Mikha 2:12
Konteks2:12 I will certainly gather all of you, O Jacob,
I will certainly assemble those Israelites who remain. 1
I will bring them together like sheep in a fold, 2
like a flock in the middle of a pasture; 3
they will be so numerous that they will make a lot of noise. 4
Mikha 2:4
Konteks2:4 In that day people will sing this taunt song to you –
they will mock you with this lament: 5
‘We are completely destroyed;
they sell off 6 the property of my people.
How they remove it from me! 7
They assign our fields to the conqueror.’ 8
Mikha 6:1--7:20
Konteks6:1 Listen to what the Lord says:
“Get up! Defend yourself 9 before the mountains! 10
Present your case before the hills!” 11
6:2 Hear the Lord’s accusation, you mountains,
you enduring foundations of the earth!
For the Lord has a case against his people;
he has a dispute with Israel! 12
6:3 “My people, how have I wronged you? 13
How have I wearied you? Answer me!
6:4 In fact, I brought you up from the land of Egypt,
I delivered you from that place of slavery.
I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to lead you. 14
6:5 My people, recall how King Balak of Moab planned to harm you, 15
how Balaam son of Beor responded to him.
Recall how you journeyed from Shittim to Gilgal,
so you might acknowledge that the Lord has treated you fairly.” 16
6:6 With what should I 17 enter the Lord’s presence?
With what 18 should I bow before the sovereign God? 19
Should I enter his presence with burnt offerings,
with year-old calves?
6:7 Will the Lord accept a thousand rams,
or ten thousand streams of olive oil?
Should I give him my firstborn child as payment for my rebellion,
my offspring – my own flesh and blood – for my sin? 20
6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good,
and what the Lord really wants from you: 21
He wants you to 22 promote 23 justice, to be faithful, 24
and to live obediently before 25 your God.
6:9 Listen! The Lord is calling 26 to the city!
It is wise to respect your authority, O Lord! 27
Listen, O nation, and those assembled in the city! 28
6:10 “I will not overlook, 29 O sinful house, the dishonest gain you have hoarded away, 30
or the smaller-than-standard measure I hate so much. 31
6:11 I do not condone the use of rigged scales,
or a bag of deceptive weights. 32
6:12 The city’s rich men think nothing of resorting to violence; 33
her inhabitants lie, 34
their tongues speak deceptive words. 35
6:13 I will strike you brutally 36
and destroy you because of your sin.
6:14 You will eat, but not be satisfied.
Even if you have the strength 37 to overtake some prey, 38
you will not be able to carry it away; 39
if you do happen to carry away something,
I will deliver it over to the sword.
6:15 You will plant crops, but will not harvest them;
you will squeeze oil from the olives, 40 but you will have no oil to rub on your bodies; 41
you will squeeze juice from the grapes, but you will have no wine to drink. 42
6:16 You implement the regulations of Omri,
and all the practices of Ahab’s dynasty; 43
you follow their policies. 44
Therefore I will make you an appalling sight, 45
the city’s 46 inhabitants will be taunted derisively, 47
and nations will mock all of you.” 48
Indeed, 50 it is as if the summer fruit has been gathered,
and the grapes have been harvested. 51
There is no grape cluster to eat,
no fresh figs that I crave so much. 52
7:2 Faithful men have disappeared 53 from the land;
there are no godly men left. 54
They all wait in ambush so they can shed blood; 55
they hunt their own brother with a net. 56
7:3 They are determined to be experts at doing evil; 57
government officials and judges take bribes, 58
prominent men make demands,
and they all do what is necessary to satisfy them. 59
7:4 The best of them is like a thorn;
the most godly among them are more dangerous than a row of thorn bushes. 60
The day you try to avoid by posting watchmen –
your appointed time of punishment – is on the way, 61
and then you will experience confusion. 62
7:5 Do not rely on a friend;
do not trust a companion!
Don’t even share secrets with the one who lies in your arms! 63
7:6 For a son thinks his father is a fool,
a daughter challenges 64 her mother,
and a daughter-in-law her mother-in-law;
a man’s enemies are his own servants. 65
7:7 But I will keep watching for the Lord;
I will wait for the God who delivers me.
My God will hear my lament. 66
7:8 My enemies, 67 do not gloat 68 over me!
Though I have fallen, I will get up.
Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. 69
7:9 I must endure 70 the Lord’s anger,
for I have sinned against him.
But then 71 he will defend my cause, 72
and accomplish justice on my behalf.
He will lead me out into the light;
I will experience firsthand 73 his deliverance. 74
7:10 When my enemies see this, they will be covered with shame.
They say 75 to me, “Where is the Lord your God?”
