The Pulpit Commentary — Micah — Section 9

verse with one ides, " Zne,nan would wil- the idolatry of Jehoram (2 Chron. xxi. 6) and lingly to.ke to flight, but the sound of the Ahnziah (2 Cbron. :uii 8, 4). mourning e.t Beth-ezel (which might mean, Ver. 14.-Therefore. Bece.nae Jndah haa • the house, or pluce, o.t one'e side ') fills them adopted the evil practices of Ierael. The with deepo.ir." To.king Beth-eznl to me1m prophet here addresses ,Tadnh, and con- "Houeo of root," others would interpret, on tinues to do so to the end of the chapter. nccount of the public eorrow," The' houee of Shu.It thou give presents to Moresheth-Go.th. root' o.fforde no firm home for you." Others, The "presents" intended are parting gifts, ago.in," The lo.mentationof •The neo.r House' farewell presents. The word is used (1 will not stop neo.r it, but pass on lo other Kings ix. 16) for the dowry ~vcn to a plncee." :Beth-ezel is probably the Azal of daughter when she is married. The mean- Zech. xiv. 5, the beth being dropped, e.e is ing, therefore, is that Judah mnet rel,nquish often the case. It we.e in the neighbourhood all claim to Moresheth. The paronomasia of Jerusalem (see note on Zachariah, l.c.). is explained in two ways. As Moresheth Ver. 12.-Maroth; bitternese. Its site is may mean " possession," the prophet may unknown; but it was in the immediate be understood to say, "Thon shalt give up neighbourhood of Jerusalem. Ewald sug- possession of Gath's possession." Or the gests that it ie the same as Maarath (Josh. play of words may depend upon the simi- xv. 59), hod. Beit Ummar, six miles north of larity of sound between MfYt'esheth and Hebron. Waited carefully for good; waited, Meora.8ah, "Betrothed" (Deut. xxii. 23), expecting succour. But the better transla- "Thou shalt give dismissal (bill of divorce- tion is, writhed in anguiBh on aceount of ment) to the city once betrothed to thee." good, which they have lost, whether property Moresheth-Gath, Micah's birthplace, ia or liberty. :But evil came; jfYt' (or, becauae) placed jnst south of Beit Jibrin, or Eleu- evil is come. Unto the gate of Jerusalem theropolis, about twenty-fiYe miles from (comp. ver. 9). The prophet refers to the Gaza (see Introduction,§ II.). The addition invasion of the Assyrian kings, Sargon or of Gath to the no.me of the town is meant Sennacherib, also mentioned by Isaiah (xxiL to mark its situation as in the immediate 7), and the haughty message (Isa. xxxvi. 2). neighbourhood of that well-known city. So Ver. 13.-Le.ohish, A very strong and we have Bethlehem-Judah (Judg. xvii. 7), important city of the Caue.anitee, hod. Um A.bel-Mo.im or -Maachah (1 Kings xv. 20; Lakis, about fourteen miles north-ea.et. of 2 Chron. xvi. 4). Septuagint, Ll.wrr<1 •~a,ro• Gaza, which was captured by Sennacherib O'T<Moµ.,vovs ,.,s ,cll.T/povoµ.las r,0, "He shall after a long siege (2 Kings xviii. 14; Isa. co.nee men to be sent forth even to the xxxvi. 2; xxxvii. 8). In the British inheritance of Geth;" Vulg:ate, Dabit Museum there is a bas-relief, brought from emiuarioa super heredidatem Geth. To give Assyria, representing Sennacherib seated on shillu.chim the sense of" messengers" seems hie throne while the spoil of the city of to be unprecedented. The houses of Aohzib Lachish po.seed before him (Sayce, ' Freeh shall be a lie (achzab), a lying, deceiving Light from the Monuments,' pp. 123, 125). brook, which disappoints the hope of the :Bind the ohariot to the swift bee.at, He.mess wayfarer, like "fundus mendax" (Horat., your horses to your chariots, that ye may • Carm.,' iii. 1. 30). Septuagint, of,cous flee and escape destruction. The phrase is µ.aTalous, "vain houses;" Vnlgate, domua like the Lo.tin, currum jungere equu. The mendacii. The city shall be yielded to the paronomo.sia here lies in the sound, '' Inha- enemy and lost to the Jndreans. Achzib bitunt of Lachish, ho.mess your rekkeah" (Josh. xv. 44), hod. .A.in Kezbeh, eight miles (" runner," "courser"). "Inhabitant of north of Adullam, is probably the same as Horse-town, harness your horses." Septua- Chezib (Gen. u:xviii. 5), where Shelah, gint, ,i,&<1>os a.pp.a.Tow ,cal i,rnevdvTo,v, "a Judah's BOD by Tamar, we.s born. The kings sound of chariots and horsemen;" Vulgo.te, of Israel. " Israel" is here equivaleu t to tumultua quadrigre stuporis - renderings J uda.h, having, according to the pre,liction which the present Hebrew text does not sup- of vers. 6, 7, lost its political existe11cd port. She wo.e the beginning, eto. How (comp. 2 Chron. xxviii. 19, where A.haz is Lachish cnme to adopt the idolo.try of Isrnel, called King of Israel). o.nd how she iufectcd Judnh, we know not, Ver. 15.-Yet will I bring an heir n.nto Aoonnection between Jerusalem o.nd Lo.ohieh thee, 0 inhl'bitant of Me.reshe.h. " i\L,re- is found in the oaso of Amnzinh (2 Kings shah" sounds like Mora~hah. the Hebrew xiv. 19), but nothing boa.ring on religion is worcl for" inheritance;" so the play is, "I mentioned. The whole clause is tmnslo.ted will bring nn inheritor who shall cbiru your by Co.lmct, Keil, etc., thus : " It was the Heritage-town." The "heir·• is the As- beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion syrian king, Surgon, into whose possessiuu that the iniquities of Israel wore found in the city shall pass. Mareshah (Josh. xv. theo'' (comp. oh. vi. 16; Amos viii. B). H; 2 Chron. xiv. 9) wus near Achzib, one The particular trnnsgressions mc[lnt mny be mile south-east of Beit Jibrin, and ia 110w  THF: TIOOK OF :MTCA1J. (ml. t, 1-10.