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 General Editor:—}. J. S. PEROWNE, D.D., 
 Dean of Peterborough. 
 
 MICAH, 
 
 JF/TJI NOTES AND INTRODUCTION 
 
 BY 
 
 THE REV. T. K. CHEYNE, M.A. 
 
 FELLOW AND LATE LECTURER OF BALLIOL COLLEGE, OXFORD, 
 AMD RECTOR OF TENDRING, ESSEX, 
 
 EDITED FOR THE SYNDICS OF THE UNIVERSITY PRESS. 
 
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 PIIIITCETOIT X 
 
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 :J9 > 
 
 PREFACE 
 BY THE GENERAL EDITOR. 
 
 The General Editor of The Cambridge Bible for 
 Schools thinks it right to say that he does not hold 
 himself responsible either for the interpretation of 
 particular passages which the Editors of the several 
 Books have adopted, or for any opinion on points of 
 doctrine that they may have expressed. In the New 
 Testament more especially questions arise of the 
 deepest theological import, on which the ablest and 
 most conscientious interpreters have differed and 
 always will differ. His aim has been in all such 
 cases to leave each Contributor to the unfettered 
 exercise of his own judgment, only taking care that 
 mere controversy should as far as possible be avoided. 
 He has contented himself chietiy with a careful 
 revision of the notes, with pointing out omissions, with 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 suggesting occasionally a reconsideration of some 
 question, or a fuller treatment of difficult passages, 
 and the like. 
 
 Beyond this he has not attempted to interfere, 
 feeling it better that each Commentary should have 
 its own individual character, and being convinced 
 that freshness and variety of treatment are more 
 than a compensation for any lack of uniformity in 
 the Series. 
 
 Deanery, Peterborough. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGES 
 
 I. Introduction. ' 9 
 
 The Arrangement of the Book 10 
 
 Style and Subject 10 — 13 
 
 Social, Religious, and Political state of Judah 13 
 
 Chronology 14 
 
 II. Text and Notes 17—61 
 
 Index 63 
 
 The Text adopted in this Edition is that of Dr Scrivener's 
 Ca?nb7-idge Paragraph Bible. A few variations from the ordi- 
 nary Text, chiefly in the spelling of certain words, and in the 
 use of italics, will be noticed. For the principles adopted by 
 Dr Scrivener as regards the printing of the Text see his In- 
 troduction to the Paragraph Bible, published by the Cambridge 
 University Press. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 MiCAH, also written Micaiah (Jen xxvi. i8 K'thibh), was 
 perhaps the youngest of that remarkable group of prophets who 
 fill up the period from Uzziah to Hezekiah. He is called ' the 
 Morasthite,' i. i {i.e. a native of Moresheth, a small town in the 
 maritime plain near Gath^, i. 14), to distinguish him from the 
 Micaiah who lived in the reign of Ahab (i Kings xxii.). His 
 family would seem not to have been very important; other- 
 wise his father's name would have been stated — as, for instance, 
 Isaiah is described as "Isaiah, the son of Amoz." According to 
 the heading, he prophesied " in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and 
 Hezekiah, kings of Judah" (i. i), i.e. between 759 and 679 B.C. 
 There is a difficulty, however, in accepting this date. We read 
 in Jer. xxvi. 17, 18, 
 
 " Then rose up certain of the elders of the land, and spake 
 to all the assembly of Israel, saying, Micah the Morasthite pro- 
 phesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spake to all 
 the people of Judah, saying, ..." 
 
 It is true, the passage quoted by the elders is Mic. iii. 12 ; so 
 that there still might be a prophecy older than Hezekiah, if 
 internal evidence suggested this. But internal evidence does 
 not favour this view. Hezekiah was evidently already king 
 when the prophecy against Samaria in chap. i. was written ; 
 
 1 The place was still known in the time of St Jerome, who says 
 {ProL ad explanandiim Michcea?n); "Michaeam de Morasthi qui usque 
 hodie juxta Eleulheropolin (five Roman miles north of Gath) haud 
 grandis est viculus." 
 
lo INTRODUCTION. 
 
 and the argument used by some, 'the prophecy in Mic. iv. i — 3 
 is evidently more original than the form assumed by the same 
 passage in Isai. ii. 2 — 4, therefore, since Isai. ii. was written pro- 
 bably under Ahaz, Mic iv. cannot be later than the reign of 
 Ahaz,' will not hold good, i. because chap. iv. i is attached to 
 chap. iii. 12, which was written (as Jeremiah shews) in the reign 
 of Hezekiah, and 2. because chap. iv. i — 4 is not in the style of 
 Micah, and was probably inserted here by Micah or another 
 from some (perhaps older) prophet. It is better therefore to 
 accept the statement of Jer. /. c. in its most literal sense, that 
 " Micah prophesied in the days of Hezekiah." This at any rate 
 applies to chaps, i. — iii., though it is perfectly possible that some 
 parts of the later chapters (especially chaps, vi. vii.) may belong 
 to a subsequent period. As to the heading, it has no binding 
 authority ; there is a similar inaccuracy in the heading of the 
 prophecies of Isaiah. Here, as in the case of the headings of 
 the Psalms, we are driven to assume that it was inserted by the 
 scribes during the Babylonian Exile. 
 
 The Arrangement of the Book. Micah was not a 
 literary artist, and we have no right to expect a careful and 
 logical distribution of the contents. It is plausible to divide 
 the book into three parts (viz. i. chaps, i. ii. ; 2. chaps, iii. iv. v.; 
 3. chaps, vi. vii.), each part beginning with ' Hear ye,' and each 
 closing with a prmnic; p^ Anrl yet this division cannot have 
 '^ been originally intende d. The abrupt transitions with <vhich 
 the book abounds prove that the Book of Micah, like most 
 of the other prophetic writings, was mainly founded on dis- 
 courses, or notes of discourses, composed on various occasions. 
 With this reserve, however, we may accept another threefold 
 division in preference to that above mentioned, viz. i. chaps. 
 i. — iii. ; 2. chaps, iv. v. ; 3. chaps, vi. vii. Threatening, or at 
 least a gloomy view of things, predominates in the first and 
 third ; promise in the second. 
 
 Style and Subject. The prophecies of Micah are ad- 
 dressed to all Israel, but refer more particularly to Judah. He 
 
INTRODUCTION. II 
 
 was, like Amos, a native of a country district, and his rustic 
 origin doubtless strengthened his recoil from the unnatural sins 
 of the capital. He seems to have sprung from a deeply religious 
 family ; his name (Micah is a shortened form of Micaiah) means 
 'Who is like unto Jehovah?' Thus, like Isaiah, he was ' a sign 
 and a portent in Israel from Jehovah' (Isai. viii. i8). Micah 
 and Isaiah should in fact be read in connexion. " It pleased 
 God," as Calvin remarks, " that a testimony should be borne by 
 the mouth of two, and that holy Isaiah should be assisted by his 
 friend, and as it were his colleague." But while they have 
 much in common, they present the one truth in a slightly 
 different light ; Micah is even more emphatically an ethical 
 teacher than Isaiah. He has no hope of any radical change for 
 the better, and looks forward to nothing short of complete de- 
 struction for the city and the temple (iii. 12, see note). The 
 later chapters, it is true, soften this prospect ; but they were 
 evidentlyj written (if enti rely th e work of Micah) when the pro- 'j 
 phet had passed through some profound inner change. _I t wasV 
 his prophecy of judgment through which he was remembered by 
 the next generation (Jer. xxvi. 18); and in the unflinching 
 severity of his tone he passes beyond even his great contem- 
 porary, Isaiah. In this predominant ethical tendency, Micah 
 reminds us very much of Amos ; but in his softer moods (for he 
 has such) he suggests a comparison with Hosea. He would 
 willingly strip himself like a captive, and cry as an ostrich for 
 the calamity of Beth-aphrah (i. 10) ; he unites himself in spirit 
 with the besieged Zion of the near future (v. i). He compen- 
 sates himself, moreover, for the enforced preponderance of 
 threatening by a conclusion which is one of the sweetest pas- 
 sages of prophetic writing (vii. 8 — 20). Nor is it, perhaps, ac- 
 cidental that he lays such stress on " kindness " as one of the 
 three elements of true religion (vi. 8). For human kindness is 
 the reflection of divine ; and the Jehovah whom Micah preaches 
 is no capricious despot — he has entered into a moral relation 
 to His people, Israel. 
 
 Still, for the purpose of historical illustration, no prophet is so 
 important as Isaiah, on account of the abundance and fulness of 
 
 / \/ 
 
12 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 his writings ; and it is worth while to compare not only the 
 prophecies which he wrote under Hezekiah, but also those of 
 the reign of Ahaz ; for Micah may be presumed to have been 
 a reader of Isaiah's prophecies, as soon as any of them were 
 collected. Compare, then, the following more or less close 
 coincidences : — 
 
 Micah i. 9 — 16 with Isai. x. -28 — 33 
 
 — ii. I, 2 — V. 8 
 
 — ii. 6, II — xxviii. 10 
 
 XXX. 10, II 
 
 — ii. II — xxviii. 7 
 
 — ii. 12 
 
 — X. 20 — 2^ 
 
 IV, 7 ) 
 
 — iii. 5 — 7 — xxix. 9 — 12 
 
 — iii. 12 — xxxii. 14 
 
 — iv.4(end) — i. 20 (end) 
 
 — iv. 10 — xxxii. II 
 
 — v. 2 — 4 — vii. I4(?) 
 
 — V. 5 — ix. 6 
 
 — V. 9 — 14 — ii. 6 — 17 
 
 — vi. 6— 8 — i. II— 17 
 
 — vii. 7 — viii. 17 
 
 — vii. 12 — xi. II. 
 
 The following are the chief predictions in the Book of Micah. 
 I. The destruction of the kingdom of Israel, and especially of 
 its capital Samaria (i. 6, 7). 2. The complete destruction of 
 Jerusalem and the temple (iii. 12, vii. 13). 3. The deportation 
 of the Jews to Babylon (iv. 10). 4. The return from exile; peace 
 and prosperity in Canaan; victories and spiritual primacy of 
 Israel (iv. 1—8, 13, vii. 11, 14—17)- 5- A ruler in Zion (iv. 8), 
 born at Bethlehem, of the family of David (v. i, 2). According 
 to Delitzsch, some of these prophetic intuitions indicate that 
 Micah saw even further than Isaiah, inasmuch as — 
 
 (i) he predicts not only the Babylonian exile, but also the 
 deliverance from it ; 
 
 (2) he considers Babylon as the metropolis of the world, as 
 the centre of the land of Nimrod (v. 5), the enemy of Israel 
 (vii. 8, 10), though it is true that in v. 4 he calls the hostile 
 world-empire by the current historical name Assyria ; and 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 (3) while Isaiah beholds the rise of Messiah's kingdom in con- 
 nexion with the fall of Assyria, Micah sees the kingdom of the 
 Messiah estabUshed after the Babylonian exiled 
 
 Upon the whole, as we have seen, it was the troublesome 
 office of Micah to warn his countrymen of judgment. A pun- 
 gent irony stood at his command ; and he was not slow to avail 
 himself of it. He abounds, too, in paronomasias and in bold 
 interrogations, such as we can well imagine a fervid Hebrew 
 orator employing. He unites simplicity, vividness, and energy. 
 "Thus in predicting punishment, he uses the form of command, 
 bidding them, as it were, execute it on themselves [ii. 10, i. 11,13, 
 iv. 10]" (Dr Pusey). "The rhythm is full and forcible, but not 
 so smooth or rounded as that of Joel and Amos. The parallel- 
 ism is usually regular ; the diction pure and classical, but con- 
 cise, and therefore difficult here and there" (Dr S. Davidson). 
 We must, however, allow for the possibility that the text has at 
 certain points been incorrectly transcribed. Providence has 
 not interfered to preserve the Scriptures from the ordinary 
 errors of scribes and editors. 
 
 Social, religious, and political state of Judah. As 
 the commentary on chaps, ii. iii. will shew, the peasantry of 
 Judah (the class to which Micah not improbably belonged, or 
 with which at any rate he was best acquainted) were ground 
 down by numerous exactions, and illegal, oppressive treatment 
 on the part of the grandees. Commerce had increased the 
 wealth of a few, and made the old law of land-tenure more and 
 more difficult to maintain. The local sanctuaries still existed 
 (Mic. i. 5) ; Hezekiah's reform was probably not as complete as 
 we should infer from 2 Kings xviii. 4. The religious state of 
 Judah, then, was by no means such as Micah could approve of; 
 nor was its political state free from danger. How, in fact, could 
 a nation prosper, when the ruling class set the laws of morality 
 itself at defiance? Hence, although Hezekiah was ' one of the 
 most splendid princes who ever adorned the throne of David,' 
 and 'the last king who not only reigned in the spirit of the true 
 
 ^ Delitzsch, Messianic Prophecies, by Curtiss, § 44. 
 
JI4 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 religion, but also reigned prosperously till his death '' (Ewald), 
 the clear-sighted prophet Micah warned his people of a judgment 
 more severe than even Isaiah in general announced. But how are 
 we to explain chaps, vi. and vii. ? Are we not transported into 
 another period? Such is the impression of Ewald. " We feel 
 here," he says, " the effects of the cold, biting wind which King 
 Manasseh brought over the kingdom of Judah ; it is also plain 
 from vi. i6 that the idolatrous tendency which this king favoured 
 had long been prevailing; and the more religious hardly ven- 
 tured, according to vi. <) b, to name the king quite openly." 
 Certainly it is difficult to account for the tone of these chapters 
 from what we are told in the historical books of the reign of 
 Hezekiah ; and the theory of Ewald, whether we adopt it or 
 not, may serve to call our attention to the very real change 
 of tone and circumstances in the two last chapters -of the book. 
 It will be remembered that there is a somewhat similar difficulty 
 in accounting for the internal phenomena of Isai. xl. — Ixvi. 
 
 Chronology. The chronology of the kings of Israel is too 
 intricate a subject to be treated of here. It is safest to follow 
 the contemporary records of the Assyrians whenever a definite 
 indication of date is given. The following table differs somewhat 
 from the chronology of Usher, but there is no justification for 
 adhering to an antiquated opinion, when a more critical view is 
 attainable. 
 
 B.C. 
 
 727 Accession of Shalmaneser. 
 
 726 ■ Hezekiah. 
 
 722 Sargon, and capture of Samaria. 
 
 711 Sargon's invasion of Judah ; Hezekiah's illness. 
 
 705 Accession of Sennacherib. 
 
 701 Sennacherib's invasion of Judah. 
 
 697 Accession of Manasseh. 
 
 The invasion of Sargon referred to is not mentioned in the 
 Old Testament narratives in their present form ; but there is 
 reason to think that there is a confusion in 2 Kings xviii. 13 
 (-Isa. xxxvi. i) between Sargon and Sennacherib, and that the 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 later Jews had forgotten Sargon almost entirely, just as they 
 forgot Assurbanipal. Certainly Sargon himself claims to have 
 conquered the land of Judah (so Oppert, Sayce, and Schrader), 
 and it is probable that the invasion was to punish Hezekiah for 
 having joined the same coalition of which Yavan, the unfor- 
 tunate king of Ashdod, was a member (see Smith's Assyria in 
 S. P. C. K.'s Ancient History fro7n the Monuments, pp. 104, 5). 
 This new fact illustrates not only the first chapter of Micah but 
 several prophecies of Isaiah (viz. x. 5 — xii. 6, xiv. 24 — 27, and 
 probably chap. xxii.). The fate of Ashdod (Isai. xx. i) seemed 
 likely to be shared by Jerusalem ; and the prophets bent all 
 their energies to move the people to a timely repentance. 
 
MIC AH. 
 
 Chap. I. i. Heading. 
 
 THE word of the Lord that came to Micah the Morasthite 1 
 in the days of Jotham, K\\2.z,a7id Hezekiah, kings of 
 Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. 
 
 2 — 7. The Threat of Pimishnmit. 
 
 Hear, all ye people ; 2 
 
 Hearken, O earth, and all that therein is : 
 
 Chap. I. 
 The judgment upon Samaria and the land of Judah ; and the pro- 
 phet's lament. The historical fulfilment of the prophecy is in the cap- 
 ture of Samaria by Sargon in 722 and that same king's invasion of Judah 
 in 711 (see note A). Compare the topographical allusions in i. 10 — 15 
 with the corresponding section in Isai. x. 28 — 32. 
 
 1. Heading (see Introduction). 
 
 1. Alicah the Morasthite\ i.e. Micah of Moresheth-gath (see z'. 14). 
 ivhich he sa7v\ 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' (i Sam. ix. 9). Hence the prophecies of Isaiah are called 
 a 'vision' (Isai. i. i ; comp. Nah. i. i, Obad. i. i). Another figure for 
 prophecy is 'hearing' (see Isai. xxi. 10, xxviii. 22). The meaning is 
 that the prophet has an inward perception of certain facts through the 
 influence of the Divine Spirit (Zech. vii. 12). 
 
 2—7. The Threat of Punishment. 
 
 2. all ye people^ Rather peoples. God's judgment upon the world 
 is now in progress (comp. Isai. iii. 13, 14, xxxiv. i — 5), and one of the 
 principal acts in the great drama is the judgment impending over Israel. 
 Hence all nations are summoned, not merely as legal witnesses (as when 
 'heaven and earth' are called upon in a figure in Deut. iv. 26, xxx. 19, 
 xxxi. 28, Isai. i. 2), but that they may learn wisdom in time from 
 Israel's fate. Hence the next half of the verse continues, '...against 
 you.^ The opening words of this verse are uttered by Micaiah in i Kings 
 xxii. 28, which can hardly be an accidental coincidence, as Micah is a 
 
 MICAH 2 
 
-18 MICAH, I. [vv. 3—5. 
 
 And let the Lord God be witness against you, 
 
 The Lord from his holy temple. 
 
 For behold, the Lord cometh forth out of his place. 
 
 And will come down and tread upon the high places of 
 
 the earth. 
 And the mountains shall be molten under him, 
 And the valleys shall be cleft, 
 As wax before the fire, 
 
 A?id as the waters that are poured down a steep place. 
 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 ? 
 
 shortened form of Micaiah. Probably the words in i Kings were inter- 
 polated by some ill-advised scribe, who identified Micaiah with our 
 prophet Micah. 
 
 the Lord God] Rather, the Lord Jehovah. This is the reading of 
 the Hebrew text; A.V. follows the vowel-points, which in this case 
 merely express the exaggerated reverence of the later Jews for the 
 sacred name. 
 
 /lis holy temple] It is 'the temple of heaven' which is meant (Rev. 
 xvi. 17). Comp. Hab. ii. 20, Zech. ii. 13, Isai. Ixiii. 15, Ps. xi. 4. 
 
 3. co77ieth forth otit of his place] Two persons may use the same 
 expressions in very different senses. Heathen poets imagined that 
 divine beings 'came forth' and mingled in the strife of mortals; the 
 l)rophets adopt the same language as the symbol of the working of a 
 spiritual Deity. 
 
 4. the mountains shall be molten..^ The figure is that of a storm, 
 but no ordinary storm. Lightning descends, and dissolves the very 
 mountains, and torrents of rain scoop out channels in the valleys. 
 Similar symbolic descriptions occur in Judg. v. 5, Isai. Ixiv. i, Hab. iii. 
 65 comp. Ex. xix. 18. 
 
 5. The cause of this awful manifestation — the sin of Samaria and 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 Jacob] A poetic synonym for Israel. The term has a slightly dif- 
 ferent meaning in the two halves of the verse. In the first, it clearly 
 means the whole of the chosen people, including Judah ; but in the 
 second, only the Ten Tribes, sometimes called 'Ephraim' (e.g. Isai. vii, 
 5), but oftcner (in the historical books) 'Israel.' 
 
 What is the transgression] From what docs it proceed? In what is 
 it summed up? 'Transgression' is a weak rendering; apostasy would 
 be nearer the Hebrew. 
 
 what are the high places of Judah ?] In order to make sense, it is 
 necessary to assume tliat the term 'high places' is here synonymous 
 
vv. 6, 7.] MICAH, I. 19 
 
 Therefore I will make Samaria as a heap of the field, 1 
 
 A7id as plantings of a vineyard : 
 
 And I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, 
 
 And I will discover the foundations thereof. 
 
 And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to 
 
 pieces, 
 And all the hires thereof shall be burnt 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. 
 
 with 'apostasy' in the parallel line. But have we a right to make this 
 assumption, for which there is no analogy in Hebrew? Our present 
 text rests on such imperfect authority, that it is more reasonable to 
 suppose here a corruption in the reading, and to follow the three most 
 ancient versions (the Septuagint, the Peshito, and the Targum), which 
 presuppose the reading ' What is the sin of Judah?' This is also more 
 in harmony with what we know of the prophets of this period, who do 
 not elsewhere so emphatically denounce the 'high places,' or shrines 
 -scattered up and down the country (comp. on v. 14). They were more 
 concerned with principles than with the detailed application of them. 
 Some abominations were too obvious to be passed over; other evils, 
 less distinctly seen as evils, were tolerated, or only gently protested 
 against. Perhaps 'high places' in this passage was originally a mar- 
 ginal note in an early manuscript, intended to explain in what the sin 
 of Judah consisted. 
 