I will gloat over them. 76
Then they will be trampled down 77
like mud in the streets.
7:11 It will be a day for rebuilding your walls;
in that day your boundary will be extended. 78
7:12 In that day people 79 will come to you 80
from Assyria as far as 81 Egypt,
from Egypt as far as the Euphrates River, 82
from the seacoasts 83 and the mountains. 84
7:13 The earth will become desolate 85
because of what its inhabitants have done. 86
7:14 Shepherd your people with your shepherd’s rod, 87
the flock that belongs to you, 88
the one that lives alone in a thicket,
in the midst of a pastureland. 89
Allow them to graze in Bashan and Gilead, 90
as they did in the old days. 91
7:15 “As in the days when you departed from the land of Egypt,
I will show you 92 miraculous deeds.” 93
7:16 Nations will see this and be disappointed by 94 all their strength,
they will put their hands over their mouths,
and act as if they were deaf. 95
7:17 They will lick the dust like a snake,
like serpents crawling on the ground. 96
They will come trembling from their strongholds
to the Lord our God; 97
they will be terrified 98 of you. 99
7:18 There is no other God like you! 100
You 101 forgive sin
and pardon 102 the rebellion
of those who remain among your people. 103
You do not remain angry forever, 104
but delight in showing loyal love.
7:19 You will once again 105 have mercy on us;
you will conquer 106 our evil deeds;
you will hurl our 107 sins into the depths of the sea. 108
7:20 You will be loyal to Jacob
and extend your loyal love to Abraham, 109
which you promised on oath to our ancestors 110
in ancient times. 111
Mikha 1:1-16
Konteks1:1 This is the prophetic message that the Lord gave to 112 Micah of Moresheth. He delivered this message 113 during the reigns of 114 Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. The prophecies pertain to 115 Samaria 116 and Jerusalem. 117
1:2 Listen, all you nations! 118
Pay attention, all inhabitants of earth! 119
The sovereign Lord will testify 120 against you;
the Lord will accuse you 121 from his majestic palace. 122
1:3 Look, 123 the Lord is coming out of his dwelling place!
He will descend and march on the earth’s mountaintops! 124
1:4 The mountains will disintegrate 125 beneath him,
and the valleys will be split in two. 126
The mountains will melt 127 like wax in a fire,
the rocks will slide down like water cascading down a steep slope. 128
1:5 All this is because of Jacob’s rebellion
and 129 the sins of the nation 130 of Israel.
How has Jacob rebelled, you ask? 131
Samaria epitomizes their rebellion! 132
Where are Judah’s pagan worship centers, you ask? 133
They are right in Jerusalem! 134
1:6 “I will turn Samaria 135 into a heap of ruins in an open field –
vineyards will be planted there! 136
I will tumble 137 the rubble of her stone walls 138 down into the valley,
and tear down her fortifications to their foundations. 139
1:7 All her carved idols will be smashed to pieces;
all her metal cult statues will be destroyed by fire. 140
I will make a waste heap 141 of all her images.
Since 142 she gathered the metal 143 as a prostitute collects her wages,
the idols will become a prostitute’s wages again.” 144
1:8 For this reason I 145 will mourn and wail;
I will walk around barefoot 146 and without my outer garments. 147
I will howl 148 like a wild dog, 149
and screech 150 like an owl. 151
1:9 For Samaria’s 152 disease 153 is incurable.
It has infected 154 Judah;
it has spread to 155 the leadership 156 of my people
and has even contaminated Jerusalem! 157
1:10 Don’t spread the news in Gath! 158
Don’t shed even a single tear! 159
In Beth Leaphrah sit in the dust! 160
1:11 Residents 161 of Shaphir, 162 pass by in nakedness and humiliation! 163
The residents of Zaanan can’t leave their city. 164
“He takes from you what he desires.” 167
1:12 Indeed, the residents of Maroth 168 hope for something good to happen, 169
though the Lord has sent disaster against the city of Jerusalem. 170
1:13 Residents of Lachish, 171 hitch the horses to the chariots!
You 172 influenced Daughter Zion 173 to sin, 174
for Israel’s rebellious deeds can be traced back 175 to you!
1:14 Therefore you 176 will have to say farewell 177 to Moresheth Gath.
The residents 178 of Achzib 179 will be as disappointing
as a dried up well 180 to the kings of Israel. 181
1:15 Residents of Mareshah, 182 a conqueror will attack you, 183
the leaders of Israel shall flee to Adullam. 184
1:16 Shave your heads bald as you mourn for the children you love; 185
shave your foreheads as bald 186 as an eagle, 187
for they are taken from you into exile.
