A COMMENTARY ON THE BOOK
OF MICAH.
A. CHAPTERS 1-3.
§ I. The Superscription (i^).
This states the authority of the utterance and the author's name
and clan, together with the period of his activity and the subject-
matter of his writings.
I. The word of Yahweh] This term is usually employed for
the work of the prophet. V. B..^", 201 /.. — Which came unto]
This use of the verb is common in prophetic utterance: in the
superscriptions of Ho., Jo., Jon., Zp., Hg., Zc, Je., and also Hg.
2I. 10. 20 2c. i7 48 510 ^4. 8 gi jg 28*^ 38^ and exceedingly common in
the books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel. It is part of a larger usage
representing the meaning come into existence, become. Cf. Gn. i^
and Mi. 7*, where it is parallel to S12-— Mica/z] Little is knovra
of the life of this prophet, except that he was of rustic origin,
preached in the days of Hezekiah and made so profound an impres-
sion as to be still remembered in the days of Jeremiah, nearly a cen-
tury later (Je. 26^^). — The Morashtite] Of the eight men named
Micah, or Micaiah, in the Old Testament, the two leading ones are
the Micah of our book and Micaiah ben Imlah (i K. 22^ ^•), a con-
temporary of Ahab.* The appellation of Morashtite, distinguishing
the former and occurring only here and in Je. 26^^, is a gentilic
adjective derived from the name Moresheth (i"), which in all prob-
ability w^as the prophet's home. — In the days of Jotham, Ahaz,
Hezekiah, kings of Judah] A later addition,! for the substantial
truth of which evidence is furnished by Je. 26^®; but no sufficient
grounds exist for believing Micah to have prophesied in the days
of Jotham. — Which he perceived] This emphasises the character
♦ V. H.^", Iv, Ivi. t V. ».; and Introduction, § 3.
30
I' 31
of the prophet's message as a divine revelation . — Concerning Sa-
maria and Jerusalem] An accurate summary of the contents of
Micah's prophecies, whether the destruction of Samaria spoken of
in i^'^ be already past or yet to come.
The superscription seems to be of Judean origin, since no mention is
made of the contemporary kings of Israel. But it cannot in its present
form be credited to Micah himself, for none of the contents of the book
can be assigned to so early a date as the reign of Jotham; the use of nrn
in the sense of "utter" or "announce" is a sign of late origin {cf.
H.'^", 4; Hoffman, ZAW., Ill, 95); and the latter part of the superscrip-
tion is similar to the editorial additions in Ho. i'. Is. i". The original
legend, therefore, was. The word of Yahweh which came to Micah, the
Morashtite (so We., Now., Marti, Du.; cf. Che., in CB.).
1. n^mcx nin> n^-i] (&,andthewordof the Lord came {so '2., Q,K), a. ivte
rendering, rather than a different text; Jonah is the only prophetic book
beginning '1 "i3i 'Hm, though isolated oracles are not infrequently so in-
troduced, e. g., Je. I* Ez. 3'5. Some codd. of ® (87, 91, 228 and ^") re-
produce M literally. — nj^s] The interpretation of this name as mean-
ing. Who is like {this child)? (Gray, Hebr. Prop. Names, 157; cf.
ND's, 2 S. 9'2), is hardly probable, for such a name leaves too much to be
supplied by the imagination. It is better taken as a shorter form of
n;rs (so Kt., Je. 26'8); cf. in^o'S (2 Ch. 17') and in^j''? (i K. 228)
meaning, Who is like Yahu ? Cf. int, the form of the divine name in the
Assouan Papyri and the form v found both as prefix and as affix on the
ostraca recently discovered at Samaria. Analogous forms are '^N3'2,
and the Assyrian mannu-ki-ilu-rabu = who is like the great God? and
mannu-ki-Adad = who is like Adad (Gray, Hebr. Prop. Names, 157;
Fried. Delitzsch, Prol., 210). The longer and the shorter forms are
used interchangeably in the later literature. Cf. (&, Meixi^**'; Kt. and
Qr. in Je. 26182 K. 22'* and 2 Ch. 342<';and Ju. 17' •<, wherein a long form
appears, while the short form prevails in the rest of chs. 17 fi^d 18; in 17'- «
<&^ reproduces the long form of iK, 51 has the long form in v. ', but the
short in v. ■•, and (&^ B & have the short form in both verses. There is
no good reason to suppose that this equivalence does not rest upon sound
tradition. — ^ncnc] Cf. i'^ <B, Thv toO Mwpacr^et, treating it as a patro-
nymic; in Je. 26>8 (& has 6 Mwpa^trijj, several mss. omit the <r from be-
fore 6 here; this is due to the similar pronunciation of the two letters.
