Then 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. Then He will judgeThe phrase "Then He will judge" refers to the divine role of God as the ultimate judge over the nations. The Hebrew root for "judge" is "שָׁפַט" (shaphat), which implies not only legal judgment but also governance and leadership. In the context of Micah, this judgment is not merely punitive but restorative, aiming to bring about peace and righteousness. Historically, this reflects the hope for a messianic era where God's justice prevails over human affairs. between many peoples
This phrase emphasizes the universal scope of God's judgment. The Hebrew word for "peoples" is "עַמִּים" (amim), indicating various ethnic groups and nations. The prophetic vision here is inclusive, suggesting that God's justice transcends national boundaries and is applicable to all humanity. This aligns with the conservative Christian belief in the universality of God's kingdom. and arbitrate for strong nations far and wide
The term "arbitrate" comes from the Hebrew "תוֹכֵחַ" (tokheach), meaning to mediate or decide disputes. The phrase "strong nations" suggests that even powerful and influential countries will submit to God's authority. This reflects a future where divine wisdom guides international relations, promoting peace over conflict. The historical context of Micah's time, marked by war and political turmoil, contrasts sharply with this vision of divine arbitration. They will beat their swords into plowshares
This imagery of transformation from weapons to agricultural tools symbolizes a shift from war to peace. The Hebrew word for "swords" is "חֶרֶב" (cherev), and "plowshares" is "אִתִּים" (ittim). This transformation signifies a profound change in priorities, from destruction to cultivation, reflecting God's desire for human flourishing. Archaeologically, this imagery resonates with ancient practices where metal was repurposed, underscoring the tangible reality of this prophetic vision. and their spears into pruning hooks
Similar to the previous phrase, this transformation from "spears" (רֹמַח, romach) to "pruning hooks" (מַזְמֵרוֹת, mazmerot) further emphasizes the cessation of hostilities. Pruning hooks are tools for growth and maintenance, symbolizing care and stewardship. This reflects the conservative Christian hope for a future where resources are devoted to life-giving activities rather than warfare. Nation will no longer take up the sword against nation
This phrase envisions a time when international conflict ceases. The repetition of "nation" (גּוֹי, goy) underscores the global nature of this peace. Historically, this prophecy stands in stark contrast to the constant warfare experienced by Israel and its neighbors. The conservative Christian perspective sees this as a promise of the peace that will be fully realized in the reign of Christ. nor will they train anymore for war
The cessation of military training indicates a complete and lasting peace. The Hebrew root for "train" is "לָמַד" (lamad), which means to learn or exercise. This suggests a future where the knowledge and skills of war are obsolete. From a conservative Christian viewpoint, this aligns with the eschatological hope for a new creation where peace and righteousness dwell permanently. Persons / Places / Events 1. He (The Lord)Refers to God, who will act as the ultimate judge and arbitrator among nations. 2. Many PeoplesRepresents the diverse groups and nations that will be judged and guided by God. 3. Strong NationsIndicates powerful countries that will be subject to God's arbitration. 4. Swords into PlowsharesSymbolizes the transformation from instruments of war to tools of peace and productivity. 5. Spears into Pruning HooksFurther emphasizes the shift from conflict to cultivation and growth. Teaching Points God as the Ultimate JudgeGod’s role as the judge and arbitrator emphasizes His sovereignty and justice. Believers can trust in His righteous judgment over nations and individuals. Transformation from War to PeaceThe imagery of turning swords into plowshares encourages believers to seek peace and reconciliation in their own lives, promoting harmony over conflict. The End of WarThis prophecy assures us of a future where war will cease. Christians are called to be peacemakers, reflecting this future reality in their daily interactions. Hope in God's Future KingdomThe vision of peace provides hope and motivation for believers to live in anticipation of God's kingdom, where His perfect peace will reign. Practical PeacemakingEncourages believers to actively pursue peace in their communities, embodying the principles of God’s kingdom in their relationships and actions. Bible Study Questions 1. How does understanding God as the ultimate judge influence your perspective on current global conflicts? 