◄ Micah 4:13 ►
Rise and thresh, O Daughter of Zion, for I will give you horns of iron and hooves of bronze to break to pieces many peoples. Then you will devote their gain to the LORD, their wealth to the Lord of all the earth.
Study Bible
Rise and thresh, O Daughter of Zion
This phrase calls the people of Jerusalem, referred to as the "Daughter of Zion," to action. The imagery of threshing is agricultural, symbolizing judgment and separation, as grain is separated from chaff. In biblical context, Zion often represents the spiritual center of God's people. The call to "rise and thresh" suggests a divine empowerment for victory over enemies, echoing themes found in Isaiah 41:15-16, where God promises to make Israel a threshing sledge.

for I will give you horns of iron and hooves of bronze
Horns in biblical literature often symbolize strength and power, as seen in Deuteronomy 33:17. Iron and bronze denote durability and invincibility, suggesting that God will equip His people with the strength needed to overcome their adversaries. This imagery reflects the divine empowerment and protection promised to God's people, reminiscent of the strength given to the judges and kings of Israel.

to break to pieces many peoples
This phrase indicates a future victory over nations that oppose God's people. The breaking of nations can be seen as a fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham that his descendants would possess the gates of their enemies (Genesis 22:17). It also foreshadows the ultimate triumph of God's kingdom over earthly powers, as seen in Daniel 2:44.

Then you will devote their gain to the LORD
The act of devoting gain to the LORD signifies consecration and acknowledgment of God's sovereignty. In biblical history, spoils of war were often dedicated to God as a sign of gratitude and recognition of His provision, as seen in Joshua 6:19. This reflects the principle that all victories and blessings are ultimately for God's glory.

their wealth to the Lord of all the earth
This phrase emphasizes God's universal dominion. The title "Lord of all the earth" underscores His authority over all creation, as seen in Psalm 24:1. The dedication of wealth to God signifies the submission of all nations to His rule, pointing to the eschatological vision where every knee will bow to Christ (Philippians 2:10-11). This also prefigures the gathering of the nations in the Messianic kingdom, where all will acknowledge God's sovereignty.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Daughter of Zion
This term refers to the people of Jerusalem or the inhabitants of Judah. It is often used to personify the city and its people, highlighting their special relationship with God.

2. Zion
A hill in Jerusalem, often used to symbolize the city itself or the entire nation of Israel. It holds significant spiritual and historical importance as the site of the Temple.

3. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant name of God, emphasizing His eternal and unchanging nature. In this context, He is the one empowering and directing the actions of His people.

4. Many Peoples
This phrase refers to the nations or groups that oppose Israel. It signifies the broader world that stands against God's chosen people.

5. The Lord of all the earth
This title for God emphasizes His sovereignty over all creation, not just Israel, underscoring His ultimate authority and power.
Teaching Points
Divine Empowerment
God equips His people with strength and resilience, symbolized by "horns of iron" and "hooves of bronze." Believers can trust in God's provision and empowerment in their spiritual battles.

Judgment and Justice
The imagery of threshing represents God's judgment on the nations. It serves as a reminder of His justice and the ultimate accountability of all peoples before Him.

Devotion of Gain to God
The wealth and gain from victory are devoted to the LORD, emphasizing the principle of dedicating our successes and resources to God's glory and purposes.

Sovereignty of God
The title "Lord of all the earth" reassures believers of God's control over all circumstances, encouraging trust in His plans and purposes.

Role of God's People
The call to "rise and thresh" signifies active participation in God's work. Believers are invited to engage in His mission with confidence in His support.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the imagery of "horns of iron" and "hooves of bronze" in Micah 4:13 inspire confidence in God's empowerment for your personal challenges?

2. In what ways can you devote your "gain" or successes to the LORD in your daily life, as illustrated in this passage?

3. How does understanding God's sovereignty as "the Lord of all the earth" influence your perspective on current global events?

4. Reflect on a time when you felt God empowered you to overcome a difficult situation. How does this passage affirm that experience?

5. How can the call to "rise and thresh" motivate you to actively participate in God's mission in your community or church? What practical steps can you take?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Isaiah 41:15
This verse also speaks of God empowering His people to thresh the nations, using similar imagery of a threshing instrument. It highlights God's role in enabling His people to overcome their enemies.

Zechariah 12:3
This passage describes Jerusalem as an immovable rock for all nations, indicating that those who oppose it will be injured. It connects to the idea of God's protection and empowerment of His people.

