judg. v. 5; Psa. xcvii. 5; Isa. Ixiv. 1, 2, 3; Amos ix. 5; Hab. iii. 6, 10. Heb. a descent. 2 Kings xix. 25; chap. iii. 12. parts only that were calculated to profit succeeding generations. Verse 2. Hear, all ye people] The very commencement of this prophecy supposes préceding exhortations and predictions. Hearken, O earth] s arets, 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 valleys before him; a consuming fire accompanying him, that melts and confounds every hill and dale, and blends all in universal confusion. is here represented as doing that himself which other conquerors do by the multitude of their hosts: levelling the mountains, filling some of the valleys, and digging for waters in others, and pouring them from hills and dales for the use of the conquering armies, by pipes and aqueducts. God And why is all this mighty movement? Verse 5. "For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel." 7 And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the Phires thereof shall be burned with the fire, and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate: for she gathered it of the hire of a harlot, and they shall return to the hire of a 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 her wound is incurable; for it is V • Ezek. xiii. 14.-P Hos. ii. 5, 12.4 Isa. xxi. 3; xxii. 4, Jer. iv. 19. Isaiah xx. 2, 3, 4. -Job xxx. 29; Psa. cii. 6. Heb. daughters of the owl. Or, she is grievously sick of her wounds.2 Kings xviii. 13; Isaiah vit. 7,8. are infected with idolatry. Each has its high places, 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 met 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. Verse 9. Her wound is incurable] Nothing shall Various cities threatened CHAP. I. with desolation. A. M. cir. 3254. come unto Judah; he is come chariot to the swift beast: she B. C. cir. 750. A. U. C. cir. 4. Romuli, R. Roman., cir. annum 4: unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem. W 10 Declare ye it not at Gath, weep ye not at all: in the house of Aphrah y roll thyself in the dust. is the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion: for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee. h A. M. cir. 3254. A. U. C. cir. 4. B. C. cir. 750. Romuli, i 14 Therefore shalt thou give presents to 11 Pass ye away, thou inhabitant of Moresheth-gath: the houses of Achzib1 shall Saphir, having thy shame naked: the inha- be a lie to the kings of Israel.. bitant of Zaanan came not forth in the mourning of a Beth-ezel; he shall receive of you his standing. d 12 For the inhabitant of Maroth e waited carefully for good: but f evil came down from the LORD unto the gate of Jerusalem. - 15 Yet will I bring an heir unto thee, O inhabitant of Mareshah: "he shall come unto • Adullam the glory of Israel. 16 Make thee P bald, and poll thee for thy delicate children; enlarge thy baldness as the eagle; for they are gone into captivity. prevent their utter ruin, for they have filled up the their assistance he might frustrate the hopes of the· measure of their iniquity. 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: hay hay n'a bebeith leaphrah aphar, "Roll thyself in the dust, in the house of dust." Verse 11. Inhabitant of Saphir] Sapher, Sepphoris, or Sephora, was the strongest place in Galilee.—Calmet. It was a city in the tribe of Judah, between Eleutheropolis and Ascalon.-Houbigant. Zaanan] Another city in the tribe of Judah, Josh. xv. 13.. Beth-ezel A place near Jerusalem, Zech. xiv. 5. Some think that Jerusalem itself is intended by this word. 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 eity 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 by 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, y aphar, dust, and y aphrah, the name of the city. Ver. 11, NY tsaunan, the city, and 783 yatsah, to go out. Ver. 13, lachish, the city, and wrechesh, the swift Ver. 14, 8 achzib, the city, and 12 Such paronomasias were reputed ornaprophets. They occur in Isaiah with See Isa. v. 7. beast. achzab, a lie. ments by the great effect. Verse 15. Yet will I bring an heir unto thee, O— Mareshah] Here is another instance, haiyeresh, to bring an heir, and ʊ mareshah, the city, the name of which signifies heirship. And so of the 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 wo 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. A. M. cir. cir. 730. A. U. C. cir. 24. Romuli, R. Roman., cir. annum, 24. iniquity, and upon their beds! A. M. cir. 3274. A. U. C. cir. 24 B. C. cir. 730. Romuli, R. Roman. cir. annum 24. B. C. ir 3271 Wo to them that devise mentation, and say, We be utterly е 5 Therefore thou shalt have none that shall cast a cord by lot in the congregation of the LORD. op q 6 Prophesy 4 ye not, say they to them that prophesy: they shall not prophesy to them, that they shall not take shame. Gen. xxxi. 29. ―d Isa. Jer. viii. 3. -2 Sam. i. 17. Chap. i. 15. NOTES ON CHAP. II. Wo to them that devise iniquity] Who lay schemes and plans for transgressions; 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. Tiglath-pileser 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 composed and sung for you as for the dead. The lamentation is that which immediately follows: We "Deut. xxxii. 8, 9. Or, Pro-P Heb. drop, &c.; Ezek. xxi. 2. Isa. xxx. 10; Amos ìi. 12; vii. 16..— Ör, shortened. Heb. upright. 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 let, 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 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: |