 6. as a heap} Rather, into a heap (i.e. into ruins). 
 
 as plantings of a vineyard] Rather, into the planting's, &c. 
 Samaria should remain so long in ruins, that vineyards should be laid 
 out upon it (comp. Isai. xxviii. i ' the fat valley of 'those who are smitten 
 down with wine'). 
 
 I will poiw down the stones'] Samaria standing on a hill (see i Kings 
 xvi. 24). "There is every appearance of the ancient buildings having been 
 destroyed, and their materials cast down from the brow of the hill, in 
 order to clear the ground for cultivation; masses of stone are thus seen 
 hanging on the steep sides of the hill, accidentally stopped in the pro- 
 gress of their descent by the rude dykes and terraces separating the 
 fields." "The materials of the ruins... are piled up in large heaps, or 
 used in the construction of rude stone fences; many of these heaps of 
 stone are seen in the plains at the foot of the hill." J ournal of a Deputa- 
 tion sent to the East by the Malta Prot. College, Vol. II. p. 425. 
 
 discover] i.e. lay bare. 
 
 7. the hires] i.e. the rich votive offerings in the sanctuaries, shortly 
 afterwards called 'the hire of a harlot,' with reference to the shameful 
 practices of heathenish religion (Deut. xxiii. 17, 18K 
 
 shall return] i.e. shall again become (as Gen. iii. 19 'unto dust shalt 
 thou return'). The material of the costly images acquired through the 
 
20 MICAH, I. [vv. 8— lo. 
 
 8 — 1 6. MicaJCs Lamentation. 
 Therefore I will wail and howl, 
 I will go stript and naked : 
 I will make a wailing like the dragons, 
 And mourning as the owls. 
 For her wound is incurable ; 
 For it is come unto Judah ; 
 He is come unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem. 
 
 offerings of devotees shall again be used for votive offerings in other no 
 less shameful religions, based, like those of heathen Syria, on the wor- 
 ship of the powers and processes of nature. 
 
 8—16. Micah's Lamentation. 
 
 8. Therefore I tuill 7vail] Such exuberance of emotion specially 
 characterizes the Jews and the Arabs; it reminds us of the Homeric 
 heroes. The propliets did not cease to be men when they received the 
 gift of inspiration. Sometimes they seem to have had a kind of double 
 consciousness, uniting them on the one hand with the inspiring Spirit, 
 and on the other with their much-loved people. Hence their abrupt 
 transitions from stern denunciation to tender compassion. 
 
 stript and naked'] i.e. without an outer garment; comp. i Sam. 
 xix. 24, Amos ii. 16, John xxi. 7. It seems to be a single symbolic act 
 which is referred to (comp. Isai. xx. ■2). The word 'stripped' indicates 
 that the appearance of the prophet is significant of the enforced naked- 
 ness of his people on their way to captivity (Isai. xx. 3, 4). 
 
 dragons... 02uls] Rather, jackals... ostriclies (comp. Job xxx. 29). 
 The Hebrew poets are fond of likening the note of lamentation to those 
 of animals. In Isaiah the swift, the crane, the dove, and the bear are 
 referred to (Isai. xxxviii. 14, lix, 11); while here it is the 'long, piteous 
 cry' of the jackal, and the 'fearful screech' of the ostrich which furnish 
 the crbject of comparison. 
 
 9. her zaoufid] Lit. her stripes. Samaria's trouble is a chastise- 
 ment (comp. Isai. i. 3, 4), but it is not Samaria's trouble only. It has 
 reached Jerusalem ; hence the ' incurableness' of the 'wound,' for Jeru- 
 salem is the heart of the nation. The past tenses vividly express the 
 certainty of the prophet's intuition of the future. 
 
 Ae is come] Or, it is come. The subject may be either the 'stripe' 
 or the dealer of the .stripe — Jehovah. 
 
 t/ie gate of 7ny people] Jerusalem is to the chosen people in general 
 what the gate is to the city itself. The shady space in the city gate was 
 the favourite place of meeting; so Jerusalem is the scene of 'our solemn 
 meetings' (Isai. xxxiii. 20), our religious and political centre. 
 
 10. Declare ye it not...] 'May we at least be spared the sight of 
 the malicious joy of our envious neighbours!' Here begins a scries of 
 paronomasias, which however are far from indicating a playful mood in 
 the prophet. Most of them refer to Judeean towns in the prophet's own 
 
V. II.] MICAH, I. 21 
 
 Declare ye it not at Gath, weep ye not at all : lo 
 
 In the house of Aphrah roll thyself in the dust. 
 
 Pass ye away, thou inhabitant of Saphir, having thy shame it 
 
 naked : 
 The inhabitant of Zaanan came not forth in the mourning 
 
 of Beth-ezel ; 
 He shall receive of you his standing. 
 
 neighbourhood. He could not possibly jest about the fate of his 
 friends! No; he is in sober earnest, and sees (like Isaiah in Isai. x. 30) 
 a pre-ordained correspondence between names and fortunes (comp. the 
 familiar phrase 'his name shall be called'='he shall be'). It is not 
 always easy to catch his allusions, nor to reproduce them when caught. 
 Some idea of the general effect is given by M. Reuss in the following 
 imitation, 'N'allez pas le dire a Dijon ! N'allez pas pleurer a Ploermel! 
 Pars, Paris! Chartres, attele ton char !' 
 
 at Gath\ Alluding to 2 Sam. i. 20. The substance of the power of 
 Gath had passed away (Amos vi. 1). Like Ashdod (see Amos i. 8), it 
 seems not to have recovered from the severe blow inflicted by Uzziah 
 (2 Chron. xxvi. 6). But its name was still a symbol of bitter hostility. 
 
 iveep ye not at all} Or, in Acco weep ye not (another reading). Ac- 
 cordmg to Judg. i. 31, the Canaanites were not driven out of Acco. 
 Thus Acco (the later Ptolemais) would be the representative of the 
 Canaanites or Phoenicians of the north. The choice of the town would 
 be dictated (as the Hebrew suggests) by the love of paronomasia. The 
 Sept. has oVSlvaKelix; but we should probably read ol ev 'Aktj [fi came 
 from the following /x-q ; and 77 and et are often confounded). 
 '~- in the house of Aphrah} Rather, in Beth-le-aphrati (i.e. Plouse of 
 dust). There was a town of the tribe of Benjamin called Ophrah, 
 Josh, xviii. 23. Most, if not all, however, of the other eight towns 
 appear to lie in the Shephelah, i.e. the 'low country' between Joppa 
 and Gaza; probably therefore the Benjamite Ophrah is not here in- 
 tended. It may be asked, Why does the prophet single out the She- 
 phelah? Isaiah, in a strictly parallel passage (x. 28—32), mentions an 
 altogether different region as suffering from the invasion? The answer 
 is, that the prophet has the feelings (if we may say so) of a provincial. 
 The 'low country' was even less able than Aiath, JNIigron, Michmash, 
 &c., to oppose the rapid movements of the Assyrians. 
 
 roll thyself hi} Rather, besprinkle thyself with. So Tamar, as a 
 sign of mourning, 'put ashes upon her head,' 2 Sam. xiii. 19. But the 
 reading of the Hebrew text is preferable to that of the margin and of 
 A. v., viz. ' I have besprinkled myself with.' 
 
 11. inhabitant} The word in the Hebrew is feminine, the popula- 
 tion of the city being (as often, e.g. Isai. i. 8) personified as a virgin. 
 
 Saphir} as if Fair-town (a play on the irnme). ,\ 
 
 Zaanan} The Zenan of Josh. xv. 37. (" Kft t C- *^^ <-LCeK& J 
 
 came not forth, &c.] Rather, is not come forth; the mourning \ 
 of Beth-ezel taketh from you its standing-ground. Zaanan would { ©.M . 
 
22 MICAH, I. [vv. 12-14. 
 
 For the inhabitant of Maroth waited carefully for good : 
 But evil came down from the Lord unto the gate of 
 
 Jerusalem. 
 O thou inhabitant of Lachish, bind the chariot to the 
 
 swift beast : 
 She is the beginning of the sin -to the daughter of Zion : 
 For the transgressions of Israel were found in thee. 
 Therefore shalt thou give presents to Moresheth-gath : 
 
 willingly take to flight, but the-'sound of the mourning at Betli-ezel 
 (which might mean 'the house/or place, at one's side') fills them with 
 despair. An ' Azal,' or rather Azel, is mentioned in Jerusalem in Zech. 
 xiv. 5 (see however on 'Aphrah.' 7j. 10). 
 
 12. Marothl The name might mean Bitternesses, i.e. 'perfect 
 grief.' Comp. Ruth i. 20, ' Call me Mara, for the Lord hath made it 
 bitter unto me,' i.e. hath grieved me. 
 
 tuaited carefully] Rather, hath been in pain. ^■^"-'' 
 for good] i.e. for the good of liberty which it has lost. 
 
 bjit evil came dozvii] Rather, for evil is come down. 
 
 unto the gate of Jerusalem'] It is the 'great gate' spoken of thus by 
 Sennacherib in his boastful inscription, 'the exit of the great gate of 
 his city I caused (them) to break through' (Taylor's cylinder, col. iii. 
 lines 22, 23). Sargon, however, is probably the Assyrian king referred 
 to by the prophet, as also by Isaiah in a parallel passage (xxii. 7), 
 "the horsemen [of the enemy] set themselves in array towards the 
 gate" (this is the correct rendering). 
 
 13. LachisJi] That well-known fortified town in the Shephelah, or 
 maritime plain, the capture of which was commemorated by Senna- 
 cherib in two bas-reliefs in his palace; comp. Isai. xxxvi. 2, xxxvii. 8. 
 These small Syrian and Palestinian fortresses had to sustain repeated 
 sieges. 'Lachish' and recJiesh ('swift beast') make what is called an 
 assonance; hence the mention of Lachish suggests the thought of har- 
 nessing the chariot for flight. The imperative is of course to be under- 
 stood poetically. It would be well for Lachish if her 'swift steeds' 
 could carry her far away — those 'swift steeds' which were so violently 
 obnoxious to Micah and his fellow-prophets (Isai. ii. 7, xxxi. i). 
 
 she is the beginning of the sin] Rather, she was the beginning- of 
 sin, i.e. the image-worship of the northern kingdom took rocit first of 
 all in Lachish, and from thence spread over the rest of Judah (comp. 
 vi. 16). It is remarkable that the infection of idolatry should have 
 appeared at a bound so far from its original focus. No light can be 
 thrown upon this. 
 
 14. Therefore] There is no logical sequence implied: 'therefore' 
 often introduces a threatening passage — sin leading to punishment. 
 The prophet abruptly turns to the pcoj^lc of Judah. 
 
 shalt ihoti give presents, &c.] More strictly, farewell-presents. The 
 meaning of the whole clause is that Judah will have to give up 
 Moresheth-gath. True, it was to an enemy that this town was to be 
 
vv. 15, 16.] MICAH, I. 23 
 
 The houses of Achzib shall be a lie to the kings of Israel. 
 Yet will I bring an heir unto thee, O inhabitant of 
 
 Mareshah : 
 He shall come unto Adullam the glory of Israel. 
 Make thee bald, and poll thee for thy delicate children ; 
 Enlarge thy baldness as the eagle ; 
 For they are gone into captivity from thee. 
 
 surrendered, and 'farewell presents' seems to have been a technical 
 term for the marriage-portion of a bride (so i Kings ix. 16). But a 
 loose use of the phrase is quite intelligible ; the literal meaning is 
 simply 'dismissal.' 
 
 AIoresheth-gath~\ The birth-place of the prophet (see Introduction), 
 who here makes an allusion to its meaning — -'possession of Gath.' 
 
 Achzib'\ Mentioned as in the Shephelah, Josh. xv. 44. Its name 
 suggests the thought of deception or disappointment ; hence the follow- 
 ing words. It is probably the same as Chezib, and, remarkably 
 enough, the passage where Chezib is mentioned contains a similar 
 reference to the ominous purport of the name. 'He (fudah) was at 
 Chezib,' we read in Gen. xxxviii. 5, 'when she (Tamar) "bare him.' It 
 was an appropriate birthplace for Shelah, who afterwards disappointed 
 the just expectations of Tamar in regard to Judah. 
 
 a lie] Rather, a disappointing brook. The word for 'brook' is 
 omitted as in Jer. xv. iS, where the parallel clause explains the phrase 
 to mean ' waters that fail.' 
 
 the kings of Israel] ' Israel,' after the fall of the northern kingdom 
 (predicted in vv. 6, 7) is legitimately applied to Judah. 
 
 15. Yet will I bring, &c.] Rather, Moreover unto thee will I 
 bring- Mm that shall possess thee (viz. Sargon and his Assyrians). 
 'Mareshah' was near Achzib (Josh. xv. 44). There is an allusion to 
 its possible meaning of 'possession.' 
 
 he shall come unto Adullam, &c.1 Rather, the glory of Israel shall 
 come even unto Adullam. The nobility of Israel are to take refuge in 
 the cave which once harboured David and his band (i vSam. xxii. 1,2). 
 These limestone caverns are of great extent ; some of them, says Dr 
 Pusey, will hold thousands of men. A second meaning may be im- 
 plied by a paronomasia, 'The glory of Israel shall set for ever' (as if 
 Adullam meant 'for ever,' Hebr. ad olani). Adullam was a fortified 
 town in the Shephelah, Josh. xv. 35. 
 
 16. Make thee bald] The prophet addresses the sorrowing mother, 
 Judah, who sees her children go forth into exile. The injunction is to 
 be understood poetically (see on v. 13). Artificial baldness, as a sign 
 of mourning, was against the Law (Lev. xix. 27, 28, Deut. xiv. i), but 
 this prohibition was apparently not recognized in the Shephelah. Micah 
 speaks in the character of a man of the Shephelah. 
 
 as the eagle] The word for ' eagle' {nesher) seems, in common dis- 
 course, to have included the vulture (so also aercs, Matt. xxiv. 28), 
 which is common in Egypt and Palestine. 
 
24 MICAH, II. [vv. I, 2. 
 
 Chap. II. i — 5. Sin and its corresponding Funishme?it 
 
 Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon 
 
 their beds ! 
 When the morning is light, they practise it, 
 Because it is in the power of their hand. 
 And they covet fields, and take them by violence ; 
 And houses, and take them away : 
 So they oppress a man and his house, 
 Even a man and his heritage. 
 
 Chap. II. 
 
 This and the next chapter should be read in connexion. They form 
 a single prophecy, the subject of which is the cause of the coming 
 Judgment, viz. the sins of the great men and the rulers. The sins and 
 their punishment are over and over again described with increasing 
 intensity. First of all in ii. i — 5. Then in v. 6 the offenders inveigh 
 against this troublesome preaching, and the prophet rejoins in v. 7. 
 In i/v. 8 — 10 a second description of the offences of the grandees is 
 given, followed, in v. 11, by a digression on the caricature of prophecy 
 patronized by them. The last two verses of the chapter interrupt the 
 sequence of thought (see on chap. iii.). 
 
 1 — 5. Sin and its corresponding Punishment. 
 
 1. (2;a/ 7dork evil] To 'work,' as distinguished from 'devise' and 
 to ' practise ' or ' execute,' is to prepare ways and means (see Isai. 
 xli. 4). Obs., it is no mere act of thoughtlessness, or passionate impulse, 
 which is here denounced, but a set purpose of dispossessing the small 
 proprietors, 
 
 upon their hcds\ The natural place for reflexion, whether in a bad 
 sense (as here and Ps. xxxvi. 4), or in a good (as Ps. Ixiii. 6). 
 
 it is in the pmver of their hajidl A doubt as to the meaning has 
 arisen h'om the fact that the word el here rendered 'power' is more 
 commonly used for 'god.' But Lagarde has shewn that the root- 
 meaning o{ el is 'that to which one reaches out.' Comp. Acts xvii. I'j. 
 
 2. And they covet fields, &c.] 'To covet' is itself a gross offence 
 against the law of God, as the deepest of all the Ten Commandments 
 shews (Ex. XX. 17). Large additions to one's estates were diametrically 
 opposed to the spirit, if not always to the letter, of the law of land- 
 tenure among the Israelites. See Num. xxvii. i — 11, xxxiii. 54, i Kings 
 xxi. 4, Lev. XXV, 8 — 17. These rich men would have had a perfect right to 
 ])urchase the lease of another man's property, subject indeed to the law 
 of redistribution in the 49th year (the year of Jul^ilee)— a relic of the 
 old Village ("ommunity system, M'hich seems to have j)revailed anciently 
 among Semitic as well as Aryan races (comp. Sir R. Maine's Village 
 Co/nmunities, and Mr i'enton's article on the Law of Jubilee, in the 
 
vv. 3,4-] MICAH, II. 25 
 
 Therefore thus saith the Lord; 
 
 Behold, against this family do I devise an evil, 
 
 From which ye shall not remove your necks; 
 
 Neither shall ye go haughtily : 
 
 For this time is evil. 
 
 In that day shall o?ie take up a parable against you, ^ 
 
 And lament with a doleful lamentation. 
 
 Theological Review, 1878). But, as the account of Naboth the Jezreelite 
 (i Kings xxi.) shews, the small Israelitish proprietors were too sturdy 
 and too law-abiding to accede to proposals of purchasers when they 
 could possibly avoid it. Hence, on the immoral principle that ' might 
 is right' (or, as the prophet says, 'because it is in the power of their 
 hands'), they followed the example of Ahab, and used fraudulent or 
 openly violent means — fraud is suggested by the language of v. i, open 
 violence by that of v. 2. Isaiah denounces the same offences in v. 8 ; 
 Amos, probably, in iv. i. 
 
 3. 7Vie?-e/ore, &c.] The 'devising' of the dishonest grandees is met 
 by the ' devising' of Jehovah ; oppression is punished by oppression. 
 Comp. the striking correspondences between sins and their punishments 
 in Isai. v. 
 
 against this far7iily\ The grandees, as the heads and representatives 
 of the nation (Isai. ix. 15), have involved all ranks in a common ruin. 
 Israel is disparagingly called 'this family' (instead of 'my family'). 
 Comp. Isai. vi. 10, xxviii. 14, xxix. 13, Jer. viii. 5, xiii. 10 (where the 
 phrase is used of Judah), Isai. viii. 6, ix. 16 (where it seems to refer 
 to the northern kingdom), and Jer. xxxiii. 24 (where it is apphed even 
 to the heathen neighbours of the Jews). .Here it evidently refers to the 
 northern and southern kingdoms alike — 'the whole family which I 
 brought up out of the land of Egypt' (Amos iii. i). 
 
 your nccks'\ The ' evil,' then, is a foreign yoke ; comp. Jer. xxvii. 
 12. They are Tikened to cattle (as Amos iv. i). 
 
 4. shall 07ie take tip a parable'] Or, a taunting song- (as probably 
 Isai. xiv. 4, Hab. ii. 6). The Hebr. vidshdl means properly a saying 
 characterized by parallelism — ' the parallelism may consist either in the 
 moral application of emblems, or simply in the parallel disposition of 
 the lines and the sense. From the fact that emblems were generally 
 applied in a witty, satirical manner, jndshdl sometimes obtains the 
 meaning of taunt-song.' So, too, we may add, the participial noun 
 Dwshel acquires the sense of taunt-singer in Num. xxi. 27, Ezek. xvi. 44. 
 In the present instance, the prophet means (see next clause) that the 
 same words from different speakers would be at once a lamentation 
 and a taunt. When an Israelite should say plaintively, ' It is ail over,' 
 his enemy should take up his words in a tone of triumph or mockery. 
 
 and lament with a doleful lamentation, &c.] Rather, and lament 
 with a lamentation : 
 
 ' It is done,' they shall say, 
 ' We be utterly spoiled : 
 
26 MICAH, II. [vv. 5,6. 
 
 A7zd say, We be utterly spoiled : 
 He hath changed the portion of my people : 
 How hath he removed it from me ! 
 - I'urning away he hath divided our fields. 
 
 Therefore thou shalt have none that shall cast a cord 
 
 by lot 
 In the congregation of the Lord. 
 
 6, 7. Hostility of the tivo classes of Prophets. 
 Prophesy ye not, say they to them that prophesy : 
 
 He cliang'eth tlie portion of my people ; 
 How doth he remove it from me ! 
 "" Unto the rebellious he divideth our fields.' 
 
