A wordplay

Let us review the geography of the land of Canaan. The coastal plain stretches north to south along the western side. On the eastern side, a mountainous region about 800 meters above sea level likewise runs north to south. Between the coastal plain and the hill country lies a not very wide area called the “lowland (Shephelah).” It is a region about 400 meters above sea level. The towns mentioned in today’s passage are towns in that lowland region. That region was also Micah’s hometown. From his childhood, Micah must have visited those towns and played in their surroundings. Now those hometown towns were about to be destroyed by the Assyrian invasion (Jerusalem would barely escape destruction). There is no way his heart would not have been deeply pained. Here Micah takes up the meanings of the towns’ names and uses them to create “paronomasia (wordplay).” His purpose is to express the pain of his heart more deeply and poetically. Let us explain this by giving some examples. I can still picture the destruction that hit the city of Kobe the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake (1995). The name “Kobe” in Japanese is written as “god’s gate.” Suppose we were to express the sorrow and shock of that time in this way: “O city of Kobe, why have you become not a gate welcoming God’s blessing, but a gate inviting tragedy?” This sentence would be a word play of the name “Kobe.” In Hebrew, Micah is doing something similar.

The cities of the lowland

Today we will consider the towns from Gath to Shaphir. We will look at the rest next time.

(1) “Do not tell it in Gath, do not weep at all.” This sentence also appears in 2 Samuel 1:20. Gath was a Philistine city, and its name means “tell.” The collapse of the towns of Judah would be good news to the Philistines. Therefore, they must not announce to the enemy how serious the situation facing Judah was, lest they cause them to rejoice. (2) “At Beth-le-aphrah roll yourself in the dust in mourning.” “Beth-le-aphrah” means “house of dust.” Paraphrased, it means, “In the house of dust, roll in the dust in mourning.” It is a self-abasing expression, and all the more it conveys the depth of the prophet Micah’s sorrow. (3) “Go on your way, inhabitant of Shaphir, in shameful nakedness.” “Shaphir” means “beautiful.” Paraphrased, it means, “You who dwell in the beautifully adorned city, become naked and depart in shame.” It is a truly pictorial expression. The town had been beautifully decorated with marble and mosaic floors. Precisely because they lived in a beautiful city, the destruction of that beauty, the plundering of its wealth, and being led away naked would become an even deeper tragedy.

Do we have within us the same kind of sorrow that the prophet Micah felt? The destiny of sinners who live without knowing Christ is tragic. Let us pray with tears that revival may come to this nation and that multitudes may rise up to become children of God.