Micah 1:1

I. HEADING 1:1

Prophetic revelation from Yahweh came to Micah concerning Samaria (the Northern Kingdom) and Jerusalem (the Southern Kingdom). These capital cities, by synecdoche, represent their respective nations and the people in them. These capital cities also, by metonymy, suggest the leaders of the nations, which Micah targeted for special responsibility. Micah "saw" these revelations (rather than "heard" them) because the Lord revealed them to him in visions and or dreams (Numbers 12:6; cf. Isaiah 1:1; Obadiah 1:1; Nahum 1:1). Micah ("Who is like Yahweh?") was a resident of Moresheth-gath (Micah 1:14), which was a Judean town in the Shephelah (foothills) of Judah west and a bit south of Jerusalem. The mention of Micah’s hometown rather than his father’s name suggests that he had come to Jerusalem and had become known there as the Micah from Moresheth. [Note: Allen, p. 265] Normally a man who was a longtime resident of a town was described as the son of so and so rather than as being from a particular place. Micah received and delivered his prophetic messages during the reigns of three of the kings of his nation: Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. This dates his ministry between 750 and 686 B.C. [Note: See my comments on the writer and date in the Introduction section above.] Similar full headings (superscriptions) begin the books of Isaiah, Hosea, Amos, and Zephaniah.