Chapter 1 of Micha opens with a prophecy of retribution concerning Shomron and Jerusalem, and in the section before us, the prophet shifts from rebuke to lamentation. Up until now, he spoke about Shomron, and over Shomron there was nothing for him to mourn - they brought it upon themselves through their great wickedness. From here on, Micha begins to wail and lament, for the affliction has spread and crossed over to Yehudah as well. One stylistic thread will accompany us throughout these verses, as highlighted by the Malbim: the prophet employs poetic wordplay - Ophrah and afar (dust), Tza'anan and yatza'ah (went out), rechesh (steed) and Lachish, Achziv and achzav (disappointment), yoresh (heir) and Mareshah, ad-lahem and Adullam.
I Will Go Stripped and Bare - The Prophet's Lament
עַל־זֹאת אֶסְפְּדָה וְאֵילִילָה אֵילְכָה שׁוֹלָל וְעָרוֹם אֶעֱשֶׂה מִסְפֵּד כַּתַּנִּים וְאֵבֶל כִּבְנוֹת יַעֲנָה׃ - For this I will wail and howl; I will go stripped and naked; I will make a lamentation like jackals, and a mourning like ostriches.
Regarding Shomron, as we noted, the prophet felt no personal mourning or grief, but over this - yes. "I will wail and howl," to the point that I will go "stripped and naked." Sholal does not mean plunder (shalal), but rather one who is stripped of his sanity, a person driven out of his mind who forgets everything, as in the verses "He leads counselors away stripped (sholal)" (Iyov 12:17) and "The stout-hearted were stripped of their senses (eshtolelu)" (Tehillim 76:6). That is to say: I have reached the state of a man driven insane, who at times even wanders about naked.
"I will make a lamentation like jackals" - Radak explains that the cries of jackals and ostriches sound like wailing and mourning. This expression is also familiar to us from the Kinot of Tishah B'Av, where one of the responsive poems opens: "I will make a lamentation like jackals, and a mourning like ostriches."
For Her Wounds Are Incurable - Two Explanations
כִּי אֲנוּשָׁה מַכּוֹתֶיהָ כִּי־בָאָה עַד־יְהוּדָה נָגַע עַד־שַׁעַר עַמִּי עַד־יְרוּשָׁלָ͏ִם׃ - For her wound is incurable, for it has reached Yehudah; it has reached the gate of my people, up to Jerusalem.
According to the first explanation, the blow is a mortal illness, and this sickness spread from Shomron to infect Yehudah, like a contagious disease passing from place to place. Even though during the reigns of Uziyahu and Yotam there was no idolatry in Yehudah and everything was conducted with holiness, observe how the corrupting influence of Shomron managed to cling to them as well.
Yet the Malbim prefers a different explanation: "Her wounds are incurable" - the blows that Shomron struck against Yehudah were catastrophic wounds. As is well known, there was recurring tension between Shomron and Yehudah; both were Israel, yet Shomron was a separate kingdom and Yehudah a separate kingdom. The casualties were staggering: in the days of Achaz, Pekach ben Remalyahu slaughtered one hundred and twenty thousand men in Yehudah in a single day.
We cannot begin to grasp such a figure. It means wiping out an entire city. To put this into perspective: in all of Israel's wars from the founding of the modern state until today, including victims of terror, roughly twenty-three to twenty-five thousand people have been killed. Here we are speaking of one hundred and twenty thousand men of Yehudah in a single day. At the same time, the Pelishtim raided the cities of the Shephelah and the Negev of Yehudah, capturing cities and settling in them, as recounted in Divrei HaYamim II 28.
During the reigns of Uziyahu and Yotam there was peace in Yehudah; therefore, it is difficult to interpret the verse as referring to Sancheiriv, who arrived later in the days of Chizkiyahu. It is far more plausible to apply it to the era of Pekach ben Remalyahu. "For it has reached Yehudah" refers to the onslaught launched against Yehudah by Ephraim, Aram, Edom, and the Pelishtim. This assault "reached the gate of my people, up to Jerusalem" - they nearly captured it as well, though ultimately Jerusalem could not be conquered, as described in Yeshayahu chapter 7.
Tell It Not in Gat - Weeping in Silence
בְּגַת אַל־תַּגִּידוּ בָּכוֹ אַל־תִּבְכּוּ בְּבֵית לְעַפְרָה עָפָר הִתְפַּלָּשִׁי׃ - Tell it not in Gath, weep not at all; in Beth-le-aphrah roll yourself in dust.
