For behold, the LORD comes forth from His dwelling place; He will come down and tread on the high places of the earth.
Parallel translations
- WEB For, behold, Yahweh comes out of his place, and will come down and tread on the high places of the earth.
- KJV For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth.
- NKJV For behold, the Lord is coming out of His place; He will come down And tread on the high places of the earth.
- NASB For behold, the Lord is coming forth from His place. He will come down and tread on the high places of the earth.
- NLT Look! The Lord is coming! He leaves his throne in heaven and tramples the heights of the earth.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God is pictured leaving His dwelling and coming down to judge, treading on the heights of the earth. It portrays the LORD's terrifying intervention in history.
Overview
This theophany language depicts Yahweh descending in power to judge sin, trampling even the 'high places' where idolatry was practiced. The imagery recalls Sinai and other appearances of God in might. Such comings in judgment foreshadow the ultimate coming of the Lord, when He will set all things right.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Amos 4:13For behold, He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind and reveals His thoughts to man, who turns the dawn to darkness and strides on the heights of the earth—the LORD, the God of Hosts, is His name.”
- Isa 26:21For behold, the LORD is coming out of His dwelling to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth will reveal her bloodshed and will no longer conceal her slain.
- Deut 32:13He made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him the produce of the field. He nourished him with honey from the rock and oil from the flinty crag,
- Ps 115:3Our God is in heaven; He does as He pleases.
- Hab 3:19GOD the Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like those of a deer; He makes me walk upon the heights! For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments.
- Deut 33:29Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is the shield that protects you, the sword in which you boast. Your enemies will cower before you, and you shall trample their high places.”
- Job 40:12Look on every proud man and humble him; trample the wicked where they stand.
- Hos 5:14–15For I am like a lion to Ephraim and like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear them to pieces and then go away. I will carry them off where no one can rescue them.
- Isa 2:10–19Go into the rocks and hide in the dust from the terror of the LORD and the splendor of His majesty.
- Ezek 3:12Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard a great rumbling sound behind me: ‘Blessed be the glory of the LORD in His dwelling place!’
- Isa 25:10For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain. But Moab will be trampled in his place as straw is trodden into the dung pile.
- Isa 64:1–2If only You would rend the heavens and come down, so that mountains would quake at Your presence,
- Isa 63:3–4“I have trodden the winepress alone, and no one from the nations was with Me. I trampled them in My anger and trod them down in My fury; their blood spattered My garments, and all My clothes were stained.
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Christ at the center
Micah names the town — 'But you, Bethlehem... from you shall come forth one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origins are from of old' — the birthplace of the eternal King.
How Micah 1:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.