When was Micah written?

The prophet Micah ministered to the southern kingdom of Judah during a time when many of its kings were corrupt. Although his primary message was to Judah, Micah prophesied during the period when the northern kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrian Empire. He served in the eighth century BC and wrote the book named for him between 735 and 710 BC.

The timeframe of Micah’s ministry helps determine when he composed the book. Micah 1:1 states, “The word of the Lord that came to Micah of Moresheth during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah—the vision he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem.” Jotham ruled from about 750 to 735 BC, Ahaz from 735 to 715 BC, and Hezekiah from 715 to 686 BC. These reigns place Micah’s ministry in the second half of the eighth century BC.

Another piece of internal evidence appears at the beginning of the book. Micah prophesies, “Therefore I will make Samaria a heap of rubble, a place for planting vineyards. I will pour her stones into the valley and lay bare her foundations” (Micah 1:6). This reference to Samaria is important for dating the book because it refers to the city’s destruction as a still-future event. This suggests Micah wrote the book before the Assyrians conquered the city in 722 BC.

In addition to internal evidence within the book of Micah, the Bible provides other details that help narrow down when the prophet Micah recorded the vision God gave him. One such detail comes from Hezekiah’s reign. Jeremiah 26:18–19 quotes Micah 3:12 and affirms that Micah prophesied during Hezekiah’s reign, warning Judah of judgment.

In response to Micah’s warning, King Hezekiah humbled himself and sought the Lord. Jeremiah recounts, “Did Hezekiah king of Judah or anyone else in Judah put him to death? Did not Hezekiah fear the Lord and seek his favor? And did not the Lord relent, so that he did not bring the disaster he pronounced against them? We are about to bring a terrible disaster on ourselves!” (Jeremiah 26:19). This passage confirms that Hezekiah and Micah lived at the same time.

Micah ministered during the same period as the prophets Isaiah and Hosea. Unlike those prophets, who began prophesying during Uzziah’s reign, Micah does not mention Uzziah. This suggests his ministry began later, under King Jotham. These overlapping ministries further support the estimation that Micah wrote the book between 735 and 710 BC.

One of the most memorable aspects of Micah’s ministry is his prophecy of the Messiah. Writing centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ, he declared, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times” (Micah 5:2). Delivered during a dark period in Judah’s history, this prophecy offered a bright and sure hope to God’s people.