Some doubt that the Hebrew prophet Micah wrote either all or parts of the Bible book bearing his name, and have, instead, asserted that the book was written and edited sometime later, by others under his name. Why does it matter when the book of Micah was written? What difference does it make?

“I have been full of power by the Spirit of YHWH” (Micah 3:8 LSV). Micah was inspired by God through his holy Spirit to predict many things, but there are five very important predictions we’ll focus on in this article in order to prove this Bible book’s authenticity, that is, that it was written in the 700’s BCE:

!. The destruction of Samaria

2. The destruction of Jerusalem

3. The Babylonian Captivity and the return from exile

4. The birth of the Messiah, who proved to be Jesus of Nazareth 

5. The Messianic Kingdom

When Was Micah Written According To Micah?

When was Micah written? He tells us, “The word of Yahweh which came to Micah of Moresheth during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah kings of Judah. His visions about Samaria and Jerusalem” (Micah 1:1 NJB). Jotham reigned from about 750 BCE to 732 BCE, Ahaz reigned from about 732 BCE to 716 BCE, and Hezekiah reigned from about 716 BCE to about 687 BCE. Micah likely prophesied from at least late in Jotham’s reign in the mid 700’s BCE, to at least early in Hezekiah’s reign, which was circa 7oo’s to the early 600’s BCE. Notice the commentary on this verse from the Bible Hub Study Bible:

This is the word of the LORD
The phrase emphasizes divine origin, indicating that the message is not from human insight but from God Himself. This aligns with the prophetic tradition where prophets are seen as messengers of God, similar to other prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah. The authority of the message is rooted in its divine source, underscoring the seriousness and reliability of the prophecy.

that came to Micah the Moreshite
Micah is identified as a Moreshite, indicating his origin from Moresheth, a town in the Shephelah region of Judah. This geographical detail highlights his connection to the southern kingdom of Judah. Micah’s background as a rural prophet may have influenced his concern for social justice and the plight of the poor, themes prevalent in his prophecies.

in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah
This timeframe situates Micah’s ministry during the reigns of these three kings, approximately spanning 750-686 BC. Each king’s reign had distinct characteristics: Jotham was relatively righteous, Ahaz was known for idolatry and alliances with Assyria, and Hezekiah was noted for religious reforms. This historical context provides insight into the political and spiritual climate Micah addressed, with varying degrees of faithfulness and apostasy in Judah.

what he saw regarding Samaria and Jerusalem
The mention of Samaria and Jerusalem indicates the scope of Micah’s prophecy, addressing both the northern kingdom of Israel (Samaria) and the southern kingdom of Judah (Jerusalem). This dual focus reflects the divided monarchy and the shared culpability of both regions in their departure from covenant faithfulness. The prophetic vision often includes both literal and symbolic elements, with Samaria and Jerusalem representing centers of political and religious life. The judgment pronounced on these cities foreshadows the eventual fall of Samaria to Assyria in 722 BC and the later Babylonian exile of Jerusalem, highlighting the consequences of persistent sin.

Evidence From Jeremiah

Micah’s time of prophetic activity and his writing at least some of the book bearing his name is narrowed down a little more by the following:

“Some of the country’s elders rose to address the assembled people, ‘Micah of Moreshesh,’ they said, ‘who prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, had this to say to all the people of Judah, “Yahweh Sabaoth says this: Zion will become ploughland, Jerusalem a heap of rubble and the Temple Mount a wooded height.” Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him to death for this?'”—Jeremiah 26:17-19 NJB

This second witness to the time of Micah’s prophesying and writing his book, the quote in Jeremiah from Micah 3:12, above about the destruction of Jerusalem, gives stronger evidence of the time of Micah’s writing, naming Hezekiah’s reign, which was in the late 700’s and early 600’s BCE.

Manuscript and Canonical Evidence

The earliest copy of Micah in Hebrew. is found in the Qumran g manuscript 4QXII^g (4Q82) dating from the last third of the first century BCE. The earliest copy of Micah in the Greek septuagint Version (LXX) is dated to the last few centuries BCE.