®, nun^*:; similarly &, mistakenly connecting it with the Mareshah of
I". — onv] 2 mss. of de R. prefix n)n>Tj7. — n'prn''] (g B 9 prefix conj.;
hence, and because asyndeton is uncommon in historical prose, Ro.
emends to 'rm; but cf. Is. i' Ho. i', where (& again inserts Kal; the fact
that the form 'rn^. occurs in Chronicles 35 times, while the shorter form
32 MICAH
is found only 5 times, likewise argues for the full form in this late super-
scription. — nii'.s] CS, iiTT^p Siv, a rendering made necessary by the literal
translation of nrn as saw. Cf. SI, which renders nrn, he prophesied. — |nc;;']
V. i. on w. 1- 5; on form, cf. Assy., Sa-me-ri-na. — a'7!:'n^] V. H.'*^", 47.
§ 2 The Doom of Israel (i^"®).
This oracle resolves itself into six strophes of four lines each,
(i) The announcement of Yahweh's appearance in judgment (v. ^).
(2) The convulsions of nature attendant upon his coming (vv. ^•
*^' ^)' (3) The occasion of this punitive manifestation is the sin
of Israel, especially as represented in the capital cities (v. ^) . (4)
Yahweh states that Samaria is to be razed to the ground because of
her sins (v. "). (5) Therefore does the prophet break forth into
inconsolable lamentation (v. ^). (6) For the destruction is irre-
mediable and will extend even to Jerusalem (v. ®) .
IJEAR ye, peoples all;
Hearken, O earth, and her fulness.
Yahweh will become a witness against you,
The Lord from his holy temple.
VEA, see! Yahweh is coming forth from his place;
He will descend upon the heights of the earth;
And the mountains wUl melt under him,
And the valleys be cloven asunder.
TTOR the transgression of Jacob is all this,
And for the sin of the house of Judah.
What is Jacob's transgression? Is it not Samaria?
And what is Judah's sin? Is it not Jerusalem?
T^HEREFORE will I turn Samaria into a field,
Into a planted vineyard;
And I will pour down her stones into the valley,
^ And lay bare her foundations.
"pOR this, let me lament and wail;
Let me go barefoot and stripped;
Let me make lamentation like the jackals,
And mourning like the daughters of the desert.
"pOR her stroke is incurable.
Yea, it comes even to Judah;
It reaches unto the gate of my people,
Even unto Jerusalem.
The measure of this poem is trimeter, with an occasional rise to a te-
trameter or a descent to dimeter (in v. «, where the elegiac movement
appears in perfect harmony with the contents of the str.). The first three
I 33
strs. describe the coming of Yahweh and its cause; the last three set
forth the nature of the punishment and its effect. This arrangement in-
volves the retention of vv. '-^ ^ as genuine, notwithstanding the objec-
tions of Sta., Now., Marti, et al., and the excision of w. 1 •• <J- ' as later
accretions. Now. has already felt the difficulty of v. *•• <» and attempted
to remedy it by interchanging the positions of w. < •> and * : But * » and
* •> belong together; the expansion of a thought by the addition of a com-
parison is no uncommon thing {cf. y'") ; and the lines *.' â– '^ burden the
str.. The argument against v. "> lies in the fact that it breaks the close
connection between v. ^ and v. s (the lamentation of v. « is certainly not
on account of the destruction of the idols in v. ">, but because of the fall
of the city related in v. ^) ; its indulgence in detail is likewise quite out of
harmony with the swift, powerful strokes employed to sketch the scene
of destruction. Moreover, Micah's emphasis was not upon the iniquity
of idolatry, but upon that of crimes against the social order. It is not
likely, therefore, that he would make idolatry the sole cause of the threat-
ened disaster, as is done if v. ' be retained. The two great cities are here
singled out for denunciation; but idolatry was no more rampant in the
city than in the countr)\ These facts, together with the marked varia-
tion from the strophic norm of the context, in that it constitutes a five-line
strophe, make the case against v. ' conclusive (so also Marti, Now.^,
Siev., Gu.). Objections against w. «-5» were first formulated by Sta.,
ZAW., XXIII, 163. They are (i) that here the judgment is directed
against the heathen, with whom Micah has no concern; (2) that the con-
nection of this world-judgment with the impending calamity of Israel is
a thought characteristic of later times; (3) that the conception of Yahweh
as abiding in the heavens is of late origin; and (4) that in vv.^-* the
movement is trimeter, while in vv. ^^- the Qtna-rhythm prevails. But
it is by no means so certain that the prophetic eschatology took on its
universalistic colouring only in later times. The first two chapters of
Amos seem to indicate an early connection between Yahweh's judgment
of Israel and a more or less widely extended world-catastrophe. Cf.
