n. (Abbr. Mic. or Mi)
A book of the Bible.
[After MICAH1.]
Dictionary:
Mi·cah2 (mī'kə) also Mi·che·as
|
| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Micah |
For more information on Micah, visit Britannica.com.
| Bible Guide: Book of Micah |
The sixth book of the twelve Minor Prophets. Ascribed to the Judean Micah the Moreshtite (see MICAH No. 6) who prophesied concerning both Samaria and Jerusalem. The date and place of composition are given in the first verse which places the prophecy in the days of the kings of Judah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah (8th century B.C.).
The book contains three major divisions. Part I, corresponding to Micah 1:2-3:12, predicts the destruction of both Samaria and Jerusalem for their respective sins. The people of Samaria are accused of worshiping idols, which it is asserted, were bought with the income earned by prostitutes (1:7). Micah was the first prophet to predict the downfall of Jerusalem. According to him, the city was doomed because its beautification was financed by dishonest business practices, whereby numerous persons were impoverished (chaps. 2-3). He also attacked the prophets of his day whom he accused of accepting money for their oracles (3:5-2). Part II, corresponding to chapters 4-5, anticipates the destruction of the Judean state and promises its restoration more glorious than before. Micah 4:1-3 – the prophecy of an era of universal peace over which the Lord will preside from Jerusalem – appears to be take over almost verbatim from Isaiah 2:2-4. Contradicting Micah 4:1-2 which foresees all peoples acknowledging the Lord as their sovereign, 4:5 suggests a doctrine of religious tolerance, even extending to polytheists. Micah 5:1-5 announces that Israel shall be ruled by a descendant of David (cf Is chap. 11; Hos 3:5; Amos 9:11) and delivered by him from the Assyrians. Micah 5:9-15 declares that when the glory of Zion and Jacob is restored the Lord will force the Gentiles to abandon idolatry.
In Part III, Micah chapters 6-7, dishonesty in the marketplace and corruption in government provide grounds for a prophetic rebuke of Samaria which is threatened with destruction (chap. 6). This part features the prophet's declaration (6:8) that the Lord requires of man only "to do justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God".
Samaria's response to Micah's charges and threats consists of three parts: (a) an admission of guilt (7:1-6); (b) adversaries are forewarned that Samaria will rely on the Lord for forgiveness and deliverance (7:7-13); and (c) a prayer for forgiveness and deliverance (7:14-20). The final portion of the latter prayer (7:18-20) is the main text employed in the Jewish New Year rite of Tashlikh (meaning "you will cast out" Mic 7:19), which is performed near a body of water, with an appeal to God to hurl Israel's sins "into the depths of the sea" (7:19). In that context 7:18-20 is regarded as a paraphrase of the "thirteen attributes of God" contained in Exodus 34:6-7. Micah was so filled with the word of God that he dedicated his life to delivering his message, "but truly, I am full of power, by the Spirit of the Lord, and of justice and might, to declare to Jacob his transgression and to Israel his sin" (Mic 3:8).
| Columbia Encyclopedia: Micah |
Bibliography
See studies by J. L. Mays (1976), R. Smith (1984), D. R. Hillers (1984), and J. Limburg (1988). See also bibliography under Old Testament.
| Wikipedia: Book of Micah |
The Book of Micah (Hebrew: ספר מיכה) is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament, traditionally attributed to Micah the Prophet.
Contents |
Micah of Moresheth (most likely the same city as Moresheth-Gath, mentioned in Micah) prophesied during the days of King Hezekiah of Judah. This paraphrase of Jeremiah 26:18 contains practically everything we know of the Prophet himself. Moresheth-Gath was most likely a small town in SW Judah (this has yet to be confirmed). Some scholars argue over how much of the book of Micah can be attributed to Micah himself. There is general consensus that the majority of chapters 1–3 are in fact Micah’s own (excluding 2:12–13). The remaining passages are seen by some as redactions. This will be further argued in the section on controversy.
Some Old Testament scholars, for example Dr Bruce Waltke in IVP`s 'New Bible Commentary', defend Micah's authorship of the entire book. It is generally agreed that Micah composed chapters 1 through 3; some scholars hold that chapter 6 and sections of chapter 7 were also written by the historical Micah. The primary reasons given are because chapters 3–5 foretell of events in the 6th century BCE and chapters 6–7 have elements of a universal religious outlook which was not widely present in Judaism until much later.[citation needed]
Micah was active in Judah from before the fall of Samaria (1:2–7) in 722 BCE; he lived under king Ahaz (735–715 BCE) and king Hezekiah (715–687), and (apparently) experienced the devastation brought on by Senacherib’s invasion of Judah (701 BCE). The heading of the book (1:1) also adds the name of king Jotham (742–735 BCE) but nothing in the book confirms this fact. This would make Micah active from 742 (at earliest) to 701 (at latest) BCE. The message in Micah 1:2–9 was given before the destruction of Samaria in 721. The appeal of Jeremiah's supporters to the prophecy of Micah confirms his connection with Hezekiah: "And some of the land arose and said to all the assembled people, Micah of Moresheth prophesied during the days of Hezekiah king of Judah" (Jeremiah 26:17).
