BIBLE INTRODUCTIONS: THE BOOK OF MICAH

One genre of religious writings is called the Bible Introduction, in which each book of the Bible is introduced to the reader so as to better understand its historical background, literary genre, main themes, and overall organization. My own advice in utilizing these Bible aids is to either (1) stick to one author whom you trust and go with whatever information he or she gives you without question or (2) be prepared to dive very deeply into the subject by consulting a number of resources. If you go with the first option you will always be certain but perhaps not correct. If you chose the second approach, you may be endlessly confused with the way “experts” disagree among themselves on a myriad of details, but at least you will be better poised to make your own enlightened judgment on the subject.

Bible introductions come in a variety of guises, and the amount of detail you will get out of them depends largely on size limitations. I have chosen at random the Book of Micah for a typical example, and below are some of the types of general introductions that are available along with specific books of that type along with the number of pages devoted to Micah in each so that you can get a rough feel for the amount of information you are likely to find.

Type of Introduction                                     Example                                                 Length

Study Bible                                                   Oxford Annotated RSV                          ½ page

One- or Two-Volume Bible Commentary    International Bible Commentary            1 page

One-Volume Dictionary                               New Bible Dictionary                             1-½ pages

Multiple-Volume Dictionary                        Dictionary of the OT Prophets                9-1/2 pages

Bible Introduction                                        Introduction to the OT Prophetic Books  22 pages

Dedicated Commentary                               Micah (Anchor Bible)                              27 pages

In addition to these general introductions to books of the Bible, there are specialized works that treat each book from a specific viewpoint. Here are some examples along with the number of pages they devote to Micah:

    Dictionary of Scripture and Ethics                         ½ page

    Dictionary of Biblical Imagery                              1 page

    New Dictionary of Biblical Theology                    2-½ pages

    Dictionary of OT Theology & Exegesis                 3-½ pages

    Literary Structure of the Old Testament                 4-½ pages

    Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy                        9-½ pages

    Introduction to the Old Testament as Scripture     10 pages

    Old Testament Use of Old Testament                    11 pages

The next thing to consider is the type of information that a typical Bible introduction will contain. Here are some of the categories usually present with examples from various authors to illustrate the unity or diversity of their opinions concerning the Book of Micah.

Author

A prophet from the town of Moresheth located southwest of Jerusalem. (Chisholm)

“Coming from the small town....It seems logical he might have been a small farmer or craftsman, but we have no sure way of knowing that.” (Bullock)

“There is some difference of opinion among scholars as to whether he was a relatively well-to-do farmer, or a member of the depressed and exploited classes about whose plight he protests so vehemently.” (D.J. Clark)

“The prophet Micah was probably from an obscure family, since his father's name is not given.” (Archer)

Only chapter 1-3 were written by Micah. (Mays)

Micah is a shortened form of Micaiah (see Jeremiah 26:18) meaning “Who is like Yah?” He was a person of whom we know practically nothing other than his place of origin...Micah was presumably from the common people...whose words have been adapted to changed conditions, added to, and amplified in later generations” (Vawter)

“It is not easy to see why vii. 7-20 should be assigned to a post-exilic period” as some modern scholars have. (Harrison)

Micah's genuine prophecies were “incorporated in to a Micah book that found its final form sometime after 515 BC.” (Achtemeier)

Date

“His prophetic career may have begun about 725 BCE.” Vawter)

Late 8^th century during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah (Chisholm, McConville)

“It appears probable that the bulk of the recorded prophecies come from the last quarter of the eighth century.” (Clark, Mobley)

from 734 at the very latest and a terminal date of 728 (Wolff)

before 711 B.C. (Sellin)

from approximately 740-686 B.C. (Waltke)

around 701 B.C. during the reign of Hezekiah (Wolfe)

Allen spends 10 pages discussing the most probable time periods to assign to each of the various oracles in the book, all within the late 8^th century.