After commanding them to make a lamentation like the jackals, he turns around and says: Be silent, do not cry out! The expression is familiar to us from David's lament in Sefer Shmuel: "Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon," out of concern "lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice." Gath was a Philistine city that Uzziah had seized from them, placing it under Judah's rule, and the Philistines were constantly looking for an opportunity to reclaim it. Therefore, "weep not at all" - do not weep aloud, lest word reach the Philistines. For if they see you weeping, it will awaken hope within them that the territories we conquered from them will return to their hands, giving them courage and strength to come and wage war, rejoicing over our downfall.
"In Beth-le-aphrah roll yourself in dust" - Beth-le-aphrah was part of the territory of Benjamin, as recorded in Yehoshua 18:23, far removed from the Philistines. There you can roll in the dust without the Philistines knowing or hearing about it. In simple terms: weep at home, do not weep outside. Here the prophet's wordplay already begins: in the place called Beth-le-aphrah, there roll in the aphar (dust).
Shaphir and Zaanan - Two Cities, Two Punishments
עִבְרִי לָכֶם יוֹשֶׁבֶת שָׁפִיר עֶרְיָה־בֹשֶׁת לֹא יָצְאָה יוֹשֶׁבֶת צַאֲנָן מִסְפַּד בֵּית הָאֵצֶל יִקַּח מִכֶּם עֶמְדָּתוֹ׃ - Pass on, you inhabitant of Shaphir, in nakedness and shame; the inhabitant of Zaanan did not come forth; the mourning of Beth-ezel shall take from you its standing place.
This verse is very difficult syntactically, and we will explain it according to the Malbim. The verse speaks of two cities. The first city, Shaphir: when the enemy arrived, they chose not to fight against him, so he stripped them all naked and spared their lives because they did not resist. Consequently, they suffered great humiliation at the hands of the arriving enemy. In contrast, the city of Zaanan had walls all around it, and when the enemy approached, they did not surrender as the people of Shaphir had done, but went out to fight. Even though the enemy killed all the residents living in the homes outside the wall, they refused to open the gates and remained barricaded inside. Therefore, when the enemy finally managed to conquer Zaanan, he was not satisfied with humiliation and plunder alone; he slaughtered everyone.
Based on this, the prophet speaks in figurative language: "Pass, nakedness and shame, to you, inhabitant of Shaphir." "Nakedness and shame" refers to exposure, which is shame itself, and the prophet depicts it as a personified, abstract entity that can be addressed and commanded. It is just as a person might turn to affliction and say: Please, affliction, move from Gath to Gaza, from Gaza to Philistia, and from Philistia to Egypt. Even though an affliction is not a person, the prophet sometimes addresses it as a figure, commanding it to pass from place to place and carry out its effect.
And so he says: You, shame, pass through Shaphir - there they will suffice with the punishment of humiliation and walk around naked. But do not go to Zaanan, for there they will not settle for mere shame; instead, everyone will be killed. "The inhabitant of Zaanan did not come forth" - she did not venture outside the wall at all. And where did she fail to go? To the "mourning of Beth-ezel" - even though all the houses adjacent to it (etzlah), surrounding the city, held a great lamentation over their dead, since the enemy had first killed those living outside, the people of Zaanan still did not go out to join the mourning, locking themselves within their walls out of terror of the enemy.
"Shall take from you its standing place" - therefore, the mourning will take its place of standing from you. That very mourning that was taking place outside will establish its dwelling inside the city, in the streets of Zaanan. There the eulogizer will stand and lament over the slain of the city, for the enemy will break through and slaughter everyone.
The Malbim also cites Rashi's commentary as a complementary approach: "Shaphir" is also an expression associated with exposure, as in "shapir ve-shilya" (the amniotic sac and placenta), indicating that the prophet describes them as suffering disgrace and shame - "Shaphir, nakedness and shame," all referring to exposed flesh and disgrace: you will be degraded naked in exposed shame. Once again, the Malbim highlights how throughout the passage the prophet employs wordplay: Aphrah and aphar (dust); "the inhabitant of Zaanan did not come forth (yatze'ah)" (this is the town of Tzenan mentioned in Yehoshua 15:37) - Zaanan and yetzi'ah (going forth); rechesh (steeds) and Lakhish; Akhziv and akhzav (a deceptive brook); yoresh (an heir) and Moreshah; ad lahem (unto them) and Adullam.
The Inhabitant of Maroth - Shattered Hope
כִּי־חָלָה לְטוֹב יוֹשֶׁבֶת מָרוֹת כִּי־יָרַד רָע מֵאֵת יְהֹוָה לְשַׁעַר יְרוּשָׁלָ͏ִם׃ - For the inhabitant of Maroth waited anxiously for good, but disaster came down from Hashem to the gate of Jerusalem.
