Micah 1:4

1:4 The mountains will disintegrate ¹  beneath him,

and the valleys will be split in two. ² 

The mountains will melt ³  like wax in a fire,

the rocks will slide down like water cascading down a steep slope. ⁴ 

Micah 4:1

Better Days Ahead for Jerusalem

4:1 In the future ⁵  the Lord’s Temple Mount will be the most important mountain of all; ⁶ 

it will be more prominent than other hills. ⁷ 

People will stream to it.

Micah 6:1

The Lord Demands Justice, not Ritual

6:1 Listen to what the Lord says:

“Get up! Defend yourself ⁸  before the mountains! ⁹ 

Present your case before the hills!” ¹⁰ 

[1:4]  ¹ tn Or “melt” (NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). This is a figurative description of earthquakes, landslides, and collapse of the mountains, rather than some sort of volcanic activity (note the remainder of the verse).

[1:4]  ² sn The mountains will disintegrate…the valleys will be split in two. This imagery pictures an earthquake and accompanying landslide.

[1:4]  ³ tn The words “the mountains will melt” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The simile extends back to the first line of the verse.

[1:4]  ⁴ tn The words “the rocks will slide down” are supplied in the translation for clarification. This simile elaborates on the prior one and further develops the imagery of the verse’s first line.

[4:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “at the end of days.”

[4:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “will be established as the head of the mountains.”

[4:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “it will be lifted up above the hills.”

[6:1]  ⁹ tn Or “plead your case” (NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “present your plea”; NLT “state your case.”

[6:1]  ¹⁰ sn As in some ancient Near Eastern treaties, the mountains are personified as legal witnesses that will settle the dispute between God and Israel.

[6:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “let the hills hear your voice.”