Mikha 5:7-8
Konteks5:7 Those survivors from 188 Jacob will live 189
in the midst of many nations. 190
They will be like the dew the Lord sends,
like the rain on the grass,
that does not hope for men to come
or wait around for humans to arrive. 191
5:8 Those survivors from Jacob will live among the nations,
in the midst of many peoples.
They will be like a lion among the animals of the forest,
like a young lion among the flocks of sheep,
which attacks when it passes through;
[2:12] 1 tn Heb “the remnant of Israel.”
[2:12] 2 tc The MT reads בָּצְרָה (batsrah, “Bozrah”) but the form should be emended to בַּצִּרָה (batsirah, “into the fold”). See D. R. Hillers, Micah (Hermeneia), 38.
[2:12] 3 tc The MT reads “its pasture,” but the final vav (ו) belongs with the following verb. See GKC 413 §127.i.
[2:12] 4 tn Heb “and they will be noisy [or perhaps, “excited”] from men.” The subject of the third feminine plural verb תְּהִימֶנָה (tÿhimenah, “they will be noisy”) is probably the feminine singular צֹאן (tso’n, “flock”). (For another example of this collective singular noun with a feminine plural verb, see Gen 30:38.) In the construction מֵאָדָם (me’adam, “from men”) the preposition is probably causal. L. C. Allen translates “bleating in fear of men” (Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, and Micah [NICOT], 300), but it is possible to take the causal sense as “because of the large quantity of men.” In this case the sheep metaphor and the underlying reality are mixed.
[2:4] 5 tc The form נִהְיָה (nihyah) should be omitted as dittographic (note the preceding וְנָהָה נְהִי vÿnahah nÿhiy).
[2:4] tn Heb “one will lament [with] a lamentation [and] say.”
[2:4] 6 tn Or “exchange.” The LXX suggests a reading יִמַּד (yimmad) from מָדַד (madad, “to measure”). In this case one could translate, “the property of my people is measured out [i.e., for resale].”
[2:4] 7 tn Heb “how one removes for me.” Apparently the preposition has the nuance “from” here (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[2:4] 8 tc The Hebrew term שׁוֹבֵב (shovev, “the one turning back”) elsewhere has the nuance “apostate” (cf. NASB) or “traitor” (cf. NIV). The translation assumes an emendation to שָׁבָה (shavah, “captor”).
[2:4] tn Heb “to the one turning back he assigns our fields.”
[6:1] 9 tn Or “plead your case” (NASB, NIV, NRSV); NAB “present your plea”; NLT “state your case.”
[6:1] sn Defend yourself. The
[6:1] 10 sn As in some ancient Near Eastern treaties, the mountains are personified as legal witnesses that will settle the dispute between God and Israel.
[6:1] 11 tn Heb “let the hills hear your voice.”
[6:2] 12 tn This verse briefly interrupts the
[6:3] 13 tn Heb “My people, what have I done to you?”
[6:5] 15 tn Heb “remember what Balak…planned.”
[6:5] 16 tn Heb “From Shittim to Gilgal, in order to know the just acts of the
[6:6] 17 sn With what should I enter the
[6:6] 18 tn The words “with what” do double duty in the parallelism and are supplied in the second line of the translation for clarification.
[6:6] 19 tn Or “the exalted God.”
[6:7] 20 tn Heb “the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is often translated “soul,” but the word usually refers to the whole person; here “the sin of my soul” = “my sin.”
[6:8] 21 sn What the
[6:8] 22 tn Heb “except.” This statement is actually linked with what precedes, “What does he want from you except….”
[6:8] 23 tn Heb “to do,” in the sense of “promote.”
[6:8] 24 tn Heb “to love faithfulness.”
[6:8] 25 tn Heb “to walk humbly [or perhaps, “carefully”] with.”
[6:9] 26 tn Or “the voice of the
[6:9] 27 tn Heb “one who sees your name is wisdom.” It is probably better to emend יִרְאֶה (yir’eh, “he sees”) to יִרְאָה (yir’ah, “fearing”). One may then translate, “fearing your name is wisdom.” The
[6:9] 28 tn Heb (apparently) “Listen [to] the staff and the one who appointed it.” Verse 10 then begins with עוֹד (yod, “still” or “again”). The translation assumes an emendation to שִׁמְעוּ מַטֶּה וּמוֹעֵד הָעִיר (shim’u matteh umo’ed ha’ir, “listen, O tribe and the assembly of the city”).
[6:10] 29 tn The meaning of the first Hebrew word in the line is unclear. Possibly it is a combination of the interrogative particle and אִשׁ (’ish), an alternate form of יֵשׁ (yesh, “there is/are”). One could then translate literally, “Are there treasures of sin [in] the house of the sinful?” The translation assumes an emendation to הַאֶשֶּׁה (ha’esheh, from נָשָׁא, nasha’, “to forget”), “Will I forget?” The rhetorical question expects an answer, “No, I will not forget.”