Radak interprets chalah as an expression of pain, as in "takhil kayoledah" (writhes like a woman in childbirth), trembling and fear. He laments: that which should have been for good turned into pain and dread for the inhabitant of Maroth, and "disaster has come down from Hashem" all the way to the gates of Jerusalem.
Malbim explains the verse as a direct continuation of the previous one, resolving the question: Why did the inhabitant of Tza'anan not go out? Why did she remain locked within her city behind walls and bars rather than going out to fight? In whom did she trust to be secure within the walls? The answer: "For the inhabitant of Maroth waited for good" - chalah here is an expression of longing and hope. That inhabitant, who dwelt in a city that rebelled against Hashem's word, yearned for good - that an army would arrive from Jerusalem and help them be saved from the enemy. Out of this hope, she refused to surrender to the enemy.
And what was the reason that they were ultimately not saved, and mourning entered inside the city? "For disaster has come down from Hashem to the gate of Jerusalem" - by Divine providence, disaster befell them in Jerusalem, and they were unable to dispatch an army to the aid of the people of Tza'anan.
Harness the Chariot to the Steed - The Origin of the Sin in Lachish
רְתֹם הַמֶּרְכָּבָה לָרֶכֶשׁ יוֹשֶׁבֶת לָכִישׁ רֵאשִׁית חַטָּאת הִיא לְבַת־צִיּוֹן כִּי־בָךְ נִמְצְאוּ פִּשְׁעֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - Harness the chariot to the steed, O inhabitant of Lachish; she was the beginning of sin for the daughter of Zion, for in you were found the transgressions of Israel.
First, what is a rechesh? Malbim explains that it is not an actual horse, but a swift-footed animal. This is why we find, "the couriers who rode swift steeds and mules" - the messengers rode on a rechesh, a swift animal other than a horse, on which one travels very quickly.
And why specifically Lachish? Malbim explains: Lachish was the very first place where idol worship began. When the servants of Amatziah, king of Judah - who had begun worshiping the gods of Seir - rebelled against him, where did he flee? To Lachish. From this one learns where he thought he would find refuge: in Lachish. He reigned there for twelve years while Uzziah reigned in Jerusalem. From this it is clear that in Jerusalem people were more zealous, with Kohanim who were zealous for Hashem because he served idols, leaving him no choice but to flee to Lachish. In Lachish he was received with open arms; his idolatry did not bother them, for "kind found its kind." They too were idolaters and were willing to accept him as king for twelve years, until the people of Jerusalem finally prevailed and killed him.
And there it is written, "And they brought him on horses, and he was buried in Jerusalem." Seemingly, why does it matter what carried him? Malbim explains a wonderful insight: there is a message here. The primary object of their idolatry at that time was the sun, which they considered the queen of heaven that ruled the skies and the principal power, and they designated a form of worship for it using horses and a chariot. In several places in Scripture we find that when the sun rose, they would go out to greet it with a chariot and horses facing east; and just as the sun moves in a circuit, as described in ancient accounts, so they would go out in a chariot to meet it. As is written in II Kings: "And he removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the sun... and burned the chariots of the sun with fire" - showing that there were horses and chariots dedicated specifically to this worship.
Furthermore, worship of the sun was conducted through fire, since the sun itself is a form of fire. Amatziah therefore kept special horses in Lachish for sun worship. When the servants of Hashem prevailed and killed him, they carried his corpse upon the sun-horses as a mark of disgrace and contempt: Behold, this is what you chose for yourself; these are the horses with which you worshiped the sun, and now your corpse is laid across them, and neither they nor your worship could save you.
Malbim adds that their practice was to make these chariots out of broom wood (retamim), whose unique property is that it retains heat for a very long time. The Gemara states that one who interrupts his Torah study with idle chatter, heaven forbid, is fed glowing coals of broom wood. Why broom coals? For it is related that one of the Sages passed a certain place and saw glowing coals, and when he passed there a year later, those same coals were still glowing. They are unique coals whose combustion endures for a very long time. Therefore, they crafted the chariot from this wood, expressing the immense power of the sun that burns perpetually, thereby symbolizing the drawing of power from the sun, whose fire never goes out.
