Micah 4:4. They shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid.
This is a figurative expression used to denote a state of national peace and domestic happiness. See also 1 Kings 4:25, and Zechariah 3:10. It is based on the custom of seeking a pleasant shade under fig-trees and vines. In the East the grape-vine is more extensively used for ornament and shade than the woodbine or ivy in our own country. The branches are frequently trained to run over a trellis in the courtyard of the house. The fig tree, by its thick branches and broad leaf, makes a very agreeable natural shade. Nathanael was under a fig-tree enjoying its shade, and engaged probably in pious meditation, when Philip found him and brought him to Jesus (John 1:48).