Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the LORD shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies.
Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail (חוּלִי וָגֹחִי בַּת־צִיּוֹן כַּיּוֹלֵדָה, chuli va-gochi bat-Tsiyyon kayyoledah). The imperatives חוּל (chul, writhe/travail) and גָּחַה (gachah, labor/burst forth) command Jerusalem to embrace the painful process. This isn't permission but prophetic necessity—exile must come. Yet labor produces birth; suffering yields redemption. The comparison כַּיּוֹלֵדָה (kayyoledah, like one giving birth) reiterates verse 9's imagery.
For now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon (כִּי־עַתָּה תֵצְאִי מִקִּרְיָה וְשָׁכַנְתְּ בַּשָּׂדֶה וּבָאת עַד־בָּבֶל, ki-attah tetse'i miqqiryah we-shakhant bassadeh u-va't ad-Bavel). The threefold progression depicts exile stages:
יָצָא (yatsa, go out) from Jerusalem
שָׁכַן (shakhan, dwell) in fields (temporary camps, vulnerability)
בּוֹא עַד (bo ad, go even to) Babylon.
Remarkably, Micah names Babylon over a century before it became dominant power—stunning prophetic precision.
There shalt thou be delivered; there the LORD shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies (שָׁם תִּנָּצֵלִי שָׁם יִגְאָלֵךְ יְהוָה מִכַּף אֹיְבָיִךְ, sham tinnatseli sham yig'alekh YHWH mikkaf oyevayikh). The repeated שָׁם (sham, there) emphasizes location—in Babylon itself, amid exile, deliverance comes. נָצַל (natsal, deliver/rescue) and גָּאַל (ga'al, redeem) promise salvation in the place of bondage. This parallels the Exodus—Israel enslaved in Egypt, redeemed from there. Exile isn't abandonment but redemptive discipline; Babylon becomes unlikely location for divine deliverance. God saves not by preventing exile but through it—refining, purifying, then restoring (Jeremiah 29:10-14; Isaiah 48:10).
Historical Context
Micah prophesied circa 740-700 BC when Assyria was the dominant threat. Babylon was merely an Assyrian vassal. Yet Micah specifically named Babylon as Israel's future captor—fulfilled over a century later when Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem (605, 597, 586 BC) and exiled Jews to Babylon. This prophetic precision demonstrates divine inspiration; Micah couldn't have guessed Babylon's rise to superpower status or Jerusalem's eventual fall to them.
The exile lasted 70 years (Jeremiah 25:11-12, 29:10). Cyrus the Persian conquered Babylon (539 BC) and issued an edict allowing Jews to return (538 BC—Ezra 1:1-4). Thus "there"—in Babylon—God redeemed them through a pagan king (Isaiah 44:28-45:1 calls Cyrus God's "anointed"). The pattern reveals God's sovereignty over history—He orchestrates even pagan empires to accomplish redemptive purposes (Proverbs 21:1; Daniel 2:21, 4:34-35). The ultimate exodus came through Christ, who descended into death (our Babylon) and emerged victorious, redeeming His people from sin's captivity (Ephesians 4:8-10; Colossians 1:13).
Questions for Reflection
How does the command to 'labour to bring forth' like a woman in travail reframe suffering as redemptive process rather than meaningless tragedy?
What does Micah's specific naming of Babylon (over a century before it conquered Judah) demonstrate about biblical prophecy's divine origin?
In what ways does God's promise to redeem 'there'—in Babylon itself—illustrate His power to save through circumstances, not merely from them?
Analysis & Commentary
Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail (חוּלִי וָגֹחִי בַּת־צִיּוֹן כַּיּוֹלֵדָה, chuli va-gochi bat-Tsiyyon kayyoledah). The imperatives חוּל (chul, writhe/travail) and גָּחַה (gachah, labor/burst forth) command Jerusalem to embrace the painful process. This isn't permission but prophetic necessity—exile must come. Yet labor produces birth; suffering yields redemption. The comparison כַּיּוֹלֵדָה (kayyoledah, like one giving birth) reiterates verse 9's imagery.
For now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon (כִּי־עַתָּה תֵצְאִי מִקִּרְיָה וְשָׁכַנְתְּ בַּשָּׂדֶה וּבָאת עַד־בָּבֶל, ki-attah tetse'i miqqiryah we-shakhant bassadeh u-va't ad-Bavel). The threefold progression depicts exile stages:
Remarkably, Micah names Babylon over a century before it became dominant power—stunning prophetic precision.
There shalt thou be delivered; there the LORD shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies (שָׁם תִּנָּצֵלִי שָׁם יִגְאָלֵךְ יְהוָה מִכַּף אֹיְבָיִךְ, sham tinnatseli sham yig'alekh YHWH mikkaf oyevayikh). The repeated שָׁם (sham, there) emphasizes location—in Babylon itself, amid exile, deliverance comes. נָצַל (natsal, deliver/rescue) and גָּאַל (ga'al, redeem) promise salvation in the place of bondage. This parallels the Exodus—Israel enslaved in Egypt, redeemed from there. Exile isn't abandonment but redemptive discipline; Babylon becomes unlikely location for divine deliverance. God saves not by preventing exile but through it—refining, purifying, then restoring (Jeremiah 29:10-14; Isaiah 48:10).