With this introduction, we can understand the verse: "Retom hamarkavah" does not mean binding or harnessing, but rather overlaying with broom wood (rothem). Just as one might say "tar the roof" to mean coating it in tar, so too "retom the chariot" means overlaying it with broom wood: cover that well-known chariot, the chariot of the sun, with wood of the broom tree. But "to the steed" (larechesh) - do not bind it to the horses designated for the sun, but specifically to the swift steed. Why? To hint to them that the steed is fleet of foot, and the impending catastrophe will be so severe that they will have to flee swiftly from the enemy, and regular horses will not be fast enough.
"She was the beginning of sin for the daughter of Zion" - Lachish was the first place in the kingdom of Judah where the sin of sun worship began, as explained earlier, for Amatziah fled there and reigned for twelve years. "For in you were found the transgressions of Israel" - "Israel" refers to the Ten Tribes, whose transgression was sun worship. As we see in Yechezkel, when Hashem took him from Babylonia, brought him to Jerusalem, and showed him in the Beis HaMikdash how the officers and dignitaries went out toward the sun, their backs to the Sanctuary of Hashem and their faces eastward, bowing down to the sun, heaven spare us. Thus sun worship existed in Jerusalem as well. And where did it originate? "For in you were found the transgressions of Israel" - from the Ten Tribes you adopted these practices, learning from them to worship the sun.
Parting Gifts for Moreshet Gat
לָכֵן תִּתְּנִי שִׁלּוּחִים עַל מוֹרֶשֶׁת גַּת בָּתֵּי אַכְזִיב לְאַכְזָב לְמַלְכֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - Therefore, you shall give parting gifts for Moreshet Gat; the houses of Achziv shall become a deception to the kings of Israel.
The Malbim explains: Gat had belonged to Israel ever since the days of King David, who took Metheg-ammah from the hand of the Philistines - that is the city of Gat, one of the Philistine cities: Ashkelon, Gat, Ashdod, and Gaza. Later, Rechavam fortified it as a fortress city, as recorded in II Chronicles. Afterwards, the Philistines returned and took it back from Israel, and Uziyahu, King of Yehudah, reconquered it from them and breached its walls.
In the days of Rechavam, the city of Moreshah was built near Gat to serve as a fortified city protecting Gat - so that if enemies sought to attack Gat, Moreshah would serve as a shield. When the wall of Gat was breached, Moreshah protected Gat so that the Philistines would not return and seize it. Because of this, it was called after it, "Moreshet Gat", meaning the city adjacent to Gat that belongs to it, as it serves as its defense.
When the Philistines raided the cities of the Shephelah (the lowlands) in the days of Achaz, they wanted to conquer Moreshet Gat, since their ultimate target was Gat, and they realized they first had to deal with Moreshah. At that very time, Pekach ben Remalyahu, king of Israel, was also fighting against Yehudah - not just a war from without, but a war from within. The people of Lachish, in order to preserve these cities, were willing to compromise with him and give him Achziv, which was adjacent to Moreshah, as recorded in Yehoshua 15:44, instead of Moreshah and Gat - provided that Moreshah, which protected Gat, remained in their hands so it would not fall to the Philistines.
According to this: "Therefore, you shall give parting gifts for Moreshet Gat" - on behalf of Moreshet Gat you will give parting gifts. And what did you give? "The houses of Achziv", in exchange for keeping Moreshet Gat in your hand. "A deception (le'achzav) to the kings of Israel" - to a man of falsehood; you gave the houses of Achziv as a gift to the kings of Israel, who are false to their word. For all the kings of Israel were wicked, unlike the kings of Yehudah, some of whom were righteous; the kings of Israel were all men of falsehood. And once again, there is a wordplay: the houses of Achziv to a king of deceit (achzav).
I Will Yet Bring an Heir to You
עֹד הַיֹּרֵשׁ אָבִי לָךְ יוֹשֶׁבֶת מָרֵשָׁה עַד־עֲדֻלָּם יָבוֹא כְּבוֹד יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - I will yet bring an heir to you, O inhabitant of Mareshah; unto Adullam the glory of Israel shall come.
The prophet says: You gained nothing by this. For the kings of Israel were like a deceptive brook and did not keep their promise. You gave them Achziv to appease them, so they would leave Mareshah and Moreshet Gat alone, and yet ultimately: "I will yet bring an heir to you, O inhabitant of Mareshah" - initially, only the Philistines wanted Mareshah, but now I will bring you an additional heir who also aspires to take Mareshah, for the kings of Israel came to take possession of it as well.
