TEXT [Commentary]

black diamond   Superscription (1:1)

1 The LORD gave this message to Micah of Moresheth during the years when Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah. The visions he saw concerned both Samaria and Jerusalem.

NOTES

1:1 The LORD gave this message. Lit., “the word of the LORD came.” The combination of the verb “to be” (hayah [TH1961, ZH2118]) with the phrase “the word of the Lord” (debar-yhwh [TH1697/3068, ZH1821/3378]) constitutes the prophetic word formula. The formula commonly introduces a report of prophetic revelation in the oracular speech of the OT.

Moresheth. This was the prophet’s hometown, a village located in the Shephelah region of Judah some 20 miles southwest of Jerusalem.

Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. The mention of these kings sets the ministry of Micah during the period of the Hebrew divided kingdoms sometime toward the end of the eighth century BC (see “Date and Occasion of Writing” in the Introduction).

visions. The title of the book recognizes “vision” (khazah [TH2372, ZH2600]) as both the occasion and the medium of the message of Yahweh. “The verb describes extraordinary kinds of seeing and particularly those connected with the reception of messages from a deity” (Andersen and Freedman 2000:119). This technical term for prophecy may also refer to the wider perception of divine revelation and in “Micah’s case it was evidently of an auditory nature” (Allen 1976:265).

Samaria. The city was located seven miles northwest of Shechem and was established as the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel by King Omri (1 Kgs 16:24). According to Andersen and Freedman (2000:126), the naming of kingdoms after their capital cities was not normative practice for the Hebrews. It does reflect contemporary usage, however, as other states during this time period were named after their capital.

Jerusalem. The capital city of Judah and the location of Yahweh’s temple, the place where God established his name (Deut 12:11; 14:23). God loved Jerusalem because his presence resided there symbolically, as associated with the Ark of the Covenant housed in the Temple (Pss 9:11; 74:2; 76:2; 87:2). But his love for the city would not keep him from judging the people of Judah for their rebellion against him.

COMMENTARY [Text]

The superscription (1:1) is a formal statement that corresponds to the title of a document. It serves to classify literature by genre or literary type (in this case as an oracular or prophetic text) and to identify the author, audience, date, and sometimes the occasion prompting the divine message. This superscription identifies the author of the book as Micah and notes his “hometown” as Moresheth. It also classifies the genre as prophetic revelation given in the form of a vision, and broadly dates the book to the reigns of three kings of the Hebrew divided monarchy of Judah.

The theological purpose of the superscription is to emphasize that God himself is the source and authority behind the message of Micah (cf. 2 Pet 1:20-21). The use of the covenant name “Yahweh” (or “LORD,” 1:1) for God is appropriate and anticipates the summons to trial issued to Samaria and Jerusalem for “sins and rebellion” in violation of the Mosaic covenant (1:5). The reference to the “kings of Judah” (1:1) may foreshadow Micah’s vision of the “king” who would ultimately restore the Hebrews as a unified nation (cf. 2:13; 5:2).