t three chapters, but some believe that chapters four through seven come from the exile or post-exilic period. Micah's name means "who is like Yahweh," elevating him to a state of righteousness that serves his role as prophet. The reason for Micah's call to repentance is because he saw the poor burdened by the social evils of the wealthy citizens of Jerusalem and Samaria.
Micah of all the prophets is the one whose contributions have generally been the most underestimated. The writings of the prophets have generally been judged not on the basis of the quality of their poetic utterances but on the basis of the number of written pages that have survived from each, and Micah has not fared well on this basis. More recently, though, the significance of the varying prophets has been undergoing a reappraisal, and the reputation of Micah has been rising as this has been done. Nothing is known about the "call" of Micah to the role of prophet, for that is not mentioned in his book or in the introduction written by a later editor. Micah wa the fourth in the line of the prophets now called the prophetic succession, and he was the second important prophet in the southern kingdom of Judah. Along with Amos, Hosea, and Isaiah, he formed a quartet of major characters who produced the golden age of Hebrew prophecy during the latter half of the eighth century. Micah differed in social status from the other three. Amos was a shepherd from the mountains; Hosea was a prosperous farmer from the north of Israel; and Isaiah was an aristocrat who had been reared at court in the capital city of Jerusalem. Micah was instead a small-town artisan, and his prophecies indicated deep sympathy for the poor. His addresses were delivered for the most part on journeys to Jerusalem and not in his home town. Isaiah was presumably delivering his prophecies in that city at the same time. However, there is no record of their ever having met, and Micah was only re...