Micah 1:11 KJV
Pass ye away, thou inhabitant of
(or thou that dwellest fairly in) Saphir,
having thy shame naked:
the inhabitant of Zaanan
(Or: the country of flocks)
came not forth
in the mourning of Beth–ezel;
(Or: a place near)
he shall receive of you his standing.
In other words:
You people who live in Shaphir, go on your way. Your enemies will not let you wear any clothes while they take you away. So you will be ashamed. The people who live in Zaanan will be afraid to leave their city. The people at Bethezel will cry because nobody comes to help them.
Pass ye away
Pass ye away means, you shall go into captivity
Saphir
Saphir was one of the cities by which the enemy would pass, as he came to Judah.
Saphir means “fair”. It is a village amidst the hills of Judah, between Eleutheropolis and Ascalon, but its exact location is unknown.
Saphir got its name from the Hebrew word for “beauty.”
But though her name was “beauty”, which upto now was her characteristic, she shall have her “shame” made “naked.”
This prophecy shall be fulfilled in two ways.
- The city will be dismantled of its walls, which are, as it were, the garments of the city;
- And its citizens will be hurried into captivity, with persons exposed (Isaiah 47:3, Ezekiel 16:37, Hosea 2:10).
Zaanan
Like Saphir, Zaanan was also one of the cities by which the enemy would pass, as he came to Judah.
Zaanan means “pointed”. It is a place of flocks, and it is only mentioned here in Micah 1:11.
It may be identified with Zenan (meaning “place of flocks”), in the plain country of Judah (Joshua 15:37)
The inhabitant of Zaanan came not forth
The inhabitants of Zaanan did not come forth to console the people of Beth-ezel in their mourning, because the calamity was universal; none was exempt from it (compare Jeremiah 6:25 ).
Beth-ezel
Beth–ezel means “house of narrowing” or “house on the side,” or “near.”
Maybe the same as Azal (Zechariah 14:5), near Jerusalem.
Though it was so near to Zaanan, as its name implies, Beth-ezel received no succor or sympathy from Zaanan.
He shall receive of you his standing.
He (that is the enemy) shall receive of you his sustenance
He will not depart before he has overcome you, and so you will pay for his staying
Maybe we have to understand from “Zaanan came not forth,” that they shut herself up within her walls to withstand a siege. But it was only for a time. She, too fell, like Beth-ezel
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