also Gressmann, Der Ursprung d. isr.-jud. Eschatologie (1905), 144 /••
There was certainly nothing in the eighth-century idea of God that pre-
vented attributing to him activities of world-wide scope. Cf. Am. 9'
and Gn. i-ii. The belief that Yahweh enthrones himself in the heav-
ens cannot legitimately be made of late origin (contra Kau., DB., V,
646) in view of the theophany at Sinai (Ex. 19"- â– ' = J); of the occur-
rence of the tide ' God of the heavens' in the indubitably early passage
Gn. 24' (J); of the parallel tide ]v^-; in Nu. 24", an equally early pas-
sage; and of the mention of a Phcenician deity, Baal-samen, in a contract
between Esarhaddon (681-668) and the king of Tyre (v. KAT.^, 357).
The change of rhythm in w. * 'â– does not necessarily involve a change of
authorship {cf. Siev., who constructs a separate oracle in Qina-rhythm of
34 incAH
w. 5- '-8); similar changes occur elsewhere within a poem, e. g., 2' 4".
Furthermore, the omission of w. ^ * » leaves the opening of the oracle
abrupt and brusque to a degree not paralleled elsewhere in Mi. 1-3.
2. aSa] (S, \6yovs = Aram., zi^'ic, a familiar term to the translators; D
and D were easily confused in the old script. Cf. i"" 5"- " 7^" (S, Jb. 8'
(where 'nn ^3 = 'dhd), Zc. 2>» (where M, y^^x^ = (&, 'iK?) and Mai.
I'o (where US "'D = (S ^r). The conjecture of Ry. that (g originally
read X6701/S Trd»'Tas is without any support and is unnecessary. & all of
yoM(soDu.); but in Jb. i7'og> makes the same change. iH is substanti-
ated by I K. 2228bj a verbatim quotation of this phrase. — ■'3'C'pn] In codd.
Kenn. 30, 96, 224, ia — ; in the same codd. and in 4, loi, 145, 150 {cf.
ft &1I) 'pni; but both of these variations are due to scribal correction.
— hnS;:!] (g freely, and all who are in it; B with her fulness. — nin' ijtn]
Om. 'n with d^ and A; it is superfluous to the metre, and is either a gloss
on run'' or a dittog. from the following line (so also Marti, Now.*^, Siev.,
Stk., Du.. — ijjS] (B, etj fj-aprvpiov, abstract for concrete.— 3 . itii] Om. with
05, as a dittog. of ttii; this also improves the rhythm; Siev., Hpt. om. n^
instead. Du. om. either. — 4. 'ui iDCji] CI, transposing the vbs., and shall
be shattered the mountains under him and the valleys melted. — a^-iDj?n]
Codd. 229 (Kenn.) and 224 (de R.), m>'3jn.— 5. msBnai] Rd. nxanai, with
(5 21 (but cod. Reuchl. has pi.) and codd. 211, 1257 (de R.). 26 codd.
of Kenn. have defective writing. The sg. is required by the parallel
jrs'D, and by (6's rendering of nic3 in 1. 4 (so Ro., Taylor, We., Pont, Gu.,
OortE""-, Now., Marti, Stk., Du.). — Sn-\2"] Rd. n-iin^, because of the use
of the latter in 1. 4 (so Seb., Now., We., Pont, Gu.). A similar inter-
change of names occurs in Ho. 512- »; according to the Massora such con-
fusion of names was not infrequent {v. the citation in Seb. 46, note 3). —
>?:] Seb. and We., ria. — nica] Rd. nxan, with & and codd. (Kenn.)
