MICAH
(Unknown. Micah the Prophet. Egg tempera on wood panel. ca. 1700–1725. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Micah_prophet.jpg.)
Whom will God punish, and what will follow?
Last half of the eighth century B.C.
Micah wrote the sixth of the twelve prophetic books of the Old Testament and was active in the last half of the eighth century B.C. His book warns that God will punish idolaters, those who are unjust to men of lesser station, and religious men who use their profession for financial gain.
Two halves of one book
- Wrote: The sixth of the twelve prophetic books of the Old Testament
- Active: The last half of the eighth century B.C.
- First half: Warnings of God’s punishment
- Second half: The “Promises,” which seem to date from a much later period
- Vision: Yahweh ruling directly over a peaceful kingdom
Whom does Micah warn, and what does he promise?
Hover or tap each idea to look closer
- Against IdolatryMicah’s book warns that God will punish idolaters.
- Justice for the LowlyGod will also punish those who are unjust to men of lesser station.
- Faith Not for ProfitPunishment awaits religious men who use their profession for financial gain.
- The “Promises”The latter half of the work, also called the “Promises,” seems to date from a much later period than Micah’s.
- A Peaceful KingdomThe “Promises” foresee the ultimate restoration of the state of Israel, in which Yahweh will rule directly over a peaceful kingdom.
Yahweh will rule directly over a peaceful kingdom.
Micah’s book pairs warning with hope. It condemns idolatry, injustice to men of lesser station, and religion practiced for profit, while its later “Promises” foresee the ultimate restoration of the state of Israel as a peaceful kingdom.
Where to read more about Micah.
- 1976The Books of Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, and Micah (New International Commentary on the Old Testament)Allen, Leslie C. · Eerdmans
- 1976Micah: A Commentary (Old Testament Library)Mays, James Luther · Westminster Press
- 2008A Commentary on MicahWaltke, Bruce K. · Eerdmans
- The Book of MicahFrom The Holy Bible: New International Version (Zondervan, 2011), and found in any standard Bible.Read Micah (NIV) at Bible Gateway
(Unknown. Micah the Prophet. Egg tempera on wood panel. ca. 1700–1725. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Micah_prophet.jpg.)
A Russian Orthodox icon from the first quarter of the 18th century depicting the biblical prophet Micah, shown as an elderly figure with a long beard, holding a scroll inscribed with his name in Church Slavonic, rendered in egg tempera on wood panel.
(Doré, Gustave. Micah Exhorts the Israelites to Repent. Engraving. 1866. From The Holy Bible. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:139.Micah_Exhorts_the_Israelites_to_Repent.jpg.)
Gustave Doré's 19th-century engraving illustrates Micah exhorting the Israelites to repent, portraying the prophet gesturing emphatically from a platform amid a crowd in ancient attire, with dramatic shading emphasizing his prophetic fervor.
(Tissot, James. Micah. Watercolor. ca. 1896. Brooklyn Museum. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tissot_Micah.jpg.)
James Tissot's watercolor from around 1896 depicts the prophet Micah in contemplative pose against a Middle Eastern landscape, clad in robes with a staff, capturing the Old Testament figure's role as a moral reformer in vivid, impressionistic style.