2. In what ways can you personally contribute to transforming "swords into plowshares" in your community or relationships? 3. How does the promise of a future without war impact your daily life and decisions? 4. What are some practical steps you can take to be a peacemaker in your family, workplace, or church? 5. How do the themes in Micah 4:3 connect with Jesus' teachings on peace and reconciliation in the New Testament? Connections to Other Scriptures Isaiah 2:4This verse parallels Micah 4:3, reinforcing the vision of peace and the end of war, highlighting the consistency of this prophetic message. Joel 3:10Offers a contrasting image where nations prepare for war, which underscores the transformative power of God's future peace. Revelation 21:4Describes a future where God will wipe away every tear, aligning with the peace and absence of conflict depicted in Micah 4:3. | The Gospel Age | D. Thomas | Micah 4:1-4 | | A Missionary Discourse | Sketches of Four Hundred Sermons | Micah 4:1-5 | | A Vision of the Latter-Day Glories | | Micah 4:1-5 | | An Emblem of Peace | | Micah 4:1-5 | | Christianity -- its Nature, Diffusion, and Effects | Bishop H. B. Bascom, D. D. | Micah 4:1-5 | | Gaining Knowledge of God | E. B. Pusey, D. D. | Micah 4:1-5 | | International Christianity | J. Llewelyn Davies, M. A. | Micah 4:1-5 | | Mountain Top Religion | A. Maclaren, D. D. | Micah 4:1-5 | | The Established Church | John Cumming, A. M. | Micah 4:1-5 | | The Golden Age | J. H. Jowett, M. A. | Micah 4:1-5 | | The Gospel Age | Homilist | Micah 4:1-5 | | The Law of the Spirit | William R. Clark, M. A. | Micah 4:1-5 | | The Moral Grandeur of the Christian Church | J. L. Adamson. | Micah 4:1-5 | | The Promise of God Regarding. His Church | Joseph Parker, D. D. | Micah 4:1-5 | | The Saviour's Kingdom | Monday Club Sermons | Micah 4:1-5 | | The Peaceable Fruit of Righteousness | E.S. Prout | Micah 4:3, 4 |
People Eder, Jacob, MicahPlaces Babylon, Jerusalem, Mount Zion, ZionTopics Afar, Anymore, Beat, Beaten, Decide, Decision, Decisions, Disputes, Distant, Forge, Hammer, Hammered, Hooks, Judge, Judged, Learn, Lift, Lifteth, Lifting, Longer, Mighty, Nation, Nations, Peoples, Plough-blades, Ploughshares, Plowshares, Plow-shares, Pruning, Pruninghooks, Pruning-hooks, Pruning-knives, Rebuke, Render, Reprove, Ruled, Settle, Spears, Strong, Sword, Swords, Train, Vine-knives, War, WideDictionary of Bible Themes Micah 4:3 1310 God, as judge
2230 Messiah, coming of
2309 Christ, as judge
5545 spear
5583 tools
5606 warfare, nature of
5612 weapons Micah 4:1-3 2042 Christ, justice of
2565 Christ, second coming
5006 human race, destiny
7031 unity, God's goal
9155 millennium Micah 4:1-4 2378 kingdom of God, characteristics
9145 Messianic age Micah 4:1-5 4440 fig-tree Micah 4:2-3 1175 God, will of Micah 4:2-4 4209 land, spiritual aspects Micah 4:3-4 5511 safety
5942 security Library As God, So Worshipper
'... All the peoples will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.'--MICAH iv. 5 (R.V.). This is a statement of a general truth which holds good of all sorts of religion. 'To walk' is equivalent to carrying on a course of practical activity. 'The name' of a god is his manifested character. So the expression 'Walk in the name' means, to live and act according to, and with reference to, and in reliance on, the character of the worshipper's …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture"And we Will --"
The prophet Micah was struck with the energy and devotion of the heathen to their gods. He saw the grip these idols had of their votaries, how no expense was spared, no sacrifice withheld, for the sake of a filthy lie embodied in a stone or golden image. While he listened to the songs of the heathen, his heart warmed as he thought of the greatness of Jehovah, and so he cried out--"All people will walk every one in the name of his God, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and …
Thomas Champness—Broken Bread The Battle of Armageddon.
