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Introduction
to Micah
INTRODUCTION TO MICAH
This
book is called, in the Hebrew copies, "Sepher Micah", the Book of Micah;
in the Vulgate Latin version "the Prophecy of Micah"; and in the
Syriac version "the Prophecy of the Prophet Micah". This prophet is
not the same with Micaiah the son of Imiah, who lived in the times of Ahab and
Jehoshaphat, 1 Kings 22:8; for,
as Aben Ezra observes, there were many generations between them, at least many
reigns of kings, as Jehoram, Ahaziah, Joash, Amaziah, and Uzziah, all which
made up a hundred and thirty years; their names indeed seem to be the same,
since he that is called Micaiah, 1 Kings 22:8; is
called Micah, 2 Chronicles 18:14;
and this our prophet is named Micaiah in Jeremiah 26:18;
which is with some of the same signification with Michael. So Abarbinel
interprets, it, "who [is] as God"; see Micah 7:18; which
HillerusF1Onomast. Sacr. p. 14, 466, 494, 542. confutes, and renders
it, "the contrition, attrition, attenuation, and depauperation, of the
Lord"; deriving it from Kwm, which signifies to be depressed, humbled,
weakened, and impoverished, as others do; which name, some think, was given him
by his parents, because of their low estate, their meanness and poverty; but of
them we have no account: however, this is much more probable than the reason
Cornelius a Lapide gives of his name, that he was so called because he
prophesied of Christ, who was poor, and that he should be born in a poor
country village. As for his country, and the place of his birth, and the time
in which he lived, they may be gathered from Micah 1:1; by which
it will appear that he was not of the tribe of Ephraim, as Pseudo-EpiphaniusF2De
Prophet. Vit. & Inter. c. 13. says but of the tribe of Judah; whose kings'
reigns in which he prophesies are only made mention of; though his prophecies
concerned both Israel and Judah, and he reproves both for their sins, and
foretells their various captivities; and, for the comfort of God's people, says
many things concerning the Messiah, his incarnation the place of his birth,
which no prophet so clearly points at as he, the execution of his offices,
prophetic, priestly, and kingly; the blessings of grace that came by him,
pardon of sin, atonement, &c. and the happiness and glory of his church in
the latter day. The authority of this book is confirmed both by the elders of
Judah in the times of Jeremiah, who quote a passage out of it; Micah 3:12; which
they improve in favour of that prophet, Jeremiah 26:17; and
by the chief priests and Scribes in the time of Herod, who refer that prince to
a prophecy in this book for the place of the Messiah's birth, Micah 5:2; see Matthew 2:4. He is
thought to have prophesied thirty or forty years, Bishop UsherF3Annales
Vet. Test. A. M. 3291. places him in the year of the world 3291 A.M., and 713
B.C.; but, according to Mr. WhistonF4Chronological Tables, cent. 8.
, he prophesied 750 B.C., and so Mr. BedfordF5Scripture Chronology,
p. 662. , and three after the building of the city of Rome; and he foretells
the captivity of the ten tribes thirty years, and the coming of Sennacherib
forty years, before they came to pass; but when and where he died, and was
buried, no certain proof can be given. Pseudo-Epiphanius, confounding him with
Micaiah in Ahab's time, saysF6De Prophet. Vit. & Inter. c. 13.
he was killed by his son Joram, who cast him down from a precipice, and was
buried at Morathi, his native place, near the burying ground of Enakeim, and
his grave was well known to that day. And, according to JeromF7Epitaph.
Paulae, tom. 1. operum, fol. 60. A. B. , the grave of this our prophet was at
Morasthi, and in his time turned into a church or temple. SozomenF8Histor.
Eccles. l. 7. c. 29. reports, that, in the times of Theodosius the elder, the
body of Micah was found by Zebennus bishop of Eleutheropolis at Berathsalia, a
mile and a quarter from the city, near which was the grave of Micah, called by
the common people the faithful monument, and in their country language
Nephsameemana.
Commentator
John Gill (November 23, 1697-October 14,
1771) was an English Baptist, a biblical scholar, and a staunch Calvinist.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism is a matter of academic debate.
He was born in Kettering, Northamptonshire.
In his youth, he attended Kettering Grammar School, mastering the Latin
classics and learning Greek by age eleven. The young scholar continued
self-study in everything from logic to Hebrew. His love for Hebrew would follow
Gill throughout his life.
At the age of about twelve, Gill heard a
sermon from his pastor, William Wallis, on the text, "And the Lord called
unto Adam, and said unto him, where art thou?" (Genesis 3:9). The message
stayed with Gill and eventually led to his conversion. It was not until seven
years later that young John made a public profession when he was almost
nineteen years of age.
His first pastoral work was as an intern
assisting John Davis at Higham Ferrers in 1718 at age twenty one. He was
subsequently called to pastor the Strict Baptist church at Goat Yard Chapel,
Horsleydown, Southwark in 1719. In 1757, his congregation needed larger
premises and moved to a Carter Lane, St. Olave's Street, Southwark. His
pastorate lasted 51 years. This Baptist Church was once pastored by Benjamin
Keach and would later become the New Park Street Chapel and then the
Metropolitan Tabernacle pastored by Charles Spurgeon.
During Gill's ministry the church strongly
supported the preaching of George Whitefield at nearby Kennington Common.
In 1748, Gill was awarded the honorary degree
of Doctor of Divinity by the University of Aberdeen. He was a profound scholar
and a prolific author. His most important works are:
John Gill is the first major writing Baptist
theologian. His work retains its influence into the twenty-first century.
Gill's relationship with hyper-Calvinism in English Baptist life is a matter of
debate. Peter Toon has argued that Gill was himself a hyper-Calvinist, which
would make Gill the father of Baptist hyper-Calvinism. Tom Nettles has argued
that Gill was not a hyper-Calvinist himself, which would make him merely a
precursor and hero to Baptist hyper-Calvinists.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James Version Bible, NKJV
The
NKJV was commissioned in 1975 by Thomas Nelson Publishers.
One-hundred-and-thirty respected Bible scholars, church leaders, and lay
Christians worked for seven years with the goal of updating the vocabulary and
grammar of the King James Version, while preserving the classic style of the of
the 1611 version.
The
task of updating the English of the KJV involved many changes in word order,
grammar, vocabulary, and spelling. One of the most significant features of the
NKJV was its removal of the second person pronouns "thou",
"thee", "ye," "thy," and "thine." Verb
forms were also modernized in the NKJV (for example, "speaks" rather
than "speaketh").
Young’s
Literal Translation was completed in 1898 by Robert Young, who also compiled
Young’s Analytical Concordance. It is an extremely literal translation that
attempts to preserve the tense and word usage as found in the original Greek
and Hebrew writings. The online text is from a reprint of the 1898 edition as
published by Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Obvious errors in
spelling or inconsistent spellings of the same word were corrected in the
online edition of the text. This text is Public Domain in the United States.