201, 228, on margin (so Houb., Dathe, Bauer, Ro., Oort^'"-, Marti,
Hal., Siev., Stk., Gu., Du.). Cf. (S, v anapria otKov; so ®, S.
For a similar insertion of n^3 by (g, see many codd. HP., which insert
it in V. 6° before 2py\ mc3 is a gloss which succeeded in displacing
the original text; it is impossible because the answer Jerusalem does
not fit; nor was Jerusalem noted for high-places, the temple tak-
ing their place; the parallelism is against it; the sin of Judah as
Micah saw it consisted in oppression, murder, etc., rather than in
worshipping on the high-places; and the Vrss. all testify against M.
Kue., no PNCn (so H. P. Smith, Seb., Taylor, Elh., Pont, Gr., Gu.,
GASm., Now., We.).— 6. rn^-n >yS] Rd. n-ir^, omitting '•>>' (so Marti,
Siev., Gu.) as a gloss. ®, e^s 6irupo<pv\6.Kiov Aypov; &, for a house of the
country, the field, connecting mrn with the following instead of the pre-
ceding context. We., 'en ijj^S (cf. 3'^ Ez. 21^; so Now.), or 'n n^pS {cf.
I S. 27S). Hi., V n;j?S, connecting ri-\2' with following words {cf &); but
n^; would be a7r,. — ^i'^] Rd. nuS with 6 codd. (Kenn.); ft lost through
1" 35
haplo.. (8, els x<^°^- T?» quasi acervum lapidum in agro. Gr. 'n SjS —
7. iri3'] (8, /caTaK6i/'oi;(Tt, an active form with indefinite subject, equivalent
to the passive. Cf. French on, German man (so Ry., contra Bauer, Jus.,
Hi., Vol., who posit a different pointing for M) . — n^ jjpn] ?C, locaiiones. We.
nnu'N (so Oort^""- , Marti, Gu.), but this would require a fem. form of the
vb. (Hal.). Hal. n^jon. — nxjp] Rd., with & ® B, •ixai';; to conform with
in3> and requirements of grammar (so Dathe, Ew., Taylor, Elh., We.,
Pont, Gr., GASm., Now., Hal., Marti, Siev., Gu., Du.). Cf. (B, crwriyayev.
— 8. 05 places all vbs. in 3d pers. sg., g" in 2d pers. sg. fem., 21 in 3d pers.
pi. masc. — hoS^n] Qr. and some codd. of Kenn. n^SN.— SS''^] Qr. and 31
codd. (Kenn.) SSiC*. — ncps] (B\ irotijcreTai Kal ■rron^a'aiTe. — a'jna] (S, ws
SpaK6vTcov; so 10. Aq., creip-^vuiv. 6, "KeSfTuv. #, a jackal. Cod. 96
(Kenn.) ^jn^. — njp> nua] (§, Ovyar^pwv creLpiivuiv; so f^. — 9. n!:'ijN] ®,
KaTeKpdrtjcrev; S 9, ^lata; B, desperata. — n^niDo] Rd. nnjD, with ^, yj
TrXi^yri avTTJs, and in agreement with the sg. of the vbs. ; so & 13 3 and 7
codd. of de R. and i cod. of Kenn. (so We., Gr., GASm., Now., Marti,
Hal., Siev., Stk., van H., Marg., Gu.). Du. n; n?n.— yjj] Rd. nj.'jj, with *
JT, in conformity with demands of grammar (so Taylor, We., Now., Marti,
Hal., Siev., Stk., van H., Marg., Gu., Du.). Elh. yjj.— DSB'n>-iy] We.,
Now., Stk., om. as gloss. Marti, 'i^ inj;.
Str. I contains the call for attention. — 2. Hear ye, peoples all]
The prophet addresses the nations of the earth,* rather than the
tribes of Israel f (although D'^tsy is sometimes used of the tribes; cf.
Gn. 49^" Dt. 32^ 33^ Zc. 11^" Ho. 10"), as appears from the parallel
expression, O earth and her fulness] which always designates the
world as a whole and never any special portion. Cf. Dt. 33*^ Ps.
24*. The nations are summoned not as witnesses (cf. Am. 3^ Dt.
