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form, however, it has been incorporated in a prophecy against Judah, belonging, most probably, to the years 705–701, when a new Palestinian rising provoked See also:

SENNACHERIB (Ass. Sin-akhi-erba, " the Moon-god has increased the brethren ")

Sennacherib's See also:

CAMPAIGN

campaign of 701 (Nowack; cf. See also:

MARTI, JUAN JOSE (157o?-1604)

Marti). This prophetic activity of Micah under Hezekiah is confirmed by the See also:

DIRECT

direct statement of Jer. See also:

XXVI

xxvi. 17 seq., where Mic. iii. 12 is quoted (" See also:

ZION, or SION (Heb. iiag, perhaps from runs " to be dry," nqs " to set up," or is " to protect "; Arabic analogies favour the meaning " hump," " summit of a ridge," and so " citadel ")

Zion shall be plowed as a See also:

field," &c.). The See also:

VERSE (from Lat. versus, literally a line or furrow drawn by turning the plough, from vertere, and afterwards signifying an arrangement of syllables into feet)

verse quoted forms the See also:

CLIMAX, JOHN (c. 525–600 A.D.)

climax of Mic. i.–iii., from which chapters only any certain conclusions as to the prophetic See also:

MESSAGE (a word occurring in slightly different forms in several languages, e.g. Fr. message, Span. mensaje, Ital. messagio; adapted from the Low Lat. missaticum, from mittere)

message of the historic Micah can be See also:

DRAWN

drawn; the remaining sections of the present book (iv.–v., vi.–vii.) consist, in whole or in greater See also:

PART

part, of writings belonging to a later See also:

period. Chs. i.–iii.

(with the exception of two verses, ii. 12, 13)4 are a prediction of See also:

JUDGMENT

judgment on the sins of Judah and See also:

EPHRAIM

Ephraim. In a majestic exordium Yahweh Himself is represented as coming forth in the thunderstorm (cf. See also:

Amos i. 2) from His heavenly See also:

PALACE (Lat. Palatium, the name given by Augustus to his residence on the Palatine Hill)

palace, and descending on the mountains of See also:

PALESTINE

Palestine, at once as See also:

witness against His See also:

PEOPLE

people, and the executer of judgment on their sins. Samaria is sentenced to destruction for See also:

IDOLATRY

idolatry; and the See also:

BLOW, JOHN (1648-1708)

blow extends to Judah also, which participates in the same See also:

GUILT

guilt (ch. i.). But, while Samaria is summarily dismissed, the See also:

sin of Judah is analysed at length in chs. ii. and iii., in which the prophet ' A confusion between the two prophets of the name has led to the insertion in the Massoretic See also:

TEXT (Lat. textum, woven fabric, from texere, to weave)

text oft Kings xxii. 28 of a See also:

CITATION (Lat. citare, to cite)

citation from Micah i. 2, rightly absent from the LXX. 2 See, however, See also:

Gray, Hebrew Proper Names, p. 157: " In later times they were perhaps virtually synonymous; but this is not to be assumed for See also:

early times. The shorter forms may well have had a purely See also:

SECULAR (Lat. saecularis, of or belonging to an age or generation, saeculum)

secular reference, signifying' who is like this See also:

child' ?

" 3 He is called '' the Morashtite " (Mic. i. 1; Jer. xxvi. 18) from his birthplace, Moresheth-See also:

GATH

Gath. That Micah lived in the Shephelah or Judaean See also:

LOWLAND

lowland near the See also:

PHILISTINE

Philistine See also:

COUNTRY (from the Mid. Eng. contre or contrie, and O. Fr. cuntree; Late Lat. contrata, showing the derivation from contra, opposite, over against, thus the tract of land which fronts the sight, cf. Ger. Gegend, neighbourhood)

country is clear from the See also:

LOCAL

local colouring of i. l0 seq., where a number of places in this See also:

QUARTER (through Fr. from Lat. quartarius, fourth part)

quarter are mentioned together (in connexion with the See also:

war in Philistia), and their names played upon in a way that could hardly have suggested itself to any but a See also:

man of the See also:

DISTRICT

district. The paronomasia makes the verses difficult, and in i. 14 none of the See also:

ancient versions recognizes Moresheth-Gath as a proper name. The word Morashtite (Morashti) was therefore obscure to them; but this only gives greater See also:

WEIGHT

weight to the traditional See also:

PRONUNCIATION (Lat. pronuntiatio, from pronuntiare, proclaim, announce, pronounce)

pronunciation with o in the first syllable, which is as old as the LXX., and goes against the view, taken by the See also:

TARGUM

Targum both on Micah and on See also:

JEREMIAH

Jeremiah, and followed by some moderns (including See also:

CHEYNE, THOMAS KELLY (1841— )

Cheyne, E.B., 3198), that Micah came from Mareshah. When See also:

Eusebius placed MwpaoBel near See also:

ELEUTHEROPOLIS (Gr. 'EXEvOiparats, " free city ")

Eleutheropolis it is not likely that he is thinking of Mareshah (Maresa), for he speaks of the former as a See also:

VILLAGE

village and of the latter as a ruin 2 M. from Eleutheropolis. See also:

Jerome too in the Epit. Paulae (Ep. cviii.), speaking as an See also:

eye-witness, distinguishes Morashtim, with the See also:

church of Micah's See also:

sepulchre, from Maresa. This indeed was after the pretended miraculous See also:

DISCOVERY

discovery of the See also:

RELICS (Lat, reliquiae, the equivalent of the English " remains " in the sense of a dead body)

relics of Micah in A.D. 385; but the name of the village which then existed (Praef. in Mich.) can hardly have been part of a pious See also:

FRAUD (Lat. fraus, deceit)

fraud.

° These two verses are a prophecy of restoration; they are admittedly an interruption in their present context (so, e.g., See also:

DRIVER, SAMUEL ROLLES (1846– )

Driver, G. A. See also:

Smith) ; they belong in substance to the second See also:

section of the book (iv. v.). no longer deals with idolatry, but with the corruption of society, and particularly of its leaders—the grasping See also:

ARISTOCRACY (Gr. apuvror, best; «paria, government)

aristocracy whose whole energies are concentrated on devouring the poor and depriving them of their little holdings, the unjust judges and priests who for gain wrest the See also:

law in favour of the See also:

rich, the hireling and gluttonous prophets who make war against every one " that putteth not into their mouth," but are ever ready with assurances of Yahweh's favour to their patrons, the wealthy and See also:

NOBLE, SIR ANDREW (1832- )

noble sinners that fatten on the flesh of the poor. The See also:

INTERNAL

internal disorders of the See also:

REALM

realm depicted by Micah are also prominent in Isaiah's prophecies; they were closely connected, not only with the See also:

FOREIGN

foreign complications due to the approach of the Assyrians, but with the break-up of the old agrarian See also:

SYSTEM

system within See also:

ISRAEL (Hebrew for " God strives " or " rules "; see Gen. xxxii. 28; and the allusion in Hosea xii. 4)

Israel, and with the rapid and uncompensated aggrandisement of the nobles during those prosperous years when the See also:

CONQUEST

conquest of See also:

EDOM

Edom by Amaziah and the occupation of the See also:

PORT

port of Elath by his son (2 Kings xiv. 7, 22) placed the lucrative See also:

trade between the Mediterranean and the Red See also:

Sea in the hands of the rulers of Judah. On the other See also:

hand the democratic See also:

TONE, THEOBALD WOLFE (1763-1798)

tone which distinguishes Micah from Isaiah, and his announcement of the impending fall of the See also:

capital (the deliverance of which from the See also:

ASSYRIAN

Assyrian appears to Isaiah as the necessary See also:

CONDITION (Lat. condicio, from condicere, to agree upon, arrange; not connected with conditio, from condere, conditum, to put together)

condition for the preservation of the See also:

SEED (from the root seen in Lat. serere, to sow)

seed of a new and better See also:

KINGDOM

kingdom), are explained by the fact that, while Isaiah lived in the centre of affairs, Micah, a provincial prophet, See also:

SEES

sees the capital and the aristocracy entirely from the See also:

side of a man of the oppressed people, and fore-tells the utter ruin of both. But this ruin does not present itself to him as involving the captivity or ruin of the nation as a whole; the See also:

CONGREGATION (Lat. congregatio, a gathering together, from cum, with, grex, gregis, a flock, herd)

congregation of Yahweh remains in See also:

JUDAEA

Judaea when the oppressors are See also:

CAST (from the verb meaning " to throw "; the word is Scand. in origin, cf. Dan. kaste, and Swed. kasta; " cast " in Middle Eng. took the place of the A.S. weor pan, cf. Ger. werf en)

cast out (ii. 5) ; Yahweh's words are still See also:

GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

good to them that walk uprightly; the See also:

GLORY (through the O. Fr. glorie, modern gloire, from Lat. gloria, cognate with Gr. KXebs, abets)

glory of Israel is driven to take See also:

REFUGE

refuge in See also:

ADULLAM

Adullam,l as in the days when See also:

David's See also:

BAND

band of broken men was the true See also:

hope of the nation, but there is no hint that it is banished from the See also:

LAND

land. Our only See also:

EVIDENCE (Lat. evidentia, evideri, to appear clearly)

evidence as to the reception of Micah's message by his contemporaries is that afforded by Jer. xxvi. 17 seq., both directly, in the recorded effect on Hezekiah and the people; and indirectly, in the fact that the impression created was remembered a See also:

CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century afterwards. Micah resembles Amos, both in his country origin, and in his See also:

general See also:

CHARACTER (Gr. xapareri7p, from xap&crew, to scratch)

character, which expresses itself in strong emphasis on the ethical side of See also:

religion.

As the last of the four See also:

GREAT

great prophets of the 8th century he undoubtedly contributed to that religious and ethical See also:

reformation whose See also:

LITERARY

literary See also:

MONUMENT (Lat. monumentum or monumentum; from monere, to advise, bring to mind, remind; the German equivalent is Denkmal)

monument is the Book of See also:

DEUTERONOMY

Deuteronomy.' The See also:

REMAINDER, REVERSION

remainder of the book bearing the name of Micah falls into two See also:

main divisions, viz. iv., v. and vi., vii. Each differs from the first See also:

DIVISION (from Lat. dividere, to break up into parts, separate)

division (i.–iii.) in a marked degree. The second consists mainly of prophecies of restoration including eschatological (iv. 1 seq.)3 and Messianic (v. 2 seq.) hopes. The third is formed of three or four apparently unrelated passages, on the spirituality of true See also:

WORSHIP (i.e. " worth-ship," O. Eng. weor8scipe)

worship (vi. 1–8), social immorality and its See also:

DOOM (Old Eng. dOm, a word common to Tent. languages for that which is set up or ordered, from " do," in its original meaning of " place "; cf, Gr. &Ass, from stem of ri'rust)

doom (vi. 9–16; vii. 1-6); and Israel's future recovery from present adversity through Divine See also:

grace (vii. 7–2o). It is improbable that much, if any, of these chapters can be ascribed to Micah himself,' not only because their contents are so different from his undoubted See also:

WORK

work (i.–iii.), for which he was subsequently remembered (Jer. xxvi. 18), but because they presuppose the historic outlook of the See also:

EXILE (Lat. exsilium or exilium, from exsul or exul, which is derived from ex, out of, and the root sal, to go, seen in salire, to leap, consul, &c.; the connexion with solum, soil, country is now generally considered wrong)

Exile, or a later See also:

AGE (Fr. age, through late Lat. aetaticum, from aetas)

age (e.g. iv.

6 seq.; vii. 7 seq.). It is neither psychologically nor historically impossible for a prophet of ' i. 15; the reference is, however, obscure and uncertain. 'See the Introduction to the Century Bible, " Deuteronomy and See also:

JOSHUA, BOOK OF

Joshua," by H. See also:

Wheeler See also:

Robinson. 3 Mic. iv. 1–3 and Isa. ii. 2–4 are but slightly modified recensions of the same text, and as Isa. ii. is older than the prophecy of Micah, while on the other hand Mic. iv. 4 seems the natural completion of the passage, it is common to suppose that both copy an older prophet. But the words have little connexion with the context in Isaiah, and may be the See also:

QUOTATION

quotation of a copyist suggested by ver. 5.