The Battle of Armageddon! What extravagant speculations have been indulged concerning it! What unscriptural theories have been entertained respecting it! To begin with; this appears from the term employed. Nowhere in the Bible do we read of "The Battle of Armageddon." The Scriptural expression is "The Battle of that great day of God Almighty" (Rev. 16:14). This Battle of the great day of God Almighty will bring the Tribulation period to a close and will witness the return of Christ to the earth to …
Arthur W. Pink—The Redeemer's Return "Is the Spirit of the Lord Straitened?"
THERE MAY BE SOME who think they can convert the world by philosophy; that they can renew the heart by eloquence; or that, by some witchcraft of ceremonies, they can regenerate the soul; but we depend wholly and simply and alone on the Spirit of God. He alone worketh all our works in us; and in going forth to our holy service we take with us no strength, and we rely upon no power, except that of the Spirit of the Most High. When Asher's foot was dipped in oil, no wonder he left a foot-mark wherever …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 37: 1891 A vision of the Latter-Day Glories
We shall not, to-day, look through all the dim vista of Zion's tribulations. We will leave the avenue of troubles and of trials through which the church has passed and is to pass, and we will come, by faith, to the last days; and may God help us while we indulge in a glorious vision of that which is to be ere long, when "the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it." The prophet saw two …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859 Place of Jesus in the History of the World.
The great event of the History of the world is the revolution by which the noblest portions of humanity have passed from the ancient religions, comprised under the vague name of Paganism, to a religion founded on the Divine Unity, the Trinity, and the Incarnation of the Son of God. It has taken nearly a thousand years to accomplish this conversion. The new religion had itself taken at least three hundred years in its formation. But the origin of the revolution in question with which we have to do …
Ernest Renan—The Life of Jesus The Redeemer's Return is Necessitated by the Declarations of Old Testament Prophecy.
It is very apparent to any one who has read thoughtfully through the Old Testament that the First Advent of our Lord did not exhaust the burden and scope of the numerous predictions which had been made concerning Him. Many of the things foretold of Israel's Messiah were not accomplished during the days when He tabernacled among men. Many of the promises found in God's Word connected with the Person of Christ, still await their ratification. While it is true that the First Advent of the Lord Jesus …
Arthur W. Pink—The Redeemer's Return In the Fifteenth Year of Tiberius Cæsar and under the Pontificate of Annas and Caiaphas - a Voice in the Wilderness
THERE is something grand, even awful, in the almost absolute silence which lies upon the thirty years between the Birth and the first Messianic Manifestation of Jesus. In a narrative like that of the Gospels, this must have been designed; and, if so, affords presumptive evidence of the authenticity of what follows, and is intended to teach, that what had preceded concerned only the inner History of Jesus, and the preparation of the Christ. At last that solemn silence was broken by an appearance, …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah The Prophet Micah.
