Micah 5 Background Information with Maps and Images (Picture Study Bible - Micah) Free Bible Online

Micah 5

1 - Now you shall gather yourself in troops,daughter of troops.He has laid siege against us.They will strike the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek.

2 - But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,being small among the clans of Judah,out of you one will come out to me that is to be ruler in Israel;whose goings out are from of old, from ancient times.

3 - Therefore he will abandon them until the time that she who is in labor gives birth.Then the rest of his brothers will return to the children of Israel.

4 - He shall stand, and shall shepherd in the strength of The LORD,in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God:and they will live, for then he will be great to the ends of the earth.

5 - He will be our peace when Assyria invades our land,and when he marches through our fortresses,then we will raise against him seven shepherds,and eight leaders of men.

He will be our peace when Assyria invades our land,and when he marches through our fortresses,then we will raise against him seven shepherds,and eight leaders of men.

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6 - They will rule the land of Assyria with the sword,and the land of Nimrod in its gates.He will deliver us from the Assyrian,when he invades our land,and when he marches within our border.

They will rule the land of Assyria with the sword,and the land of Nimrod in its gates.He will deliver us from the Assyrian,when he invades our land,and when he marches within our border.

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7 - The remnant of Jacob will be among many peoples,like dew from The LORD,like showers on the grass,that don't wait for man,nor wait for the sons of men.

8 - The remnant of Jacob will be among the nations,among many peoples,like a lion among the animals of the forest,like a young lion among the flocks of sheep;who, if he goes through, treads down and tears in pieces,and there is no one to deliver.

9 - Let your hand be lifted up above your adversaries,and let all of your enemies be cut off.

10 - "It will happen in that day", says The LORD,"that I will cut off your horses out from among you,and will destroy your chariots.

11 - I will cut off the cities of your land,and will tear down all your strongholds.

12 - I will destroy witchcraft from your hand;and you shall have no soothsayers.

13 - I will cut off your engraved images and your pillars out from among you;and you shall no more worship the work of your hands.

14 - I will uproot your Asherah poles out from among you;and I will destroy your cities.

15 - I will execute vengeance in anger,and wrath on the nations that didn't listen."

The Book of Micah

Micah 1:1-3 - The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, [and] Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem. Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: 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.

Micah 5:2 - But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, [though] thou be little among the thousands of Judah, [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.

The Old Testament - A Brief Overview

Bible Survey - Micah
Hebrew Name - Mikah "Who is like Yahweh"
Greek Name - Micha (Greek form of the Hebrew)
Author - Micah (According to Tradition)
Date - 750 BC Approximately
Theme - The Word Micah saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem
Types and Shadows - In Micah Jesus is the king from Bethlehem

Micah prophesied about the Assyrian and Babylonian invasions that would cause the fall of both Samaria (capital of the northern kingdom of Israel) and Jerusalem (capital of the southern kingdom of Judah). The word of the Lord which came from Micah was in the form of a lawsuit by God, with Micah as the prosecutor, and the mountains and hills (the high places of  idolatry) as the silent judges. Mica proclaimed that "her wounds are incurable" because of the corruption of the people. He goes on to describe the leaders as "butchering the people." In Micah 5:2 is the great verse that proclaims the birthplace of the Messiah who comes from Eternity, born in the city of Bethlehem, the least among the cities of Judah. - The above text is © Rusty Russell - Bible History Online and must be sourced for use on a website.

Micah was called the "Morasthite" because he was originally from the city of Moresheth, sometimes called Moresheth-gath (Micah 1:14), because it was located in the southwestern portion of Judah knew the Philistine city of Gath.

Micah was also mentioned in the book of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 26:18) as having prophesied during the reign of Hezekiah in Judah. The book of Micah begins by saying that he was prophesying during the time of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. The time period that these three kings of Judah reigned was from about 751 to 687 BC. Micah might have been directly responsible for helping to bring revival in Judah, especially during the reign of King Hezekiah. Micah was also a contemporary of the prophet Isaiah in Judah and the prophet Hosea in Israel. Some have supposed him to have been a disciple of Isaiah. That there was some contact between the two seems evident from the practically identical passages in Isaiah 2:24 and Micah 4:1-3.

Interesting Note: because of the practically identical passages in  Micah 4:1-3 and Isaiah 2:24 some have believed that Micah was either a disciple of Isaiah, or heavily influenced by his prophecies.

The contents of the book may be analyzed further as follows :

Outline of the Book of Micah

Micah's message was directed to Samaria and Jerusalem, the capital cities of Israel and Judah, who was responsible for the corruption which had spread over the two kingdoms. Micah 1 announces the doom that is to befall Samaria for her idolatry. Micah 2 is a message of woe for the ruling class, because of their oppression of the poor. In this chapter Micah records the attempts of these men to do away with his preaching (Micah 2:6, 11). The sins of the ruling classes, as well as the false prophets, and the priests, are dealt with in Micah 3.

The tone of the Micah's prophecy shifts abruptly in the opening verses of Micah 4, as Micah pictures the future glory of Jerusalem, or Zion. In Micah 4:9, however, he suddenly continues his previous message of impending doom. A remarkable prophecy is contained in Micah 4:10, as Babylon is named as the conqueror of Judah although, at this time, Assyria was the leading power and Judah by no means appeared safe from her threats. About 100 years later, however, the prophecy was fulfilled as Judah, having survived the Assyrian conquests, was overrun by the forces of Babylon. Another well-known prophecy is contained in Micah 5:2, where it is stated that a ruler for Israel "whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting," will come out of Bethlehem. When Herod inquired of the scribes as to the birthplace of Jesus, this prophecy was cited as having been fulfilled (Matt. 2: 1-6). Micah 6 and 7 are a continuation of the picture of moral corruption and resultant punishment, but with an assurance that God will show compassion for Israel and will allow a remnant to flourish again, thus keeping the promise which he had made to Abraham (Micah 7:20 ).

Micah Resources

The Divided Kingdom
The Northern Kingdom of Israel
The Southern Kingdom of Judah
The Assyrian Captivity
The Babylonian Captivity
The Return From Babylon
The Prophets
The Messiah

The Book of Micah

More About the Book of Micah
Micah in the Picture Study Bible
Chart of the Prophets of Israel and Judah
Timeline of the Ancient World
Back to the Old Testament
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