John Calvin Commentary Micah 1:15

"I will yet bring unto thee, O inhabitant of Mareshah, him that shall possess thee: the glory of Israel shall come even unto Adullam." — Micah 1:15 (ASV)

The Prophet here threatens his own birthplace, as he had done other cities; for, as we have stated, he came from this city. He does not now spare his own relatives: for as God is no respecter of persons, so also God’s servants ought to deal impartially with all, as if with closed eyes, so as not to be swayed either by favor or by hatred, but to follow without any change whatever the Lord commands them. We see that Micah was endowed with this spirit, for he reproved his own relatives, as he had previously reproved others.

There is a peculiar meaning in the word Mareshah, for it is derived from ירש, iresh, and it means possession. The Prophet now says, I will send to you הורש, euresh, a possessor; the word is from the same root. But he means that the Morasthites would come into the power of their enemies no less than their neighbors, about whom he had spoken before.

He says, to Adullam. This was also a city in the tribe of Judah, as is well known. But some would understand “enemy” to be implied here, and they put כבוד, cabud, in the genitive case: The enemy of the glory of Israel shall come to Adullam. However, this is strained.

Others understand the passage thus: that the glory of Israel would come to disgrace, for Adullam, we know, was a cave. Since it was an obscure place, the Prophet here, as they think, declares that the whole glory of Israel would be covered with dishonor, because the dignity and wealth in which they gloried would lose their pristine state, so that they would be no different from an ignoble cave.

If any approve of this meaning, I will not oppose them. Yet others think that the Prophet speaks ironically, and that the Assyrian is called this because the whole glory and dignity of Israel would be taken away by him. But there is no need to confine this to enemies. We may then take a simpler view and yet regard the expression as ironical—that the glory, that is, the disgrace or the devastation of Israel, would come to Adullam.

But what if we read it in apposition: He shall come to Adullam, the glory of Israel? For Adullam was not obscure, as those interpreters imagine whom I have mentioned, but it is named among the most celebrated cities after the return and restoration of the people. When, therefore, the whole country was laid waste, this city, with a few others, remained, as we read in Nehemiah 11.

It might then be that the Prophet called Adullam the glory of Israel because it was situated in a safe place, and the inhabitants thought that they were fortified by a strong defense and thus were not exposed to the violence of enemies. This meaning is also probable. However, since “the glory of Israel” may be taken ironically for calamity or reproach, if anyone prefers that interpretation, it may be followed.

I am, however, inclined to another interpretation—that the Prophet means that the enemy would come to Adullam, which was the glory of Israel, because that city was, as it were, in the recesses of Judea, so that access to it by enemies was difficult.

Some may also think that the recollection of its ancient history is revived here, for David concealed himself in its cave and used it as his fortress. No doubt, the place had attained some fame from that time. This celebrity, as I have said, may then be alluded to when Adullam is said to be the glory of Israel.