Micah 4
Berean Standard Bible · Compare translations · 720 BC – 700 BC · Judah alone · Tap a verse to copy, share or highlight ·
13 verses · 439 words · ~2 min read · ~3 min listen
The Mountain of the House of the LORD
1In the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord
will be established as the chief of the mountains;
it will be raised above the hills,
and the peoples will stream to it.
2And many nations will come and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us His ways,
so that we may walk in His paths.”
For the law will go forth from Zion
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
3Then He will judge between many peoples
and arbitrate for strong nations far and wide.
Then they will beat their swords into plowshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will no longer take up the sword against nation,
nor will they train anymore for war.
4And each man will sit under his own vine
and under his own fig tree,
with no one to frighten him.
For the mouth of the Lord of Hosts has spoken.
5Though all the nations
may walk in the name of their gods,
yet we will walk in the name of the Lord our God
forever and ever.
The Restoration of Zion
6“On that day,” declares the Lord,
“I will gather the lame;
I will assemble the outcast,
even those whom I have afflicted.
7And I will make the lame into a remnant,
the outcast into a strong nation.
Then the Lord will rule over them in Mount Zion
from that day and forever.
8And you, O watchtower of the flock,
O stronghold of the Daughter of Zion—
the former dominion will be restored to you;
sovereignty will come to the Daughter of Jerusalem.”
9Why do you now cry aloud?
Is there no king among you?
Has your counselor perished
so that anguish grips you like a woman in labor?
10Writhe in agony, O Daughter of Zion,
like a woman in labor.
For now you will leave the city
and camp in the open fields.
You will go to Babylon;
there you will be rescued;
there the Lord will redeem you
from the hand of your enemies!
11But now many nations
have assembled against you,
saying, “Let her be defiled,
and let us feast our eyes on Zion.”
12But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord
or understand His plan,
for He has gathered them
like sheaves to the threshing floor.
13Rise and thresh, O Daughter of Zion,
for I will give you horns of iron
and hooves of bronze
to break to pieces many peoples.
Then you will devote their gain to the Lord,
their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.
Footnotes (2)
- a v8 Or hill; Hebrew And you, Migdal-eder, the Ophel
- b v13 Or devote to destruction
Study notes on this chapter · 1
Prophecy & fulfillmentDebated
Swords into plowshares
Isaiah and Micah picture all nations streaming to the LORD's mountain to learn his ways, beating swords into plowshares and learning war no more. Christians and Jews agree it describes God's ultimate peace, but disagree on when and how it comes about.
When: Isaiah and Micah, c. 740–700 BC.
Ways people read this (4)
- Fulfilled in part as the gospel goes out from Jerusalem to the nations (Acts 1:8; Luke 24:47) and will be completed at Christ's return.
- Fulfilled in a future earthly kingdom or millennium, with Jerusalem as a center of worship.
- A poetic picture of the age to come (the new creation), not tied to a specific earthly stage.
- Jewish tradition reads it as a messianic age of universal peace, yet to come.
Editorial note by BibleWay. Interpretations vary; dates are approximate scholarly estimates.