 The purport of the complaint is that Jehovah (for the Israelites recog- 
 nize him as the sender of their trouble) has transferred the promised 
 land to heathen men, who from their very birth have been rebels 
 against Jehovah. The epithet 'rebellious' deserves notice. True, it is 
 the Jews who use it, but the prophet would certainly have sanctioned 
 its employment. We find him, in chap. v. 15, announcing the punish- 
 ment of the heathen for their disobedience, and his great contemporary 
 Isaiah, in x. 5 — 15 (comp. xxxvii. 26), rebuking Sennacherib for 
 ' vaunting himself against Him who gave him his commission. Both 
 prophets imply that the heathen had a certain natural light, which 
 might have led them to the true God, or at least have preserved them 
 from rejecting Him, when His claims were brought before them. 
 Comp. St Paul's words in Rom. i. 20, 'so that they are without 
 excuse.' 
 
 5. Therefore thou shall have none, &c.] Because the Israelites have 
 violated the divinely sanctioned law of land-tenure, 'therefore' they 
 shall have no future opportunity of redistributing the soil in accordance 
 with equity. And this, because the ' congregation of Jehovah, ' from 
 which such a redistribution should proceed, is itself about to be dis- 
 solved. 
 
 that shall cast a cord by lot] Rather, that shall cast the measur- 
 Ing-liue upon a lot (i.e. an allotment); alluding to the original dist|-i- 
 bution of Canaan by lot. Of course, the redistribution of the land in 
 the year of Jubilee was governed, not by lot, but by regard for the old 
 family-rights; still the primitive term 'lot' held its ground (so Ps. xvi. 
 5, cxxv. 3). 
 
 6, 7. Hostility of the two classes of Prophets. 
 
 6. Prophesy ye not"] Micah and the prophets 'like-minded with him 
 (e.g. Isaiah) are angrily bidden by the flattering, popular prophets 
 to hold their peace. Comp. Isai. xxx. 9, 10, 'For it is a rebellious 
 
V. 7.] MICAH, II. 27 
 
 They shall not prophesy to them, that they shall not take 
 
 shame. 
 O 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? 
 
 people... Who say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy 
 not unto us right things; speak unto ns smnnth ihing^j prophesy deceits 
 (or, ilkisions);' also Amos ii. 12, v. 10. Tims, in the times of Isaiah, 
 Amos, and jNIicah, we can already detect the germs of the persecution 
 which broke out with such severity under Alanasseh. The faithful 
 prophets of Jehovah were sometimes obliged to. hide themselves (Isai. 
 XXX. ^o), and it seemed as if 'the godly man had perished out of the 
 land' (Mic. vii. 1). From the context in which these words ' Prophesy 
 ye not,' occur, we should suppose that the speakers were the 'rebellious 
 people' (see Isai. xxx. 9, 20), represented by the grandees, though most 
 commentators think that they are rather the unfaithful, smooth-speaking 
 prophets, sometimes called ' false prophets.' Obs., the word used here 
 and in v. \i (also in Amos vii. 16, Ezek. xxi. 2) for 'prophesy' is 
 literally 'drop;' it was perhaps originally a figurative expression for 
 the constant flow and persuasive eloquence of prophecy. It is however 
 probably used by Micah's hostile critics in an unfavourable sense 
 (' dropping ' = constantly finding fault, comp. 'here a little, there a little,' 
 isai. xxviii. 10), so that we may venture to render here. Prattle ye not. 
 Speech in general is said to 'drop as the dew,' Deut. xxxii. 2; comp. 
 Job xxix. 22. 
 
 say Ihey to the7n that prophesy^ Rather, (thus) they prattle. The 
 prophet takes up their word, and flings it back to them sarcastically. 
 This view makes the grandees the speakers, in accordance with the 
 context. Most recent commentators, however, suppose a sudden intro- 
 duction of the false prophets (see last note). 
 
 they shall not prophesy to thevi] Rather, they should not prattle 
 of these things. Micah and his companions are exceeding the limits 
 of their commission. It is for the grandees to decide political matters; 
 and to chatter about the ruin of the state is simply higli treason. 
 
 that they shall not take shame'] Rather, reproaches are unceasing'. 
 By 'reproaches' the hostile speakers mean denunciations such as ihat in 
 vv. I, 2, Isai. V. Comp. again Isai. xxviii. 10 (where however A. V. 
 needs to be corrected). 
 
 7. that art named, &c.] 'But only as far as the title goes' (Calvin); 
 comp. on 'this family' (v. 3). So Isai. xlviii. i. 
 
 is the spij'it of the Lord straitened?] Has Jehovah ceased to be 
 'long-suffering' (Ex. xxxiv. 6)? 'Straitened,' lit. 'shortened.' 
 
 are these his doings?] Anger is not natural to Jehovah, neither is 
 punishment His chosen work (comp. Isai. xxviii. 21). As long as His 
 people 'walk uprightly,' He responds to them with friendly words and 
 acts. 
 
28 MICAH, 11. [vv. 8- 1 1. 
 
 Even of late my people is risen up as an enemy : 
 
 Ye pull off the robe with the garment 
 
 From them that pass by securely as vieii averse from war. 
 
 The women of my people have ye cast out from their 
 
 pleasant houses ; 
 From their children have ye taken away my glory for ever. 
 Arise ye, and depart ; for this is not your rest : 
 Because it is polluted, it shall destroy you, even with a 
 
 sore destruction. 
 If a man walking in the spirit and falsehood do lie, saying, 
 
 8—10. Parallel to 2/z^. I— 5. 
 
 8. Even of late viy people, &c.] Rather, But of late, &c. The 
 divine speaker states the cause of His enforced deviation from His 
 natural course of action. Man has misused His gift of free will : God's 
 people has of late been taking a hostile attitude. Towards whom? 
 Not immediately against Jehovah, whom indeed they cannot cease to 
 recognize as their national deity, but against those who are under His 
 most immediate care — the poor and needy. (The rendering and even 
 the reading of this verse is very doubtful, but the above explanation 
 probably gives the general sense. One difficulty is that in this verse, 
 according to the received text, the phrase 'my people' means the 
 oppressive grandees, whereas in z'. 9 it is applied to the oppressed poor ; 
 comp. Isai. iii. 15.) 
 
 ye pull off the robe with the garment, &c.] Rather, clean away from 
 the garment. The 'robe' is the spreading mantle; the 'garment' is 
 the so-called 'upper garment.' The former would of course be the 
 most valuable; article of apparel; the richest mantles were imported 
 from Babylon (Josh. vii. 21). — It is probably not vulgar robbery which 
 is here denounced, but a remorseless use of the rights of a creditor 
 (contrary to the spirit of Ex. xxii. 26, 27). 
 
 9. The women of my people] i.e. the unprotected widows. A 
 similar complaint is made in Isaiah (x. 2). 
 
 7?iy glory] i.e. the privileges which every Israelite possessed as a 
 member of God's people. The prophet implies that the children of 
 the widows have been sold into foreign slavery, which virtually annulled 
 their glorious birthright. 'How could they sing the Lord's song in a 
 strange land?' 
 
 10. Arise ye, and depart] As a just retribution for the expulsion of 
 others, the oppressors shall be expelled themselves. 
 
 yoiir j-est] i.e. your resting-place (as Isai. xi. 10). 'Rest' was one 
 of the chief aspects under which Canaan was regarded (Deut. xii. 9, 
 Isai. Ixiii. 14, Ps. xcv. ir). 
 
 because it is polluted, &c.] viz. the land, by the sin of its inhabitants. 
 Comp. Lev. xviii. 25 — 28. 
 
 11. If a man zualking in the spirit and falsehood, &c.] Who is tlie 
 popular prophet? He who walks in a spirit of falsehood" (Micah'*s 
 
vv. 12, 13.] MICAH, II. 29 
 
 I will prophesy unto thee of wine and of strong drink ; 
 He shall even be the prophet of this people. 
 I will surely assemble, 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. 
 ' The breaker is come up before them : 
 
 phrase is perhaps a hendiadys), and proriiises material blessings of the 
 most palpable kind (represented by 'wine and strong drink '). It was not 
 merely his reference to temporal goods which made such a man a 'false 
 prophet,' but his assurance of the divinely ordained connexion between 
 righteousness and prosperity. For 'in the spirit and falsehood,' it is 
 simpler to render, after wind and falsehood. (Dathe thinks v. 11 is 
 misplaced, and should come after v. 6.) 
 
 12. / will surely assetnble. . .] Some commentators think that this and 
 the next verse represent one of the flattering oracles of the false prophets ; 
 but the style is precisely that of the true prophets, and indeed of Micah 
 himself (see iv. 6, 7). There is a question, however, whether the 
 vHfses'are not misplaced ; whether their present position is not due to a 
 later editor, rather than to Micah himself. There are no doubt very 
 abrupt transitions in prophecy ; but this is exceptionally difficult, as the 
 tone and style of vv. 12, 13 is so entirely different from that which 
 precedes. 
 
 O Jacob, all of thee] Not merely a part of the nation ; not merely 
 the ten triloes, or the others, but the whole of Israel ('Jacob' as in i. 5). 
 And yet only 'the remnant of Israel;' enough, but only just enough, to 
 form the nucleus of a nobler Israel (comp. Isai. x. 20. 21). The 
 promise is therefore for those who shall come out of the trial repentant 
 and purified. See the parallel passages, Jer. xxxi. 8, Ezek. xxxiv. 
 II — 14. 
 
 as the sheep of Bozrah, &c.] Rather, as sheep into a fold, as a flock 
 in the midst of its pasture. 
 
 13. The breaker is come up, &c.] Rather, 'One that breaketh 
 through is gone up hefore them; they have broken through, and 
 passed on by the gate, and are gone out thereat; and their king is 
 passed on before them, and Jehovah at their head. 'One that 
 breaketh through' — i. e, through the prison in which the people are con- 
 fined — is the epithet of a conqueror, not Jehovah, but a human leader, 
 analogous to Moses and Joshua of old. 'We need not rack our brains 
 as to who this conqueror is; in the light of other prophecies he can be 
 no other than the Messiah. But Jehovah ('our king,' Isai. xxxiii. 22) 
 is not absent from His people ; He leads the van of the host, as of yore 
 at the Exodus (Isai. lii. 12; comp. Ex. xiii. 2t). 
 
30 MICAH, III. [vv. I, 2. 
 
 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. 
 
 Chap. III. i — 4. Chiefly a description of the savage 
 behaviour of the rulifig class. 
 
 And I said, Hear, I pray you, O heads of Jacob, 
 And ye princes of the house of Israel; 
 Is it not for you to know judgment? 
 Who hate the good, and love the evil ; 
 Who pluck off their skin from off them, 
 
 is cojue 7ip .. .have broken np\ Theverbs in the perfect tense picturesquely 
 describe the irresistible progress of the hosts. 
 
 Chap. III. 
 
 This chapter is the continuation of the preceding. The offences of 
 the great men are depicted in still more glaring colours ; a bitter spirit, 
 reminding us of Dante's Inferno, pervades the description in vv. 2, 3. 
 Next follows first, a reference to the judgment {v. 4, as in ii. 5, 10); 
 then, a digression on the evil prophets {vv. 5 — 7, as in ii. 6, 11), whose 
 work is contrasted with the strictly ethical character of the true reve- 
 lation {v. 8, comp. ii. 7). The close of the entire prophecy is formed 
 by an apostrophe to the grandees (vv. 9 — 11), and the declaration that 
 Jerusalem will be utterly destroyed on account of its sins [v. 12). 
 
 1—4. Chiefly a description of the savage behaviour of 
 the ruling class. 
 
 1, O heads of JacolP^ The prophet addresses the official class of all 
 Israel, especially the judges, who appear from Jer. xxi. 11, 12 to have 
 been (in Judah at any rate) chiefly members of the royal family (a nume- 
 rous body in Judah as well as in Egypt). 
 
 2. who pluck off their skin from off them'] The description is figura- 
 tive. We may infer that cannibalism was not unknown to the Israelites 
 by hearsay or tradition, but not necessarily that it was practised by the 
 ancestors of the Israelites, much less by the Israelites themselves. The 
 meaning of the figure plainly is that the peasantry had lost their old 
 independence, and fallen into a condition like that of the peasants of 
 the Turkish empire. This arose from a change in the social organism. 
 "The nobles of Israel were no longer great farmers, as Saul and Nabal 
 had been, living among the peasantry and sliaring their toil. ..The intro- 
 duction of such a commerce, throwing the Hebrews into immediate rela- 
 tions with the great emporium of international traffic (Tyre), necessarily 
 led to accumulation of wealth in a few hands, and to the corresponding 
 impoverishment of the class without capital, as exportation raised the 
 
vv. 3—5-] MICAH, III. 31 
 
 And their flesh from off their bones ; 
 
 Who also eat the flesh of my people, 3 
 
 And flay their skin from oif them ; 
 
 And they break their bones, 
 
 And chop Them in pieces, as for the pot, 
 
 And as flesh within the caldron. 
 
 Then shall they cry unto the Lord, but he will not hear 4 
 
 them : 
 He will even hide his face from them at that time, 
 As they have behaved themselves ill in their doings. 
 
 5 — 8. The fate of the false prophets, whose zmanthon'zed 
 smooth-speaking Micah co?itrasts with his ow?i divitiely 
 ijispired courage. 
 
 Thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that make s 
 
 my people err. 
 That bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace ; 
 And he that putteth not into their mouths, 
 They even prepare war against him. 
 
 price of the necessaries of life" (Prof. Robertson Smith, The Old 
 Testament 171 the Jezuish Ch2irch, p. 347). 
 their ski)i\ i. e. the skin of the house of Israel. 
 
 4. The7i shall they c7y] We must suppose that, when Micah 
 delivered this prophecy (of which we can have but a summary), he 
 introduced between v. 3 and z/. 4 a description of 'theday of the Lord,' 
 the day of just retribution. 
 
 5—8. The fate of the false prophets, whose unauthorized 
 smooth-speaking micah contrasts with his own divinely 
 inspired courage. 
 
 5. that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace'\ i. e. who, when they 
 are given something to eat, cry, Peace. To 'bite with the teeth' is a 
 quaint, rough expression in harmony with the foregoing image from 
 cannibaHsm. Choice language would have been thrown away on such 
 seared consciences. Comp. the description of the priests, 1 Sam. ii. 
 
 they even prepare war against hi/ii] Lit., they consecrate "war, a 
 prophetic formula (Jer. vi. 4, Joel iii. 9, comp. Isa. xiii. 3, 'my conse- 
 crated ones'). The meaning is, that if at any time the rulers of the 
 people are behindhand with the accustomed fee to these mercenary 
 prophets, the tone of the latter at once begins to change. Instead of 
 announcing peace, they declare that Jehovah is wroth with his people, 
 and will send war. Strictly speaking, to 'consecrate war' is to open a 
 
32 MICAH, III. ' [vv. 6— lo. 
 
 Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have 
 a vision ; 
 
 And it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine ; 
 
 And the sun shall go down over the prophets, 
 
 And the day shall be dark over them. 
 
 Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners con- 
 founded : 
 
 Yea, they shall all cover their lips; 
 
 For there is no answer of God. 
 
 But truly I am full (^ power by the spirit of the Lord, 
 
 And ^judgment, and ^ might, 
 
 To declare unto Jacob his transgression, 
 
 And to Israel his sin. 
 
 9 — 12. A recapitulation of the national sins, with a more 
 distinct declaration of the bitter end. 
 
 Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, 
 
 And princes of the house of Israel, 
 
 That abhor judgment, and pervert all equity. 
 
 They build up Zion with blood, 
 
 campaign (with sacred rites), but here the antithesis with 'that cry, 
 Peace' requires us to take it in a modified sense. 
 
 6. night shall be tinto yoic, &c.] The prophet is still addressing 
 the rulers. Because of their rapacity, and their league with false 
 prophets, their land shall be overshadowed by adversity, and there 
 shall be no prophecy, whether false or true, to guide them. The false 
 prophets will be ashamed, because of the non-fulfilment of their oracles ; 
 and the true will have no fresh revelation till the old cycle of prophecies 
 hos been fulfilled. Comp. Lam. ii. 9. 
 
 7. thei7' tips] Rather, their beard ; the phrase includes the face 
 up to the nose. A sign of mourning, Lev. xiii. 45, Ezek. xxiv. 17, 22. 
 
 8. Bi/i tridy, &c.] The sign of a fresh paragraph, placed here in 
 most editions, should rather be at the beginning of v. 9. 
 
 9—12. A RECAPITULATION OF THE NATIONAL SINS, WITH A 
 MORE DISTINCT DECLARATION OF THE BITTER END. 
 
 10. build np Zion with blood] Probably this alludes to the building 
 of palaces and fortifications, always a fruitful source of oppression in the 
 East. 'Blood' is used by synecdoche for 'violent conduct leading to 
 the ruin of others ;' so Isai. i. 15, lix. 3, Prov. i. 11, and other passages.^ 
 Unless we admit this, we shall have to take an incredibly dark view of 
 the state of public morals in the Jewish state. 
 
vv. II, 12.] MICAH, III. 33 
 
 And Jerusalem with iniquity. 
 
 The heads thereof judge for reward, 
 
 And the priests thereof teach for hire, 
 
 And the prophets thereof divine for money : 
 
 Yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say. 
 
 Is not the Lord among us ? 
 
 None evil can come upon us. 
 
 Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, 
 
 11. the priests thereof teach for hire'\ * The priest's lips should keep 
 knowledge, and they should seek the law (rather, 'law,' lit. 'teaching') 
 at his mouth,' Mai. ii. 7. The nature of the teaching appears from 
 Deut. xvii. 9 — 13; comp. Hag. ii. 11 — 13, Jer. ii. 8. It was explana- 
 tory of the Law, and based upon ancient tradition (comp. Deut. xxiv. 
 8, 'as I commanded them'). See note on iv. 2. 
 
 divine for vioney\ This was the custom of the 'seers' in former 
 times; even Samuel appears to have received fees (i Sam. ix. 7, 8). 
 But it had been given up by the later prophets, when they devoted 
 themselves more entirely to moral and spiritual functions. 
 
 lean iipon the Lord'\ The priests and prophets, then, whom Micah 
 so severely chastises, were like himself worshippers of Jehovah. But 
 their worship was formal, and their faith mechanical. They said. Is 
 not Jehovah among Jis ? i.e. is not Jehovah's favour assured by his 
 presence within the temple (comp. Jer. vii. 4), forgetting that, as 
 ^Nlilton puts it, in the spirit of Isai. i. 11 — 13, he doth ' prefer Before all 
 temples the upright heart and pure.' For the phrase, comp. Ex. xvii. 
 7, 'they tempted the Lord, saying. Is the Lord among us, or not?' 
 
 12. be ploived as a field'\ This striking prophecy was quoted at a 
 critical point in the history of Jeremiah when ' the priests and the 
 prophets and all the people' had pronounced sentence of death upon 
 the prophet by acclamation. 'Certain of the elders of the land' we 
 are told invoked the respectful treatment of Micah by king Plezekiah 
 as a precedent for granting Jeremiah a similar immunity. So far from 
 putting Micah to death, Hezekiah, they declare, had been moved by 
 his sombre prediction to 'fear the Lord and beseech the Lord,' 'and 
 the Lord repented him of the evil which he had pronounced upon 
 them' (Jer. xxvi. 17 — 19). In fact, all prophecy is conditional. The 
 prophets declare the great principles of God's moral government, and 
 apply them to individual cases. But if the moral conditions of the 
 cases to which these principles are applied be altered, the threatening 
 or the promise is postponed, modified, or recalled. We have no diffi- 
 culty therefore, in reconciling the genuineness of Micah's prophecy with 
 the fact thus stated by Dean Stanley. "The destruction which was 
 then threatened has never been completely fulfilled. Part of the south- 
 eastern portion of the city has for several centuries been arable land ; 
 but the rest has always been within the walls. In the JNIaccabaean wars 
 (i Mace. iv. 38) the Temple courts were overgrown with shrubs, but 
 
 MICAH x 
 
34 MICAH, IV. [v. I. 
 
 And Jerusalem shall become heaps, 
 And the mountain of the house as the high places of the 
 forest. 
 
 Chap. IV. i — 4. The Ideal of Happiness realized. 
 But in the last days it shall come to pass, 
 
 this has never been the case since." {yrcoish Church, ir. 464.) There 
 is a parallel to this passage of Micah in Isaiah (xxxii. 13, 14), which is 
 all the iiiore remarkable as Isaiah generally predicts the destruction of 
 the Assyrians and the deliverance of Jerusalem (e.g. xxix. 5, xxx. 19, 
 xxxi. 4). At the time when INIicah and Isaiah delivered their gloomy 
 vaticinations, the moral state of Jerusalem must have been worse than 
 usual. The uncompromising severity with which they announced the 
 inevitable punishment was (as Jer. xxvi. 17 — 19 shews) the means 
 chosen of God for producing at least a partial repentance. 
 
 the moitntain of the housed i.e. mount Moriah. 
 
 as the high places of the forest] Rather, heights in the wood. The 
 temple-mount shall be overgrown with low brushwood (comp. Isai. 
 xxxii. 13). The word rendered 'heights' {banidth) may also mean 
 'high places,' and perhaps the writer means to suggest that the temple 
 shall be treated no better than if it were a ' high place.' The plural 
 'heights' to correspond to the plural 'heaps.' 
 