PRELIMINARY REMARKS. Micah signifies: "Who is like Jehovah;" and by this name, the prophet is consecrated to the incomparable God, just as Hosea was to the helping God, and Nahum to the comforting God. He prophesied, according to the inscription, under Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. We are not, however, entitled, on this account, to dissever his prophecies, and to assign particular discourses to the reign of each of these kings. On the contrary, the entire collection forms only one whole. At …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament John Bunyan on the Terms of Communion and Fellowship of Christians at the Table of the Lord;
COMPRISING I. HIS CONFESSION OF FAITH, AND REASON OF HIS PRACTICE; II. DIFFERENCES ABOUT WATER BAPTISM NO BAR TO COMMUNION; AND III. PEACEABLE PRINCIPLES AND TRUE[1] ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Reader, these are extraordinary productions that will well repay an attentive perusal. It is the confession of faith of a Christian who had suffered nearly twelve years' imprisonment, under persecution for conscience sake. Shut up with his Bible, you have here the result of a prayerful study of those holy …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 A Clearing-Up Storm in the Realm
(Revelation, Chapters vi.-viii.) "God Almighty! King of nations! earth Thy footstool, heaven Thy throne! Thine the greatness, power, and glory, Thine the kingdom, Lord, alone! Life and death are in Thy keeping, and Thy will ordaineth all: From the armies of Thy heavens to an unseen insect's fall. "Reigning, guiding, all-commanding, ruling myriad worlds of light; Now exalting, now abasing, none can stay Thy hand of might! Working all things by Thy power, by the counsel of Thy will. Thou art God! …
by S. D. Gordon—Quiet Talks on the Crowned Christ of Revelation Conclusion
"Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth" (Rev. 19:6). In our Foreword to the Second Edition we acknowledge the need for preserving the balance of Truth. Two things are beyond dispute: God is Sovereign, man is responsible. In this book we have sought to expound the former; in our other works we have frequently pressed the latter. That there is real danger of over-emphasising the one and ignoring the other, we readily admit; yea, history furnishes numerous examples of cases of each. To emphasise …
Arthur W. Pink—The Sovereignty of God The Plan for the Coming of Jesus.
God's Darling, Psalms 8:5-8.--the plan for the new man--the Hebrew picture by itself--difference between God's plan and actual events--one purpose through breaking plans--the original plan--a starting point--getting inside. Fastening a Tether inside: the longest way around--the pedigree--the start. First Touches on the Canvas: the first touch, Genesis 3:15.--three groups of prediction--first group: to Abraham, Genesis 12:1-3; to Isaac, Genesis 26:1-5; to Jacob, Genesis 28:10-15; through Jacob, …
S. D. Gordon—Quiet Talks about Jesus The Quotation in Matt. Ii. 6.
Several interpreters, Paulus especially, have asserted that the interpretation of Micah which is here given, was that of the Sanhedrim only, and not of the Evangelist, who merely recorded what happened and was said. But this assertion is at once refuted when we consider the object which Matthew has in view in his entire representation of the early life of Jesus. His object in recording the early life of Jesus is not like that of Luke, viz., to communicate historical information to his readers. …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Interpretation of Prophecy.
1. The scriptural idea of prophecy is widely removed from that of human foresight and presentiment. It is that of a revelation made by the Holy Spirit respecting the future, always in the interest of God's kingdom. It is no part of the plan of prophecy to gratify vain curiosity respecting "the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power." Acts 1:7. "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God"--this is its key-note. In its form it is carefully adapted to this great end. …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible Annunciation of the Birth of Jesus.
(at Nazareth, b.c. 5.) ^C Luke I. 26-38. ^c 26 Now in the sixth month [this is the passage from which we learn that John was six months older than Jesus] the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth [Luke alone tells us where Mary lived before the birth of Jesus. That Nazareth was an unimportant town is shown by the fact that it is mentioned nowhere in the Old Testament, nor in the Talmud, nor in Josephus, who mentions two hundred four towns and cities of Galilee. The …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Micah
Micah must have been a very striking personality. Like Amos, he was a native of the country--somewhere in the neighbourhood of Gath; and he denounces with fiery earnestness the sins of the capital cities, Samaria in the northern kingdom, and Jerusalem in the southern. To him these cities seem to incarnate the sins of their respective kingdoms, i. 5; and for both ruin and desolation are predicted, i. 6, iii. 12. Micah expresses with peculiar distinctness the sense of his inspiration and the object …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Micah 4:3 NIVMicah 4:3 NLTMicah 4:3 ESVMicah 4:3 NASBMicah 4:3 KJV
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