Micah 1:10 - Weeping and Mourning

Do not tell it in Gath;
Gath was one of the five major Philistine cities and often represented the enemies of Israel. The instruction not to tell it in Gath echoes David's lament in 2 Samuel 1:20, where he did not want the Philistines to rejoice over Israel's misfortune. This reflects a desire to keep Israel's shame and judgment from being a cause for celebration among their adversaries. The Philistines were long-standing enemies, and revealing Israel's plight to them would only add to the nation's humiliation.

do not weep at all.
This phrase suggests a stoic response to impending judgment, possibly indicating that the time for mourning has passed and that the focus should be on repentance and action. In the cultural context, public weeping was a common expression of grief, but here, the prophet calls for restraint, perhaps to avoid giving the enemies a reason to mock or to emphasize the severity of the situation that goes beyond mere lamentation.

Roll in the dust in Beth-leaphrah.
Beth-leaphrah, meaning "house of dust," is a play on words, as the inhabitants are told to roll in the dust, symbolizing mourning and humiliation. Rolling in dust was a traditional sign of deep mourning and repentance in ancient Near Eastern cultures (see Job 2:12). This act signifies the acknowledgment of sin and the acceptance of the consequences. The use of wordplay here is typical of Hebrew prophetic literature, emphasizing the message through linguistic creativity.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Micah
A prophet from Moresheth, who prophesied during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. His messages often focused on social justice and the coming judgment of God.

2. Gath
A Philistine city, one of the five major cities of the Philistines. It is significant in Israel's history as a place of conflict and enmity.

3. Beth-leaphrah
A town in Judah, whose name means "house of dust." The name is used symbolically here to indicate mourning and humiliation.

4. Judah
The southern kingdom of Israel, which is the primary audience of Micah's prophecies. Judah was facing impending judgment due to its sins.

5. Philistines
A neighboring people often at odds with Israel, representing external threats and adversaries.

Teaching Points

The Power of Silence in Times of Distress
Just as Micah advises not to tell of Judah's troubles in Gath, there are times when discretion and silence are wise to prevent further harm or shame.

Symbolic Actions Reflecting Inner Realities
Rolling in the dust in Beth-leaphrah symbolizes deep mourning and humility. Our outward actions should reflect our inner repentance and acknowledgment of sin.

The Importance of Humility Before God
The call to roll in the dust is a reminder of our need to humble ourselves before God, recognizing our dependence on His mercy and grace.

Strategic Responses to Adversity
Micah's instructions suggest a strategic response to adversity, teaching us to consider how our reactions can impact both ourselves and others.

Community and National Repentance
The collective nature of the mourning in Beth-leaphrah points to the importance of communal repentance and seeking God's forgiveness as a body of believers.

(10) Declare ye it not at Gath.--The prophet lets his lament flow after the strain of David's elegy, "Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon." In this passage the parallelism seems to require the name of a town where the English Version has "at all." But the Hebrew word thus represented may, by the addition of a letter which has dropped out of the text, be rendered "in Accho," or Ptolemais, now called Acca. The LXX. translation ?? ?? ???, ?? ??????????? ?? ?? ????, ?? (=?? ?? ???? ??), accords with this reading. The parallelism is thus maintained, and the thought is completed: "Mention not the trouble in our enemies' cities; bewail it in our own."

