“What Does the Lord Require of You”: The Attitude towards Zion and the Social Situation in the Book of Micah

ABSTRACT This paper explores the unit of Micah 3,9-12, its structure, language, imagery, and the worldviews reflected in it. Based on this discussion I reach the conclusion that the prophet is not only reproaching the leaders for how they fulfill their role, but he mainly focuses on the mindset that motivates their actions. The prophet criticizes leaders for assuming that “God is among [them],” which leads them to cast off their personal responsibility and pin their hopes on God. The prophet seeks to undermine the centrality of God’s role, and to shift the responsibility to the leaders in particular, and to humanity in general. He does this not only by expressing their main sin in v. 11, but also through the prediction of the punishment of destruction that appears in v. 12 and the formulation of the connections between their sin and their punishment. The formulation of this unit reflects the struggle with the so-called ‘Zion Tradition’ and the effects it may have on human behavior. The position reflected in the unit of 3,9-12 is also expressed in other units in the book of Micah, which I will mention briefly in my conclusion.