[6:10] 30 tn Heb “the treasures of sin”; NASB “treasures of wickedness”; NIV “ill-gotten treasures.”
[6:10] 31 tn Heb “the accursed scant measure.”
[6:10] sn Merchants would use a smaller than standard measure so they could give the customer less than he thought he was paying for.
[6:11] 32 tn Heb “Do I acquit sinful scales, and a bag of deceptive weights?” The rhetorical question expects an answer, “No, I do not,” and has been translated as a declarative statement for clarity and emphasis.
[6:11] sn Merchants also used rigged scales and deceptive weights to cheat their customers. See the note at Amos 8:5.
[6:12] 33 tn Heb “because her rich are full of violence.”
[6:12] 34 tn Heb “speak lies.”
[6:12] 35 tn Heb “and their tongue is deceptive in their mouth.”
[6:13] 36 tn Heb “and also I, I will make you sick, striking you.”
[6:14] 37 tc The first Hebrew term in the line (וְיֶשְׁחֲךָ, vÿyeshkhakha) is obscure. HALOT 446 s.v. יֶשַׁח understands a noun meaning “filth,” which would yield the translation, “and your filth is inside you.” The translation assumes an emendation to כֹּחַ-וְיֶשׁ (vÿyesh-koakh, “and [if] there is strength inside you”).
[6:14] 38 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term וְתַסֵּג (vÿtasseg) is unclear. The translation assumes it is a Hiphal imperfect from נָסַג/נָשַׂג (nasag/nasag, “reach; overtake”) and that hunting imagery is employed. (Note the reference to hunger in the first line of the verse.) See D. R. Hillers, Micah (Hermeneia), 80.
[6:14] 39 tn The Hiphal of פָּלַט (palat) is used in Isa 5:29 of an animal carrying its prey to a secure place.
[6:15] 40 tn Heb “you will tread olives.” Literally treading on olives with one’s feet could be harmful and would not supply the necessary pressure to release the oil. See O. Borowski, Agriculture in Iron Age Israel, 119. The Hebrew term דָּרַךְ (darakh) may have an idiomatic sense of “press” here, or perhaps the imagery of the following parallel line (referring to treading grapes) has dictated the word choice.
[6:15] 41 tn Heb “but you will not rub yourselves with oil.”
[6:15] 42 tn Heb “and juice, but you will not drink wine.” The verb תִדְרֹךְ (tidrokh, “you will tread”) must be supplied from the preceding line.
[6:16] 43 tn Heb “the edicts of Omri are kept, and all the deeds of the house of Ahab.”
[6:16] 44 tn Heb “and you walk in their plans.”
[6:16] sn The Omride dynasty, of which Ahab was the most infamous king, had a reputation for implementing unjust and oppressive measures. See 1 Kgs 21.
[6:16] 45 tn The Hebrew term שַׁמָּה (shammah) can refer to “destruction; ruin,” or to the reaction it produces in those who witness the destruction.
[6:16] 46 tn Heb “her”; the referent (the city) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:16] 47 tn Heb “[an object] of hissing,” which was a way of taunting someone.
[6:16] 48 tc The translation assumes an emendation of the MT’s עַמִּי (’ammi, “my people”) to עַמִּים (’ammim, “nations”).
[6:16] tn Heb “and the reproach of my people you will bear.” The second person verb is plural here, in contrast to the singular forms used in vv. 13-15.
[7:1] 49 tn Heb “woe to me!” In light of the image that follows, perhaps one could translate, “I am disappointed.”
[7:1] 51 tn Heb “I am like the gathering of the summer fruit, like the gleanings of the harvest.” Micah is not comparing himself to the harvested fruit. There is an ellipsis here, as the second half of the verse makes clear. The idea is, “I am like [one at the time] the summer fruit is gathered and the grapes are harvested.”
[7:1] 52 tn Heb “my appetite craves.”
[7:2] 53 tn Or “have perished”; “have been destroyed.”
[7:2] 54 tn Heb “and an upright one among men there is not.”
[7:2] 55 tn Heb “for bloodshed” (so NASB); TEV “for a chance to commit murder.”
[7:2] 56 sn Micah compares these ungodly people to hunters trying to capture their prey with a net.
[7:3] 57 tn Heb “upon evil [are their] hands to do [it] well.”
[7:3] 58 tn Heb “the official asks – and the judge – for a bribe.”
