Micah

Old Testament Prophets series
Major Prophets Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel Daniel Minor Prophets Hosea Amos Micah Joel Obadiah Jonah Nahum Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai Zechariah Malachi

The glorious Prophet Micah is the sixth of the Twelve Minor Prophets who lived in the late eighth century B.C., contemporary with the Prophets Isaiah, Amos, and Hosea. His name is a shortened version of Micaiah, which means Who is from God. He is remembered for his foretelling of Bethlehem as the birthplace of the Messiah in the Old Testament's Book of Micah. His feast days are celebrated on January 5 and August 14.

Life

Micah was born in the village of Moresheth. Little is known of his personal life. From his writing style he was apparently an educated man, possibly from a family of land owners. Micah witnessed the fall of the Kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C. For over fifty years, he traveled throughout the Kingdom of Judah, pointing out to the people how the Israelites had broken the covenant with God and urging the people of Judah to cast off the vices that entrapped them and seek to be as God-like in their lives as possible.

As with his personal life, little is known of Micah's death, other than that he was buried in his home town of Moresheth. His relics were discovered during the reign of the Roman Emperor Theodosius the Great in the late fourth century after Christ through a mysterious revelation received by the bishop of Eleutheropolis.

Prophecy

Micah wrote of the Messiah who was to come, foretelling his birthplace, lineage, and origin, as well as his future reign.

2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.

4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.

5 And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.

(Micah 5:2-5 (KJV))

External links

• Prophet Micah (OCA commemoration of August 14)
• Prophet Micah (OCA commemoration of January 5)
• Micah the Prophet (GOARCH)
• Micah on Wikipedia
• Micah (prophet) on Wikipedia
• Notes on Micah (PDF)