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Prophecy

Zion plowed like a field (Micah 3:12)

Jerusalem set on fire by Nebuchadnezzar’s army (587/586 BC): artist’s impression from the circle of Juan de la Corte (around 1630-1660).
Artist’s impression Jerusalem set on fire by Nebuchadnezzar’s army (587/586 BC): artist’s impression from the circle of Juan de la Corte (around 1630-1660). — Circle of Juan de la Corte, Wikimedia Commons · Domaine public

● Written before, according to historians

Written c. 725–701 BC according to tradition; c. 725–701 BC according to historians. Event: 587–586 BC.

See the full entry: sources, objections, answers

In short

The announcement. The prophet Micah, in the book of Micah, at the end of the 8th century BC, announces that Zion will be plowed like a field, that Jerusalem will become a heap of stones and that the Temple mount will be covered with forest.

What happened. A century later, the book of Jeremiah shows that this oracle is still being quoted word for word. In 587 or 586 BC, Jerusalem and the Temple are burned by the Babylonian army, as excavations confirm. The city is rebuilt after the return from exile.

What is still debated. the announcement had no deadline, the Bible itself says that it did not come true in Hezekiah's time, and applying it to 586 BC is a rereading.

Why it is striking

At the end of the 8th century, Jerusalem was believed to be protected by God, especially after Assyria’s failure before it in 701. Announcing the ruin of the Temple went against the official conviction, and historians themselves date this saying to about 120 years before the events.

Main objection (in French for now)

La prédiction est générale et sans échéance : dans le monde du VIIIe siècle, où Samarie tombe en 722, la ruine future d’une capitale était un pari raisonnable à long terme.

The text (World English Bible)

Therefore Zion for your sake will be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem will become heaps of rubble, and the mountain of the temple like the high places of a forest.

Mic 3:12

Sources