 Chap. IV. 
 
 Chaps, iv. and v. belong together, though the connexion is not 
 always clear. They appear to have been revised subsequently to their 
 first composition, and the original draft of the prophecy seems to have 
 contained iv. i — 4, 11 — 13, v. i — 4, 7 — 15. The student will do well 
 to read these passages together in the first instance, before proceeding 
 to the study of the prophecy in its present form. The fundamental 
 idea is, that Israel will certainly be restored to prosperity, because the 
 promise cannot be broken ; but that a period of sore trial must precede 
 this. The transitions are abrupt, and will be indicated below. The 
 prophet begins {vv. i — 4), with the well-known description of the 
 coming golden age, which we find again (with one verse less) in Isai. 
 ii. 2 — 4. It has been much disputed which prophecy is the er.rlier. 
 But Isaiah cannot have copied the verses from Micah, for the prophecy 
 to which it is appended in Micah (chap, iii.) was delivered in the time 
 of Hezekiah (see Jer. xxvi. 18). It is possible that both Isaiah and 
 Micah took the prophecy from an older work ; some affinities have 
 been traced with Joel (comp. esp. Joel iii. 10, 18). Similar quotations 
 from older prophecies are believed to occur in Isai. xv., xvi., Jer. xlix. 
 7 — 22. 
 
 1—4. The Ideal of IlArpiNEss realized. 
 
 1. But] The Auth. Vers, has done its best to soften the abruptness 
 of the transition from iii. 12 to iv. i. It understands the meaning to be 
 
2.] MICAH, IV. 
 
 That the mountain of the house of the Lo.our God Iv, ^ 
 
 estabhshed in the top of the mountains, '' 
 
 And it shall be exalted above the hills ; 
 And people shall flow unto it. 
 
 And many nations shall come, and say, "it 6 
 
 Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, 
 And to the house of the God of Jacob ; 
 
 something like this : — In spite of this awful prospect of judgment, God 
 has a bright future in store both for Jerusalem and for Israel. In the 
 Hebrew, however, the passage iv. i — 4 is simply added on to iii. 12 ; 
 there is no properly adversative particle prefixed ; the contrast is rather 
 implied than expressed. It seems as if Micah's mind was so filled up 
 by the thought of judgment, that there was hardly any room for the 
 thought of national regeneration. When the image does present itself 
 to his imagination, it is only as by a lightning-flash, which soon passes 
 away, and leaves the horizon as gloomy as before. There is nothing in 
 Micah like a developed doctrine of the latter days, such as we have to 
 some extent in Isaiah. 
 
 in the last days] Hebr. b''akharith hayydmim. This rendering is 
 misleading; the Messianic period described in the following verses has 
 no 'last days;' it is without an end (Isai. ix. 7). Render, therefore, ia 
 stricter accordance with the Hebrew, in the days to come (lit., ' in the 
 sequel of the days') ; and comp. Jer. xxiii. 20, ' The anger of Jehovah 
 shall not turn back, till he have executed, and till he have carried into 
 effect the purposes of his heart : in future days ye shall duly consider tK 
 it' (Henderson's translation), also Deut. iv. 30, xxxi. 29, and the 
 phrase in an Assyrian historical inscription ana akhrat yzinii—^iox 
 future days.' A similar mistake has been made in i Tim. iv. i, where 
 tv varepois Kaipott is rendered in Auth. Vers, 'in the latter times;' the 
 Revised Version corrects, 'in later times.' 
 
 the 7noiintain of the house of the Lord~\ i.e. not merely mount Moriah 
 (as in iii. 12), but by synecdoche for Jerusalem (comp. end oiv. 2). 
 
 in the top] Rather, at the head. The lower mountains radiating, 
 as it were, in all directions from it. "A similar physical change is 
 anticipated for Jerusalem in Zech. xiv. 10, and for the valley of Jehos- 
 haphat, in connexion with the 'day of Jehovah,' in Joel iii. 12. 
 Ezekiel, too, speaks of having been transported in an ecstatic state to 
 'a very high mountain' (xl. 2), evidently alluding to this passage." 
 The rendering of Auth. Vers, implies an image too hyperbolical to be 
 accepted without compulsion. 
 
 2. . majty nations...'] 'Many,' in contrast to the single nation (as 
 yet hardly reckoned as such) at whose mouth the- Gentiles receive 
 instruction. The picture of Jerusalem as the religious metropolis of 
 the world is familiar to us in the prophets (comp. Isai. xi. 10, Ix. 3, 
 Jer. iii. 17, Zech. ii. ir, viii. 22, 23). The Christian reason, enlight- 
 ened by the course of Providence, sees that the picture is ideal. 
 
34 MICAH, IV. [vv. 3—5. 
 
 And JerviU teach us of his ways, 
 And tb will walk in his paths : 
 
 fthe law shall go forth of Zion, 
 .nd the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 
 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. 
 But they shall sit every man under his vine and under 
 
 his fig tree ; 
 And none shall make f/iem afraid : 
 For the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken if. 
 For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, 
 
 of /lis ways] Rather, out of Ms ways. Comp. Ps. xciv. 12, 
 ' teachest out of thy law.' God's ' law ' and God's ' ways ' are revealed 
 in full to the prophets, and they bring out ' here a little, and there a 
 little ' according to the needs of the time. 
 
 the law] Auth. Vers., however, is misleading. The Hebrew 
 siiliply has Tordh, which means 'direction' or 'instruction,' and is 
 "the suitable term for the authoritative counsel given orally by the 
 priests (Deut. xvii. 11) and prophets to those who consulted them 
 on points of ritual and practice respectively." Comp. above, on iii. 11, 
 and Prof. Robertson Smith, The Old Testament in the Jeivish Church, 
 pp. 292, 3. Not that the Tordh of the latter days is to be restricted 
 within the old boundaries; the Spirit is to 'guide into all the truth,' 
 and probably the best equivalent (if we do not insist on an unnatural 
 uniformity of rendering) would here be revelation. 
 
 3. among many people] Rather, between many peoples. 
 
 rebiijce] Rather, be umpire for. How remarkable, the constant 
 reiteration in the prophets of the ultimate extinction of war, to which 
 this passage adds the substitution of arbitration ! 
 
 they shall beat their sivords..^ In Joel iii. 10 we have the same 
 image reversed. Comp. also ix. 5, Hos. ii. 18, Zech. \\. 10. 
 
 4. every man under his mne...] Comp. i Kings iv. 25, 2 Kings 
 xviii. 3r. The old agricultural ideal. The depression of the peasantry, 
 owing to the growing concentration of wealth, naturally made a peasant- 
 prophet like Micah look forward with hope to a reaction, when each 
 family should have its own allotment of land. This verse is omitted in 
 Isa. ii. ; it would no doubt have been unsuitable in that connexion. 
 
 5. Transition. For all people will zoalk...] Rather, For all 
 peoples walk, &.c. The ideal time described in vv. i — 4 is still far 
 distant. ' The nations abroad all worship gods of their own ; let us 
 therefore all the more steadily walk in the name of our God.' The 
 
vv. 6—8.] MICAH, IV. _J9 
 
 And we will walk in the name of the Lord our God Ic ^ 
 ever and ever. ^' 
 
 6, 7. Prophecy of restoration. 
 
 In that day, saith the Lord, will I assemble her that 6 
 
 halteth, 
 And I will gather her that is driven out, 
 And her that I have afflicted ; 
 
 And I win 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. 
 
 8 — 10. The revival of the KmgdojJi of David ; misery 
 of the pi'eceding period. 
 
 And thou, O tower of the flock, 8 
 
 'name' of God is that side of His nature which can be revealed to 
 man (sometimes spoken of, even in the Old Testament, as a Divine 
 Person, e.g. Isai. xxx. 27, lix. 19) ; and to walk in this name means to 
 live in mystic union with God as He has revealed Himself, and under 
 His protection. ' To walk for ever and ever ' is opposed to the tem- 
 porary 'walking' of the idolaters. 'The everlasting God' (Isai. xl. 28) 
 confers the attribute of everlastingness on His people.' Comp. Isai. 
 xlv. 16, 17 (contrast between the destruction of the idolaters and the 
 'everlasting salvation' of Israel). 
 
 6, 7. Prophecy of restoration. 
 
 6. In that day\ i.e. in the Messianic age (z/. i). 
 
 will I assemble, &c.] A similar promise has been made in ii. ic. 
 There the emphasis is laid on the closing of the national schism ; here, 
 on the remedy to be appUed to the physical and moral misery of the 
 exiles. In both cases, it is only a remnant of the nominal Israelites 
 which is restored. Comp. the imitation in Zeph. iii. 19. 
 
 7. And I %vill make. ..a remnaitt^ i.e. I will treat Israel, in spite of 
 her 'halting' condition, as the 'remnant' to which the Messianic 
 promises belong. 
 
 shall reigii] Strictly, will have become king; i.e. will have assumed 
 the royal functions, without the dubious intervention of a merely human 
 representative. So Isai. xxiv. 23, Iii. 7. 
 
 8—10. The revival of the Kingdom of David ; misery of the 
 preceding period. 
 
 8. And ihoic, icwer of the flock, &c.] It is clear that the prophet 
 intends Jerusalem, which he addresses by an enigmatical title, to arrest 
 
34 MICAH, IV. [v. 9. 
 
 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. 
 
 Now why dost thou cry out aloud ? 
 
 Is there no king in thee ? 
 
 Is thy counseller perished ? 
 
 attention and stimulate reflexion. (Other instances of this, Isai. xxii. 
 5, xxix. I, Jer. xxi. 13.) But why does he select this particular title? 
 Two answers may be given. It was either (i) suggested by the figura- 
 tive description of Israel as a flock [v. 6, ii. 1-2), or (2) by the situation 
 of a tower called 'the tower of the flock' between Jerusalem and Beth- 
 lehem — Bethlehem, which was appointed to be the birthplace of the 
 Messianic King (v. ?). The existence of such a town in the situation 
 described is deduced from Gen. xxxv. 21, where Auth. Vers, inaccurately 
 renders 'the tower of Kdar'). It may be doubted however whether this 
 particular tower is sufficiently near Jerusalem to suit the context, for the 
 prophet clearly indicates that it was either upon or close to the hill or 
 hill-side called Ophel (see next note) : Isaiah, too, in a prophecy 
 parallel in more ways than one with Micah's prophecy (see on iii. 12), 
 mentions in combination 'Ophel and watch-tower' (Isai. xxxii. 14, 
 literally rendered) ifi a description of the desolation of Jerusalem. The 
 'tower of the flock' mentioned in Genesis was probably a different one. 
 There may have been many towers with this name (see 2 Kings xviii. 8, 
 1 Chron xxvi, 10), just as there was more than one hill called Ophel 
 (see 2 Kings v. 24, where Aurh. Vers, renders 'Ophel' loosely 'tower'). 
 The phrase 'tower of the flock' simply means that the tower was 
 designed as a shepherd's refuge against robbers. 
 
 the st}-on^q- hold of the daiiishter of Z/on] Literally, the height, Sec. 
 It is a particular fortified hill which is meant, the so-called Ophel — - 
 according to most, the southern end of the hill Moriah between the 
 Temple and Siloam, bounded on the east by the Kedron, and on the 
 west by the Tyropceon valley. (But this view is uncertain.) This 
 'Ophel' had its fortifications strengthened by Jotham (2 Chron. xxxvii. 
 3), and here becomes the representative of the power of Jerusalem. 
 
 the first dominion'] i.e. the kingdom of Israel in its widest extent. 
 So most commentators ; but the expression is peculiar. 
 
 9. Noiv ivhy dost thou cry out alotid?'] The prophet from his watch- 
 tower beholds the capture of Jerusalem, and hears the lamentation of 
 its inhabitants (comp. Isai. x. 30). Absorbed in high visions of the 
 future, he dep'"ocates this unmanly despair. Tnie, all is lost, for the 
 present; but they may carry with them into exile a consoling promise of 
 deliverance. 
 
 Is there 110 hin^ in thec?'\ Is it because thy king has been carried 
 captive? Comp. IIos. xiii. 10, 'Where then is thy king that he may 
 save thee?' 
 
 thy cotinseller] A synonym for 'thy king.' The root of melech (king) 
 
[o.] MICAH, IV. 
 
 39 
 
 For pangs have taken thee as a woman in travail. 
 
 Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter ofio 
 
 Zion, Hke 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 ; 
 
 in Aramaic means 'to counsel.' The INIessiah is called 'Wonderful 
 counsellor' in Isai. ix. 6. 
 
 10. Be in pain, &c.] There is no remedy for Zion's distress. Hav- 
 ing sinned, she must bear her punishment. Having lost her first purity, 
 she must be refined. 
 
 for noiu shalt thoii go fort Ii] *Now,' because the future is realized by 
 the prophet as if present. To heighten the efiect of his announce- 
 ment, he describes one by one the stages of the calamity, — the going 
 out of the city, the dwelling in the open country, houseless and unpro- 
 tected, and lastly the coming to Babylon, the scene of captivity. To 
 'go forth' = to surrender, as Isai. xxxvi. i6, 2 Kings xxiv. 12. 
 
 and thou shalt 00 even to Babylon'] These words are very difficult, 
 ■when viewed in relation to the context. For j), the enemy, whose destruc- 
 tion the prophet anticipates, is the contemporary kingdom of Assyria (see 
 v. 6), not that of Babylon, which had in fact been conquered by Tiglath- 
 Pileser, and only succeeded to the place and pov/er of Assyria a century 
 later; and ^ we read m v. 12 that Jehovah has brought the hostile 
 nations to Jerusalem that they may be destroyed there, which seem.s 
 not to allow space for a transportation of the Judaeans to Babylon. Thus 
 the difficulty in admitting that Micah really foretold the Babylonian 
 captivity is based on purely exegetical grounds. It has indeed been 
 replied i\ that Babylon is here mentioned only as a province of the 
 Assyrian'^empire, and 2,\ that it appears from 2 Kings xvii. 24 (con- 
 firmed by the Annals of f^argon, Rcco7-ds of the Past, vii. 29), that Sargon 
 transported a part of the rebellious population of Babylonia to N. 
 Israel, which we may presume that, according to the custom of the 
 Assyrians, he replaced by captive Israelites. It is therefore quite con- 
 ceivable that in foretelling an invasion of Judah by Sargon, the prophet 
 might represent the captives of Judah as following their Israelitish 
 brethren to Babylonia. This reply is perhaps adequate as against the 
 first-mentioned difficulty, but it leaves the second in its full force. I^is 
 necessary therefore to assume either that these words, 'and thou shalt 
 go to Babylon,' are the interpolation of a later editor of the prophetic 
 writings, who overlooked or misunderstood the context, or that they 
 represent a subsequent revelation made by the Spirit of prophecy to 
 Micah himself The former view is perhaps at first sight objectionable, 
 because it assumes that Divine Providence has not watched over the 
 text of the Scriptures so as to prevent alterations from being made in 
 their original form. But we must remember that the permanent i'unc- 
 tion of the Old Testament for Christians is simply to point to Jesus 
 
40 MICAH, IV. [v. II. 
 
 There the Lord shall redeem thee from the hand of 
 thine enemies. 
 
 II — 13. Wojiderfjil change in the fortunes of God^s people. 
 Now also many nations are gathered against thee, 
 
 Christ, as the Saviour both of Jew and of Gentile, and that no super- 
 ficial changes of the text are of any religious importance which leave 
 the performance of this function unimpaired. The hypothesis of inter- 
 polation is confirmed (to mention the principal evidence only) by the 
 occurrence of closely analogous words, undoubtedly interpolated, in the 
 Septuagint version of iv. 8, the second part of which runs thus, koI 
 elaeXevaeTaL 17 dpxv V TrpwTf], ^acrCKeia e/c 'Ha^vKuivos rrj Ovyarpl 'lepov- 
 (7a\i]ix. These words seem to give us the point of view from which the 
 students (translators or editors) of the Scriptures approached the pro- 
 phecies after the exile. The great deliverance from Babylon swallowed 
 up all others, and they discovered references to it which are not war- 
 *, ranted by the context of the passages. In a certain sense, it is true, 
 the Babylonian captivity was the fulfilment of the prophecy before us; 
 for neither the actual punishment nor the actual deliverance of Jerusa- 
 lem in Micah's time corresponded exactly to the prophet's statements. 
 Whether it be for the repentance of Hezekiah, or for any other reason 
 known only to God, Jerusalem was not suffered to come to such 
 extremities as the prophet describes, and consequently the Divine inter- 
 position was not so striking and unique. If however we prefer the 
 second of the alternatives mentioned above, analogies for this view are 
 also forthcoming. Isaiah repeatedly intermixes the matter of later 
 discourses with that of earlier ones — an inevitable consequence of the 
 mode in which the prophetic discourses were brought into their present 
 form on the basis of notes and recollections (see the present annotator's 
 edition oi Isaiah). 
 
 there shalt thou he delivered^ If we accept the former of the alterna- 
 tives proposed in the foregoing note, so that 'and thou shalt go even to 
 Babylon' becomes an interpolation, we must suppose the promised 
 deliverance to take place 'in the field' (or open country) where the 
 people of Jerusalem have assembled. They are in fact on the point of 
 surrendering to the Assyrians, their king (see v. i) has suffered the 
 grossest indignity, when Jehovah suddenly interposes for their relief. 
 Otherwise the deliverance will be that from the Babylonian exile, a 
 view however which is difficult to reconcile with v. 12. 
 
 11—13. Wonderful change in the fortunes of God's 
 
 PEOPLE, 
 
 11. No7u also many nations...'] The 'many nations' are either the 
 Assyrians (comp. Isai. xxxiii. 3), or the peoples who after their defeat 
 come to worship at Jerusalem {vv. i, 2); but v. 5 is in favour of the 
 former view. They gather together to besiege Jerusalem (comp. Ezck. 
 xxxviii., xxxix., Joel iii., Zech. xii., xiv.); how fruiilessly, the next two 
 verses declare. 'Now also' should rather be And now. There is an 
 
vv. 12, 13.] MICAH, IV. 
 
 41 
 
 ;.r. 
 
 That say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon 
 
 Zion. 
 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. 
 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. 
 
 implied contrast to the ideal description in vv. i — 4 ; we have already 
 seen that the original draft of chaps, iv. v. has received various addi- 
 tions, and in order to get a clear connexion, we ought to inclose these 
 inserted passages in parentheses. Thus if we bracket vv. 5 — 10, v. w 
 becomes perfectly clear, and the original sequence of thought is 
 restored. 
 
 12. for he shall gather the??i\ Rather, for lie hatli gathered them. 
 The fate which they have prepared for Zion will come upon themselves. yL^( ^ 
 This is Jehovah's counsel, but they know it not, for he hath brought r ' 
 them together, as sheaves are brought together to be threshed. Their 
 ignorance is taken up by Jehovah into his purpose. 
 
 13. thj'csh'] A figurative expression for 'conquer' (comp. Isai. xli. 
 15, Jer. li. 33), based on the barbarous custom of torturing those who 
 had been taken captives in war (2 Sam. xii. 31, Amos i. 3). It may 
 be called a phraseological 'survival.' 
 
 honi] Another figure for victorious might; comp. Deut. xxxiii, 17. 
 
 hoofs] Alluding to the custom ot employing oxen to tread out the 
 corn ; comp. Deut. xxv. 4, i Cor. v. 9. Sometimes however a machine 
 was used (see above). 
 
 many peoplel Rather, many peoples. 
 
 I will consecrate] Rather, thou shalt (so the ancient versions rightly , 
 render, comp. Gesenius, Hcbr. Gram. § 47, Rem. 5) devote. See Lev. 
 xxvii. 28, "every devoted thing is most holy unto the Lord." The term 
 'devoted thing' is applied sometimes to lifeless objects (e.g. Lev. xxvii. 
 11), and sometimes to living (e.g. i Sam. xv, 21, i Kings xx. 42). In 
 the latter case, devotion, strictly speaking, involved destruction, i.e. 
 the restitution to the Lord of life of that breath which He for a time 
 had granted. 
 
 Chap. V. 
 The birth of the Messiah, and his rule; peace without and holiness 
 within. — This chapter belongs together with the preceding, and pre- 
 sents similar characteristics. Here again we find the sequence of ideas 
 interrupted by a passage clearly added by an after-thought (viz. vv. 5, 
 6) ; see below. 
 
