Micah 1:1

The word of the Lord that came to Micah the Morasthite,.... So called, either from Mareshah, mentioned Micah 1:15; and was a city in the tribe of Judah, Joshua 15:44; as the Targum, Jarchi, Kimchi,

The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. In the days of Jotham.

MICAH CHAPTER 1 The time when Micah prophesied, Micah 1:1. Micah showeth the wrath of God against Israel and Judah for idolatry, Micah 1:2-9 A lamentation for them, Micah 1:10-16. The word of the Lord that came: thus Hosea begins his prophecy, Hosea 1:1, and Joe 1:1, and Jon 1:, and Zephaniah 1:1, which see. Micah: though Hierom, Epiphanius, and Dorotheus are said to report this Micah to be the same with the son of Imlah, 1 Kings 22:8, yet R. Sol. Jarchi's reason why this could not be is satisfactory, for one generation and almost a half intervened between Ahab and Jotham; Ahab died about A.M. 3046, Jotham began to reign about A.M. 3190, by which it appears there were one hundred and forty-four years between Micaiah the son of Imlah and Micah our prophet. The Morasthite: whether Mareshah, rebuilt by Rehoboam 2 Chronicles 11:8, (called also Beth-gebarim in after-time,) of which 2 Chronicles 11:14 of this chapter, or whether Moresheth, of which 2 Chronicles 11:15, gave him this surname, and whether because Micah was born there or else did dwell there, is not easily resolved, nor material if it were resolved. In the days of Jotham: it is not said what year of Jotham this prophet begun, it is probable it was about the beginning of Jotham's reign, A.M. 3190, of which we have this character, 2 Kings 15:34,35, He did right, &c., yet the high places were not removed. Religion was not wholly corrupted as in Israel, yet was it exceedingly abased with their own mixtures. Ahaz; the very worst of all Judah's kings, all things considered; he brought the Baalitical idolatry into Judah. Hezekiah; the best son of the worst father, who reformed Judah. How long Micah prophesied during his reign we can but conjecture, possibly till the fourteenth year of Hezekiah. So this prophet may be supposed to have prophesied sixteen years in Jotham's time, as many under Ahaz, and fourteen under Hezekiah, in all forty-six years, and survived the captivity of Israel ten years, which he lamented as well as foretold. Kings of Judah; Judah only named, but Benjamin is included. Which he saw: see Amos 1:1. Concerning Samaria; the metropolis of the kingdom of the ten tribes, and by a well-known figure put for the whole kingdom, as Jerusalem, chief city of Judah, is, by the same figure, put for the whole kingdom. As both had linked together in sinning, God doth link them together in suffering, and commands Micah to do so.

Micah 1:1 The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, [and] Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.Ver. 1. The word of the Lord, &c.] To Micah the Morasthite] To distinguish him from Micaiah, the son of Imlah, who prophesied in Ahab’ s days, over a hundred years before this. Micah the Morasthite, so called from the place of his birth or abode, which is made famous by him (as Abder was by Democritus, Hippo by Austin), and not he by it. Ambrose saith his name signifieth Quis iste? Who is this? Who (saith that father in answer)? not one of the common sort, but an elect vessel to carry God’ s name to his people. Jerome, from his title, Morasthite, interpreted, calleth him cohaeredem Christi, co-heir with Christ, of whom and his kingdom he sweetly prophesieth; and may, therefore, be called the evangelical prophet; as was Isaiah, his contemporary, with whom he hath many things common; and this one thing above him, that he nameth Bethlehem, Christ’ s birthplace, Micah 5:2, for the which (as well as for his boldness, Jeremiah 26:18) he was famous in the Church, Matthew 2:6 John 7:42. In the days of Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah] Ahaz standeth between Jotham and Hezekiah, as a thistle or thorn between two lilies, or roses. Manasseh comes after, and degenerates into his grandfather Ahaz. To his time Micah attained not, much less to Josiah’ s, as Isidore hath it; for between Jotham and Josiah were a hundred and twenty years at least. It is probable that Micah prophesied forty years, if not more; wherein he saw many changes and met with many molestations; had cause enough to cry out with his colleague, "Who hath believed our report?" "My leanness, my leanness," &c. Yet held he on his course; as being of Latimer’ s mind, who, speaking in one of his sermons of a minister that gave this answer why he left off preaching? viz. because he saw he did no good. This, saith Latimer, is a naughty, a very naughty answer. Which he saw] sc. with the eyes of his mind for the use of the Church; whereto this prophecy comes commended, first, as "the word of the Lord," and, secondly, as extraordinarily revealed to this prophet. Concerning Samaria and Jerusalem] Samaria seemeth to be first named because most guilty before God. They are yoked together, because there was scarcely ever a better (Aholah and Aholibah, sisters in sin), and one the much worse for the other’ s neighbourhood. Jerusalem would take it in high scorn, likely, to be matched with Samaria, so much slighted and shunned by her, John 4:9, as Papists now do to be set by Protestants, Turks by Christians (the word of a Mussulman bears down all other testimony among them).

(1) Micah the Morasthite.—Unlike Joel, who identifies himself by his father’s name, Micah introduces his personality with reference to his native village, Moresheth-gath, which was situated in the lowland district of Judah. The name—a shortened form of Micaiah, meaning “Who is like Jehovah”—was not an uncommon one among the Jews, but it was chiefly famous in times prior to the prophet, through Micaiah, the son of Imlah, who, about 150 years previously, had withstood Ahab and his false prophets. Samaria and Jerusalem.—The younger capital is placed first because it was the first to fall through the greater sinfulness of the northern kingdom. The chief cities are mentioned as representatives of the wickedness of the respective nations.

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 Idaei 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 Coroebus 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 Lacedaemon, of the family of the Proclidae. -Twenty seventh year of Polydorus, king of Lacedaemon, of the family of the Eurysthenidae. -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 Jothan, 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 on 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. NOTES ON CHAP. I Verse 1. The word of the Lord that came to Micah the Morasthite] For all authentic particulars relative to this prophet, see the preface.

1. Heading (see Introduction) 1. Micah the Morasthite] i.e. Micah of Moresheth-gath (see Micah 1:14). which he saw] To ‘see’ is a very early and very natural synonym for ‘to prophesy;’ ‘he that is now (called) a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer’ (1 Samuel 9:9). Hence the prophecies of Isaiah are called a ‘vision’ (Isaiah 1:1; comp. Nahum 1:1, Obadiah 1:1). Another figure for prophecy is ‘hearing’ (see Isaiah 21:10; Isaiah 28:22). The meaning is that the prophet has an inward perception of certain facts through the influence of the Divine Spirit (Zechariah 7:12).

The word of the Lord that came to Micah ... which he saw - No two of the prophets authenticate their prophecy in exactly the same way.

1. Title. Indicates the author and the time of his activity. On the person of the prophet see Introduction, p. 356; on the chronological data, pp. 361ff. Samaria — The capital of the northern kingdom (Micah 1:6).