called .llfer'aok. He shall oome, etc. ; better, Ver. 16.-§ 5. Th~ prnphet calls upon the glory of lt>ro~I ~hnll come t-0 Adullam; i.e. Zion to moum for he,· capti1Jity. Make thee the nobility (comp. Isa. v. 13) oflsrael she.II bl\ld, The Hebrew word implies "to make fly lor refo~e to snoh plaoes 1\11 tho cave of the bRCk of the head bald." Micah addressee Adu\lam. David's Mylnm (1 Sitm. xxii. l, 2). Zion as the mother of the children who are So the Yulgate. The LXX. he.s, RJ..71po11oµCa to be led into captivity. Shoving the hcnd f,.,, 'O~u:V-.aµ lj~" -/i lio{a ·dis 11,rya-rpbs 'ltrpa-/i>.., in sign of mourning seems to he.vo beon " The inheritance shnll come to Odullam, retained 118 e, tr&ditionary custom in spite of even the glory of the <litughter of Israel.'' the prohibit ion of the Law ogainet certain But Rosenmliller, Henderson, Pusey, and forms which the practice assumed (see Lev. othen; tl\ke the sentence ns in the Antl,orized xix. 27; Deut. xiv. 1 ; and for the e,ctuol Yersion, mnking "the glory of Israel" in custom, oomp. Isa. iii. 24:; Jer. vii. 29; ond the apposition with "Adnllam," an,I under- note on Amos viii. 10). Poll thee. Cut off standing by "he" the heir or enemy. One thy hair, nearly synonymous with the word knows no ree.son why Adnllam should be in the former clause. Thy delioate ohildren; honoured with the above-named title; so literally, the children of thy delights; i.e. the the rendering given above is preferable. children who are e, joy and comfort to thee, There is probably a paronomasia intenderl, the citizens of thy kingdom (comp. eh. ii. 9). "The glory of the Lord shall set (ad olam) As the eagle (nesher). The vulture is meant, for ever." The city of Adullam, hod. Aid- either Vultur perC11-0pterus, common in Egypt el-Mah, lay in the valley of Elah, ten miles and Palestine, which is bald on the front of 11 .. rth-west of Hebron, half-way between the head and neok, or more probably Vultur f,ochoh anrl Keiluh. It was of great an- jufous, the griffon vulture, whose whole head tiquity, being mentioned as the birthplace and neck are destitute or true feathers (see of Hirah, the friend of Judah (Gen. xxxviii. • Bible Erluootor,' ii. 24:7). Into captivity. 12), and one of the cities fortified by Reher Thie cannot refer exclusively to the Aesyria.n boe.m (2 Chron. xi. 7). In its neighbourhood invasion, wherein very few captives were is the celebrated cave, Mnghl et Khnreitnn, taken, but mnst look forward to the Baby- which is pointed out as the traditional hold lonian deportation in eh. iv. 10. The latter of David, and which has been carefally ex- calamity alone is parallel to the destruction plored by Mr. Tyrwhitt Drake,of the Pales- of Samaria announced in vere. 6, 7 of this tine Exploration Fnud (see Thomson,' Land chapter. 11,nd the Book,' pp. 332, etc.).
HOMILETICS. Ver. 1.-True spiritual teachers. A preface is often regarded as of comparative unimpo11auce, and many readers ignore it and pass on to the perusal of the work itself. Let not this preface to the Book of Micah be thus summarily dismissed. Every word of God is "profitable." This introductory verse is very suggestive of teachings bearing upon holy service in the caUBe of God in our own age. The Hebrew prophets were not. merely foretellers; they were also the religious educators of the pe •rile amongst whom they laboured. We are reminded here that- I. Tr:UE SPIRITUAL TEACHERS ARE ENTRUSTED WITH A REVELATION FROM Goo. Note: 1. This revelation is given in the form of words. "The word of the Lord that came to Micah." Thoughts may be communicated by utterance, actions, and in writing. In the olden time God communicated hie thoughts to Moses on the mount and to the Israelites by the living voice, and to the seers by dreams and visions. In all times be has unfolded his thoughts in actions (Ps. xix. 1, 2). To us he reveals his thoughts in the written Word. And it is just in proportion as, taught by the Divine Svirit, we enter into tLe meaning of the Word of God, and recognize in its t.eachings a message committed unto us to deliver, that we are qualified to be teachers of spiritual truth (2 Cor. v. 18, 19). 2. Tliis revelation comes to us stamped with Divine authority. "The word of the Lord." There was no tone of uncertainty abuut tlie utterances of the Hebrew seers; nothing that was speculative, theoretical, pruLleUJatir;al, iu wMt they said; nothing that could be described as the creation of their own fancy and imaginati•m. Whilst ea.eh prophet retained bis own indivi<lual peculiarities and natural gifts, so that a pleasing variety meets us in their writ.ings, t:a.eh announcement was accompanied by " Thu, ,aith the Lord." In our own day all the resource~- of sanctified. geniUB and endowment should be laid upon the altar of service to God; b~t let &11 uncertainty be dismiued.. The messenger mu~t not betray a OH, I, 1-16.] THE BOOK OF MICAIJ. 7