Fields, Vines, and Fig Trees: An Agrarian Reading of the Book of Micah

Taking inspiration from the pioneering work of Ellen F. Davis, especially her Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible, this article will offer an agrarian reading of the book of Micah, focusing upon Mic 2:1–5, 3:1–12; 4:1–5, and 6:8. The 8th century BCE core of Micah, especially chapters 2 and 3, levels a stinging critique of Judean royal policy (supported by a corrupt religious establishment) that resulted in the loss of land and livelihood by farmers and farm families. Micah called for justice, and he warned that the absence of justice would lead to harsh consequences (see especially 3:12). But the major transition at 4:1 suggests that judgment will not be the final word; and 4:1–5 presents, in distinctly agrarian terms, a transformed future where all are fed, as divine justice intends (see Psalm 72). The final section of the article suggests that our contemporary situation involves realities not unlike those faced by Micah and the other 8th century BCE prophets. The juxtaposition of prophetic critique and the vision of a transformed future conforms to Walter Brueggemann’s analysis of the Hebrew Prophets in his The Prophetic Imagination.