42 INIICAH, V. [vv. I, 2. 
 
 Chap. V. i. Trajisition from the prediction of Jerusalem's 
 extremity diu'iiig the siege to the Messianic glories iii prospect. 
 
 Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops : 
 He hath laid siege against us : 
 
 They shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the 
 cheek. 
 
 2 — 4. The Messiah's hii'th and world-wide rule. 
 But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, 
 
 1. Transition from the prediction of Jerusalem's extremity 
 
 DURING the siege TO THE MeSSIANIC GLORIES IN PROSPECT. 
 
 1. Noiv gather thyself in troops] Rather, Now thou mayest gather, 
 &c. Assyria may marshal her hosts, may lay siege against the holy 
 city, may violate the person of the king, but from insignificant Bethle- 
 hem a royal Deliverer shall arise. 
 
 O daughter of troops] i.e. O invading army. 'Daughter' is a person- 
 ifying phrase, as in 'daughter of Jerusalem ' = population of Jerusalem. 
 Most commentators think Jerusalem itself is referred to here, the 
 'troops' being the crowds of frightened citizens, but this is contrary to 
 usage, 'troop' being constantly used in a military sense. 
 
 he hath laid siege] An abrupt change of number, as in Isai. i. 29. 
 'Assyria' is the implied subject. 
 
 smite. ..np07t the cheek] A gross insult ; comp. i Kings xxii. 24, Job 
 xvi. 10, Luke xxii. 64. 
 
 the jjtdge of Israel] i.e. the king (as in Amos ii. 3). The phrnse is 
 chosen partly to produce a kind of paronomasia in the Hebrew with the 
 ■word for 'rod,' and partly perhaps because Jehovah has already been 
 called the 'king' of Israel (ii. 13). 'Israel' here means Judah, as in 
 i. 14 (see note). 
 
 2—4. The Messiah's birth and world-wide rule. 
 
 2. But thott, Beth-lehem Ephratah...] (See the application of this 
 passage by the Jewish Sanhedrin in Matt. ii. 6; comp. John vii. 42.) 
 To the deep abasement of the actual king the prophet, in this and the 
 following verses, opposes the Divine glory of the ideal King. Mean as 
 Bethlehem may be in outward appearance, it has been selected as the 
 birthplace of the Messianic Deliverer. 'Ephratah,' or rather ' Ephra- 
 thah' (a fuller form of Ephrath), was another name for Bethlehem 
 (i Sam. xvii. 12, Ruth i. 2, iv. 11, i Chron. ii. 50, 51): its meaning 
 (' fruitful') suggests that it originally belonged to the valley which leads 
 up to Bethlehem, and which is still richly adorned with vines and olive- 
 trees. The Septuagint rendering is peculiar, 'And thou Bethlehem, 
 house of Ephratah,' which looks very much like a combination of two 
 different renderings, which presuppose two different readings of the 
 Hebrew text (the one, 'And thou, Bethlehem j' the other, 'And thou. 
 
MICAH, V. 43 
 
 Thous;h thou be little among the thousands of 
 Judah, 
 
 Beth-Ephratah'). Some scholars indeed prefer the latter reading on 
 exegetical grounds, and supi)ose that the present reading of the Hebrew 
 text is incorrect, and that Ichem in Beth-lehein is an interpolation, due 
 to a confusion between the two meanings of Ephratah. This makes a 
 little difference in the exegesis of the passage. 'House' in 'house of 
 Ephratah' will have to be taken in the larger sense of the word, viz. 
 for a subdrvision of the 'thousand' or 'family.' This will very well 
 suit the following words (as generally explained), which will then con- 
 tain a statement that the people or households of the district of Eph- 
 rath (see above) were not numerous enough to form a 'thousand' or 
 'family' by themselves. The context also shews the essential point of 
 the prophecy to be, not that the Deliverer shall be horn at Bethlehem, 
 but that he shall belong to the Davidic family. If we retain the 
 received reading''' oniTS' HeBrew' text we may refer to the analogy of 
 Isai. ix. I, which (when rightly translated) mentions a particular region 
 of Palestine as in some sense the object of special favour from the Mes- 
 siah : the one prediction is not more circumstantial than the other. 
 There remains however a difficulty connected with the compound form 
 of the name. Why Bethlehem Ephratah, and. iuat.&iua£]y Bethlehem? 
 It is hardly enough to'TepTy that there" was another BethteTiem in the 
 territory of Zebulun (Josh. xix. 15), for the danger of confusion would 
 be more naturally guarded against by giving the full name ' Bethlehem- 
 judah' (Judg. xvii. 9, xix. 18). Nor can we attach much M'eight to the 
 remark of Delitzsch, that the prophet substitutes Ephratah for Judah, 
 because the former name "awakens so many reminiscences from the 
 primitive history of Israel (Gen. xxxv. 16) and the Davidic kingdom 
 (Ruth iv. 11)." Messianic Prophecies (by Curtiss), section 45. 
 
 though tkoii be little .. JX The Hebrew text according to most scholars, 
 requires a different rendering — art too sfiiall to be, &.c. This however is 
 not strictly in accordance with grammar, and it is very possible that 
 the Auth. Vers, is correct; only it requires us to suppose that one of the 
 Hebrew words in this verse [li-JCyoth) has been written twice over, 
 and that it has thus intruded into a wrong clause. — As a matter of fact, 
 Bethlehem was a small and unimportant place. _ It is omitted in the 
 list of cities of Judah in the received Hebrew text'of Josh. xv. (though, 
 together with ten other towns, it is found in the text of the Septuagint), and 
 also in the list, Neh. xi. 25. It is also spoken of in John vii. 42 as 
 Kwivt]. Yet poor, insignificant Bethlehem was to have the honour of 
 giving birth to the Messiah. 
 
 "O sola magnarum urbium 
 Major Bethlem, cui contigit 
 Ducem salutis coelitus 
 Incorporatum gignere." 
 
 Prudentius, Hymn. Epiph. 77. 
 ihousands'\ A 'thousand' is another name for a 'family' (in the 
 larger, technical sense of the word, = 'clan'), see Num. i. 16, x. 4, 
 
44 MICAH, V. [v. 3. 
 
 Yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that 
 
 is to be ruler in Israel; 
 Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. 
 3 Therefore will he give them up, 
 
 Josh. xxii. 14, 21, <S:c. Several 'thousands' or 'families' went to make 
 up a 'tribe.' 
 
 unto me] Rather, for me, in pursuance of my will. 
 
 ^■' whose goings forth have bee7i from of old, from everlasting] The 
 meaning of the word rendered 'goings forth' is doubtful. If we keep 
 this translation, we must explain it of the revelations of Jehovah to 
 the early Israelites and to the patriarchs. In Isai. ix. 6 one part of the 
 great compound name of the Messiah is 'God the Mighty One' (or, 
 Hero), from which we may infer that the Messiah is the permanently 
 visible manifestation of the delivering or punishing, or, in a word, 
 world-governing aspect of the Deity. So too in Isai. Ixiii. 9 we are 
 told that in 'the days of old' (the same phrase which is here rendered 
 •everlasting') Jehovah, or the Angel which represented Him, sympa- 
 thized with the trouble of His people, and delivered them; and in 
 V. 15 of the same chapter that the attributes of Jehovah, regarded 
 under this aspect, are 'jealousy' and 'heroism' (Auth. Vers., loosely, 
 'zeal' and 'strength'). We can hardly be wrong in inferring that in 
 , all these passages one and the same essential aspect of Jehovah is 
 meant, and that the Messiah may. be said, in harmony with prophetic 
 teaching, to have" "been revealed at intervals from the patriarchal his- 
 tory onwards./ In favour of this translation, it maybe observed that it 
 produces a striking antithesis between the former and the latter half of 
 the verse; 'he shall come forth' being a part of the same verb from 
 
 ovhich the word rendered 'goings forth' is deiived^'^ But it is also per- 
 missible to render this word 'origins,' and to explain the plural as that 
 of 'excellence' or extent, just as we find 'dominions' for 'dominion' 
 in Ps. cxiv. 2 (literally rendered), and 'habitations' for 'habitation' in 
 Isai. liv. 2. The passage will then become a statement either of the 
 pre-existence of "the Messiah in the eternal purposes of "God (comp. 
 Isai. xxii. 11, xxxvii. 26); or, which is more obvious and perfectly suit- 
 able to the context, of his-descent from the ancient Uavidic family — 
 comp. Amos ix. ir, where 'the days of old' evidently refer to the reign 
 of David. (David was already three centuries behind Micah.) In the 
 latter case, we ought to render the passage before us. Whose origin 
 hath been from aforetime, from the days of old. There is, in fact, 
 properly speaking, no word in Hebrew exactly answering to 'ever- 
 lasting.' See also vii. 14, 20, where Auth. Vers, rightly has, 'the days 
 of old.' 
 
 3. Therefore] i.e. because the deliverance of Israel is to be a work 
 of pure grace, and to proceed from the insignificant Bethlehem. It is 
 assumed that the family of David will have sunk down as low as that of 
 Jesse originally was — the same anticipation which we find expressed in 
 Isai. xi. I, 'There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse.' 
 
4-] MICAH, V. 45 
 
 Until the time that she which travaileth hath brought 
 
 forth : 
 Then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the 
 
 children of Israel. 
 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, 4 
 In the majesty of the name of the Lord his God ; 
 And they shall abide : 
 For now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth. 
 
 li'ill he give them np\ Jehovah will deliver Israel into the hands of 
 its foes. 
 
 she which travaileth'] i.e. she who is to bear. Probably (though this is 
 not quite free from doubt) this is an allusion to Isaiah's great prophecy 
 of Immanuel (Isai. vii. 14)— a prophecy vague, it is true, and open 
 to various interpretations, but most likely referring to the Messiah (see ' 
 on V. 5). 
 
 then the remnant of his brethren shall return] Rather, and (until) 
 tlie remnant of Ms brethren return. 'Return' may be taken either in 
 a physical or in a spiritual sense. If in the former, the ' remnant' will 
 mean the exiles of Israel, wherever they might be scattered, including 
 those of the Ten Tribes; if in the latter, it will refer rather to the 
 Judreans who had escaped in the Judgment. The return of the long- 
 lost tribes, and the thorough conversion of his own people, were equally 
 upon the heart of the prophet. 
 
 itnto] Or (if we explain ' return '=' be converted'), with. 
 
 4. And he shall stand atidfecd] viz. his flock, as a shepherd. Over 
 this restored and regenerate people the Messiah shall preside in the 
 plenitude of Divine power. 'Stand,' as a shepherd amidst his flock, 
 Isai. Ixi. 5. 
 
 in the jnajesty of the name, &c.] This is not at all an otiose feature 
 of the description.- The 'Name' of Jehovah is an appellation of the 
 self-revealing aspect (one might almost say. Person) of the Godhead. 
 Comp. Isai. xxx. 27, 'Behold, the Name of Jehovah cometh from far... 
 his lips are full of indignation,' &c. In fact, the Messiah, who is 'God 
 the Mighty One,' may be said to be an incarnation of the Name of 
 Jehovah. 
 
 abide] i.e. remain undisturbed in their land. 
 
 now shall he be great] 'Now,' from the point of view of the fulfil- 
 ment of the prophecy (instead of 'then'). 
 
 unto the ends of the earth] The Messiah's kingdom will more than 
 supplant Assyria's; comp. Ps. ii. 8, Ixxii. 8. Obs. how the Messianic 
 hope developes and gathers strength in the atmosphere of Assyrian 
 conquest. 
 
 5, 6. These verses appear to have been added by an after-thought. 
 Two plausible reasons may be given for the insertion, i. It was not 
 clear who the 'many nations' and 'many peoples' of iy. n, 13 were; 
 the first clause of v. 5 may perhaps be taken as interpreting those rather 
 
46 MICAH, V. [vv. 5, 6. 
 
 5 And this 7?ian shall be the peace, 
 
 When the Assyrian shall come into our land : 
 And when he shall tread in our palaces, 
 Then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, 
 And eight principal men. 
 
 5 And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, 
 And the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof : 
 Thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, 
 When he cometh into our land, 
 And when he treadeth within our borders. 
 
 vague phrases of the Assyrians. i. In the first gush of Inspiration, 
 the prophet had omitted the period of foreign rule over the land of 
 Israel. Thus the picture of the Messianic time was left indistinct ; by 
 the insertion of vv. 5, 6 this omission was rectified. The connexion is 
 improved, if we inclose these verses in a parenthesis ; it should be 
 observed that the same vague phrase ' many peoples ' reappears in vv. 7, 
 8, indicating that these verses belonged to the original draft of the 
 prophecy. How greatly our idea of the Biblical literature gains in 
 distinctness by the insight we are now acquiring into the methods and 
 processes of the prophetic writers and editors ! 
 
 5. the peace] Rather, Peace (peace personified). An allusion per- 
 haps to Isaiah's second great Messianic prophecy (Isai. ix. 6, 'Prince of 
 peace'). There ought to be a full stop after ' Peace.' 
 
 when the Assyrian shall come...] This is quite correctly rendered ; 
 the prophet, speaking in the name of the people, looks forward to an 
 Assyrian domination over the Holy Land. Many commentators un- 
 necessarily suppose it to be a hypothetical clause — ' supposing that 
 another Assyrian should invade our land, Israel will be able to meet 
 him with abundance of capable leaders,' and Castalio (Chatillon) com- 
 pares the line of Virgil {£cl. iv. 34), 
 
 ' Alter erit turn Tiphys, et altera quae vehat Argo 
 Delectos heroas.' 
 
 seven shepherds] 'Shepherds,' i.e. princes; 'seven,' as being the 
 perfect number. Nothing is told us of the relation of these princes to 
 the Messiah. Comp. Isai. xxxii. i. 
 
 ^^o•/^/ principal men] 'Eight,' as if to say, more than enough. In 
 the hour of need God can raise up a superabundance of capable men. 
 ♦ Principal men;' rather, princes among men. 
 
 6. they shall 7uasfe] Lit. 'feed off. ' 
 
 the land of Nimrod] Comp. Gen. x. 11, 'Out of that land he 
 [Nimrod] went forth into Assyria.' There is a special significance in 
 the phrase, for a Hebrew could hardly help connecting Nimrod with 
 mdrad, 'to rebel.' Assyria was one of those 'disobedient' nations 
 spoken of in v. 15. 
 
 in the entrafices thereof] Lit., 'in the gates thereof.' Comp. Nah. 
 iii. 13, 'The gates of thy land.' 
 
vv. 7— lo.] MICAH, V. 47 
 
 And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many 7 
 
 people 
 As a dew from the Lord, 
 As the showers upon the grass, 
 That tarrieth not for man, 
 Nor waiteth for the sons of men. 
 And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles a 
 
 in the midst of many people 
 As a lion among the beasts of the forest, 
 As a young lion among the flocks of sheep : 
 Who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth 
 
 in pieces, 
 And none can deliver. 
 
 Thine hand shall be lift up upon thine adversaries, 9 
 
 And all thine enemies shall be cut off. 
 
 10 — 15. The destruction of warlike implements a?td of 
 idolat?y. 
 
 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, 10 
 
 7, 8. The twofold operation of the IMessiah's people. — 
 Israel is a precious and powerful instrument given by God to mankind. 
 In a certain sense, he is a Messiah, because specially chosen to set an 
 example of obedience to God's laws (Ex. xix. 5, 6), and to preach His 
 religion to the Gentiles (iv. 2), and because the pious kernel of the 
 nation is mystically united to Him who is preeminently the Messiah. 
 Christ ('the Christ'), as we know from Luke ii. 34, was 'set for the 
 fall and rising again of many in Israel,' and so too the people of Israel, 
 regarded as a Messiah or Messianic agent, has a twofold influence on 
 the neighbouring peoples, comparable on the one hand to the softly- 
 falling, beneficent dew, and an ,J^^ other to the fierce, destructive lion. 
 (The same antithesis of figures occurs in Prov. xix. 12.) 
 
 7. many feople\ Rather, many peoples. See iv. ir, 13. 
 
 as the showers upon the grass'] ' The grass withereth, the flower fadeth' 
 (Isai. xl. 7) is the prophet's exclamation on the extinction of mighty em- 
 pires. But there is no inherent necessity for the death of nations ; 
 Israel is the 'dew,' the fertilizing rain, of the nations, as the Church is 
 elsewhere described as their 'salt' (Matt. v. 13). 
 
 that tarrieih not for inafi] Man can neither help nor hinder the 
 works of God in nature ; and the initial reluctance of the heathen shall 
 be no bar to the blessed influence of Israel. 
 
 9. An exulting address to Israel marching forth against his enemies. 
 
 Thine hand shall be...] Rather, 'let thine hand be;' similarly in 
 the next clause. 
 
48 MICAH, V. [vv. 11-13. 
 
 That I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, 
 
 And I will destroy thy chariots : 
 
 And I will cut off the cities of thy land, 
 
 And throw down all thy strong holds : 
 
 And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand ; 
 
 And thou shalt have no more soothsayers : 
 
 Thy graven images also will I cut off, 
 
 And thy standing images out of the midst of thee ; 
 
 10—15. The destruction of warlike implements and of 
 idolatry. 
 
 10. I will cut off thy horses... ^ Isaiah, too, speaks of war-horses 
 and war-chariots as equally hateful to God with idolatry, ii. 7. Horses 
 were first imported from Egypt by the worldly-minded Solomon, i 
 Kings iv. 26, x. 28, 29. 
 
 11. the cities of thy landl Large towns being centres of luxury and 
 foreign fashions. The Book of Genesis traces the foundation of cities 
 to the first murderer Cain, iv. 17. 
 
 all thy strong holds'] Comp, Isai. ii. 15, xxx. 25, Hos. viii. 14. 
 
 12. witchcrafts] Sorcery was highly developed in Syria and'Palestine ; 
 the ancient Semites brought it from their early home in Mesopotamia 
 (see Lenormant's Chaldean Magic). Comp. Isai. ii. 6, Num. xxii. — 
 xxiv., Deut. xviii. 10 — 13. 
 
 soothsayo's] More precisely, diviners of the clouds (the clouds were 
 much studied by the Chaldean diviners) ; or perhaps, cloud-makers 
 (comp. the common name for sorcerers among savages, 'rain-makers'). 
 
 13. Thy graven images. ..thy standing images] The former, images 
 of wood or metal ; the latter, stone pillars consecrated to a divinity. 
 Comp. Lev. xxvi. i, 'Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, 
 neither rear you up a (sacred) pillar,' Deut. xvi. 22, xxvii. 15, Ex. xxiii. 
 24. The denunciation of sacred 'pillars' and Asherahs is however much 
 more emphatic in the legislation of the Pentateuch than in Micah. The 
 latter prophet mentions them rather as constituent parts of the corrupting 
 civilisation imported from abroad. Isaiah (a contemporary of Micah's) 
 actually gives his sanction to the erection of 'pillars' to the true God 
 (xix. 19) ; and Hosea (also a contemporary) merely mentions the want of 
 sacred 'pillars' as among the misfortunes of the captivity, concurrently 
 with the want of Icing and sacrifice (Hos. iii. 4). This tolerant attitude 
 of Isaiah and Micah is in perfect harmony with the Book of Genesis, 
 which relates how Jacob set up and anointed the ' pillar' which marked 
 out Bethel as a sanctuary. In fact, as long as 'high places,' or local 
 sanctuaries, were tolerated, it was natural to tolerate 'pillars' with 
 them, the 'pillar' being one of the traditional signs of a 'high place.' 
 Isaiah lets the sanctuaries alone (though not, ot course, the graven 
 images, ii. 20, xxx. 22), and with them the sacred 'pillars;' Micah 
 begins to protest against both, but still gently, compared with the legis- 
 lation ot the Pentateuch (comp. on i. 5). 
 
vv. 14, 15 ; I, 2.] MICAH, V. VI. 49 
 
 And thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands. 
 And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee : 14 
 So will I destroy thy cities. 
 And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the 15 
 
 heathen, 
 Such as they have not heard. 
 
 Chap. VI. i — 5. The first part of a controversy behveen 
 Jehovah and His people. 
 
 Hear ye now what the Lord saith ; G 
 
 Arise, contend thou before the mountains, 
 
 And let the hills hear thy voice. 
 
 Hear ye, O mountains, the Lord's controversy, 2 
 
 And ye strong foundations of the earth : 
 
 14. f^y groves] Rather, thy Asherahs. Asherah was a sensual 
 Canaanitish goddess, corresponding to the femmine variety of the 
 Assyrian Ishtar ; her symbol was a wooden pillar or artificial tree. 
 
 t/zjy cities] But the cities have been already mentioned {v. 11). It 
 is better perhaps to render thy adversaries (giving the word its Ara- 
 maic sense; or, if this be preferred, slightly altering the first letter 
 — ^ayin into fere — to suit the general Hebrew usage). Thus we shall 
 obtain a transition to v. 15. 
 