Verses 10-15. - 4. The judgment on Judah is exemplified by the fate of certain of its cities, whose names the prophet connects with their punishment in a series of paronomasias. Verse 10. - Declare ye it not at Gath. This phrase from David's elegy over Saul (2 Samuel 1:20) had become a proverbial saying, deprecating the malicious joy of their hostile neighbours over the misfortunes that befell them. Gath is mentioned as the seat of the Philistines, the constant and powerful enemy of Judah. (For its situation, see note on Amos 6:2.) The paronomasias in this passage, which seem to modern ears artificial and puerile, are paralleled in many writings both Hebrew and classic, and were natural to a people who looked for mystical meaning in words and names. Thus Gath is taken to signify "Tell town," and the clause is, "In Tell town tell it not." Weep ye not at all; Vulgate, lacrymis ne ploretis; i.e. "weep in silence," or "hide your tears," that the enemy may not know your grief. As in cash of the other clauses a town is mentioned, some editors would here read, "In Acco ('Weep town') weep not!" - Acco being the later Ptolemais, the modern St. Jean d'Acre, and taken here to represent another foreign city which would rejoice at Judah's misfortunes (see, Judges 1:31). The Septuagint alone of all the versions seems to countenance this reading, by translating, Οἱ Ἐνακεὶμ μὴ ἀνοικοδομεῖτε, "Ye Enakim, do not rebuild," which has been resolved into οἱ ἐν Ἀκεὶμ, supposed to be an error for οἱ ἐν Ἀχί The objections against this reading may be seen in Keil and Pusey. There is a play on the words in both these clauses (as in the following five verses), which is not seen in the English Version, begath al taggidu, and bako al tibeku. Knabenbauer imitates the paronomasia in Latin, "Cannis ne canite; Anconae ne angamini;" Ewald and Schegg in German, "In Molln meldet nicht; in Weinsberg. weinet nicht;" Reuss in French, "N'allez pas le dire a Dijon! N'allez pas pleurer a Ploermel!" In these puns, as we should call them, the prophet is far, indeed, from jesting. "He sees," says Dr. Cheyne, "like Isaiah, in Isaiah 10:30, a preordained correspondence between names and fortunes;" and he wishes to impress this on his countrymen, that the judgment may not come upon them unwarned. In the house of Aphrah; better, at Beth-le-Aphrah, i.e. "House of dust;" Vulgate, in domo pulveris. The site of Aphrah is unknown. Some identify it with Ophrah in Benjamin (Joshua 18:23), four miles northeast of Bethel; others, with Ophrah in Philistia (1 Chronicles 4:14). Host of the towns named below lie in the Shephelah. Keil notes that the word is pointed with pathach here for the sake of the paronomasia. Roll thyself in the dust; sprinkle dust upon thyself. This was a common sign of mourning (comp. 2 Samuel 13:19; Jeremiah 6:26). The Hebrew text (in contradistinction to the margin, Keri) gives, "I roll myself," or "I have besprinkled myself," the prophet identifying himself with the people. But as in all the subsequent passages, not what the prophet does, but what the inhabitants do, is the point impressed, the reading of the Keri is hem to be preferred. Vulgate, pulvere vos conspergite. The Septuagint has an inexplicable rendering, κατὰ γέλωτα γῆν καταπάσασθε, "against laughter sprinkle earth," which Brenton translates, "sprinkle dust in the place of your laughter." With this section (vers. 10-15) should be compared Isaiah 10:28-32, which describes the alarm occasioned by Sennacherib's invasion of Judah from the northeast, as Micah represents his progress to the southwest. Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

Do not
אַל־ (’al-)
Adverb
Strong's 408: Not

tell it
תַּגִּ֔ידוּ (tag·gî·ḏū)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 5046: To be conspicuous

in Gath;
בְּגַת֙ (bə·ḡaṯ)
Preposition-b | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 1661: Gath -- 'wine press', a Philistine city

do not weep
בָּכ֖וֹ (bā·ḵōw)
Verb - Qal - Infinitive absolute
Strong's 1058: To weep, to bemoan

at all.
תִּבְכּ֑וּ (tiḇ·kū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 1058: To weep, to bemoan

Roll
הִתְפַּלָּֽשִׁי׃ (hiṯ·pal·lā·šî)
Verb - Hitpael - Imperative - feminine singular
Strong's 6428: (act of mourning) perhaps to roll in

in the dust
עָפָ֖ר (‘ā·p̄ār)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6083: Dust, clay, earth, mud

in Beth-leaphrah.
לְעַפְרָ֔ה (lə·‘ap̄·rāh)
Preposition | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 1036: Beth-le-aphrah -- 'house to dust', a place in Palestine

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