The big picture
Micah 1 opens in verse 1 with “The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 8 with “Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked: I will make a wailing like…”, and closes in verse 16 with “Make thee bald, and poll thee for thy delicate children; enlarge thy baldness as the…” Repeated or prominent terms include inhabitant, LORD, Israel, Jerusalem, Judah. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Micah · King James Version · 16Micah 1:1-8
1–8: The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of…
Micah 1:1–8 opens with “The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and…” and reaches “Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked: I will make a wailing like the…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Samaria and Judah summoned as witnesses while proud centers of worship and power face collapse, with particular weight carried by LORD, Samaria, earth.
Context that brings the passage to life
This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.
“The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah…” Naming Ahaz and Hezekiah keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth.” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.
“For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of…” The question slows the passage down. Notice who is being pressed to answer, what the question assumes, and whether the next lines provide a response.
Micah 1:1-8
King James Version1The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.
2Hear, all ye people; hearken, O earth, and all that therein is: and let the Lord GOD be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple.
3For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth.
4And the mountains shall be molten under him, and the valleys shall be cleft, as wax before the fire, and as the waters that are poured down a steep place.
5For the transgression of Jacob is all this, and for the sins of the house of Israel. What is the transgression of Jacob? is it not Samaria? and what are the high places of Judah? are they not Jerusalem?
6Therefore I will make Samaria as an heap of the field, and as plantings of a vineyard: and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will discover the foundations thereof.
7And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the hires thereof shall be burned with the fire, and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate: for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot, and they shall return to the hire of an harlot.
8Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked: I will make a wailing like the dragons, and mourning as the owls.
Micah 1:9-16
9–16: For her wound is incurable; for it is come unto Judah; he is come unto…
Micah 1:9–16 opens with “For her wound is incurable; for it is come unto Judah; he is come unto the gate of my people…” and reaches “Make thee bald, and poll thee for thy delicate children; enlarge thy baldness as the eagle; for…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Samaria and Judah summoned as witnesses while proud centers of worship and power face collapse, with particular weight carried by inhabitant, Israel, gate.
Context that brings the passage to life
“For her wound is incurable; for it is come unto Judah; he is come unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.
“Pass ye away, thou inhabitant of Saphir, having thy shame naked: the inhabitant of Zaanan came not forth in the…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.
Micah 1:9-16
King James Version9For her wound is incurable; for it is come unto Judah; he is come unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.
10Declare ye it not at Gath, weep ye not at all: in the house of Aphrah roll thyself in the dust.
11Pass ye away, thou inhabitant of Saphir, having thy shame naked: the inhabitant of Zaanan came not forth in the mourning of Beth-ezel; he shall receive of you his standing.
12For the inhabitant of Maroth waited carefully for good: but evil came down from the LORD unto the gate of Jerusalem.
13O thou inhabitant of Lachish, bind the chariot to the swift beast: she is the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion: for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee.
14Therefore shalt thou give presents to Moresheth-gath: the houses of Achzib shall be a lie to the kings of Israel.
15Yet will I bring an heir unto thee, O inhabitant of Mareshah: he shall come unto Adullam the glory of Israel.
16Make thee bald, and poll thee for thy delicate children; enlarge thy baldness as the eagle; for they are gone into captivity from thee.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Micah 1:1 begins with “The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and…”
Where the chapter turns
Micah 1:8 forms a natural hinge: “Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked: I will make a wailing like the dragons, and mourning as the owls.”
The final note
Micah 1:16 leaves the reader with “Make thee bald, and poll thee for thy delicate children; enlarge thy baldness as the eagle; for they are gone into captivity from thee.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words inhabitant, LORD, Israel, Jerusalem, Judah, Samaria help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
Who receives the image and the blessing?
Both male and female in verses 27-28. Human worth precedes achievement.
What limits human dominion?
The world belongs to its Creator and is already declared good. Compare the charge to tend and keep in 2:15.
KJV words made clear
- behold
- look, or pay close attention
- unto
- to
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
Text first
Where readers differ
The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.
The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.
Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.