^26 2q19 Is j2)^ but as vitally interested auditors whom it behooves
to consider diligently what they hear, for Israel's case is part and
parcel of the world's case. The logical object of the verbs hear and
hearken is the whole of the succeeding oracle, beginning, Yahweh
will become a witness against you] Not among you,X for Micah
certainly would not conceive of Yahweh as a fellow-witness with
the heathen of Israel's calamities; but rather of these calamities as
bringing home to their consciences a condemning sense of their own
guilt and a warning to flee from the coming wrath; i. e., Yahweh
through his punishment of Israel will testify against the nations,
* So Rosenm., Ew., Ke., Casp., Hd., Pu., Or., Che., We., GASm., Now., Marti,
t So Ki., Hi., Stei., Hal.. t So GASm..
36 MICAH
who are even more gmlty.— His holy temple] i. e., his dwelling in the
heavens,* not the temple at Jerusalem,! as the language of vy.^- *
shows. Cf. Hb. 22" Zc. 2" Is. 63^' Ps. 11'. For similar views in
early times regarding Yahweh's habitation, cf. Ex. 13^^ ^- 14^^ • ^*
jQiib. 18. 20^
Str. II introduces Yahweh himself upon the scene of action. —
3. Yea, see! Yahweh is coming forth from his place] The pic-
ture becomes more vivid; the judgment is on the verge of execu-
tion ! The place is the heavenly temple. Cf. Ho. 5^^ Ps. 14^ Is. I8^
— He will descend upon the heights of the earth] For the omission
of the phrase, and tread, v. s. For a similar thought, cf. Am. 4'^ (a
late passage). — 4. And the mountains will melt, etc.] The ima-
gery here is based upon the phenomena of earthquakes or volcanic
eruptions (cf. Is. 24*^ Zc. 14^ Na. i^), and is not descriptive of a
thunderstorm; the description of the rendmg of the valleys forbids
the latter interpretation. — Like wax before thefire,likewaters poured
down a declivity] A later addition {v. s.). The volcanic stream
of lava is the basis of this comparison.
Str. Ill states the cause of Yahweh's fearful wrath. — 5. For the
transgression of Jacob is all this] Jacob is here applied to the
northern kingdom, as appears from 1. 3. All this refers to the
foregoing cataclysm, not to the threats of v. ®. — And for the sin of
the house ofJudah] The prophet couples Israel and Judah in the
bonds of iniquity. The coming punishment will include both.
qy_ v\\ ^- ^ — What is Jacob's transgression? Is it not Samaria?]
The name of the capital, tne centre of the nation's corrupt and li-
centious life, sums up the offence of Israel. — And what is Judah' s
sin? Is it not Jerusalem?] The two capitals are denoimced by
the prophet of the countryside not only for their own inherent sin,
but also because they serve as sources of corruption infecting the
whole land.
Str. IV presents the climax of the oracle in the clearly marked
dirge-rhythm. The total destruction of Samaria is announced in
terrible tones. — 6. Therefore will I turn Samaria into afield] M.
ruin is not suited to the following word, field, nor to the parallel
* Theiner, Rosenm., Hi., Mau., Hd., Ke., Che., Or., Now., G.\Sm., We., Marti,
t Os., Geb., Hal., el al..
i^-' 37
phrase, a planted vineyard. Now.'s reading, the forest of the field, is
too far removed from the received text and does not quite meet the
demands of the parallelism; the itrva. forest is not elsewhere em-
ployed to denote desolation. Samaria is to become an utter waste,
a ploughed field {cf. 3'^, a vineyard in cultivation. A \ineyard is
the t}'pe of arable land less easily utilised for building purposes than
any other, because of the great labour and loss involved in the
transplanting of the vines (so Hal.). The hill of Samaria was very
fertile and well adapted to vine-culture. — And I will pour down her
stones, etc.] Cf. i K. 16-^. On the destruction of Samaria here
foretold, v. i.. A total destruction of the city such as is here de-
scribed was effected by John Hyrcanus {v. Jos., Ant., XIII, 10,
§ 3). This, however, constitutes no valid argument for transfer-
ring this section of Micah to the Maccabaean period {contra Hpt.).