Revelation 19:15
This verse describes Christ's return and His role in executing judgment on the nations, paralleling the imagery of divine empowerment and judgment found in Micah 4:13.
Sermons
The Moral Regeneration of the WorldHomilistMicah 4:9-13
The Moral Regeneration of the WorldD. Thomas Micah 4:9-13
People
Eder, Jacob, Micah
Places
Babylon, Jerusalem, Mount Zion, Zion
Topics
Arise, Beat, Beaten, Brass, Break, Broken, Bronze, Consecrate, Crushed, Daughter, Devote, Devoted, Gain, Gains, Grain, Hast, Hoofs, Horn, Horns, Ill-gotten, Increase, Iron, Nations, O, Peoples, Pieces, Pulverize, Substance, Thresh, Unjust, Wealth, Zion
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Micah 4:13

     1230   God, the Lord
     4312   bronze
     4336   iron
     4522   threshing
     4654   horn
     5465   profit
     5483   punishment

Micah 4:11-13

     5917   plans

Library
As God, So Worshipper
'... All the peoples will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.'--MICAH iv. 5 (R.V.). This is a statement of a general truth which holds good of all sorts of religion. 'To walk' is equivalent to carrying on a course of practical activity. 'The name' of a god is his manifested character. So the expression 'Walk in the name' means, to live and act according to, and with reference to, and in reliance on, the character of the worshipper's …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

"And we Will --"
The prophet Micah was struck with the energy and devotion of the heathen to their gods. He saw the grip these idols had of their votaries, how no expense was spared, no sacrifice withheld, for the sake of a filthy lie embodied in a stone or golden image. While he listened to the songs of the heathen, his heart warmed as he thought of the greatness of Jehovah, and so he cried out--"All people will walk every one in the name of his God, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and …
Thomas Champness—Broken Bread

The Battle of Armageddon.
The Battle of Armageddon! What extravagant speculations have been indulged concerning it! What unscriptural theories have been entertained respecting it! To begin with; this appears from the term employed. Nowhere in the Bible do we read of "The Battle of Armageddon." The Scriptural expression is "The Battle of that great day of God Almighty" (Rev. 16:14). This Battle of the great day of God Almighty will bring the Tribulation period to a close and will witness the return of Christ to the earth to …
Arthur W. Pink—The Redeemer's Return

"Is the Spirit of the Lord Straitened?"
THERE MAY BE SOME who think they can convert the world by philosophy; that they can renew the heart by eloquence; or that, by some witchcraft of ceremonies, they can regenerate the soul; but we depend wholly and simply and alone on the Spirit of God. He alone worketh all our works in us; and in going forth to our holy service we take with us no strength, and we rely upon no power, except that of the Spirit of the Most High. When Asher's foot was dipped in oil, no wonder he left a foot-mark wherever …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 37: 1891

A vision of the Latter-Day Glories
We shall not, to-day, look through all the dim vista of Zion's tribulations. We will leave the avenue of troubles and of trials through which the church has passed and is to pass, and we will come, by faith, to the last days; and may God help us while we indulge in a glorious vision of that which is to be ere long, when "the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it." The prophet saw two …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859

Place of Jesus in the History of the World.
The great event of the History of the world is the revolution by which the noblest portions of humanity have passed from the ancient religions, comprised under the vague name of Paganism, to a religion founded on the Divine Unity, the Trinity, and the Incarnation of the Son of God. It has taken nearly a thousand years to accomplish this conversion. The new religion had itself taken at least three hundred years in its formation. But the origin of the revolution in question with which we have to do …
Ernest Renan—The Life of Jesus

The Redeemer's Return is Necessitated by the Declarations of Old Testament Prophecy.
It is very apparent to any one who has read thoughtfully through the Old Testament that the First Advent of our Lord did not exhaust the burden and scope of the numerous predictions which had been made concerning Him. Many of the things foretold of Israel's Messiah were not accomplished during the days when He tabernacled among men. Many of the promises found in God's Word connected with the Person of Christ, still await their ratification. While it is true that the First Advent of the Lord Jesus …
Arthur W. Pink—The Redeemer's Return

In the Fifteenth Year of Tiberius Cæsar and under the Pontificate of Annas and Caiaphas - a Voice in the Wilderness
THERE is something grand, even awful, in the almost absolute silence which lies upon the thirty years between the Birth and the first Messianic Manifestation of Jesus. In a narrative like that of the Gospels, this must have been designed; and, if so, affords presumptive evidence of the authenticity of what follows, and is intended to teach, that what had preceded concerned only the inner History of Jesus, and the preparation of the Christ. At last that solemn silence was broken by an appearance, …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