Nearly fifty years after the start of the reigns of Uzziah, king of Judah, and Jeroboam II, king of Israel, the period of relative peace and prosperity began to wane. This was in part due to the rise of the nation of Assyria, who, after a period of quiescence, became a potent political force in the Near East. With the rise of Assyria came a rise in military pressure upon the kingdoms of Judah and Israel.
At the same time, as trade and commerce flourished, this was done largely at the expense of small landowners and peasants, who lost their land to the greed of the wealthy classes. Rich landowners bribed judges to look favorably upon illicit land acquisitions, which resulted in a rapid disappearance of small farmers. Those who were dispossessed drifted from the countryside to the cities, which led to overcrowding in the major population centers. Micah outspokenly reproaches these practices of perverting the covenant so as to increase economic gains.
Micah, and the other minor prophets, also speak out against the lack of obedience to the Covenantal stipulations. Many aspects of the covenant had been abandoned in favor of Baal-worship and other Pagan practices. In this light, Samaria, one of the leaders in this apostasy, is condemned to destruction.
Micah’s period of activity also overlaps that of Isaiah’s, and it is possible that the two contemporaries were often mistaken for one another. Jeremaiah 26:18–20 speaks of Micah’s effect on the King, and that he and the king not only were able to meet, but also that Micah’s message was able to bring the king to repentance. However, some scholars view that it may be more probable that Isaiah was the one who caused the king’s repentance, as he, having access to the king, was much more likely to influence the king’s decisions.
The book of Micah, like many of the minor prophets, is made up of many poetical ideas placed together. These individual poems are listed, with brief synopses, by the Anchor Bible Dictionary. Here is a paraphrase of this section.
The remainder of the chapter is made up of poems that focus on the glorious future:
The remainder of this chapter’s poems are focused on expounding on the coming peace
Modern Critics of Micah argue that only chapters 1–3 of Micah (excluding 2:12–13), are actually the prophet’s. The hopeful material appears to contradict these initial chapters, especially in the light of Jeremiah 26:18, which portrays the prophet as a prophet of doom, without mentioning the passages of hope. Other critics focus on the ‘liturgy’ which they say presupposes a different historical situation than that of the 8th century prophet. Unfortunately, due to the restricted compass of Micah, the study of vocabulary and style has had little place in these arguments. Some scholars have sought to restore a kind of unity to the book of Micah by picturing it as the result of a process of growth over time within a community, changing to fit their needs. However, the range of speculation for this theory is very great, and though this theory has some appeal, the lack of agreement only weakens this argument. Another idea is presented in the commentary by Hillers (Micah Hermeneia). It attempts to view the book of Micah as changing due to Micah’s own experiences. Beginning as a call of doom, once Samaria falls and the Assyrian pressure increases, Micah’s reacts to this depressing situation with a call of hope. This allows for the book of Micah to adopt these two, more different tones, while still remaining united. This theory would place the writing of parts of Micah at different times, and may well be the best fit for unifying Micah. This is under the pretense that Micah is a unified text, which is still argued by many critics who insist that only the first three chapters are, in fact, Micah’s.
| Wikisource has original text related to this article: |
| Wikisource has the text of the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia article Book of Micheas. |
This article incorporates text from the public domain Easton's Bible Dictionary, originally published in 1897.
| Preceded by Jonah |
Hebrew Bible | Followed by Nahum |
| Christian Old Testament |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
| Mi (abbreviation) | |
| Mic. (abbreviation) | |
| Beth Ezel |
| Who is micah banks? Read answer... | |
| Who is Micah Mosquera? Read answer... | |
| Why is micah great? Read answer... |
| Who is Micah Diamond? | |
| Was Micah in the Koran? | |
| Who is josia micah? |
Copyrights:
![]() | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more | |
![]() | Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more | |
![]() | Bible Guide. Illustrated Dictionary & Concordance of the Bible. Copyright © 1986 by G.G. The Jerusalem Publishing House, Ltd. All rights reserved. Read more | |
![]() | Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more | |
![]() | Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Book of Micah". Read more |
Mentioned in