Micah 1:11

Pass ye away, thou inhabitant of Saphir, having thy shame naked: the inhabitant of Zaanan came not forth in the mourning of Bethezel; he shall receive of you his standing. PASS YE AWAY - literally, 'Pass thou (feminine) away for yourselves, thou inhabitress of Saphir' - i:e., thou shalt go into captivity. INHABITANT OF SAPHIR - a village amidst the hills of Judah, between Eleutheropolis and Ascalon, called so from [ Shaapiyr (H8208)] the Hebrew word for beauty. Though thy name be beauty, which heretofore was thy characteristic, thou shall have thy "shame" made "naked." Pusey translates, 'in nakedness and shame.' This city shall be dismantled of its walls, which are the garments, as it were, of cities; its citizens also shall be hurried into captivity, with their persons exposed ...

The Prophet here addresses the cities which were on the borders of the kingdom of Israel, and through which the enemy would pass in entering the kingdom of Judah. He therefore bids the inhabitants of the city Saphir to pass over, and says, that the city would be ashamed or in a shameful manner naked. The word שפיר, _shaphir, _means splendid. He then says, “Thou art now beautiful, but the Lord will discover thy shame, so that thy nakedness shall be a shame to all, and the greatest disgrace to thyself.” There is a correspondence in the words, though not an alliteration. Hence the Prophet says, that though the city was called splendid, it would yet be deformed, so that no one would deign to look on it, at least without feeling shame. There is the same correspondence in the word Zaanan; for צעה, _tsoe, _means to transfer, as צען, _tson, _is to migrate. Hence the Prophe

8-16 The prophet laments that Israel's case is desperate; but declare it not in Gath. Gratify not those that make merry with the sins or with the sorrows of God's Israel. Roll thyself in the dust, as mourners used to do; let every house in Jerusalem become a house of Aphrah, "a house of dust." When God makes the house dust it becomes us to humble ourselves to the dust under his mighty hand. Many places should share this mourning. The names have meanings which pointed out the miseries coming upon them; thereby to awaken the people to a holy fear of Divine wrath. All refuges but Christ, must be refuges of lies to those who trust in them; other heirs will succeed to every inheritance but that of heaven; and all glory will be turned into shame, except that honour which cometh from God only. Sinners may now disregard their neighbours' sufferings, yet their turn to be punished will some come....

Verse Micah 1:11. _INHABITANT OF SAPHIR_] _Sapher, Sepphoris_, or _Sephora_, was the strongest place in Galilee. - _Calmet_. It was a city in the tribe of Judah, between Eleutheropolis and Ascalon. - _Houbigant_. _ZAANAN_] Another city in the tribe of Judah, Joshua 15:13. _BETH-EZEL_] A place near Jerusalem, Zechariah 14:5. Some think that Jerusalem itself is intended by this word....

PASS YE AWAY - (literally, Pass thou (fem.) away to or for yourselves), disregarded by God and despised by man) pass the bounds of your land into captivity. THOU INHABITANT OF SHAPHIR, HAVING THY SHAME NAKED - better, in nakedness, and shame. Shaphir (fair) was a village in Judah, between Eleutheropolis and Ashkelon (Onomasticon). There are still, in the Shephelah, two villages called Sawafir . It, once fair, should now go forth in the disgrace and dishonor with which captives were led away. THE INHABITANTS OF ZAANAN CAME NOT FORTH - Zaanan (abounding in flocks) was probably the same as Zenan of Judah, which lay in the Shephelah . It, which formerly went forth in pastoral gladness with the multitude of its flocks, shall now shrink into itself for fear. THE MOURNING OF BETH-EZEL - (literally, house of root, firmly roo

EXPOSITION VERSE 1:1-2:13 Part I. THREATENINGS AND JUDGMENTS ON ISRAEL AND JUDAH, WITH PREDICTION OF EVENTUAL DELIVERANCE. MICAH 1:1 The _inscription, _or heading of the book, conveying the prophet's authority. The word of the Lord. The expression applies to the whole contents of the book, as in Hosea 1:1 and Zephaniah 1:1. It is often used for some particular message to a prophet, as J

PASS YE AWAY, THOU INHABITANT OF SAPHIR,.... A village, according to Eusebius l, between Eleutheropolis and Ashkelon; perhaps the same with Sephoron; it is mentioned among the cities of Judah, in the Greek version of Joshua 15:48. Calmet m conjectures the prophet intends the city of Sephoris or Sephora in Galilee. Hillerus n: takes it to be the same with Parah, mentioned with Ophrah, in Joshua 18:23; so called from its ornament, neatness, beauty, and elegance, as both words signify, to which the prophet alludes: now everyone of the inhabitants of this place are called upon to prepare to go into captivity to Babylon; which would certainly be their case, though they dwelled in fine buildings, neat houses, and streets well paved. In the margin it is, "thou that dwellest fairly" o; which some understand of Samari

ANALYSIS AND ANNOTATION THE FIRST PROPHETIC MESSAGE CHAPTER 1 _ 1. The introduction (Micah 1:1) _ 2. Judgment announced (Micah 1:2) 3. The destruction of Samaria (Micah 1:6) 4. The lamentation of the prophet over the coming judgment (Micah 1:8) Micah 1:1. This introduction tells us two things. In the first place, we learn that this book contains the word of the Lord that came to Micah, the Morasthite; in the second place, we are told when Micah exercised his office. As stated in the introduction, he was contemporary with Isaiah, proba

THE DIRGE ON ISRAEL'S DOWNFALL. This is a difficult and corrupt passage, playing on the names of towns and villages which are chosen for their assonances or their ominous suggestions, in a way impossible to translate; _cf. mg._ for Aphrah and Achzib. See G. A. Smith's map for Shaphir, Mareshah, Lachish and Adullam, other sites being unknown. Tell not our sorrows to the Philistines (_cf._ 2 Samuel 1:20; Gath was probably near to Ekron) or to the Phœ nicians (reading, after LXX, in Accho, _i.e._ Ptolemais, for at all) The towns of the Shephelah are then variously pictured in their sorrows during the progress of the invader (_cf._ Isaiah 10:28); their inhabitants wallow on the ground, are led into captivity, shut up, have their city razed (Beth-ezel; text obscure) anxiously await news,

PASS YE AWAY: i.e. go into exile. SAPHIR, HAVING THY SHAME, &C. Here we have contrast. Saphir. Beautytown, with beauty shamed; now _es Suafir._ INHABITANT OF ZAANAN CAME NOT FORTH. Hebrew not gone forth hath... Zaanan. Hebrew Figure of speech _Paronomasia_ (App-6): _lo yatz'ah._.. _tz'anan =_ not gone out [to weep] hath the inhabitant of Outhouse. IN THE MOURNING... HIS STANDING. Commence. fresh sentence here; thus: "The trouble of Beth-ezel (Neighbour-town) shall be. useless neighbour". Or, "the Bystander's house will, from you, get its standing-room". HE SHALL RECEIVE, &C. : or, he will take from you its support....