Micah, << MY kuh, >> Book of, is a book of the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament, named for a Hebrew prophet. Micah lived about 700 B.C., during the reign of King Hezekiah of Judah. Micah means “Who is like the Lord?”
The first part of the Book of Micah contains prophecies of punishment against Samaria and Jerusalem for the corruption of their leaders. It also includes prophecies of salvation that say Mt. Zion, the holy mountain in Jerusalem, will be the sacred center where universal peace shall one day spring. The second part of the book contains judgments focusing on the broken relationship between God and Israel, and hopeful prophecies of God reestablishing His love of His people. Famous passages include the summary of true religion (6:8) and the expectation of the Messiah from Bethlehem (5:2-5).
The contrast between Micah’s prophecies of doom and hope has led scholars to argue that the original book was a collection of speeches from the time of Hezekiah. A group of sayings was probably added later, after the Babylonian Exile, which ended in 538 B.C.
