Micah 3:12
Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded height.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The devastating image of Zion being plowed like a field isn't just about destruction; it's a stark reversal of their corrupted confidence. They relied on their sacred status, but God declares that their sin will make their holiest places as common and wild as a forest, a sign of complete ruin, not divine protection.
This passage is the climax of a powerful denunciation against the corrupt leaders of Israel – their princes, priests, and prophets – who have twisted justice, taught for money, and falsely claimed God's protection. Micah declares that because of their wickedness, the very heart of their nation, Zion and Jerusalem, will be utterly destroyed, becoming a desolate wasteland where nothing but wild growth remains. This prophecy was so severe that it was later invoked during Jeremiah's trial as an example of a dire warning that was ultimately averted by repentance.
Understand the original words
Tsiyyon · Hebrew Proper Noun
The hill in Jerusalem chosen by God as the location for the temple, symbolic of God’s dwelling place among His people and the seat of His throne.
Yerushalayim · Hebrew Proper Noun
The capital city of the Southern Kingdom of Judah, the site of the temple, and the symbol of God's presence and political center of the Davidic line.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Micah 3:12 is available in the Sola app.
Micah's prophecy of Zion being 'plowed as a field' was not a single event but a progressively fulfilled warning, seeing destruction by Babylon and later, even more completely, by Rome, culminating in the symbolic act of plowing the ruins.
Late 8th century BC
Micah prophesies under Hezekiah
Micah delivers his prophecy, including this dire warning about Jerusalem's destruction. King Hezekiah and the people repent, leading to a temporary reprieve from God's judgment.
605 BC
First Babylonian deportation
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon deports Judeans, including some nobility, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of the kingdom's subjugation.
587/586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar's forces destroy Jerusalem and its temple, exiling most of the remaining population. This event begins to fulfill Micah's prophecy of utter ruin.
c. 538 BC
Return from Babylonian exile
Under Cyrus the Great of Persia, some exiles are allowed to return to Jerusalem and begin rebuilding the temple, though the city remains in a desolate state.
c. AD 70
Destruction of Jerusalem by Rome
The Roman army under Titus destroys Jerusalem and its Second Temple after a brutal siege, fulfilling Micah's prophecy in a devastating manner.
c. AD 135
Hadrian's plowing of Jerusalem
After the Bar Kokhba revolt, Emperor Hadrian symbolically plows the ruins of Jerusalem, marking it as a pagan city and a profound fulfillment of Micah's words.
This passage directly quotes Micah's prophecy about Zion being plowed as a field, showing how it was used as a precedent centuries later to spare Jeremiah's life.
Luke 21:6Jesus echoes the prophecy of destruction, stating that not one stone will be left upon another in the temple, directly referencing the devastation foretold by Micah.
Isaiah 32:13-14This passage describes a similar desolation where the land will be overgrown with thorns and briers, mirroring Micah's imagery of the temple mount becoming like a forest.
Lamentations 5:18Jeremiah laments the desolation of Zion, describing how it has become a place where foxes walk, reflecting the utter ruin Micah predicted.
clarkeMicah 3:12: "Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest."
Therefore shall Zion - be ploughed as a field - It shall undergo a variety of reverses and sackages, till at last there shall not be one stone left on the top of another, that shall not be pulled down; and then a plough shall be drawn along the site of the walls, to signify an irreparable and endless destruction. Of this ancient…
calvinMicah 3:11-12: "The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us."
The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say, Is not the Lord among us? none evil can come upon us.
Principes ejus pro munere judicant, et sa…
The devastating image of Zion being plowed like a field isn't just about destruction; it's a stark reversal of their corrupted confidence. They relied on their sacred status, but God declares that their sin will make their holiest places as common and wild as a forest, a sign of complete ruin, not divine protection.
This passage is the climax of a powerful denunciation against the corrupt leaders of Israel – their princes, priests, and prophets – who have twisted justice, taught for money, and falsely claimed God's protection. Micah declares that because of their wickedness, the very heart of their nation, Zion and Jerusalem, will be utterly destroyed, becoming a desolate wasteland where nothing but wild growth remains. This prophecy was so severe that it was later invoked during Jeremiah's trial as an example of a dire warning that was ultimately averted by repentance.
This passage is the climax of a powerful denunciation against the corrupt leaders of Israel – their princes, priests, and prophets – who have twisted justice, taught for money, and falsely claimed God's protection. Micah declares that because of their wickedness, the very heart of their nation, Zion and Jerusalem, will be utterly destroyed, becoming a desolate wasteland where nothing but wild growth remains. This prophecy was so severe that it was later invoked during Jeremiah's trial as an example of a dire warning that was ultimately averted by repentance.
"Therefore because of you Zion shall be plowed as a field; Jerusalem shall become a heap of ruins, and the mountain of the house a wooded height." — The devastating image of Zion being plowed like a field isn't just about destruction; it's a stark reversal of their corrupted confidence. They relied on their sacred status, but God declares that th…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