Audience

“Samaria and Jerusalem (1:5) and the leaders, prophets, and priests who populated their lucrative offices...but he was not blinded to the sins of the people whose cause he took up and defended” (Bullock)

“Micah's role was to act as a religious commentator in Jerusalem on the contemporary social scene.” (Allen)

“His denunciations were directed particularly at Jerusalem” (Harrison)

The southern kingdom of Judah (Chisholm)

1:3-3:12 is addressed to all peoples while chapters 6-7 are addressed to Israel. (Mays)

Genre

prophetic oracles (Bullock)

“Micah's language, though drawn from this historical background, is poetic and abstract...” (Waltke)

Gunkel demonstrated that Micah 7:7ff is liturgical in form and content rather than oracular. “The chapter consisted of psalm-like material...” (Childs)

Style

“It appears to be a loosely arranged series of speeches.” (Chisholm)

“The power of his message and the appeal of his courage are both verified and buttressed by his personal absorption into the message he proclaimed.” (Bullock)

“The book's somewhat jerkiness of style is due to his binding together of formerly independent oracles into this coherent whole.” (Waltke)

“His is the tongue of the common man, his imagery that of everyday life...underlying the whole of Micah's prophecies is a pastoral tone...Micah's language and subject matter are often presented in a rich kaleidoscope of literary features.” (DBI)

“forceful descriptive style which is evident in each chapter of the prophecy, and the consistent revelation of divine judgment, compassion, and hope.” (Harrison)

Main Themes

“Micah stressed the essential righteousness and morality of the divine nature. He was concerned also to point out that these qualities had pressing ethical implications for the life of the individual and the community alike.” (Harrison)

“Needless to say, no general consensus of the book's form or function appears in sight.” (Childs)

Judah's sin, coming punishment, and eventual restoration. (Chisholm)

“The people's merited judgment is to be succeeded by salvation, and Israel is to be a theocracy wherein is revealed God's greatness.” (Allen)

“Micah announced doom and wailed over the fact that he had to do so.” (Bullock)

“Micah's oracles of reproach/doom are based on the Sinaitic covenant, whereby Israel obligated itself to keep that covenant's stipulations.” (Waltke)

Major Divisions

Two major parts: 1:2-5:15 and 6:1-7:20 (Mays)

Chapters 1-3; 4-5; and 6-7 (Andersen and Freedman, Clark)

1:2-2:13; 3:1-5:15; and 6:1-7:20 (Allen, Waltke, Mobley, F.L. Smith)

1:1-16; 2:1-3:12; 4:1-5:15; 6:1-16; and 7:1-20 (Archer)

Harrison proposes a table of contents with seven sections.

Vawter divides it into 21 small divisions.

“Commentators vary considerably in their attempts to beak Micah down into satisfactory subsections.” (McConville)

Structure

“Most commentators have observed that a pattern of threat/promise characterizes the plan of the book.” He proposes a structure in which there are six such repetitions in the book. (Bullock)

“The book of Micah gives every evidence of being arranged in a clear pattern of alternating sections of judgment and salvation.” (Childs)

“The Book of Micah has no overarching macrostructure.” (Chisholm)

Andersen and Freedman cite studies which have reviewed the dozens of proposals regarding the book's organization. They conclude, “No consensus has emerged, but that does not mean that all the work has been futile. On the contrary, it rewards careful study. The outcomes of this research, conducted along so many different lines and from so many angles, are a treasury of valid and useful observations about the contents and connections of the book.”

“No structure of Micah is perfect or commands agreement.” (McConville)

Archer sees “a logical progression and interconnection of thought...between the successive units of the book of Micah.”

My own proposal for the overall structure, which follows existing chapter divisions, is shown below and defended in detail in my post “Micah: Introduction to the Literary Structure.”

Figure 1: The Structure of Micah

I. Cycle 1 (Micah 1-3)

A. Judgment against Samaria and Jerusalem (ch. 1)

B. The Sins of the House of Jacob (ch. 2)

C. Israel's Sinful Leaders (ch. 3)

II. The Day of Yahweh (Micah 4)

I'. Cycle 2 (Micah 5-7)

A. Judgment against the Nations (ch. 5)

B. The Sins of Yahweh's People (ch. 6)

Micah the Repentant Prophet (ch. 7)

If this is correct, it goes a long way toward demonstrating a unified plan and authorship to the book as well as locating the book's emphasis on the judgment described in Chapter 4.