[7:3] 59 tn More literally, “the great one announces what his appetite desires and they weave it together.” Apparently this means that subordinates plot and maneuver to make sure the prominent man’s desires materialize.
[7:4] 60 tn Heb “[the] godly from a row of thorn bushes.” The preposition מִן (min) is comparative and the comparative element (perhaps “sharper” is the idea) is omitted. See BDB 582 s.v. 6 and GKC 431 §133.e.
[7:4] 61 tn Heb “the day of your watchmen, your appointed [time], is coming.” The present translation takes “watchmen” to refer to actual sentries. However, the “watchmen” could refer figuratively to the prophets who had warned Judah of approaching judgment. In this case one could translate, “The day your prophets warned about – your appointed time of punishment – is on the way.”
[7:4] 62 tn Heb “and now will be their confusion.”
[7:5] 63 tn Heb “from the one who lies in your arms, guard the doors of your mouth.”
[7:6] 64 tn Heb “rises up against.”
[7:6] 65 tn Heb “the enemies of a man are the men of his house.”
[7:7] 66 tn Heb “me.” In the interest of clarity the nature of the prophet’s cry has been specified as “my lament” in the translation.
[7:8] 67 tn The singular form is understood as collective.
[7:8] 68 tn Or “rejoice” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); NCV “don’t laugh at me.”
[7:8] 69 sn Darkness represents judgment; light (also in v. 9) symbolizes deliverance. The
[7:9] 72 tn Or “plead my case” (NASB and NIV both similar); NRSV “until he takes my side.”
[7:9] 74 tn Or “justice, vindication.”
[7:10] 75 tn Heb “who say.” A new sentence was begun here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[7:10] 76 tn Heb “My eyes will look on them.”
[7:10] 77 tn Heb “a trampled-down place.”
[7:11] 78 sn Personified Jerusalem declares her confidence in vv. 8-10; in this verse she is assured that she will indeed be vindicated.
[7:12] 79 tn Heb “they.” The referent has been specified as “people,” referring either to the nations (coming to God with their tribute) or to the exiles of Israel (returning to the
[7:12] 80 tn The masculine pronominal suffix suggests the
[7:12] 81 tc The MT reads וְעָרֵי (vÿ’arey, “and the cities [of Egypt]”), but the parallel line indicates this is a corruption of וְעַד (vÿ’ad, “even to”).
[7:12] 82 tn Heb “the River,” referring to the Euphrates River. This has been specified in the translation for clarity (so also NASB, NIV).
[7:12] 83 tn Heb “and sea from sea.” Many prefer to emend this to מִיָּם עַד יָם (miyyam ’ad yam, “from sea to sea”).
[7:12] 84 tn Heb “and mountain of the mountain.” Many prefer to emend this to וּמֵהַר עַד הַר (umehar ’ad har, “and mountain to mountain”).
[7:13] 85 tn Or “will be ruined.”
[7:13] 86 tn Heb “on account of its inhabitants, because of the fruit of their deeds.”
[7:14] 87 tn Or “with your scepter” (the Hebrew term can mean either “rod” or “scepter”).
[7:14] 88 tn Heb “the flock of your inheritance.”
[7:14] 89 tn Or “in the midst of Carmel.” The Hebrew term translated “pastureland” may be a place name.
[7:14] sn The point seems to be that Israel is in a vulnerable position, like sheep in a thicket populated by predators, while rich pastureland (their homeland and God’s blessings) is in view.
[7:14] 90 sn The regions of Bashan and Gilead, located in Transjordan, were noted for their rich grazing lands.
[7:14] 91 tn Heb “as in the days of antiquity.”
[7:15] 92 tn Heb “him.” This probably refers to Israel in a collective sense. Because the switch from direct address to the third person is awkward, some prefer to emend the suffix to a second person form. In any case, it is necessary to employ a second person pronoun in the translation to maintain the connection for the English reader.
[7:15] 93 sn I will show you miraculous deeds. In this verse the
[7:16] 94 tn Or “be ashamed of.”
[7:16] 95 tn Heb “and their ears will be deaf.” Apparently this means the opposing nations will be left dumbfounded by the
[7:17] 96 tn Heb “like crawling things on the ground.” The parallelism suggests snakes are in view.
[7:17] 97 tn Thetranslationassumesthatthe phrase אֶל־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ (’el-yÿhvah ’elohenu, “to the
[7:17] 98 tn Heb “they will be in dread and afraid.”
[7:17] 99 tn The
[7:18] 100 tn Heb “Who is a God like you?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “No one!”