 15. t/ze heathen, such as they have not heard] Rather, the nations 
 which have not been obedient. Jehovah, being the God of the whole 
 world, is de jure ' King of the nations' (Jer. x. 7) ; and if the 'nations' 
 have enthroned other gods in His places, and have almost forgotten 
 Jehovah's existence, they are still responsible to Him. 
 
 Chap. VI. 
 This chapter, to which the first six verses of chap. vii. should form 
 the conclusion, presents several striking points. Though quite as earn- 
 est against sin as chaps, i. — iii. , it contains none of those vigorous 
 detailed descriptions of particular transgressions, none of those earnest 
 exhortations, which characterize the preceding chapters. It seems to 
 have been written at a time when persecution had thinned the ranks of 
 the pious worshippers of Jehovah, and we must evidently allow a con- 
 siderable interval between its composition and that of chaps, i. — iii., 
 and iv., v. 
 
 1—5. Tfl, first part of a controversy between Jehovah 
 AND His people. 
 
 1. before the moiintains] The mountains have witnessed all Israel's 
 past history, the favours conferred upon him, and his base return. 
 
 'oirrp. Deut. xxxii. i, Isai. i. 2. 
 
 2. ye strong foundations] * Strong' should rather be enduring. 
 
 MICAH 4 
 
so MICAH, VI. [vv. 3—5. 
 
 For the Lord hath a controversy with his people, 
 And he will plead with Israel. 
 
 3 O my people, what have I done unto thee ? 
 And wherein have I wearied thee ? 
 Testify against me. 
 
 4 For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt, 
 And redeemed thee out of the house of servants ; 
 And I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. 
 
 5 O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab 
 
 consulted. 
 And what Balaam the son of Beor answered him ; 
 From Shittim unto Gilgal ; 
 
 The hills have outlived generation after generation of rebellious Israel- 
 ites. 
 
 wi^A his people] The phrase is very significant in this connexion; 
 if anything could awaken Israel's conscience, it v^^ould be the thought 
 of the special mercies of which he had been the recipient. 
 
 r3. O my people] Jehovah opens the controversy. He assumes, 
 what is too patent for denial, that Israel has fallen away from his God. 
 \ tvherein have I wearied thee] The requirements of God's service 
 were not wearisome (as vv. 6, 7 will show). As long as justice, mercy, 
 and h miiilit y are present, Jehovah asks no more. A splen^i3 ceremo- 
 nial is the luxury of worship, not a necessity. 
 
 4. Fo7' I brought thee tip] 'Nothing,' is the only truthful answer to 
 the divine question. Jehovah has indeed wonderfully assisted His 
 people in their troubles. Nothing could extinguish the sense of the 
 overwhelming grandeur of Israel's first deliverance. A prophet, writing 
 in the name of the Jewish Church of the Captivity, points back to the 
 happy days of old, when he ' brought them up out of the sea with the 
 shepherds of his flock' (Isai. Ixiii. 11). 
 
 / sent before thee iMoses, Aaron, and Miriam] These were the shep- 
 herds, by whom 'God led His people like sheep' (Ps. Ixxvii. 20) — 
 Eastern shepherds going before their sheep (John x. 4). 
 
 5. my people, re>nei7iber nozu...] The prophet, in the name of 
 Jehovah, reminds his people of another great mercy, the bringing to 
 nought of Balak's plan to destroy Israel. 
 
 consulted] i.e. with the elders of Midian (Num. xxii. 4). 
 
 from Shittim unto Gilgal] Shittim was the last station of the Israel- 
 ites on the other side of Jordan; Gilgal the first in the land of Canaan. 
 It is not clear how these words are to be connected gramm.^tically with 
 what precedes. The sense appears to be, 'Remember that which hap- 
 pened between Shittim and Gilgal,' i.e. not only the episode 0/ Balak 
 and Balaam, but the wonderful passage of the Jordan and the e.itrance 
 into the promised land, Trobably some words have dropped- _a'i 
 before this clause. ' , 
 
6, 7.] MICAH, VI. 
 
 That ye may know the righteousness of the Lord. 
 
 Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, 6 
 
 And bow myself before the high God ? 
 
 Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, 
 
 With calves of a year old ? 
 
 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, 7 
 
 Or with ten thousands of rivers of oil ? 
 
 Shall I give my firstborn /^r my transgression, 
 
 The fruit of my hody for the sin of my soul ? 
 
 the righteousness] Rather, the righteous acts; lit. 'the righteous- 
 nesses' (so Judg. V. II, I Sam. xii. 7). 
 
 6 — 8. The people, feeling its need of atonement, anxiously (note 
 the repeated questions) inquires of the prophet how it is to propitiate 
 Jehovah. Bishop Butler, in his Sermon on the Character of Balaam, 
 adopts the view that vv. 6, 7 represent the question of Balak, and v. 8 
 the answer of Balaam. This was probably suggested by 2 Kings iii. 
 27, where it is recorded that the king of Moab offered up his eldest 
 son as a burnt-offering. But the inference is hasty ; human sacrifices 
 were one of the abominations of Israel (see below), which most excited 
 the reprobation of the prophets. Bishop Butler, too, had probably 
 not realized the amount of personification which exists in the prophetic 
 writings. It is the people personified which speaks in these two verses 
 (6 and 7). 
 
 6. Wherezvith'] i.e. with what present? 
 
 bow myself] With the obeisance of a subject before his king, or of 
 a poor man before a rich. 
 
 with calves of a year old] These were considered the choicest (Lev. 
 ix. 3). 
 
 7. zvith thousands of rams] With hecatombs, a Greek would have 
 said. The calves are estimated by quality; the rams, by quantity. 
 
 rivers of oil] Or, 'torrents of oil;' like ' brooks [torrents] of honey,' 
 Job XX. 17. 
 
 77iy firstbo7'n for my trajisgression] This is the climax of Israel's 
 offers ; he will not withhold liis most precious possession. The valley 
 of Hinnom was for centuries defiled by sacrifices of children to the 
 'devouring' Fire-god, JNIoloch; a custom derived from 'the nations 
 whom Jehovah cast out from before the children of Israel' (2 Kings 
 xvi. 3). The narrative of the substitution of the ram for Isaac (Gen. 
 xxii. 13), and the law of the redemption of the firstborn of man (Exod. 
 xiii. 13), show that, although perhaps permitted 'for the hardness of 
 men's liearts' in earlier times, such human sacrifices were no longer 
 admitted by the prophetic and legal interpreters of the Divine will to 
 Israel. Comp. Lev. xviii. 21, xx. 2, 2 Kings xvi. 3, xxiii. 10, Isa^^^ 
 Ivii. 5, Jer. vii. 31, Ezek. xvi. 20, xx. 26 pie). 
 
 8. The prophet denies that any external forms will make up jj, Xhe 
 want of spijid out qualities The sacrifice of the heart is wl the Jews, 
 
 4—^ 
 
52 MICAH, VI. [vv. 8— lo. 
 
 He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good ; 
 And what doth the Lord require of thee, 
 But to do justly, and to love mercy, 
 And to walk humbly with thy God ? 
 
 9 — 1 6. Jehovah's indigjiant Denunciation. 
 
 The Lord's voice crieth unto the city, 
 And the man ^wisdom shall see thy name : 
 Hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it. 
 Are there yet the treasures of wickedness /;/ the house of 
 the wicked, 
 
 demands; but "man convinced of sin is ready to sacrifice Avhat is 
 dearest to him rather than give up his own will and give himself to 
 God" (W. Robertson Smith). The passage reminds us of Isai. 1. 
 lo — 15, Hos. vi. 6. Evidently Hezekiah's reformation had been 
 purely external (comp. Isai. xxix.-i3). 
 
 He hath shaved thec\ viz. Moses in the Law, especially in Deuter- 
 onomy. 
 
 %vhat doth the Lord rcqtiire of thee... '\ Comp. Deut. x. i?, 'And 
 now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear 
 the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to 
 .-.erve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul?' 
 
 to do Jtcstly...'] The opposite of Israel's present characteristics (comp. 
 V. 10, ii. I, 2, iii. 1, 3, 9, 10). 
 
 to walk humbly zuith thy God} Humility is the primary religious 
 virtue in the Old Testament (comp. Isai. ii. 12). 
 
 9—16. Jehovah's indignant Denunciation. 
 
 9. The Lord's voice'] Because before this it was the prophet who 
 spoke. 
 
 unto the city] i.e. Jerusalem. 
 
 the man of ivisdom shall see thy naine] A very dubious translation. 
 Others render, 'wisdom is it to fear thy name,' which is supported to 
 some extent by the ancient versions ('fear' for 'see' has this important 
 sanction); this requires no alteration of the text (i.e., the consonants), 
 but merely of one of the vowel-points. Caspari's version of the 
 received reading, 'Thy name hath wisdom for its object,' is unnatural. 
 
 hear ye the rod., and who hath appointed it] i.e. hear ye the prophecy 
 of punishment, and hear him who hath ordained the judgment. It is 
 the Assyrian invasion which is referred to; comp. Isai. x. 5, 24. 
 
 10. The denunciation is couched in the form of questions, to prick 
 p'-^ conscience of the guilty ones. 
 
 into there yet the treasures...] i.e. Does the oppressor go on heaping 
 before i.ly acquired spoil? 
 
vv. II— 14.] MICAH, VI. 53 
 
 And the scant measure that is abominable ? 
 
 Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, n 
 
 And with the bag of deceitful weights ? 
 
 For the rich men thereof are full ^violence, 12 
 
 And the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, 
 
 And their tongue is deceitful in their mouth. 
 
 Therefore also will I make thee sick in smiting thee, 13 
 
 In making thee desolate because of thy sins. 
 
 Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied \ 14 
 
 And thy casting down shall be in the midst of thee ; 
 
 And thou shalt take hold, but shalt not deliver ; 
 
 the scant measure] A particular measure is referred to, viz. the 
 ephah (about three pecks, dry measure). The sin specified reminds us 
 forcibly of Deuteronomy, where it is forbidden to have in one's house 
 'divers ephahs, a great and a small,' and 'a perfect and right ephah' 
 is prescribed (Deut. xxV. 14, 15). Amos, too, Micah's senior, speaks 
 of those who longed for the expiration of the sabbath, 'that they might 
 set forth wheat, making the ephah small' (Amos viii. 5). 
 
 11. Shall I count them pure...'] This rendering is barely defensible, 
 even if we alter the vowel-points. It was dictated by the very natural 
 feeling that the speaker ought to be the same person as in v. 10. Keil 
 thinks that the reading of the Hebrew text may be justified, if we sup- 
 pose the speaker to be the prophet speaking as the representative of the 
 human conscience. The text-reading is. Can I be pure, &c., which, 
 according to this commentator, means 'Can a man be pure?' It is 
 simpler, however, and in accordance with what we know of the con- 
 fusions of Hebrew pronunciation, to follow the Septuagint, the Peshito, 
 and the Targum, and restore the third person instead of the first ; 
 unless, looking at v. 12, we prefer to read the verb in the second 
 person, 'Canst thou (O Jerusalem) be pure.' For the prophet con- 
 tinues, 'The rich men thereof (i.e. of Jerusalem). 
 
 13. will I make thee sick\ Deadly sick is the meaning ; comp. Nah. 
 iii. 19, where the term is explained in the parallel clause to mean 
 'incurable.' 
 
 14, 15. Thoii shalt eat, but not be satisfied'] The description in 
 these two verses again reminds us of Deuteronomy, and of that portion 
 of Leviticus which most recalls Deuteronomy (see Deut. xxviii. 39, and 
 Lev. xxvi. ^5, 26). 
 
 thy casting down] The meaning of the Hebrew is very uncertain. 
 Tliy emptiness is the rendering which has the best support of recent 
 authorities; if we adopt it, we must substitute 'remain' for 'be' — it is 
 emptiness of the stomach which is meant. But the rendering is preca- 
 rious, and the text, as so often, is probably corrupt. We might 
 restore, 'thy leanness shall be in the midst of thee' (i.e. of the people). 
 
 thou shalt take hold] Rather, thou shalt remove (thy goods). The 
 prospect held out is that the enemy will fall so suddenly upon the Jews, 
 
54 MICAH, VI. [vv. 15, 16. 
 
 And that which thou deliverest will I give up to the sword. 
 
 Thou shalt sow, but thou shalt not reap ; 
 
 Thou shalt tread the olives, but thou shalt not anoint 
 
 thee with oil ; 
 And sweet wine, but shalt not drink wine 
 For the statutes of Omri are kept, 
 And all the works of the house of Ahab, 
 And ye walk in their counsels ; 
 That I should make thee a desolation. 
 And the inhabitants thereof a hissing : 
 Therefore ye shall bear the reproach of my people. 
 
 that they will not be able to remove their property or family to a place 
 of security; or if they should, by a rai'e good fortune, succeed in saving 
 a little, it should soon become the prey of the foe (comp. Isai. xxiii. 12, 
 Jer. xliv. 12). 
 
 15, tread the olives] It is now the custom only to press the olives ; 
 in olden times, they must have been trodden as well (like grapes). 
 Ancient oil-presses are still found in Palestine. The olives were 
 ground to a pulp sometimes by treading, sometimes by a stone-wheel. 
 (Thomson, The La7id and the Book, p. 207.) 
 
 16. the statutes of Omri] 'Statutes' is here used in a religious 
 senses ceremonies or rules of worship (as Jer. x. 3, Lev. xx. 7, 2 Kings 
 xvii. 34). Omri is said to have 'done worse than all [the kings] that 
 were before him.' Little more is recorded of him in i Kings, but 
 the Assyrians always associated his name with that of his kingdom : 
 the northern realm has for its Assyrian name Bit Khtimri ' place of 
 Omri.' ' The statutes of Omri' and 'the works of the house of Ahab' 
 (Omri's son) are of course the worship of Baal (comp, i Kings xvi. 31, 
 32). ' The separation of the kingdoms had not broken the subtle links 
 that connected Judah with the greater Israel of the north' (Prof. Ro- 
 bertson Smith, The Old Testament in the yewish Chni'ch, p, 345). 
 Hence the low religious state of the kingdom of Israel reacted most 
 injuriously on the kingdom of Judah, 
 
 in their counsels] i.e. in those of Omri and Ahab. It is singular that 
 these two should be the only kings of N. Israel mentioned in the pro- 
 phetical books. 
 
 the reproach of my people] i.e. the reproach which attaches to the 
 people of Jehovah when it is cast out of 'Jehovah's land' (Hos. ix. 3). 
 Most probably, however, we should read, 'the reproach of the peo- 
 ples' (comp. Ezek. xxxiv. 29, xxxvi. 6). The final m may have drop- 
 ped out, or the sign of abbreviation may have been overlooked. 
 
 This latter part of the verse assumes a different form in the versions. 
 Upon what text they arc based is uncertain ; but they all agree in ren- 
 dering "fearers of (his) name" (the pronoun is omitted in Targ.), and 
 (except Targ.) 'tribe' for 'rod,' Hence Ewald renders, 'llear, O 
 tribe, and thou who summonest it.' The Septuagint also changes the 
 
vv. 1—3.] MICAH, VII. 55 
 
 Woe is me! for I am as when they have gathered the 7 
 
 summer fruits, 
 As the grapegleanings of the vintage : 
 There is no ckister to eat : 
 My soul desired the firstripe fruit. 
 
 The good ina7i is perished out of the earth : 2 
 
 And there is none upright among men : 
 They all He in wait for blood ; 
 They hunt every man his brother with a net. 
 That they may do evil with both hands earnestly, 3 
 
 ' yet' oiv. 10 into 'city,' and connects it with v. 9. Following up these 
 traces of what he conceives to be the original reading, Roorda restores, 
 'And they that fear his name have heard wisdom. He hath declared 
 who is he that stirreth up his rod. ' 
 
 Chap. VII. 
 
 Vv. 1 — 6. These verses should be read in connexion with Chap. vi. 
 
 1. Woe is me...'\ The speaker in vv. 1—4, or at any rate in v. i, is 
 not the pi^ophet, but the true Israel, i.e. Israel within Israel, personi- 
 fied. He is like a garden at the time of the fruit-harvest, which has 
 many delightful fruits, but of course no early figs; or, like a vineyard, 
 after the grape-gathering. This the prophet expresses by saying that 
 Israel is become ' like the gatherings of the fruit-harvest, like the glean- 
 ings of the vintage,' which in point of fact amount to nothing at all. 
 
 my sozcl desiy-ed . . .'] Rather, ' no early fig which my soul desireth.' 
 
 2. The good mat{\ More fully rendered, ' The pious man,' he who 
 makes love his rule of action — love to God and love to man. 'The 
 idea of khdsidh is not passive [he who experiences grace or love], for 
 God Himself is called khdsidh, Ps. cxlv. 1 7, but he who exercises khc- 
 sedh (Prov. xi. 17), i.e. makes men, according to God's will, and God 
 Himself (comp. Jon. ii. 8, Prov. cxliv. 1) 'the object of his loving endea- 
 vours' (Delitzsch on Ps. xvi. 10). Observe, 'The pious man,' not 'pious 
 men' is the phrase employed, 'indicating the fewness and isolation of 
 these Abdiels.' There is a striking parallel to the first half of this 
 verse in Isai. Ivii. i, 'The righteous perisheth, and no man taketh it to 
 heart, and men of piety are gathered, ' &c. Both passages must have 
 been written in time of persecution. 
 
 they all lie in wait for blood\ Not merely persecution, but anarchy 
 seems to have been the order of the day : at least the rich and powerful 
 were under no legal restraint ; they did that which was right in their 
 own eyes. Similar circumstances are described in many of the Psalms 
 (see e.g. Ps. x. 8, 9). 
 
 eve)y inaii his brother'\ Although, as children of Abraham, they 
 ought to love each other; comp. Lev. xix. 18. 
 
 3. That they may do evil...] This verse and the first half of the 
 following verse are extremely obscure, and it is most improbable that 
 
55 MICAH, VII. [vv. 4, 5. 
 
 The prince asketh, and the judge asketh for a reward ; 
 
 And the great man^ he uttereth his mischievous desire : 
 
 So they wrap it up. 
 
 The best of them is as a brier : 
 
 The most upright is sharper than a thorn hedge : 
 
 The day of thy watchmen and thy visitation cometh ; 
 
 Now shall be their perplexity. 
 
 Trust ye not in a friend, 
 
 Put ye not confidence in a guide : 
 
 the text as it stands is correct. In any case, the A.V. rendering of the 
 first clause cannot be maintained; a better one is, '(Their) hands are 
 (only) for evil, to do (it) skilfully.' 
 
 the prifice asketJi] 'Asketh' the judge to shut his eyes to some act of 
 violence, or to put some righteous man out of the way. 
 
 the judge asketh'] Rather, 'the judge doeth it,' or 'agreeth to his 
 demand ; ' but the ellipsis is harsh, and the probability is that there is 
 some corruption of the text, or that the letters are wrongly grouped in 
 the Massoretic text. 
 
 so they wrap it up\ Rather, ' and they weave it together.' It 
 requires 'weaving' to carry an evil desire into effect, for, bad as the 
 times are, it is needful to keep up the forms of justice. Thus, when 
 Ahab wished to get rid of Naboth, it was necessary to persuade the 
 people that his victim had 'renounced God and the king' (i Kings 
 xxi. 13). 
 
 4. The best of them is as a brier] Comp. 1 Sam. xxiii. 6 ' and good- 
 for-nothing men are all of them as thorns thrust away.' 'Thorns' are 
 in the Bible symbols of sin and its effects, and of the temptations 
 which beset man's path. But the Hebrew text has not the appearance 
 of being sound. 
 
 the day of thy watchmeii] i.e. the day foreseen by thy prophets. 
 A prophet is stationed to look out for the approach of the ' day of 
 Jehovah;' comp. Isai. xxi. 6 (where the same form is used in the 
 Hebrew as here), Jer. vi. 17 (a different form). 
 
 thy visitation] i.e. thy punishment. 
 
 now shall be their perplexity] ' Now,' i.e. when this day has come. 
 Wild confusion shall prevail, even among the faithful servants of Jeho- 
 vah, when the long-predicted 'day of Jehovah' shall dawn. For the 
 first result to the faithful Israel will be, not happiness, but misery — 
 the chastisement due to past sins. The change of persons from the 
 second to the third is harsh, but not unexampled. 
 
 5, 6. Here the prophet addresses the better disposed of his people. 
 Friendship and wedded love can no longer be trusted ; natural affection 
 passes into its opposite. Comp. Matt. x. 21, 35, 36 (a reminiscence of 
 a clause in our passage), Luke xii. 53, xxi. 16. 
 
 5. guide] Rather, familiar friend. The same mistake occurs in 
 A.V. of Ps. Iv. 13 (14 in the Hebrew). 
 
