Two anchors place Micah’s activity at the end of the eighth century BC: (1) Mic 1:1 links the prophet to the Judahite kings Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, whose reigns extend from (at most) 750 to 687 BC; and (2) Jer 26:18 quotes Micah and refers to Micah’s proclamations as taking place “in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah,” again at the end of the eighth century BC. The second half of the eighth century BC was so dynamic that even with these limits it is quite difficult to characterize the political world of Micah. For instance, Micah speaks of the devastation of the western lowlands of Judah in ch. 1, but this area was attacked as many as four times in the eighth century BC, and readings of difficult passages change depending on which of these conquests is behind his oracle. Further, Micah talks about economic justice, but the attempt to characterize this message is stymied by the sheer variety of economic relationships at the end of the eighth century BC.
Historical Background
The earliest dates for the context of Micah’s speeches have recently been argued as beginning in 747 BC, during the early years of Jotham in Judah and the last years of Jeroboam II in Israel. Others place Micah’s oracles in the context of the struggle between Israel and Judah, which culminated in the Syro-Ephraimite War (735–734 BC) as Damascus and Samaria fought against Jerusalem to install an anti-Assyrian ruler on the throne. Ahaz responded by inviting the Assyrian king into the region, an action that quickly resulted in the defeat of Damascus and the beginning of Assyrian hegemony in the region.
Still others place Micah’s message in the days when Assyria returned to end the last vestiges of Israelite independence in an attack on Samaria that culminated in Samaria’s destruction in 722 BC. According to many, this event is either predicted or recorded in Mic 1 and marks the beginning of Micah’s ministry.
Finally, in 701 BC Hezekiah revolted against the Assyrians, but he was thoroughly defeated by Sennacherib’s armies. Only Jerusalem survived the attacks that completely destroyed the lowlands of Judah and allowed the Philistines to dominate Judah’s western border for the following century. This last event is perhaps the event most commonly related to the oracles of Micah, particularly to the events described in 1:10–16.
While the exact parallels between Micah’s oracles and any of these events are disputed, scholars have noted that determining which of these events is behind Micah’s oracles is key to understanding the details of the message of the book. The modern reader of Micah should at least be aware of the variety of ways in which different historical backgrounds have made a difference in the understanding of, and even translations of, several difficult passages in the book of Micah. ◆
Key Concepts
• Spiritual renewal begins with putting an end to one’s unjust treatment of others. This is not all there is, but it is the essential first step.
• Oracles of the prophets generally fall into four categories: indictment (telling the people what they are doing wrong), judgment (indicating how God is going to respond to their sin), instruction (identifying what response is appropriate) and aftermath (outlining the hope for deliverance and restoration after the judgment).