“Fragments containing parts of this book in the original Biblical Hebrew were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, including 4Q82 (25 BCE);^[24][25][26] and Wadi Murabba’at Minor Prophets (75–100 CE).^[25][27]. There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BCE.”—Wikipedia

The earliest manuscripts of the Book of Jeremiah are fragments of the Greek translation, known as the Septuagint, which date back to the last few centuries BCE. These facts mean that Micah had to have been written hundreds of years earlier.

1. DESTRUCTION OF THE CITY OF SAMARIA PREDICTED

“I shall make Samaria a ruin in the open country, a place for planting vines, I shall send her stones rolling into the valley until I have laid her foundations bare. All her images will be shattered”—Micah 1:6,7 NJB

The photo above the scripture quote shows the results of the fulfillment of the prophecy of the destruction of Samaria. The city had been strategically built upon a steep “hill” (1 Kings 16:24), and well fortified, making it very difficult for attacking armies to capture. In fact, it took the powerful Assyrian empire, which had “besieged it”, about “three years” to capture it (2 Kings 17:5,6). 

The historical facts show that Micah’s prophecy was accurately fulfilled when the city of Samaria was destroyed in 722 BCE by the Neo-Assyrian Empire, led by King Sargon I.

2. Destruction of Jerusalem Predicted

“Because of you, Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem reduced to rubble, and the Mount of the temple to a forest ridge.”—Micah 3:12 NAB

Micah was inspired by God to predict the complete destruction of Jerusalem, including God’s magnificent temple. The historical fulfillment of this prophecy is recorded as follows:

“In the fifth month, on the seventeenth day of the month–it was in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon–Nebuzaradon commander of the guard . . . entered Jerusalem. He burned down the Temple of Yahweh, the royal palace and all the houses in Jerusalem. The Chaldean troops . . . demolished the walls surrounding Jerusalem”—-2 Kings 25:8-10 NJB

On the seventh day of the fifth month
This date corresponds to the Hebrew month of Av, which typically falls around July or August in the Gregorian calendar. The specific timing is significant as it marks the culmination of the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem, a pivotal event in Jewish history. The destruction of the First Temple is commemorated annually on Tisha B’Av, a day of mourning and fasting for Jews, highlighting the deep cultural and religious impact of this event.

in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign over Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar II was one of the most powerful monarchs of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, reigning from 605 to 562 BC. His nineteenth year would be around 586 BC, a date widely accepted for the fall of Jerusalem. This period was marked by Babylon’s dominance in the ancient Near East, fulfilling prophecies such as those found in Jeremiah 25:11-12, which foretold the Babylonian captivity.

3. Babylonian Captivity and Return Predicted

“Daughter of Zion . . . for now you must leave the city and camp in the open country; to Babylon you must go, and there you will be rescued; there Yahweh will rescue you from the clutches of your enemies”—Micah 4:10 NJB

The southern two-tribe kingdom of Judah was foretold to go into captivity to Babylon, and later Yahweh would rescue the Jews from this exile. One of the interesting things about this prophecy is that, “verses 9-13 predicted the Babylonian captivity in 586 BC, even before Babylon became a powerful empire” (Life Application Study Bible note).

The historical recording of the fulfillment of this prophecy is recorded as follows:

“Those who had escaped the sword he deported to Babylon, where they were enslaved by him and his descendants until the rise of the kingdom of Persia, to fulfill Yahweh’s prophecy through Jeremiah”—2 Chronicles 36:20,21 NJB

“Historically, this event occurred in 586 BC when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon besieged Jerusalem, leading to the fall of the city and the destruction of Solomon’s Temple.”—Bible Hub Study Bible

“When the seventh month came after the Israelites had been resettled in their towns, the people gathered as one person in Jerusalem”—Ezra 3:1 NJB

“The year is not specified, so it may have during Cyrus’ first year (538 B.C.) or second year (537 B.C.). The seventh month of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar occurred within the months of September/October 538 B.C., and October/November 537 B.C.”—NLT note on Ezra 3:1