On the other hand it has been urged that the passage belongs to a later See also:

STAGE (Fr. 6/age; from Lat. stare, to stand)

stage of prophetic thought than the 8th century B.C. Reasons making this view the more probable one are given by See also:

WELLHAUSEN, JULIUS (1844— )

Wellhausen (p. 142) and Marti (p. 281). ' Nowack thinks that iv. 9, 10a, 14 and v. 10–14 may possibly belong to Micah; Wellhausen recognizes the same possibility, which he extends, however, to vi. 1–8. Marti, who (like Cheyne in Ency. Bib.) finds nothing by Micah in iv.–vii., thinks these chapters have crystallized See also:

ROUND (O. Fr. rond, Lat. rotundus, the Fr. is the source also of Du. rond; Ger., Swed., Dan. and Nor. rond)

round two central passages, viz. iv. 1-4, and vi. 6-8, whose addition to the first three chapters formed the second stage in the growth of the present book.

More conservative views as to authorship are taken by Driver and G. A. Smith, the former suggesting, however, that " the existing Book of Micah consists only of a collection of excerpts, in some cases fragmentary excerpts, from the entire See also:

SERIES (a Latin word from serere, to join)

series of the prophet's discourses " (L. O. T., ch. vi. § 6).judgment to be also a prophet of comfort; but the internal evidence of composite and (in whole or part) later authorship must outweigh the traditional See also:

ATTACHMENT

attachment of these passages to a MS. containing the work of Micah. The sequence of thought in chs. iv. v. is really difficult, and has given rise to much complicated discussion. Thus iv. 11–13 stands in direct See also:

CONTRADICTION, PRINCIPLE OF (principium contradictionis)

contradiction to iv. 9, 10, and indeed to iii. 12. The last two passages agree in speaking of the See also:

CAPTURE (from Lat. capere, to take; Fr. prise maritime; Ger. Wegnahme)

capture of See also:

Jerusalem, the first declares Zion inviolable, and its capture an impossible profanation.

Such a thought can hardly be Micah's, even if we resort to the violent harmonistic See also:

PROCESS

process of imagining that two quite distinct sieges, separated by a renewal of the See also:

THEOCRACY (Gr. Oeoeparia, the rule of God, from Oebr, god, and -Kparca, Kpare v, to rule)

theocracy, are spoken of in consecutive verses. Another difficulty lies in the words " and See also:

thou shalt come even to See also:

BABYLON (mod. Hillah)

Babylon " in iv. 10. Micah unquestionably looked for the destruction of Jerusalem as well as of Samaria in the near future and by the Assyrians (i. 9), and this was the judgment which Hezekiah's repentance averted. If these words, therefore, belong to the See also:

ORIGINAL

original context, they See also:

mark it as not from Micah's hand; though they might be a later See also:

GLOSS, GLOSSARY

gloss. The prophetic thought is that the daughter (See also:

POPULATION (Lat. populus, people; populare, to populate)

population) of Zion shall not be saved by her present rulers or defensive strength; she must come down from her bulwarks and dwell in the open field; there, and not within her proud ramparts, Yahweh will See also:

grant deliverance from her enemies. Opposition to present tyranny expresses itself in recurrence to the old popular ideal of the first See also:

SIMPLE

simple Davidic kingdom (iv. 8). These old days shall return once more. A new David, like him whose exploits in the district of Micah's See also:

home were still in the mouths of the common people (? i. 15), goes forth from See also:

Bethlehem to feed the See also:

FLOCK

flock in the strength of Yahweh.

