Micah 1:16

Make thee bald, and poll thee for thy delicate children; enlarge thy baldness as the eagle; for they are gone into captivity from thee. MAKE THEE BALD ... - a token of deep mourning (; ). Mourn, O land, for thy darling children. POLL THEE - shave off thy hair. ENLARGE THY BALDNESS - mourn grievously. The land is compared to a mother weeping for her children. AS THE EAGLE - the bald eagle; or the dark-winged vulture. In the moulting season all eagles are comparatively bald (cf. , "Thy youth is renewed as the eagle's"). Remarks: (1) Micah designates himself by the humble village to which he belonged, "the Morasthite." But while h...

The Prophet at length concludes that nothing remained for the people but lamentation; for the Lord had resolved to desolate and destroy the whole country. Now they were wont in mourning, as we have seen in other places, to shave and even tear off their hair: and some think that the verb קרחי, _korechi, _implies as much as though the Prophet said “Pluck, tear, pull off your hair.” When afterwards he adds רגזי, _regizi, _they refer it to shavings which is done by a razor. However this may be, the Prophet here means that the condition of the people would be so calamitous that nothing would be seen anywhere but mourning. _Make bald, _he says, _for the children of thy delicacies _(77) The Prophet here indirectly upbraids those perverse men, who after so many warnings had not repented, with the neglect of God’s forbearance: for whence did those delicacies proc

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 1:16. _MAKE THEE BALD_] _Cutting off the hair_ was a sign of great distress, and was practised on the death of near relatives; see Amos 8:10. The desolation should be so great that Israel should feel it to her utmost extent; and the _mourning_ should be like that of a mother for the death of her most delicate children. _ENLARGE THY BALDNESS AS THE EAGLE_] Referring to the _mounting_ of this bird, when in casting its feathers and breeding new ones, it is very sickly, and its strength wholly exhausted. _THEY ARE GONE INTO CAPTIVITY_] This is a prediction of the captivity by Shalmaneser. Samaria, the chief city, is called on to deplore it, as then fast approaching....

MAKE THEE BALD, POLL - (literally, shear thee for thy delicate children Some special ways of cutting the hair were forbidden to the Israelites, as being idolatrous customs, such as the rounding the hair in front, cutting it away from the temples , or between the eyes Deuteronomy 14:1. All shearing of the hair was not forbidden ; indeed to the Nazarite it was commanded, at the close of his vow. The removal of that chief ornament of the countenance wasa natural expression of grief, which revolts at all personal appearance. It belonged, not to idolatry, but to nature . “Thy delicate children.” The change was the more bitter for those tended and brought up delicately. Moses from the first spoke of special miseries which should fall on the tender and very delicate. “Enlarge thy baldness;” outdo in grief what others do; for the cause of thy grief is more than t

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

MAKE THEE BALD, AND POLL THEE FOR THY DELICATE CHILDREN,.... Which is said, either with respect to Mareshah, or to Adullam, or to the whole land, as Kimchi observes; rather to the latter; and that either to Israel, or to Judah, or both; the prophecy in general being concerning them both, Micah 1:1; making baldness, whether by plucking off the hair, or by shaving it, was used in token of mourning, Job 1:20; and so it is designed to express it here: the inhabitants of the land are called to lamentation and weeping for their children taken from them, whom they dearly loved, and brought up in a delicate manner. The Targum is, "pluck off thy hair, and cast it upon the children of thy delight;'' and Sanctius observes; that it was a custom with the Gentiles to cut off their hair, and cast it into the grav

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,

MAKE THEE BALD, &C. The signs of mourning. Compare Job 1:20; Isaiah 15:2; Isaiah 22:12.Jeremiah 7:29; Jeremiah 16:6; Jeremiah 47:5; Jeremiah 48:37). This is addressed to Judah. It was forbidden under the law (Deuteronomy 14:1). Judah had become as the heathen: let them mourn as the heathen....