Prophet Old Testament

Prophet Micah

8th century BC

Also known as Micah of Moresheth · Micaiah

One of the Twelve Minor Prophets, from Moresheth in Judah, who preached repentance and foretold Bethlehem as the birthplace of the Messiah.

Feast Day

August 14

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Commemorated as

The Holy Prophet Micah of Moresheth

Life

Micah was one of the Twelve Minor Prophets, a native of Moresheth (Moresheth-Gath), a small town in southwestern Judah. His name, a shortened form of Micaiah, carries the meaning "Who is like Yah(weh)?" He is distinguished from the earlier Micah, son of Imlah, with whom he is sometimes confused.

Active in the late eighth century BC, he prophesied during the reigns of the Judean kings Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah and was a contemporary of the prophets Isaiah, Hosea, and Amos. He witnessed the fall of the northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 BC and addressed the corruption and injustice of his day, while foretelling that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.

In his own words Read Hide

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

Micah, 6:8 · King James Version (PD)

Timeline 3 moments Read Hide

Late 8th century BC Native of Moresheth Micah was born in the village of Moresheth-Gath in southwestern Judah. His writing suggests an educated background, possibly from a family of landowners.
c. 740–698 BC Prophetic ministry He prophesied during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, contemporary with Isaiah, Hosea, and Amos, traveling throughout the Kingdom of Judah for several decades.
722 BC Fall of the Kingdom of Israel Micah witnessed the destruction of the northern Kingdom of Israel and warned that judgment would likewise come upon Samaria and Jerusalem.

Contributions & Legacy

2 contributions Read Hide

Message and Prophecy

Micah denounced dishonesty in the marketplace and corruption among rulers, calling the people to repentance and to renew the covenant they had broken. His teaching is often summarized in the charge to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God.

He is best remembered for foretelling that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), a prophecy understood in the Christian tradition as pointing to the birthplace of Christ. He is also noted as among the first to predict the downfall of Jerusalem, while promising a future restoration.

Relics & Shrines

By tradition Micah was buried in his home town of Moresheth. His relics were reported discovered in the late fourth century AD, during the reign of the Roman emperor Theodosius the Great, through a revelation received by the bishop of Eleutheropolis.

Notes

The Minor Prophet of Moresheth; distinct from Prophet Micah (son of Imlah) commemorated Jan 5.

Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints