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Who Was the Prophet Micah in the Bible

The name Micah, meaning "who is like Jehovah" or "who is like God," appears to refer to several distinct individuals in the Hebrew Bible [1, 2, 4, 8]. The most prominent figure bearing this name is Micah the Morasthite, one of the twelve minor prophets, whose book is the sixth in that collection [5, 7].

Micah the Morasthite prophesied during a significant period in the history of the divided monarchy, specifically in the reigns of Kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah [5, 7, 10]. This timeframe places his ministry roughly between 759 and 698 BC, though some calculations narrow it to about sixteen years, from the death of Jotham to the accession of Hezekiah (743-726 BC) [7]. He was a contemporary of other notable prophets such as Hosea, Amos, and Isaiah [5]. His hometown, Moresheth-Gath, was located in the Shephelah region of Judah, near the city of Mareshah [5, 10, 12].

Micah's prophecy, recorded in the Book of Micah, is presented as "the word of the Lord" [9, 12]. His messages often addressed both the northern kingdom of Israel (Samaria) and the southern kingdom of Judah (Jerusalem), pronouncing God's wrath against them for their sins [11]. A key theme in his prophecy is the coming judgment, particularly against Samaria and Jerusalem, with Zion being "ploughed like a field" [10, 11]. Despite these pronouncements of judgment, Micah also prophesied hope, including the coming of a ruler from Bethlehem who would shepherd Israel, a passage later understood by early Christians like Tertullian and Augustine to refer to Christ [13, 15].

Another significant figure named Micaiah (a longer form of Micah) was the son of Imlah, a prophet from Samaria who lived during the reign of King Ahab of Israel [1, 3]. In approximately 897 BC, Micaiah courageously predicted Ahab's defeat and death in a battle against Ben-hadad at Ramoth-Gilead, directly contradicting the 400 court prophets who promised victory [1, 3]. Ahab reportedly hated Micaiah because he consistently prophesied evil concerning him, rather than good [14]. This account is found in 1 Kings 22 and 2 Chronicles 18 [3]. Some scholars suggest that Micah the Morasthite may have intentionally used a similar prophetic preface to Micaiah the son of Imlah, implying a continuation of the prophetic tradition [11].

The name Micah also identifies several other individuals in the biblical record:

These various individuals named Micah or Micaiah highlight the commonality of the name in ancient Israel, while the prophet Micah the Morasthite and Micaiah the son of Imlah stand out for their significant prophetic ministries.