The kindred Hebrew nations are once more See also:

UNITED

united to their brethren of Israel (cf. Amos ix. 12, Isa. xvi. 1 seq.). The remnant of See also:

Jacob springs up in fresh vigour, inspiring terror among the surrounding peoples, and there is no lack of chosen captains to See also:

lead them to victory against the Assyrian foe. In the rejuvenescence of the nation the old stays of that oppressive kingship which began with See also:

Solomon, the strongholds, the fortified cities, the chariots and horses so foreign to the See also:

LIFE

life of ancient Israel, are no more known; they disappear together with the divinations, the soothsayers, the idols, the mazzebah and asherah of the high places. Yahweh is See also:

king on See also:

MOUNT, WILLIAM SIDNEY (1807-1868)

Mount Zion, and no inventions of man come between Him and His people. The sixth See also:

CHAPTER (a shortened form of chapiter, a word still used in architecture for a capital; derived from O. Fr. chapitre, Lat. capitellum, diminutive of caput, head)

chapter of Micah presents a very different situation from that of chs. i.–iii. or iv., v. Yahweh appears to plead with His people for their sins, but the sinners are no longer a careless and oppressive aristocracy buoyed up by deceptive assurances of Yahweh's help, by prophecies of See also:

WINE (Lat. vinum, Gr. oivos)

wine and strong drink; they are bowed down by a religion of terror, wearied with attempts to propitiate an angry See also:

God by countless offerings, and even by the See also:

SACRIFICE (from Lat. sacrificium; sacer, holy, and facere, to make)

sacrifice of the first-See also:

BORN, IGNAZ, EDLER VON (1742–1791)

born. Meantime the substance of true religion —See also:

JUSTICE (Lat. justitia)

justice, charity and a humble walk with God—is forgotten, fraud and deceit reign in all classes, the See also:

WORKS

works of the See also:

house of Ahab are observed (worship of foreign gods).. Yahweh's judgments are multiplied against the land, and the issue can be nothing else than its See also:

TOTAL

total desolation. All these marks may be held to See also:

fit exactly the evil times of See also:

Manasseh as described in 2 Kings xxi.

Cp. vii. 1-6, in which the public and private corruption of a hopeless age is bitterly bewailed, possibly belongs to the same context. Micah may very well have lived into Manasseh's reign, but the title in i. 1 does not See also:

COVER (from the Fr. convert, from couvrir, to cover, Lat. cooperire)

cover a prophecy which certainly falls after Hezekiah's See also:

DEATH

death, and the See also:

style has nothing in common with the earlier part of the book. It is therefore prudent to regard the prophecy, with See also:

Ewald, as See also:

ANONYMOUS

anonymous. Ewald ascribed the whole of chs. vi., vii. to one author. Wellhausen, however, remarks with justice that the See also:

THREAD (0. Eng. praed, literally, that which is twisted, prawan, to twist, to throw, cf. " throwster," a silk-winder, Ger. drehen, to twist, turn, Du. draad, Ger. Draht, thread, wire)

thread is abruptly broken at vii. 6, and that verses 7–201 represent Zion as already fallen before the See also:

HEATHEN

heathen and her inhabitants as pining in the darkness of captivity. The hope of Zion is in future restoration after she has patiently borne the chastisement of her sins. Then Yahweh shall arise mindful of His See also:

OATH (0. Eng. ddh)

oath to the fathers, Israel shall be forgiven and restored, and the heathen humbled. The faith and hope which breathe in this passage have the closest See also:

AFFINITIES

affinities with the book of See also:

LAMENTATIONS (Lamentations of Jeremiah)

Lamentations and Isa. xl.–lxvi. Indeed, as Marti points out (p.

259) the triple division of the book of Micah (i.–iii.; iv., v.; vi., vii.) •corresponds with that of the book of Isaiah (i.–xxxix.; xl.–lv.; lvi.–lxvi.) in the character of the three divisions (judgment; coming restoration; See also:

prayer for help in adversity) respectively, and in the fact that the first alone gives us pre-exilic See also:

writing in the actual words of the prophet to whom the whole book is ascribed. In both cases, it need hardly be said, the great literary and spiritual value of the later passages ought in no way ' Regarded by See also:

Stade (Z. A. T. W., 1903, p. 164 seq.) as an inde pendent See also:

PSALM (from the Gr. word * hXAew, to play the harp)

psalm. 358 to suffer See also:

PREJUDICE (Lat. praejudicium)

prejudice from See also:

CRITICAL (in alphabetical order of authors)

critical conditions as to their date and authorship.

End of Article: MICAH (r )

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