Micah 5:14

“And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee, etc.] Planted for idolatrous worship, and which the Jews in the reigns of some of their kings raised, and made use of for such purposes; (see <111513>1 Kings 15:13 <111633>16:33 <111819>18:19); though contrary to the law of God, (<051621>Deuteronomy 16:21); but now there should be nothing of this kind, all idolatry being rooted out of the world. The Targum is, “I will root out the plantations of the people out of the midst of thee:” so will I destroy thy cities; which some understand of cities given to idolatry; or rather it is to be understood in the same sense as in (<330511>Micah 5:11); though by reason of that, and as something…”

“groves . . . cities--The "groves" are the idolatrous symbol of Astarte (Deu 16:21; Kg2 21:7). "Cities" being parallel to "groves," must mean cities in or near which such idolatrous groves existed. Compare "city of the house of Baal" (Kg2 10:25), that is, a portion of the city sacred to Baal.”

“I will cut off the cities of thy land - So God promised by Zechariah, “Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls; for I will be unto her a wall of fire round about” Zechariah 2:4-5. The Church shall not need the temptation of human defense; for God shall fence her in on every side. Great cities too, as the abode of luxury and sin, of power and pride, and, mostly, of cruelty, are chiefly denounced as the objects of God’s anger. Babylon stands as the emblem of the whole city of the world or of the devil, as opposed to God. Rup.: “The first city was built by Cain; Abel and the other saints heed no continuing city” Hebrews 13:14 here. Cities then will include (Rup.) “all the tumults…”

“Thy groves - The groves which they abused by idolatrous worship. Micah 5:15”

“cities: or, enemies, Mic 5:11 Micah 5:15”