The Prophet Micah.
PRELIMINARY REMARKS. Micah signifies: "Who is like Jehovah;" and by this name, the prophet is consecrated to the incomparable God, just as Hosea was to the helping God, and Nahum to the comforting God. He prophesied, according to the inscription, under Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. We are not, however, entitled, on this account, to dissever his prophecies, and to assign particular discourses to the reign of each of these kings. On the contrary, the entire collection forms only one whole. At …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

John Bunyan on the Terms of Communion and Fellowship of Christians at the Table of the Lord;
COMPRISING I. HIS CONFESSION OF FAITH, AND REASON OF HIS PRACTICE; II. DIFFERENCES ABOUT WATER BAPTISM NO BAR TO COMMUNION; AND III. PEACEABLE PRINCIPLES AND TRUE[1] ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. Reader, these are extraordinary productions that will well repay an attentive perusal. It is the confession of faith of a Christian who had suffered nearly twelve years' imprisonment, under persecution for conscience sake. Shut up with his Bible, you have here the result of a prayerful study of those holy …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

A Clearing-Up Storm in the Realm
(Revelation, Chapters vi.-viii.) "God Almighty! King of nations! earth Thy footstool, heaven Thy throne! Thine the greatness, power, and glory, Thine the kingdom, Lord, alone! Life and death are in Thy keeping, and Thy will ordaineth all: From the armies of Thy heavens to an unseen insect's fall. "Reigning, guiding, all-commanding, ruling myriad worlds of light; Now exalting, now abasing, none can stay Thy hand of might! Working all things by Thy power, by the counsel of Thy will. Thou art God! …
by S. D. Gordon—Quiet Talks on the Crowned Christ of Revelation

Conclusion
"Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth" (Rev. 19:6). In our Foreword to the Second Edition we acknowledge the need for preserving the balance of Truth. Two things are beyond dispute: God is Sovereign, man is responsible. In this book we have sought to expound the former; in our other works we have frequently pressed the latter. That there is real danger of over-emphasising the one and ignoring the other, we readily admit; yea, history furnishes numerous examples of cases of each. To emphasise …
Arthur W. Pink—The Sovereignty of God

The Plan for the Coming of Jesus.
God's Darling, Psalms 8:5-8.--the plan for the new man--the Hebrew picture by itself--difference between God's plan and actual events--one purpose through breaking plans--the original plan--a starting point--getting inside. Fastening a Tether inside: the longest way around--the pedigree--the start. First Touches on the Canvas: the first touch, Genesis 3:15.--three groups of prediction--first group: to Abraham, Genesis 12:1-3; to Isaac, Genesis 26:1-5; to Jacob, Genesis 28:10-15; through Jacob, …
S. D. Gordon—Quiet Talks about Jesus

The Quotation in Matt. Ii. 6.
Several interpreters, Paulus especially, have asserted that the interpretation of Micah which is here given, was that of the Sanhedrim only, and not of the Evangelist, who merely recorded what happened and was said. But this assertion is at once refuted when we consider the object which Matthew has in view in his entire representation of the early life of Jesus. His object in recording the early life of Jesus is not like that of Luke, viz., to communicate historical information to his readers. …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Interpretation of Prophecy.
1. The scriptural idea of prophecy is widely removed from that of human foresight and presentiment. It is that of a revelation made by the Holy Spirit respecting the future, always in the interest of God's kingdom. It is no part of the plan of prophecy to gratify vain curiosity respecting "the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power." Acts 1:7. "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God"--this is its key-note. In its form it is carefully adapted to this great end. …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

Annunciation of the Birth of Jesus.
(at Nazareth, b.c. 5.) ^C Luke I. 26-38. ^c 26 Now in the sixth month [this is the passage from which we learn that John was six months older than Jesus] the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth [Luke alone tells us where Mary lived before the birth of Jesus. That Nazareth was an unimportant town is shown by the fact that it is mentioned nowhere in the Old Testament, nor in the Talmud, nor in Josephus, who mentions two hundred four towns and cities of Galilee. The …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Micah
Micah must have been a very striking personality. Like Amos, he was a native of the country--somewhere in the neighbourhood of Gath; and he denounces with fiery earnestness the sins of the capital cities, Samaria in the northern kingdom, and Jerusalem in the southern. To him these cities seem to incarnate the sins of their respective kingdoms, i. 5; and for both ruin and desolation are predicted, i. 6, iii. 12. Micah expresses with peculiar distinctness the sense of his inspiration and the object …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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