Micah 1:6

Old Testament Minor Prophet ASV (1901)

What does Micah 1:6 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Therefore I will make Samaria as a heap of the field, [and] as places for planting vineyards; and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will uncover the foundations thereof.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Therefore I will make Samaria as a heap of the field, [and] as places for planting vineyards; and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will uncover the foundations thereof.
Micah 1:6 — American Standard Version

Context — Micah 1

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
6Therefore I will make Samaria as a heap of the field, [and] as places for planting vineyards; and I will pour down the stones thereof into the valley, and I will uncover the foundations thereof.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“Therefore I will make Samaria as an heap of the field, [and] as plantings of a vineyard, etc.] As a field ploughed, and laid in heaps; (see <330312> Micah 3:12); or as stones gathered out of a field, and out of a vineyard planted, and laid in a heap; so should this city become a heap of stones and rubbish, being utterly demolished; and this being done according to the will of God, and through his instigation of Shalmaneser king of Assyria to it, and by his providence succeeding his army that besieged it, is said to be done by him. With this agrees the Vulgate Latin version, “I will make Samaria as a heap of stones in a field, when a vineyard is planted;” (see <230502>Isaiah 5:2); for the…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Samaria's punishment is mentioned first, as it was to fall before Jerusalem. as an heap of the field-- (Mic 3:12). Such a heap of stones and rubbish as is gathered out of fields, to clear them (Hos 12:11). Palestine is of a soil abounding in stones, which are gathered out before the vines are planted (Isa 5:2). as plantings of a vineyard--as a place where vines are planted. Vineyards were cultivated on the sides of hills exposed to the sun. The hill on which Samaria was built by Omri, had been, doubtless, planted with vines originally; now it is to be reduced again to its original state (Kg1 16:24). pour down--dash down the stones of the city into the valley beneath. A graphic picture of the…”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Therefore - (literally, “And”) I will make Samaria as an heap of the field, and as plantings of a vineyard Jerome: “The order of the sin was the order or the punishment.” Samaria’s sins were the earliest, the most obstinate, the most unbroken, bound up with its being as a state. On it then God’s judgments should first fall. It was a crown of pride Isaiah 28:1, resting on the head of the rich valleys, out of which it rose. Its soil is still rich . “The whole is now cultivated in terraces” , “to the summits” . Probably, since the sides of hills, open to the sun, were chosen for vineyards, it had been a vineyard, before Shemer sold it to Omri 1 Kings 16:24. What it had been, that it was again…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“As an heap - As a heap of ruins. Of a vineyard - In planting vineyards, they dig up the earth, and cast it up in hillocks; so shall they make this city. Into the valley - The city was built on a high hill, and a deep valley beneath it. I will discover - I will raze the walls, fortresses, and public buildings of this city, to the very foundations. Micah 1:7”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“1:6-7 a heap of ruins: The Lord threatened to devastate his treasured cities. Assyria virtually annihilated Samaria in 724–722 BC in a horrendous three-year siege. • Samaria, like most cities, was built on a hill. Here, the stones of her walls crash into the valley below as they are violently dismantled. Ancient armies would systematically shatter city walls down to their foundation stones. • Samaria and Jerusalem were filled with carved images and sacred treasures put there by worshipers or taken as war booty. • Prostitution pictures Israel’s persistent spiritual and physical waywardness. This metaphor was regularly used by the Israelite prophets to express Israel’s abandonment of the Lord,…”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“I will make: Mic 3:12; Kg2 19:25; Isa 25:2, Isa 25:12; Jer 9:11, Jer 51:37; Hos 13:16 and I will pour: Jer 51:25; Lam 4:1; Eze 13:14; Hab 3:13; Mat 24:2 Micah 1:7”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification