Editing Book of Micah (section)

==Setting==
[[File:Sennacherib sling.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Assyrian people|Assyrian]] warriors armed with slings from the palace of Sennacherib, 7th century BCE]]
{{See also|Nevi'im|Prophets in Judaism}}
The opening verse identifies the prophet as "Micah of [[Maresha|Moresheth]]" (a town in southern Judah), and states that he lived during the reigns of [[Jotham]], [[Ahaz]] and [[Hezekiah]],<ref>{{bibleverse|Micah|1:1}}</ref> roughly 750–700&nbsp;BCE.<ref name="Rogerson 2003, p. 703"/>

This corresponds to the period when, after a long period of peace, Israel, Judah, and the other nations of the region came under increasing pressure from the aggressive and rapidly expanding [[Neo-Assyrian empire]]. Between 734 and 727 [[Tiglath-Pileser III]] of Assyria conducted almost annual campaigns in [[the Levant]], reducing the [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)|Kingdom of Israel]], the [[Kingdom of Judah]] and the [[Philistines|Philistine]] cities to [[vassal]]age, receiving [[tribute]] from [[Ammon]], [[Moab]] and [[Edom]], and absorbing Damascus (the Kingdom of [[Aram-Damascus|Aram]]) into the Empire.<ref>King (1988), pp. 31–33</ref> On Tiglath-Pileser's death Israel rebelled, resulting in an Assyrian counter-attack and the [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)#Destruction of the kingdom|destruction of the capital]],{{Broken anchor|date=2024-07-31|bot=User:Cewbot/log/20201008/configuration|target_link=Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)#Destruction of the kingdom|reason= The anchor (Destruction of the kingdom) [[Special:Diff/1061590831|has been deleted]].}} [[Samaria (ancient city)|Samaria]], in 721 after a three-year siege.<ref name="Rogerson 2003, p. 703"/> Micah 1:2–7 draws on this event: Samaria, says the prophet, has been destroyed by God because of its crimes of idolatry, oppression of the poor, and misuse of power.<ref name="Rogerson 2003, p. 703"/> The Assyrian attacks on Israel (the northern kingdom) led to an influx of refugees into Judah, which would have increased social stresses, while at the same time the authorities in Jerusalem had to invest huge amounts in tribute and defense.<ref name="King 1988, p. 27"/>

When the Assyrians attacked Judah in 701 they did so via the Philistine coast and the [[Shephelah]], the border region which included Micah's village of Moresheth, as well as [[Lachish]], Judah's second largest city. This in turn forms the background to verses 1:8–16, in which Micah warns the towns of the coming disaster (Lachish is singled out for special mention, accused of the corrupt practices of both Samaria and Jerusalem). In verses 2:1–5 he denounces the appropriation of land and houses, which might simply be the greed of the wealthy and powerful, or possibly the result of the militarizing of the area in preparation for the Assyrian attack.<ref name="Rogerson704"/>