[7:18] 101 tn Heb “one who.” The prayer moves from direct address (second person) in v. 18a to a descriptive (third person) style in vv. 18b-19a and then back to direct address (second person) in vv. 19b-20. Due to considerations of English style and the unfamiliarity of the modern reader with alternation of persons in Hebrew poetry, the entire section has been rendered as direct address (second person) in the translation.
[7:18] 102 tn Heb “pass over.”
[7:18] 103 tn Heb “of the remnant of his inheritance.”
[7:18] 104 tn Heb “he does not keep hold of his anger forever.”
[7:19] 105 tn The verb יָשׁוּב (yashuv, “he will return”) is here used adverbially in relation to the following verb, indicating that the
[7:19] 106 tn Some prefer to read יִכְבֹּס (yikhbos, “he will cleanse”; see HALOT 459 s.v. כבס pi). If the MT is taken as it stands, sin is personified as an enemy that the
[7:19] 107 tn Heb “their sins,” but the final mem (ם) may be enclitic rather than a pronominal suffix. In this case the suffix from the preceding line (“our”) may be understood as doing double duty.
[7:19] 108 sn In this metaphor the
[7:20] 109 tn More literally, “You will extend loyalty to Jacob, and loyal love to Abraham.
[7:20] 110 tn Heb “our fathers.” The Hebrew term refers here to more distant ancestors, not immediate parents.
[7:20] 111 tn Heb “which you swore [or, “pledged”] to our fathers from days of old.”
[1:1] 112 tn Heb “The word of the
[1:1] 113 tn The words “he delivered this message” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[1:1] 114 tn Heb “in the days of” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV).
[1:1] 115 tn Heb “which he saw concerning.”
[1:1] 116 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[1:1] 117 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[1:2] 118 tn Heb “O peoples, all of them.”
[1:2] 119 tn Heb “O earth and all its fullness”; KJV “and all that therein is.”
[1:2] 120 tn Heb “May the sovereign
[1:2] 121 tn Heb “the
[1:2] 122 tn Or “his holy temple” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). This refers to the Lord’s dwelling in heaven, however, rather than the temple in Jerusalem (note the following verse, which describes a theophany).
[1:3] 123 tn Or “For look.” The expression כִּי־הִנֵּה (ki-hinneh) may function as an explanatory introduction (“For look!”; Isa 26:21; 60:2; 65:17, 18: 66:15; Jer 1:15; 25:29; 30:10; 45:5; 46:27; 50:9; Ezek 30:9; 36:9; Zech 2:10; 3:8), or as an emphatic introduction (“Look!”; Jdgs 3:15; Isa 3:1; Jer 8:17; 30:3; 49:15; Hos 9:6; Joel 3:1 [HT 4:1]; Amos 4:2, 13; 6:11, 14; 9:9; Hab 1:6; Zech 2:9 [HT 2:13]; Zech 3:9; 11:16).
[1:3] 124 tn Or “high places” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[1:4] 125 tn Or “melt” (NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). This is a figurative description of earthquakes, landslides, and collapse of the mountains, rather than some sort of volcanic activity (note the remainder of the verse).
[1:4] 126 sn The mountains will disintegrate…the valleys will be split in two. This imagery pictures an earthquake and accompanying landslide.
[1:4] 127 tn The words “the mountains will melt” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The simile extends back to the first line of the verse.
[1:4] 128 tn The words “the rocks will slide down” are supplied in the translation for clarification. This simile elaborates on the prior one and further develops the imagery of the verse’s first line.
[1:5] 129 tn Heb “and because of.” This was simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[1:5] 131 tn Heb “What is the rebellion of Jacob?”
[1:5] 132 tn Heb “Is it not Samaria?” The negated rhetorical question expects the answer, “It certainly is!” To make this clear the question has been translated as a strong affirmative statement.
[1:5] 133 tn Heb “What are Judah’s high places?”
[1:5] 134 tn Heb “Is it not Jerusalem?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “It certainly is!”
[1:5] sn In vv. 2-5 Micah narrows the scope of God’s judgment from the nations (vv. 2-4) to his covenant people (v. 5). Universal judgment is coming, but ironically Israel is the focal point of God’s anger. In v. 5c the prophet includes Judah within the scope of divine judgment, for it has followed in the pagan steps of the northern kingdom. He accomplishes this with rhetorical skill. In v. 5b he develops the first assertion of v. 5a (“All of this is because of Jacob’s rebellion”). One expects in v. 5c an elaboration of the second assertion in v. 5a (“and the sins of the nation of Israel”), which one assumes, in light of v. 5b, pertains to the northern kingdom. But the prophet specifies the “sins” as “high places” and makes it clear that “the nation of Israel” includes Judah. Verses 6-7 further develop v. 5b (judgment on the northern kingdom), while vv. 8-16 expand on v. 5c (judgment on Judah).