This is a well-known rule: when you surrender territory, you do not appease; you only whet the appetite. You thought that by giving him Achziv you would have peace, and suddenly it turns out that not only do the Philistines want Mareshah, but the king of Israel wants it too and is not satisfied with the Achziv you gave him. Nor will he stop there: "Unto Adullam the glory of Israel shall come" - Pekach, king of Israel, will come and reach all the way to Adullam, which was neighboring these cities, and it is recorded that Pekach took both Moreshah and Adullam from them. And who is the heir? "The glory of Israel" - the camp of Israel and its glory, they will go up to possess Adullam after possessing Mareshah.
The Radak, on the other hand, explains that the heir is the king of Assyria, for Sancheriv marched against all the fortified cities of Yehudah, and regarding this the prophet says that the king of Assyria will advance and conquer all that is yours.
Rashi cites an Aggadic Midrash in the name of Rabbi Menachem: The descendants of Eilam were originally entitled to inherit the Land of Israel, for Eilam was the firstborn of the sons of Shem, and the Land was given as an inheritance to the sons of Shem. What did the Holy One, Blessed be He, do? Out of His love for Avraham, He gave the Land as an inheritance to his descendants, the children of Arpachshad, and dispossessed Eilam. Concerning this it says, "I will yet bring an heir to you" - I will bring the well-known heir, the Kasdim (Chaldeans) and the descendants of Eilam, who hold a claim as "the heir." This is readily understood: the Land was given to us when we walk in the way of Hashem and follow in the footsteps of the Patriarchs; but if we do not continue in the ways of the Patriarchs, the Torah has already promised that the Land will spew them out. And then who comes? The original heir. For I dispossessed him and did not give him what was due to him only because of My love for the Patriarchs; if you reject the path of the Patriarchs, I will bring back that very heir to retake what was his.
Make Yourself Bald and Shear Your Hair - The Lament of the Land
קׇרְחִי וָגֹזִּי עַל־בְּנֵי תַּעֲנוּגָיִךְ הַרְחִבִי קׇרְחָתֵךְ כַּנֶּשֶׁר כִּי גָלוּ מִמֵּךְ׃ - Make yourself bald and cut off your hair for the children of your delight; broaden your baldness like an eagle, for they have gone into exile from you.
The Malbim explains: Make your head bald and shear your hair. The Radak notes that this is spoken allegorically, for the prophet is addressing the Land rather than its inhabitants. This explains the precision of the phrase "for they have gone into exile from you" - if he were speaking to the inhabitants of the Land, what would "they have gone into exile from you" mean? Rather, he is speaking to the Land: your inhabitants have gone into exile from you.
"Korkhi" (make bald) refers to plucking out hair, while "gozzi" (shear) refers to cutting with shears. Both are expressions of mourning, as a mourner would pluck and shear his hair, as it is written, "and he sheared his head" (Iyov 1:20). Thus he says to her: shear your crown and cast it down over the children of your delight - the inhabitants of the Land who have gone into exile - and mourn over their captivity.
And what is the meaning of "broaden your baldness like an eagle"? The Radak explains: the eagle flies higher than all other birds, and once every ten years it flies extremely high, reaching the upper atmosphere near the sphere of fire, and from its intense heat its wings are plucked bare and its plumage falls off. The Malbim adds that birds of prey suffer from an illness of feather loss, especially the eagle, until eventually all of its feathers fall out and it dies as a result.
The Malbim further notes a nuance in the verse: initially, "make yourself bald and shear your hair for the children of your delight" - while the pleasures are still with you. For it was through those pleasures that you sinned against Hashem; therefore, make yourself bald and shear your hair as a sign of sorrow and mourning while you still cling to all the luxuries and sins you embraced. Afterwards, "broaden your baldness... for they have gone into exile from you" - then the sorrow will grow even greater, as the pleasures themselves will go into exile and cease, leaving you with nothing but the punishment, at which point the pain becomes sevenfold greater.
In Summary:
In this section of the chapter, Michah shifts from the rebuke of Shomron to the lamentation over Yehudah: the sickness and blows that have reached the gate of Jerusalem, the instruction to weep silently so the Pelishtim will not rejoice, the fate of Shafir and Tza'anan - one in disgrace and the other in slaughter, the disappointed hope of the inhabitant of Marot for help from Jerusalem, Lakhish as the beginning of sin from which sun-worship entered the daughter of Zion, the failed compromises over Moreshet Gat and Akhziv that only whetted the enemy's appetite, and finally the call to mourn addressed to the Land itself over the exile of its children. The prophet wraps all of this in poetic wordplay, conveying a single, resonant message: calamity is not happenstance but the direct consequence of wrongdoing, and no scheme or political compromise can ever take the place of teshuvah.