XV. 6—9-] MICAH, VII. tj 
 
 Keep the doors of thy mouth from her that heth in thy 
 
 bosom. 
 For the son dishonoureth the father, 6 
 
 The daughter riseth up against her mother, 
 The daughter in law against her mother in law; 
 A man's enemies are the men of his own house. 
 Therefore I will look unto the Lord ; j 
 
 I will wait for the God of my salvation : 
 My God will hear me. 
 
 Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy : 8 
 
 When I fall, I shall arise ; 
 
 When I sit in darkness, the Lord sAa// be a light unto me. 
 1 will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have 9 
 
 sinned against him, 
 
 6. dishonoiiretlil Lit. 'treateth as a fool' The same verb in the 
 same form occurs in Deut. xxxii. 6. It is unsafe however to argue 
 that Deuteronomy must have been already written in the time of Micah, 
 for we also find the word in Jer. xiv. 21, Nah. iii. 6. 
 
 Vv. 7 — 20. Here the thread of thought is broken ; the following 
 verses appear to have been attached later. The speaker is, indeed, 
 still the true Israel ; but here she appears already overpowered by her 
 enemies, whereas in vv. i — 6 the day of chastisement was still far off. 
 Here, accordingly, consolation is the chief object of the prophetic 
 writer; in the earlier passage, he had to warn his people of the still 
 future calamity. In its tone* this section reminds us of the Book of 
 Israel's Consolation which follows on chap, xxxvii. of the Book of 
 Isaiah. • 
 
 7. Therefore /] Rather, And as for me, I. 
 
 the God of my salvatioji] A reminiscence of the Psalter (Ps. xxvii. 
 
 9)- 
 
 will hear me"] 'Hearing' includes answering (Isai. xxx. 19). 
 
 8. O inhie enej7iy] i.e. the instrument of God's ' visitation,' the hea- 
 then oppressor of Israel. 
 
 -cchen I fair] Rather, for (if) I have fallen. The 'falling' is of 
 course not that of sin, but of calamity, which is often represented as a 
 stumbling-block. 
 
 when I sit in darkness] Another figure for trouble ; comp. Isai. Ix. i , 
 ix. 2. 
 
 the Lord shall be a lighf] Again an image from the Psalter; comp. 
 Ps. xxvii. I. 
 
 9. I will bear the indignation...'] The speaker is sure that Jehovah 
 is still his God ; consequently in wrath He will still remember mercy, 
 and will, in His own good time, remove the rod. 
 
 / have sinned against hi??i] The pious portion of Israel is included 
 in the confession, as in Isai. Ixiv. 5. 
 
58 MICAH, VII. [vv. 10—12. 
 
 Until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me : 
 He will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold 
 
 his righteousness. 
 Then she that is mine enemy shall see //, and shame shall 
 
 cover her 
 Which said unto me, Where is the Lord thy God ? 
 Mine eyes shall behold her : 
 
 Now shall she be trodden down as the mire of the streets. 
 hi the day that thy walls are to he built, 
 III that day shall the decree be far removed. 
 /;/ that day also he shall come even to thee 
 From Assyria, 2iVL6.fro7?i the fortified cities, 
 And from the fortress even to the river, 
 And from sea to sea, 2,Vid.from mountain to mountain. 
 
 my cause} i.e. Israel's quarrel with the oppressor. 
 
 Ais righteotis7iess\ ke. His interposition for my deliverance. When 
 God has once entered into a covenant, it is only ' righteous ' for Him to 
 protect those who are in relations with Him. This conception of the 
 Divine righteousness is important ; as another equally Biblical concep- 
 tion (the forensic) has become almost too prominent. So St John says 
 (ist Ep. i, 9) that God is 'faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins.' 
 
 11. Here the soliloquy of believing and repentant Israel ceases, and 
 a prophetic announcement begins. 
 
 In the day that thy walls] Rather, There cometh a day to build thy 
 walls. The image is that of a vineyard, the walls of which have been 
 thrown down (as Isai. v. 5). The word rendered 'walls' is different 
 from that which means the wall of a city. 
 
 shall the decree be far removed] But what decree ? Rather, shall 
 the hound he afar off, i.e. the boundaries of the land of Israel shall be 
 widely extended. Comp. Isai. xxxiii. 17 'thine eyes shall behold a 
 land of distances' ( = a widely extended territory). 
 
 12. Comp. the extent of the dispersion as described in Isai. xi. 11. 
 He shall come eveji to thee\ Rather, men shall come to thee. It is a 
 promise of the conversion of the heathen to the true religion. 
 
 and fr 0171 the foi'tified cities] Rather, and from the cities of Egypt. 
 'Egypt' is here not Mizraim, but Maz5r, an abnormal form, which 
 occurs again in Isai. xix. 6, xxxvii. 25. It is not an Egyptian word, 
 but the Assyrians gave almost the same name to Egypt (Mugur). The 
 phrase, 'the cities of Egypt,' reminds us how thickly peopled the Nile- 
 valley was. 
 
 and from the fortress] Rather, and from Egypt. 
 
 even to the river] i.e. the Euphrates. 
 
 from sea to sea] i.e. from the Mediterranean Sea in the West to the 
 Persian Gulf in the East (comp, Joel ii. -20). 
 
 from moimtain to moimtaiii] i.e. from Sinai in the South to Lebanon 
 
vv. 13—15-] MICAH, VII. 59 
 
 Not\vithstanding the land shall be desolate because of 13 
 
 them that dwell therein, 
 For the fruit of their doings. 
 
 Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, 14 
 Which dwell solitarily (71 the wood, in the midst of Carmel : 
 Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days 
 
 of old. 
 According to the days of thy coming out of the land of 15 
 
 Egypt 
 Will I shew unto him marvellous things. 
 
 in the North. The Peshito (Syriac) however reads this clause, * even 
 to the sea on the west and to mount Hon' 
 
 13. the land'l i.e. the land of Canaan. Before the great promises 
 of a golden future can be realized, judgment must have its perfect work. 
 We might, however, render 'the earth,' i.e. the earth with the excep- 
 tion of Canaan. The desolation of the earth would help to explain the 
 thronging of the people to Palestine foretold in the preceding verse. 
 
 14 — 17. Here an abrupt transition occurs. Tlae prophet, in the 
 name of the people, supplicates for the fulfilment of the promise of 
 salvation. 
 
 14. the flock of thine heritage\ Comp. Ps. xxviii, 9 ' bless thine in- 
 heritance; feed them also;' Ps. xcv. 7, 'we are the people of his pas- 
 ture, and the sheep of his hand.' 
 
 which dwell solitarily\ The special mission of Israel (which was to 
 be 'holy,' i.e. set apart, 'unto Jehovah') rendered seclusion from the 
 world a matter of primary importance. Comp. Num. xxiii. 9, ' Lo, 
 the people dwelleth alone [or, solitarily] and is not reckoned among the 
 nations, Deut. xxxiii. 28, 'So Israel dwelleth... alone.' 
 
 in the ivood, in the midst of Carmel'\ These words ought rather to 
 have been attached to the following verb, so that 'in the wood,' &c. 
 should be parallel to 'in Bashan and Gilead.' The 'deep jungles of 
 copse' in the 'rocky dells' of Carmel form, by their luxuriance, a con- 
 trast to the bare hills and vales of the land of Judah. Comp. Isai. 
 xxxiii. 9, XXXV. 2. 
 
 in Bashan and Gilead^ The pastures of Bashan were as famous as 
 its woods; in poetic language, the 'fat bulls of Bashan' became a sym- 
 bol for the proud, unfeeling aristocracy of Israel (Ps. xxii. 12, Amos 
 iv. i). Gilead too was famous for its cattle (Num. xxxii. i, 1 Chron. 
 
 ^' 9)- 
 
 as in the days of old] i.e. probably in the days of David — the ideal 
 period of Israel's history (see on v. 2). 
 
 15. The divine answer to the prayer of the church. It carries us 
 back to a still earlier time than David's — the time of the redemption of 
 Israel from the house of bondage. 
 
 unto him] viz. unto the people; see v. 14. 
 
 inarvellotis things] The word used in Ex. iii. 20 of the 'plagues of 
 
Go MICAH, VII. [vv. 16—19. 
 
 The nations shall see and be confounded at all their 
 
 might : 
 They shall lay f/ieir hand upon f/ieir mouth, and their 
 
 ears shall be deaf. 
 They shall lick the dust like a serpent, 
 They shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth: 
 They shall be afraid of the Lord our God, 
 And shall fear because of thee. 
 
 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, 
 And passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his 
 
 heritage ? 
 He retaineth not his anger for ever. 
 Because he delighteth in mercy. 
 
 He will turn again, he will have compassion upon us ; 
 He will subdue our iniquities ; 
 And thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. 
 
 Egypt.' It conveys the idea of the supernatural. The deliverance of 
 poor oppressed Israel, from the grip of a mighty world-empire is no 
 less exceptional than the dividing of the sea. 
 
 16. confounded at all their -might} Ashamed because all their 
 might has come to nothing. 
 
 lay their hand uJ)on their month} A mark of reverence ; comp. Job 
 xxi. 5, Isai. lii. 15. 
 
 17. they shall move out of their holes'} Rather, 'they shall come 
 trembling out of their fastnesses' (same word as in Ps. xviii. 46, where 
 A.V, 'close places'). 
 
 like worms} Lit., 'like creepers' (or rather, trailers). The same 
 term occurs in Deut. xxxii. 24. 
 
 they shall be afraid of} Rather, ' they shall turn with shuddering 
 towards.' 
 
 18 — 20. A lyric passage, concluding the whole book. The prophet 
 revels in the thought of the Divine goodness. Comp. Isai. xii. 1 — 6, 
 and still more Ex. xv. i — 18 (especially 7/. 11). The form of v. 18 
 naturally reminds us of the name of Micah ('Who is like Jehovah?'). 
 The prophet does not mean that other gods have a real existence, but 
 speaks from the point of view of the other nations who believe that 
 they do really exist. The divine attributes spoken of are those which 
 had an increasing fascination for the Jews, the deeper their sense be- 
 came of their national sins. Comp. Ex. xxxiv. 6, 7, Joel ii. 13, Ps. 
 ciii. 8, 9, cxxx. 7, Isai. xliii. 25, liv. 8, Iv. 7, Ps. cv, 8, 10. 
 
 subdue our inicjuities} Sins are personified as enemies, as in Gen. iv. 
 7, Ps. Ixv. 3. 
 
 thou wilt cast all their sins} Perhaps an allusion to the fate of Pha- 
 raoh (comp. Ex. XV. 5, 10). 
 
V. 20.] MICAH, VII. 6 1 
 
 Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, ajid the mercy to 
 
 Abraham, 
 Which thou hast sworn unto our fathers from the days 
 
 of old. 
 
 20. Thou wilt perform the truth to yacob...'] For the saints of old 
 still 'live unto God' (i.e. in the sight of God they are alive), and still 
 take an interest in the affairs of their successors; comp. Jer. xxxi. 15, 
 Luke xvi. 25 — 31, John viii. 56, Rev. vi. 9 — 11. This was not only a 
 popular belief at the Christian era (comp. Matt, xxvii. 47, 49), but is 
 endorsed by our Lord and by the New Testament writers. 'Truth' 
 here means 'faithfulness;' the promises alluded to are such as Gen. 
 xxii. 16 — 18, xxviii. 13, 14. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 I. TO THE SUBJECTS TREATED OF. 
 
 ACCO, 71 
 
 Adullam, 23 
 animals, referred to, 20 
 Asherah, 48, 49 
 
 Assyrian, illustrations from, 15, 
 22, 35> 39' 54 
 
 baldness, artificial, 23 
 Butler, Bishop, 51 
 
 Calvin, quoted, 11 
 cannibalism, 30 
 
 captivity, the Babylonian, in Mi- 
 cah, 39 
 
 Delitzsch, quoted, 43 
 
 eagle, meaning of term, 23 
 E/, meaning of, 24 
 Ephratah, meaning of, 42 
 Ewald, quoted, 14 
 
 Hezekiah, his reformation, 52 
 high places, 19 
 human sacrifices, 61 
 
 Jerome, St, quoted, 10 
 
 Lachish, 22 
 
 Maine, Sir R,, 25 
 Jlfds/id/, meaning of, 25 
 Mazor, name of Egypt, 58 
 Micah, date of, 9 
 
 Micah, division of book of. 10 
 
 meaning of name, 11, 60 
 
 Micaiah, 17 
 
 Morasthite, the, meaning of, 9 
 
 Name of Jehovah, the, 45 
 
 Old Testament, permanent use of, 
 
 39 
 
 olive-treading, 54 
 Omri, 54 
 
 paronomasias in Micah, 21 
 pillars, sacred, 48 
 prophecy, conditional, 33 
 prophets, false, 29, 33 
 Prudentius, quoted, 43 
 
 righteousness, conceptions of, 58 
 
 saints, departed, 61 
 Samaria, present state of, 19 
 Sargon, his invasion of Judah, 14, 
 
 ^5 
 Smith, Dr Robertson, quoted, 36, 
 
 52. 54 
 Stanley, Dean, quoted, 33 
 
 * thousand,' meaning of term, 
 
 43 
 
 7'ordA, the, meaning of, 33, 36 
 torture, custom of, 41 
 
 Virgil, quoted, 46 
 
64 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 II. TO THE CHIEF PASSAGES FROM OTHER PARTS 
 OF THE BIBLE, ILLUSTRATED IN THE NOTES. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Gen. iv. r; 48 
 
 X. II 46 
 
 — xxii. 13 51 
 
 — xxxviii. 5 23 
 
 Ex. iii. I 59 
 
 XV. I — 18 60 
 
 Lev. xxvi. I 48 
 
 Num. xxvii. i — 11 24 
 
 Deut. xxiv. 8 33 
 
 Josh. vii. 21 28 
 
 Ruth i. 20 22 
 
 I Sam. ix. 9 17 
 
 1 Sam. xxiii. 6 ^6 
 
 1 Kings iv. 26 36 
 
 xxii. 28 17 
 
 2 Kings v. 24 39 
 
 Ps. xxii. 12 59 
 
 — xciv. 12 36 
 
 — cxlv. 17 55 
 
 Isa. i. 15 32 
 
 — ii- 1—4 34 
 
 — vn. 14 45 
 
 — ix. 6 39,46 
 
 — X. 5—15 26 
 
 — X. 28— 32 21 
 
 — xiii. 3 31 
 
 — XXX. 9, 10 26, 27 
 
 — XXX. 27 45 
 
 — xxxiii. 17 58 
 
 — xlv. 16, 17 37 
 
 , — xlviii. 1 27 
 
 — Iii. 12 29 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Isa. Ivii. I 55 
 
 — Ixiii. 9 44 
 
 • — Ixiii. II 50 
 
 — Ixiv. 5 57 
 
 Jer. vii. 42 42 
 
 — xxiii. 20 35 
 
 — xxvi. 17, 18 9, II 
 
 — xxvi. 17—19.... 9, ir, 33, 34 
 
 Ezek. xl. 2 35 
 
 Joel iii 40 
 
 — iii. 10—18 34, 36 
 
 Amos iv. I 59 
 
 — vii. 16 27 
 
 — yiii- 5 53 
 
 — ix. II 44 
 
 Zeph. iii. 19 37 
 
 Zech. xiv. 10 35 
 
 Mai. ii. 7 33 
 
 Matt. ii. 6 42 
 
 — V. 13 47 
 
 • X. 21 — 36 C)6 
 
 — xxvii. 47, 49 61 
 
 Luke ii. 34 47 
 
 — xvi. 25 — 31 61 
 
 John vii. 42 43 
 
 — viii. 56 61 
 
 Acts xvii. 27 24 
 
 Rom. i. 20 27 
 
 I Tim. iv. 1 35 
 
 I John i. 9 58 
 
 Rev. vi. 9 — 1 1 6r 
 
 CAMI KIDGE: printed by C. J. CLAV, M.A. AND SON, AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS. 
 
The CAMBRIDGE BIBLE for SCHOOLS 
 
 (©pinions; ot tfte presis;^ 
 
 "The modesty of the general title of this series has, we believe, 
 led many to misunderstand its character and underrate its value. The 
 books are well suited for study in the upper forms of our best schools, 
 but not the less are they adapted to the wants of all Bible students 
 who are not specialists. We doubt, indeed, whether any of the 
 numerous popular commentaries recently issued in this country will be 
 found more serviceable for general use." — Academy. 
 
 " Canon Farrars contribution to The Cambridge School Bible 
 is one of the most valuable yet made. His annotations on The Gospel 
 accordifig to St Luke, while they display a scholarship at least as sound, 
 and an erudition at least as wide and varied as those of the editors of 
 St Matthew and St Mark, are rendered telling and attractive by a 
 more lively imagination, a keener intellectual and spiritual insight, a 
 more incisive and picturesque style. They are marked, in short, by the 
 very qualities most requisite to interest and instruct the class for which 
 this work is designed. His St Luke is worthy to be ranked with Pro- 
 fessor Plumptre's St y antes, than which no higher commendation can 
 well be given." — The Expositor. 
 
 *'Dr Farrar, in the Cambridge St Ltike, has laid us all under great 
 obligation by his masterly marshalling before us of all that is necessary 
 to know concerning the Gospel itself, and in regard to its relation to 
 others. His notes on the verses are critical and full of information, yet 
 concise withal; but his introductory matter is invaluable." — The Sunday 
 School Chronicle. 
 
 ^^ St Luke. Edited by Canon Farrar, D.D. We have received with 
 pleasure this edition of the Gospel by St Luke, by Canon Farrar. It is 
 another instalment of the best school commentary of the Bible we possess. 
 In its general features it does not differ from the previous volumes of the 
 series. Of the expository part of the work we cannot speak too highly. 
 It is admirable in every way, and contains just the sort of informa- 
 tion needed for Students of the English text unable to make use of the 
 original Greek for themselves." — The N'onconfortnist and Independent. 
 
 "Another instalment of the Cajtibridge Bible for Schools appears in 
 the Gospel according to St Luke, edited by Canon Farrar. Dr Farrar 
 has written a brief introduction at once lucid and scholarly, in which he 
 summarises what is known as to the origin, and points out the distinc- 
 tive features of all the four Gospels, presents a sketch of the life of 
 St Luke, discusses the authenticity of his Gospel, describes its charac- 
 teristics, and furnishes an analysis of it. The chief value of the book to 
 students, however, will consist in the notes, which are exceedingly 
 numerous, and constitute a commentary at once minute, informative, 
 and pervaded by a spirit of true Christian culture. No volume of the 
 series is likely to command more general appreciation than this." — 77^1? 
 Scots matt. 
 
 "No one who has seen Canon Farrar's 'Life of Christ' and 'St 
 Paul,' will doubt us when we say that every page of his 'St Luke' 
 contains useful and suggestive comments. It is intended to issue the 
 whole of the Bible in similar style. We strongly advise our readers to 
 obtain a prospectus of this publication." — The Lay Preacher. 
 
CAMBRIDGE BIBLE FOR SCHOOLS. 
 
 "As a handbook to the third gospel, this small work is invaluable. 
 The author has compressed into little space a vast mass of scholarly m- 
 formation. . . The notes are pithy, vigorous, and suggestive, aboundmg 
 in pertinent illustrations from general literature, and aidmg the youngest 
 reader to an intelligent appreciation of the text. A finer contribution to 
 'The Cambridge Bible for Schools' has not yet been x^^^^r— Baptist 
 
 Magazine. . , ^ , • i j 
 
 "Canon Farrar has supplied students of the Gospel with an ad- 
 mirable manual in this volume. It has all that copious variety of illus- 
 tration, ingenuity of suggestion, and general soundness of interpretation 
 which readers are accustomed to expect from the learned and eloquent 
 editor. Any one who has been accustomed to associate the idea of 
 'dryness' with a commentary, should go to Canon Farrar 's St Luke for 
 a more correct impression. He will find that a commentary may be 
 made interesting in the highest degree, and that without losing anything 
 of its solid value. . . . But, so to speak, it is too good for some of the 
 readers for whom it is intended."— 27i^ ^^^/a/^:^. , c t i 
 
 "We were quite prepared to find in Canon Farrar s St Luke a 
 masterpiece of Biblical criticism and comment, and we are not dis- 
 appointed by our examination of the volume before us. It reflects very 
 faithfully the learning and critical insight of the Canon's greatest works, 
 his 'Life of Christ' and his 'Life of St Paul, but differs widely from 
 both in the terseness and condensation of its style. What Canon Farrar 
 has evidently aimed at is to place before students as much information 
 as possible within the limits of the smallest possible space, and 
 in this aim he has hit the mark to perfection. It is only fair 
 to say that as a series the 'Cambridge Bible for Schools has no 
 equal in point of excellence and usefulness, and that Canon Farrar s 
 work is quite the best of the series."— 77/^ Examiner. 
 