[1:5] map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[1:6] 135 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[1:6] 136 tn Heb “into a planting place for vineyards.”
[1:6] 137 tn Heb “pour” (so NASB, NIV); KJV, NRSV “pour down”; NAB “throw down”; NLT “roll.”
[1:6] 138 tn Heb “her stones.” The term stones is a metonymy for the city walls whose foundations were constructed of stone masonry.
[1:6] 139 tn Heb “I will uncover her foundations.” The term “foundations” refers to the lower courses of the stones of the city’s outer fortification walls.
[1:7] 140 tn Heb “and all her prostitute’s wages will be burned with fire.”
[1:7] sn The precious metal used by Samaria’s pagan worship centers to make idols are here compared to a prostitute’s wages because Samaria had been unfaithful to the
[1:7] 141 tn Heb “I will make desolate” (so NASB).
[1:7] 142 tn Or “for” (KJV, NASB, NRSV).
[1:7] 143 tn No object is specified in the Hebrew text; the words “the metal” are supplied from the context.
[1:7] 144 tn Heb “for from a prostitute’s wages she gathered, and to a prostitute’s wages they will return.” When the metal was first collected it was comparable to the coins a prostitute would receive for her services. The metal was then formed into idols, but now the
[1:8] 145 tn The prophet is probably the speaker here.
[1:8] 146 tn Or “stripped.” The precise meaning of this Hebrew word is unclear. It may refer to walking barefoot (see 2 Sam 15:30) or to partially stripping oneself (see Job 12:17-19).
[1:8] 147 tn Heb “naked.” This probably does not refer to complete nudity, but to stripping off one’s outer garments as an outward sign of the destitution felt by the mourner.
[1:8] 148 tn Heb “I will make lamentation.”
[1:8] 149 tn Or “a jackal”; CEV “howling wolves.”
[1:8] 150 tn Heb “[make] a mourning.”
[1:8] 151 tn Or perhaps “ostrich” (cf. ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT).
[1:9] 152 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Samaria) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:9] 153 tc The MT reads the plural “wounds”; the singular is read by the LXX, Syriac, and Vg.
[1:9] tn Or “wound.”
[1:9] 156 tn Heb “the gate.” Kings and civic leaders typically conducted important business at the city gate (see 1 Kgs 22:10 for an example), and the term is understood here to refer by metonymy to the leadership who would be present at the gate.
[1:9] 157 tn Heb “to Jerusalem.” The expression “it has contaminated” do not appear in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied to fill out the parallelism with the preceding line.
[1:9] map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[1:10] 158 tn Heb “Tell it not in Gath.” The Hebrew word for “tell” (נָגַד, nagad) sounds like the name of the city, Gath (גַּת, gat).
[1:10] 159 tn The Hebrew infinitive absolute before the negated jussive emphasizes the prohibition.
[1:10] 160 tc The translation assumes a masculine plural imperative. If one were to emend בְּבֵית (bÿvet) to בֵית (vet), Beth Leaphrah would then be the addressee and the feminine singular imperative (see Qere) could be retained, “O Beth Leaphrah, sit in the dust.”
[1:10] tn Heb “roll about in mourning in the dust”; or “wallow about in mourning in the dust.” The verb פָּלַשׁ (palash, “roll about in mourning [in dust]”; HALOT 935 s.v. פלשׁ) is figurative (metonymy) for sitting as an outward sign of mourning.
[1:10] sn To sit in the dust was an outward sign of mourning. The name Beth Leaphrah means “house of dust.”
[1:11] 161 tn The Hebrew participial form, which is feminine singular, is here used in a collective sense for the all the residents of the town. See GKC 394 §122.s.
[1:11] 162 sn The place name Shaphir means “pleasant” in Hebrew.
[1:11] 163 tn The imperatival form is used rhetorically, emphasizing that the inhabitants of Shaphir will pass by into exile.
[1:11] 164 tn Heb “have not come out”; NIV “will not come out”; NLT “dare not come outside.”
[1:11] sn The expression can’t leave their city alludes to a siege of the town. The place name Zaanan sounds like the verb “come out” (i.e., “can’t leave”) in Hebrew.
[1:11] 165 sn The place name Beth Ezel means “house of nearness” or “house of proximity” in Hebrew.
[1:11] 166 tn Heb “the lamentation of Beth Ezel.” The following words could be the lamentation offered up by Beth Ezel (subjective genitive) or the mourning song sung over it (objective genitive).
[1:11] 167 tc The form עֶמְדָּתוֹ (’emdato) should be emended to חֲמַדְּתוֹ (khamadto, “his (the conqueror’s) desire”).