7. This verse forms a five-line strophe, detaiKng the destruction
of idolatry which is to accompany the downfall of Samaria. It is
an expansion of Micah's message from the hand of a later scribe
who interpreted the fall of Samaria as a judgment upon idolatry
(y. s.). — And all her idols will he shattered] These were idols
can-ed from stone or wood; shattering demonstrates their power-
lessness. Samaria was notorious among later prophets for her
idolatry. Cf. Is. 2^" 10^° ^- 27^ ^- 30^ 31'. — Ayid all her images will
he hurnt with fire] For the rendering ifnages, v. i.. The usual
rendering, harlot-hires, is wholly imsuited here to the vb. burnt and
to the demands of the parallelism. For various attempts to escape
the difficulty by changing the text, v. s.. — And all her idols I will lay
desolate] A third word for idol appears here; Hebrew has no less
than twelve words for this conception. — For from the hire of a har-
lot they were gathered], i. e., not that the images were obtained by
means of the gains of prostitutes,* but that they were made pos-
sible through the material prosperity which the people attributed to
the favour of the Baalim (cf. Ho. 2^).t — And to a harlot's hire they
will return] If it be asked how these idols already shattered and
burned can again become hire, the answer is that we must not con-
fine a poet too strictly to prosaic fact. He eWdently here is thinking
of the use made by the heathen conqueror of the trophies of war;
* So Hal., et al.. t So We., Or., Now..
38 MICAH
these are presented to their deities in acknowledgment of their
favour in bestowal of victory, and thus are designated by the
prophet as harlot's hire.
Str. V reveals the prophet's anguish as he contemplates the fate
of the city.* — 8. For this] Not for the immediately preceding de-
struction of idols certainly, but for the destruction pictured in v. ®,
and because this destruction carries with it injury of the most seri-
ous character to the southern kingdom in which, of course, the
prophet was especially interested. Calamity to Samaria means
panic in Jerusalem. — Let me lament and wail] This dirge-hke ut-
terance, with its many terms for lamentation, is characteristically
oriental in its vigorous and concrete expression of emotion; the
repetitions secure emphasis and variety. The form in which the
vbs. are used (with H-t-) makes the lament even more tender and
plaintive. This is one of several instances in which the man as
patriot bewails most grievously the event which as prophet he is
bound to announce. Cf. Je. 9^^-. — Barefoot and stripped] Not
naked, but in the dress of one in sorrow (2 S. if) ; here and else-
where (Is. 20^"^) the reference is to a symbolic act in which the per-
son thus garbed represents a captive. f The garment discarded
was the outer cloak or tunic. Cf. Jb. 22^ Ex. 22^^ Am. 2^.— Like the
jackals] The wail of these animals is a long, piteous cry (cf Is.
13^^), and may be heard almost any night in Palestine, where the
jackal is now the most common beast of prey. — A nd mourning like
the daughters of the desert] The comparison is to the noisy, hid-
eous screech of the ostrich.
Str. VI gives the justification for the prophet's grief which lies
in the hopelessness of Samaria's outlook and in the fact that the
calamity vdll include his own city, Jerusalem. — 9. For her stroke is
inairahle] The reference is probably to the fall of Samaria in 721
B.C., together with the subsequent calamities which had befallen the
city prior to the prophet's time {v. i.), and not to any one specific
event. — Yea, it comes even to Judah] This is the burden of the
* The change of speaker (from Yahweh to the prophet) is not sufficient reason for suspecting
that V. 8 is foreign to this context {contra Gu.). The vivid style of the prophets frequently
leaps from one speaker to another without warning.
t Yet on Assyrian reliefs male captives are frequently represented as totally devoid of cloth-
ing. See, e. g., the scenes on the bronze ornaments of the gates of Balawat.
I 39
patriot's soul, his all-consuming grief. — It reaches unto the gate of
my people] Jerusalem is so designated as the seat of the central
market-place of Judah and of the highest judicial tribunal, the
natural gathering-point of Judah. — Even unto Jerusalem] The
situation in the mind of the prophet is evidently that arising out of
the campaign of Sennacherib* (v. i.), not that in connection with
Sargon's expedition against Egypt ending in the battle of Raphia
(719 B.C.) .f
The historical conditions amid which this oracle (i'-') was spoken are in
dispute; Most interpreters have assigned it to the days immediately pre-
ceding the fall of Samaria in 722-721 B.C.; so, e.g., Ew., Hi., Or., Dr.^""'-,
GASm. (725-718 B.C.), Hal., Now. (who thinks that the denunciation of
Samaria was originally uttered prior to 722 B.C., but was later in its present
form incorporated for greater effect in an oracle against Judah spoken
in connection with Sennacherib's campaign). Others place it in the
period of Sennacherib's invasion, 705-701 B.C.; so, e. g., We., Sm. {Rel.,