 ^'St Mark, with Notes by the Rev. G. F. Maclear, D.D. Into 
 this small volume Dr Maclear, besides a clear and able Introduc- 
 tion to the Gospel, and the text of St Mark, has compressed many 
 hundreds of valuable and helpful notes. In short, he has given us 
 a capital manual of the kind required— containing all that is needed to 
 illustrate the text, i.e. all that can be drawn from the history, geography, 
 customs, and manners of the time. But as a handbook, giving m a 
 clear and succinct form the information which a lad requires in order 
 to stand an examination in the Gospel, it is admirable... I can very 
 heartily commend it, not only to the senior boys and girls in our High 
 Schools, but also to Sunday-school teachers, who may get from it the 
 very kind of knowledge they often find it hardest to get. —Expositor. 
 
 "With the help of a book like this, an intelligent teacher may make 
 'Divinity' as interesting a lesson as any in the school course. The 
 
 notes are of a kind that will be, for the most part, intelligible to boy 
 
 of the lower forms of our public schools ; but they may be read with 
 greater profit by the fifth and sixth, in conjunction with the original 
 \.ty.V'— The Academy. ^-r , ^r . r t- > 
 
 "St Mark is edited by Dr Maclear, Head Master of Kings 
 College School. ' It is a very business-like little book. The text is 
 given in paragraphs, and each paragraph has a title, which reappears as 
 a division of the notes. The introduction, which occupies twenty pages, 
 is clear and good, and concludes with an analysis of the book. 1 here 
 are maps and an index. ..There is a good list of writers who have 
 
OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 
 
 undertaken other parts of this edition of the Bible, including the 
 editor and his distinguished brothers, Professor Plumptre, Canon 
 Farrar, Dr Moulton, and Mr Sanday." — Contemporary Revinv. 
 
 " We welcome with enthusiasm this first fruit of the banding to- 
 gether of eminent divinity students of our Universities under the editor- 
 ship of Dr Perowne, and are not sorry that it represents the Labours of 
 so experienced a scholar and teacher as Dr Maclear, upon the Gospel 
 of St Mark. We gather from it an earnest of the handy and compact 
 arrangement to be looked for in the contents of the volumes to follow, 
 the ordering of the requisite introductory matter, the conciseness yet 
 sufficiency of the notes to the text, the fullness of the ^i?«^r«/ index, and 
 the discreet choice of that of special words and phrases." — English 
 CJuirchman. 
 
 '■'■The Gospel according to St Matthew, by the Rev. A. Carr. This 
 valuable series of school books is under the editorship of Professor 
 Perowne, and is doing a great and thorough educational work in 
 our schools. The volume before us condenses in the smallest possible 
 space the best results of the best commentators on St Matthew's Gospel. 
 The introduction is able, scholarly, and eminently practical, as it bears 
 on the authorship and contents of the Gospel, and the original form 
 in which it is supposed to have been written. It is well illustrated by 
 two excellent maps of the Holy Land and of the Sea of Galilee." — 
 English Chnrchfjian. 
 
 " The Book of Joshua. Edited by G. F. Maclear, D.D. We have 
 the first instalment of what we have long desiderated, a School Com- 
 mentary on the books of Scripture. If we may judge of the work con- 
 templated by the sample before us it has our heartiest commendation. 
 With Dr J. J. S. Perowne for General Editor and an eminent list of 
 well-known Biblical scholars as contributors, we have the highest 
 guarantee that the work will be completed in a scholarly, useful, and 
 reliable form. The introductory chapter of the present volume on the 
 life, character, and work of Joshua is ably and attractively written... 
 The ' notes ' will be found brief, terse, pointed, and suggestive. The 
 historical illustrations are apposite and felicitous. The maps and geo- 
 graphical explanations are accurate and valuable. The book ought to 
 be in the hands of every teacher, and even clergymen will find it a 
 valuable accession to their list of commentaries. We await the issue 
 of the remaining volumes with interest." — Weekly Revinv. 
 
 "A very important work in the nature of a Scriptural text-book for 
 the use of students has been undertaken by the Syndics of the Cam- 
 bridge University Press — namely, the separate issue of the several books 
 of the Bible, each edited and annotated by some Biblical scholar of high 
 reputation. ...The value of the work as an aid to Biblical study, not 
 merely in schools but among people of all classes who are desirous to 
 have intelligent knowledge of the Scriptures, cannot easily be over- 
 estimated." — The Scotsman. 
 
 "Among the Commentaries which are in course of publication, the 
 Cambridge Bible for Schools deserves mention. It is issued in con- 
 veniently-sized volumes, each containing a Book of the Old or New 
 Testament. We have just received two of these volumes— one, on 
 The Book of Joshua, prepared by Dr Maclear, of the King's College 
 School ; the other, by Professor Plumptre, on The Epistle of St James. 
 That they are designed for the use of schools sufficiently indicates the 
 
CAMBRIDGE BIBLE FOR SCHOOLS. 
 
 scope of the annotations which accompany the text of each of these 
 books. That on the Book of Joshua is enriched with notices of the 
 most recent discoveries in Biblical archaeology and geography. The 
 volume on the Epistle of St James is, independently of a sufficient 
 commentary, enriched with a useful introduction, in which the author- 
 ship of the Epistle and the time when written are discussed with the 
 fulness which we had a right to expect from Dr Plumptre." — Johji 
 Bull. 
 
 ''St Matthnv, edited by A. Carr, M.A. The Book of Joshua, edited 
 by G. F. Maclear, D.D. The General Epistle of St ja7nes, edited by 
 E. H. Plumptre, D.D. These volumes are constructed upon the same 
 plan, and exhibit the same features as that on *St Mark's Gospel,' of 
 which we gave a full account on its issue. The introductions and 
 notes are scholarly, and generally such as young readers need and can 
 appreciate. The maps in both Joshua and Matthew are very good, and 
 all matters of editing are faultless. Professor Plumptre's notes on ' The 
 Epistle of St James' are models of terse, exact, and elegant rendeiings 
 of the original, which is too often obscured in the authorised version." — 
 No7iconformist. 
 
 ''The General Epistle of St James, with Notes and Introduction. 
 By Professor Plumptre, D.D. This is only a part of the Cambridge 
 Bible for Schools, and may be bought for a few pence. Nevertheless 
 it is, so far as I know, by far the best exposition of the Epistle of 
 St James in the English language. Not Schoolboys or Students going 
 in for an examination alone, but Ministers and Preachers of the Word, 
 may get more real help from it than from the most costly and elaborate 
 commentaries." — Expositor. 
 
 "With Mr Carr's well-edited apparatus to St Matthew's Gospel, 
 where the text is that of Dr Scrivener's Cambridge Paragraph Bible, 
 we are sure the young student will need nothing but a good Greek 
 
 text We should doubt whether any volume of like dimensions could 
 
 be found so sufficient for the needs of a student of the first Gospel, from 
 whatever point of view he may approach it." — Saturday Retnew. 
 
 "St Matthew, Joshua, Jonah, Corinthians, and James. We have on 
 a former occasion drawn the attention of our readers to the first volume 
 of this excellent series — St Mark. The volumes indicated above have 
 now been published, and fully maintain the high standard won by the 
 first. They furnish valuable and precise information in a most con- 
 venient form, and will be highly esteemed by students preparing for 
 examinations, and also by Sunday-school teachers and others. They 
 are particularly valuable in furnishing information concerning history, 
 geography, manners and customs, in illustration of the sacred text." — 
 The Baptist. 
 
 " The First Epistle to the Corinthians. Edited by Professor Lias. 
 Jonah. Edited by Archdeacon Perowne, Every fresh instalment of 
 this annotated edition of the Bible for schools confirms the favourable 
 opinion we formed of its value from the examination of its first number. 
 The origin and plan of the Epistle are discussed with its character and 
 genuineness." — The Nonconfo7'inist. 
 
 "Dr Maclear's commentary for Schools on The Book of Joshua is, 
 as may be anticipated from him, clear and compendious. The historical 
 books of the Old Testament are especially adapted for such an exegesis, 
 elucidating many minute points, which might escape the observation of 
 
OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 
 
 a less careful student. Another volume of the same series, The Gospel 
 of St Matthro), with Mr Carr's annotations, deserves equally high 
 praise. The commentary is terse and scholarly, without losing its 
 interest for ordinary readers. The maps, the index, and the tabulated 
 information in the Appendix all enhance the usefulness of this handy 
 little volume. The name of the editor, Dr Plumptre, is in itself enough 
 to recommend the edition of The General Episile of St James, in 
 the same series. More copious than the companion volumes, it 
 contains some lengthy notes in the form of an excursus — e.g. on the 
 personal relation of St Paul and St James the Less." — Guardian. 
 
 "The last part, the Book of Jonah, is from the hand of The Ven. 
 T. T, Perc-.vne, Archdeacon of Norwich. The little work is well done, 
 written in a graceful, lucid, and cheerful style, which will be attractive 
 to young readers. The notes contain information and reflection in a 
 very just proportion, the great preponderance being given to informa- 
 tion." — The British and Foreign Evangelical Rroiezv. 
 
 " The Second Epistle to the Corinthians. By Professor LiAS. The 
 General Epistles of St Peter and St J tide. By E. H. Plumptre, D.D. 
 We welcome these additions to the valuable series of the Cambridge 
 Bible. We have nothing to add to the commendation which we 
 have from the first publication given to this edition of the Bible. It is 
 enough to say that Professor Lias has completed his work on the two 
 Epistles to the Corinthians in the same admirable manner as at first. 
 Dr Plumptre has also completed the Catholic Epistles." — Nonco7iforinist. 
 "(i) The Acts of the Apostles. By J. Rawson Lumby, D.D. 
 (2) The Second Epistle of the Corinthians, edited by Professor LiAS. 
 The introduction is pithy, and contains a mass of carefully-selected 
 information on the authorship of the Acts, its designs, and its sources. 
 
 The Second Epistle of the Corinthians is a manual beyond all 
 
 praise, for the excellence of its pithy and pointed annotations, its 
 analysis of the contents, and the fulness and value of its introduction." 
 — Examiner. 
 
 "The Cambridge University Press has not made of late years a 
 more valuable contribution to the literature of the age than this series 
 of books of the Bible, which has been prepared specially for schools.... 
 We have been most careful to examine St Mattheiv, edited by Rev. A 
 Carr, M.A., as our thoughts are directed in the line of the International 
 Lessons for the first six months of the next year, and we are very pleased 
 to direct our readers' attention to a work which is calculated to be so 
 helpful to them. The introductory portion is very able, so full of interest- 
 ing matter, and yet so concisely put." — The Sunday School Ch7-onicle. 
 
 "The 2nd Epistle to the Corinthians, with Notes, Map, and Intro- 
 duction. By the Rev. J. J. Lias, M.A. We have here a noteworthy 
 sample of the thoroughness of the editing of the various books of the 
 English Bible under the superintendence of Dean Perowne, and a 
 trustworthy earnest of his choice of the best coadjutors for each par- 
 ticular volume. " — The English Chtcrchman and Clerical Journal. 
 
 ''The Epistle to the Romans. By H. C. G. Moule, M.A. This 
 admirable school series continues its work. Mr Moule treats in this 
 new volume of one of the profoundest of the New Testament Books. 
 His work is scholarly, clear, full, and devout, and we are thankful 
 
 that such volumes find their way into our schools The volumes, 
 
 taken as a whole, are admirable." — The Freeman. 
 
CAMBRIDGE BIBLE FOR SCHOOLS. 
 
 "The Rev. H. C. G. Moule, M.A., has made a valuable addition 
 to The Cambridge Bible for Schools in his brief commentary on 
 the Epistle to the Romans. The "Notes" are very good, and 
 lean, as the notes of a School Bible should, to the most commonly 
 accepted and orthodox view of the inspired author's meaning; while 
 the Introduction, and especially the Sketch of the Life of St Paul, is 
 a model of condensation. It is as lively and pleasant to read as if 
 two or three facts had not been crowded into well-nigh every sentence." 
 — Expositor. 
 
 '■^ The Epistle to the Romans. It is seldom we have met with a 
 work so remarkable for the compression and condensation of all that 
 is valuable in the smallest possible space as in the volume before us. 
 Within its limited pages we have 'a sketch of the Life of St Paul,' 
 which really amounts to a full and excellent biography; we have 
 further a critical account of the date of the Epistle to the Romans, of 
 its language, and of its genuineness. The notes are numerous, full of 
 matter, to the point, and leave no real difficulty or obscurity unex- 
 plained." — The Examiner. 
 
 '■'■The Epistle to the Romans. To the mature reader, the book may 
 be most confidently recommended. He will have his reserve about the 
 theology, but he will find it an admirably careful and complete com- 
 mentary, avoiding no difficulties, tracing out distinctly the sequences 
 of thought, and expressing in perspicuous language what St Paul 
 meant, or, at least, what a learned and intelligent critic believed 
 him to have meant." — The Spectator. 
 
 "This is a volume of that very useful series, 'The Cambridge Bible 
 for Schools,' edited by Dean Perowne. Mr Moule's work, we need 
 hardly say, bears marks of close, conscientious study; the exposition is 
 clear, suggestive, and thoroughly sound. There is not the slightest 
 parade of scholarship, and yet this Commentary will bear comparison 
 with any even of the highest rank for ability and erudition. . . Mr 
 Moule has evidently read much, and pondered carefully; but he gives, 
 in small compass, the conclusion at which he has arrived. We are 
 greatly pleased with this book." — The Churchman. 
 
 "This handy little volume is one of the "The Cambridge Bible 
 for Schools" series now being published under the superintendence 
 of Dean Perowne. It thoroughly well merits the praise, mtdtum 
 in parvo. Mr Moule has evidently read much, and pondered 
 carefully ; but he does not overload his exposition with _ details, 
 and he has judged it best in a work "for schools" to give simply on 
 orthodox lines his conclusions. Hence, the well-packed notes are in- 
 teresting, and although there is nowhere the slightest parade of scholar- 
 ship the work has unmistakably the flavour and the value of sound 
 scholarly divinity." — The Record. 
 
 The First Book of Samuel, by A. F. Kirkpatrick, M.A. "This forms 
 an additional volume of the Cambridge Bible for Schools, and is well 
 worthy to take its place beside those which have already appeared- 
 The text is enriched with ample notes, both critical and 
 literary, which give every assistance to the better understanding and 
 appreciation of "the book which the student can ^q%\x%:''— Cambridge 
 Independent Press. 
 
 "To the valuable series of Scriptural expositions and elementary 
 commentaries which is being issued at the Cambridge University Press, 
 
OPINIONS OF THE PRESS 
 
 under the title "The Cambridge Bible for Schools," has been added 
 The First Book of Samuel by the Rev. A. F. Kirkpatrick. Like 
 other volumes of the series, it contains a carefully written historical and 
 critical introduction, while the text is profusely illustrated and explained 
 by notes. " — The Scotsman. 
 
 "To the volume on I. Samuel we give our very warm commenda- 
 tion. It is designed, not for teachers, but for learners, and especially 
 for young men in schools and colleges. At the same time, it will be 
 interesting and profitable to all who wish to read the Bible intelli- 
 gently. " — Methodist Recorder. 
 
 ' ' The Gospel according to St John. There are several excellent maps. 
 For the private student or for school use, this commentary must be 
 placed in the first rank so far as concerns the industry and ability of the 
 compiler." — The Schoolmaster. 
 
 "The notes are extremely scholarly and valuable, and in most cases 
 exhaustive, bringing to the elucidation of the text all that is best in 
 commentaries, ancient and modern." — The English Churchmafi and 
 Clerical Journal. 
 
 ''The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah, together with Lamentations. 
 Mr Streane's Jeremiah consists of a series of admirable and well-nigh 
 exhaustive notes on the text, with introduction and appendices, drawing 
 the life, times, and character of the prophet, the style, contents, and 
 arrangement of his prophecies, the traditions relating to Jeremiah, 
 meant as a type of Christ (a most remarkable chapter), and other 
 prophecies relating to Jeremiah." — The English Churchman and Clerical 
 Journal. 
 
 The Gospel according to St John. "Of the notes we can say with 
 confidence that they are useful, necessary, learned, and brief. To 
 Divinity students, to teachers, and for private use, this compact 
 Commentary will be found a valuable aid to the better understanding 
 of the Sacred Text." — School Guardian. 
 
 '■'■The Gospel according to St John, — Valuable as the contents of the 
 Introduction are to the Divinity student, the explanatory and critical 
 notes contain the clearest exposition of the text that we have seen, and 
 are doubtless the fruit of many years of learned research and laborious 
 application. We congratulate the author on his successful efforts, 
 especially as we believe that "St John" will bear a favourable com- 
 parison with any of the other volumes, and we give the work our 
 unqualified recommendation." — Durham Diocesan Magazi)ie. 
 
 "The new volume of the 'Cambridge Bible for Schools' — the 
 Gospel according to St John, by the Rev. A. Plummer — shows as 
 careful and thorough work as either of its predecessors. The intro- 
 duction concisely yet fully describes the life of St John, the authenticity 
 of the Gospel, its characteristics, its relation to the Synoptic Gospels, 
 and to the Apostle's First Epistle, and the usual subjects referred to in 
 an 'introduction'." — The Christian Church. 
 
 " Ecclesiastes ; or, the Preacher. — This volume is one of the series 
 known as the 'Cambridge Bible for Schools' now being brought out 
 under the editorship of the Dean of Peterborough. Several of the 
 volumes already published are of considerable value; but we doubt 
 whether one more thoroughly satisfactory than the present has yet 
 appeared. It is distinguished by various characteristics, \vithout which 
 no commentary on a canonical book can satisfy the demands alike of 
 
8 CAMBRIDGE BIBLE FOR SCHOOLS. 
 
 the Christian conscience and the critical learning of the age. Dr 
 Plumptre shows that a biblical critic can unite a sufficiently 'free 
 handling' of conventional and traditional views with a reverence for 
 the books which the Church has stamped as sacred. We doubt whether 
 a volume uniting these features in the same degree would have been 
 
 possible at any previous period of the history of the Church It is 
 
 out of our power to refer to particular points in the exposition ; but we 
 cannot help noticing how much light is thrown upon the text, as well 
 as what charm is cast upon the commentary, by the abundant citations 
 from classical writers, ancient and modern." — Church Bells. 
 
 "Of the Notes, it is sufficient to say that they are in every respect 
 worthy of Dr Plumptre's high reputation as a scholar and a critic, being 
 at once learned, sensible, and practical. . . . An appendix, in which it 
 is clearly proved that the author of Ecclesiastes anticipated Shakspeare 
 and Tennyson in some of their finest thoughts and reflections, will be 
 read with interest by students both of Hebrew and of English literature. 
 Commentaries are seldom attractive reading. This little volume is a 
 notable exception." — The Scotsman. 
 
 "The book oi Ecclesiastes has long been an enigma to the general 
 reader, and its authorship a matter of dispute. Dr. Plumptre, to whom 
 we are indebted for this commentary, has given us his solution of this 
 enigma worked out with much ingenuity and with a wealth of illustration 
 not often met with." — John Bull. 
 
 "In short, this little book is of far greater value than most of the 
 larger and more elaborate commentaries on this Scripture. Indispens- 
 able to the scholar, it will render real and large help to all who have to 
 expound the dramatic utterances of The Preacher whether in the Church 
 or in the School." — The Expositor. 
 
 "For the reason, that Ecclesiastes is engaged, like the Book of Job, 
 in the consideration of the greatest difficulties which our intellect can 
 grapple with, Koheleth is, of all writers, the most enduring and the most 
 constantly read. Prof. Plumptre, who we may observe rejects the view 
 of his identity with Solomon although he writes under that name, pre- 
 sents him before us with a wealth of illustration, thought, reading, and 
 care, which leave nothing to be desired." — Educational Times. 
 
 "In truth, it is one of the most pleasing and one of the best done of 
 any of the Books of Scripture that have yet appeared under the editor- 
 ship of Dean Perowne. It gives the text after Dr. Scrivener's Cam- 
 bridge Bible, with very copious explanatory and illustrative footnotes. 
 At the end are, besides the very full index, three very taking essays on 
 "Koheleth and Shakespeare," "Koheleth and Tennyson," and a "Per- 
 sian Koheleth of the twelfth century." These bring out in a very striking 
 and instructive way the curious similarities between the Hebrew writer 
 and the poets in question, and furnish many admirable suggestions for 
 the correct understanding and appreciation of the former. . . . There is 
 on the whole, perhaps, no one book which does more to help English 
 readers in the thorough study and appreciation of this singular portion 
 of Holy Scripture than this one of Dr. Plumptre's." — The Guardian. 
 
 CAMBRIDGE: PRINTED BY C. J. CLAY, M.A,, AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS. 
 
University Press, Cambridge. 
 
 May, 1882. 
 
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