[1:11] tn The precise meaning of the line is uncertain. The translation assumes: (a) the subject of the third masculine singular verb יִקַּח (yiqqakh, “he/it takes”) is the conqueror, (b) the second masculine plural suffix (“you”) on the preposition מִן (min, “from”) refers to the residents of Shaphir and Zaanan, (c) the final form עֶמְדָּתוֹ should be emended to חֲמַדְּתוֹ, “his (the conqueror’s) desire.”
[1:12] 168 sn The place name Maroth sounds like the Hebrew word for “bitter.”
[1:12] 169 tc The translation assumes an emendation of חָלָה (khalah; from חִיל, khil, “to writhe”) to יִחֲלָה (yikhalah; from יָחַל, yakhal, “to wait”).
[1:12] tn Heb “[the residents of Maroth] writhe [= “anxiously long for”?] good.”
[1:12] 170 tn Heb “though disaster has come down from the
[1:13] 171 sn The place name Lachish sounds like the Hebrew word for “team [of horses].”
[1:13] 172 tn Heb “she”; this has been translated as second person (“you”) in keeping with the direct address to the residents of Lachish in the previous line.
[1:13] 173 sn The epithet Daughter Zion pictures the city of Jerusalem as a young lady.
[1:13] 174 tn Heb “She was the beginning of sin for Daughter Zion.”
[1:13] 175 tn Heb “for in you was found the transgressions of Israel.”
[1:14] 176 tn The subject of the feminine singular verb is probably Lachish.
[1:14] 177 tn Heb “you will give a dowry to”; NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “give parting gifts to.” Lachish is compared to a father who presents wedding gifts to his daughter as she leaves her father’s home to take up residence with her husband. In similar fashion Lachish will bid farewell to Moresheth Gath, for the latter will be taken by the invader.
[1:14] 178 tn Heb “houses.” By metonymy this refers to the people who live in them.
[1:14] 179 sn The place name Achzib (אַכְזִיב, ’akhziv, “place on the dried up river”; see HALOT 45 s.v. אַכְזָב) creates a word play on the similar sounding term כָּזָב (kazav, “lie, deception”; HALOT 468 s.v. כָּזָב). Like the dried up river upon which its name was based, the city of Achzib would fail to help the kings of Israel in their time of need.
[1:14] 180 tn Or “will be a deception.” The term אַכְזָב (’akhzav) is often translated “deception,” as derived from the verb I כָּזָב (“to deceive, lie”; HALOT 467-68 s.v. I כזב). However, it probably means “what is dried up,” since (1) the noun elsewhere refers to an empty well or dried river in summer (Jer 15:18; cf. Job 6:15-20) (HALOT 45 s.v. אַכְזָב); (2) the place-name “Achzib” (אַכְזִיב) literally means “place on the אַכְזָב [dried up river]” (HALOT 45 s.v. אַכְזָב); and (3) it is derived from the verb II כָּזָב (“to dry up [brook]”; Isa 58:11), which also appears in Mishnaic Hebrew and Arabic. The point of the metaphor is that Achzib will be as disappointing to the kings of Israel as a dried up spring in the summer is to a thirsty traveler in the Jordanian desert.
[1:14] 181 sn Because of the enemy invasion, Achzib would not be able to deliver soldiers for the army and/or services normally rendered to the crown.
[1:15] 182 sn The place name Mareshah sounds like the Hebrew word for “conqueror.”
[1:15] 183 tn Heb “Again a conqueror I will bring to you, residents of Mareshah.” The first person verb is problematic, for the
[1:15] 184 tn Heb “to Adullam the glory of Israel will go.” This probably means that the nation’s leadership will run for their lives and, like David of old, hide from their enemy in the caves of Adullam. Cf. NIV’s “He who is the glory of Israel will come to Adullam,” which sounds as if an individual is in view, and could be understood as a messianic reference.
[1:16] 185 tn Heb “over the sons of your delight.”
[1:16] 186 tn Heb “make wide your baldness.”
[1:16] 187 tn Or “a vulture” (cf. NIV, TEV); CEV “a buzzard.” The Hebrew term נֶשֶׁר (nesher) refers to the griffon vulture or eagle.
[5:7] 188 tn Heb “the remnant of” (also in v. 8).
[5:7] 190 tn This could mean “(scattered) among the nations” (cf. CEV, NLT) or “surrounded by many nations” (cf. NRSV).
[5:7] 191 tn Heb “that does not hope for man, and does not wait for the sons of men.”
[5:7] sn Men wait eagerly for the dew and the rain, not vice versa. Just as the dew and rain are subject to the
[5:8] 192 tn The words “its prey” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
