Micah 1:5

The transgression. Verses 5-7 describe the punishment to come upon the northern kingdom, Israel, for its sins.

Jacob. The name here stands for the ten tribes that made up “the house of Israel,” as is evident from the next sentence.

Samaria. As the capitals of Israel and Judah respectively, Samaria and Jerusalem had become the centers of idolatry and iniquity. Samaria had been built by wicked Omri; and his son, Ahab, who followed in his steps, erected in it a temple to Baal (see 1 Kings 16:23-33). For a description of Samaria see on 1 Kings 16:24.

High places. The Septuagint here reads, “What is the sin of the house of Judah?” This reading provides a better parallelism with the preceding line, “What is the transgression of Jacob?” If “high places” is to be retained, there is an obvious reference to the heathen shrines and sanctuaries erected upon eminences where the inhabitants of Judah practiced their idolatry (see 1 Kings 14:22-24; 15:9-15; 22:43; etc.). Hezekiah was the first of Judah’s kings to thoroughly rid the land of these centers of idolatry (see on 2 Kings 18:4). Evidently Micah’s present prophecy preceded this reformation.