Micah 1:13
“O thou inhabitant of Lachish, bind the chariot to the swift beast: she is the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion: for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Lachish is told to flee by chariot and is named as a starting point of sin that infected the daughter of Zion.
What Does Micah 1:13 Mean?
Lachish, a fortified city, is told to harness its swift horses, the language of flight. More striking, it is called the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion, a channel through which the northern kingdom's corruption flowed south.
The verse traces sin to its source and refuses to let anyone hide behind the crowd. One city, one community, can set a pattern that poisons many. The honest naming of where the trouble started is not cruelty but the first step toward healing, for what is named can be repented of and forsaken.
In the Original Language
chatta'ah (חַטָּאת), 'sin' -- a falling short of God's way, here pictured as a corruption that spreads.