Sources

  1. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Micaiah — Who is like Jehovah?, the son of Imlah, a faithful prophet of Samaria (1 Kings 22:8-28). Three years after the great battle with Ben-hadad (20:29-34), Ahab proposed to Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, that they should go up against Ramoth-Gilead to do battle again with Ben-hadad. Jehoshaphat agreed, but suggested that inquiry should be first made "at the word of Jehovah." Ahab's prophets approved of the expedition; but Jehoshaphat, still dissatisfied, asked if there was no other prophet besides the four hundred that had appeared, and was informed of this Micaiah”
  2. Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Micah — (who is like God?), the same name as Micaiah. [[865]Micaiah] + An Israelite whose familiar story is preserved in the 17th and 18th chapters of Judges. Micah is evidently a devout believers in Jehovah, and yet so completely ignorant is he of the law of Jehovah that the mode which he adopts of honoring him is to make a molten and graven image, teraphim or images of domestic gods, and to set up an unauthorized priesthood, first in his own family, (Judges 17:5) and then in the person of a Levite not of the priestly line. ver. (Judges 17:12) A body of 600 Danites b”
  3. Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Micaiah — (who is like God?). Micahiah, the son of Imlah, was a prophet of Samaria, who in the last year of the reign of Ahab king of Israel predicted his defeat and death, B.C. 897. (1 Kings 22:1-35; 2 Chronicles 18:1) ...”
  4. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Micah — A shortened form of Micaiah, who is like Jehovah? (1.) A man of Mount Ephraim, whose history so far is introduced in Judg. 17, apparently for the purpose of leading to an account of the settlement of the tribe of Dan in Northern Palestine, and for the purpose also of illustrating the lawlessness of the times in which he lived (Judg. 18; 19:1-29; 21:25). (2.) The son of Merib-baal (Mephibosheth), 1 Chr. 8:34, 35. (3.) The first in rank of the priests of the family of Kohathites (1 Chr. 23:20). (4.) A descendant of Joel the Reubenite (1 Chr. 5:5). (5.) "The Mor”
  5. STEPBible TBESG “[H4320] H4320H = (H4320H) — A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Neh.12.41<BR> § Micah or Michaiah = "who is like God"<br>1) the 6th in order of the minor prophets; a native of Moresheth, he prophesied during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah of Judah, and was contemporary with the prophets Hosea, Amos, and Isaiah<br>2) father of Achbor, a man of high station in the reign of Josiah<br>3) one of the priests at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem”
  6. STEPBible TIPNR “Biblical proper name: [email protected]=H4318J — Levite living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness (refs: #A man from the tribe of Levi living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness, first mentioned at 1Ch.23.)”
  7. Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Micah, Book of — The sixth in order of the so-called minor prophets. The superscription to this book states that the prophet exercised his office in the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. If we reckon from the beginning of Jotham's reign to the end of Hezekiah's (B.C. 759-698), then he ministered for about fifty-nine years; but if we reckon from the death of Jotham to the accession of Hezekiah (B.C. 743-726), his ministry lasted only sixteen years. It has been noticed as remarkable that this book commences with the last words of another prophet, "Micaiah the son o”
  8. Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Micaiah — who is like to God?”
  9. Micah (Nonconformist/Puritan) “Matthew Henry on Micah 1:1: Here is, I. A general account of this prophet and his prophecy, Mic 1:1. This is prefixed for the satisfaction of all that read and hear the prophecy of this book, who will give the more credit to it when they know the author and his authority. 1. The prophecy is the word of the Lord; it is a divine revelation. Note, What is written in the Bible, and what is preached by the ministers of Christ according to what is written there, must be heard and received, not as the word of dying men, which we may be judges of, but as the word of the living God, which we must be ju”
  10. Jeremiah (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Jeremiah 26:18: Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah,.... Or, Micah of Maresha, as the Targum. Mareshah was a city of the tribe of Judah, Jos 15:44; the native place, of this prophet; who appears, by the following quotation, to be the same Micah that stands among the minor prophets; and who is also so called, and lived in the times of Hezekiah, Mic 1:1; and spake to all the people of Judah; very openly and publicly, and just as Jeremiah had done, Jer 26:2; saying, thus saith the Lord of hosts, Zion shall be ploughed like a field, and Jerusalem ”
  11. Micah (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Micah 1 (introduction): GOD'S WRATH AGAINST SAMARIA AND JUDAH; THE FORMER IS TO BE OVERTHROWN; SUCH JUDGMENTS IN PROSPECT CALL FOR MOURNING. (Mic. 1:1-16) all that therein is--Hebrew, "whatever fills it." Micaiah, son of Imlah, begins his prophecy similarly, "Hearken, O people, every one of you." Micah designedly uses the same preface, implying that his ministrations are a continuation of his predecessor's of the same name. Both probably had before their mind Moses' similar attestation of heaven and earth in a like case (Deu 31:28; Deu 32:1; compare Isa 1:2). Go”
  12. Micah (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Micah 1:1: The word of the Lord that came to Micah the Morasthite,.... So called, either from Mareshah, mentioned Mic 1:15; and was a city in the tribe of Judah, Jos 15:44; as the Targum, Jarchi, Kimchi, and Zacutus (i); or rather from Moresheth, from which Moreshethgath, Mic 1:14; is distinguished; which Jerom (k) says was in his time a small village in the land of Palestine, near Eleutheropolis. Some think these two cities to be one and the same; but they appear to be different from the account of Jerom (l) elsewhere. The Arabic version reads it, Micah the son of Morathi; so Cyr”
  13. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 2: Augustine — City of God, Christian Doctrine — CHAP. 30--WHAT MICAH, JONAH, AND JOEL PROPHESIED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE NEW TESTAMENT. (part 1): The prophet Micah, representing Christ under the figure of a great mountain, speaks thus: "It shall come to pass in the last days, that the manifested mountain of the Lord shall be prepared on the tops of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall hasten unto it. Many nations shall go, and shall say, Come, let us go up into the mountain of the Lord, and into the house of the God of Jacob; and He will show us Hi”
  14. 1 Kings (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on 1 Kings 22:8: Micaiah the son of Imlah - The Jews suppose that it was this prophet who reproved Ahab for dismissing Ben-hadad, Kg1 20:35, etc. And that it was because of the judgments with which he had threatened him, that Ahab hated him: I hate him, for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.”
  15. Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 4: Tertullian IV, Minucius Felix, Commodian, Origen — FROM THE LATIN. (part 1): Micah, who said, "And thou, Bethlehem, land of Judah, art by no means small among the leaden of Judah: for out of thee shall come forth a Leader, who shall rule My people Israel."[1] The weeks of years, also, which the prophet Daniel had predicted, extending to the leadership of Christ,[3] have been fulfilled. Moreover, he is at hand, who in the book of Job[4] is said to be about to destroy the huge beast, who also gave power to his own disciples to tread on serpents and scorpions, and on all the power of t”
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