Micah.
Micah.
§ 161. Micah (
) means “humiliated.” He came from the city of Mareshah in the tribe of Judah (Josh. 15:44). He prophesied at the time of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, the kings of Judah, as is evident from the inscription (Mic. 1:1), and was a near contemporary of Isaiah, with whom he agrees in many matters. Therefore he was different from that Micah who foretold the death of wicked King Ahab (1 Kings 22:8; 2 Chron. 18:7), for he came a long time after him.
The book has seven chapters that contain both addresses of the Law, in which he predicts the overthrow of the kingdoms of both Judah and Israel because of their wickedness and idolatry, and the comforts of the Gospel regarding the coming of the Messiah and the spiritual liberation He would provide, a type of which was the corporeal liberation from the Babylonian captivity. Before all the prophets, [Micah] has the singular distinction of naming the place of the Lord’s birth (Mic. 5:2).