Mikha 2:1-11
Konteks2:1 Those who devise sinful plans are as good as dead, 1
those who dream about doing evil as they lie in bed. 2
As soon as morning dawns they carry out their plans, 3
because they have the power to do so.
2:2 They confiscate the fields they desire,
and seize the houses they want. 4
They defraud people of their homes, 5
and deprive people of the land they have inherited. 6
2:3 Therefore the Lord says this: “Look, I am devising disaster for this nation! 7
It will be like a yoke from which you cannot free your neck. 8
You will no longer 9 walk proudly,
for it will be a time of catastrophe.
2:4 In that day people will sing this taunt song to you –
they will mock you with this lament: 10
‘We are completely destroyed;
they sell off 11 the property of my people.
How they remove it from me! 12
They assign our fields to the conqueror.’ 13
2:5 Therefore no one will assign you land in the Lord’s community. 14
2:6 ‘Don’t preach with such impassioned rhetoric,’ they say excitedly. 15
‘These prophets should not preach of such things;
we will not be overtaken by humiliation.’ 16
2:7 Does the family 17 of Jacob say, 18
‘The Lord’s patience 19 can’t be exhausted –
he would never do such things’? 20
To be sure, my commands bring a reward
for those who obey them, 21
2:8 but you rise up as an enemy against my people. 22
You steal a robe from a friend, 23
from those who pass by peacefully as if returning from a war. 24
2:9 You wrongly evict widows 25 among my people from their cherished homes.
You defraud their children 26 of their prized inheritance. 27
2:10 But you are the ones who will be forced to leave! 28
For this land is not secure! 29
Sin will thoroughly destroy it! 30
2:11 If a lying windbag should come and say, 31
‘I’ll promise you blessings of wine and beer,’ 32
he would be just the right preacher for these people! 33
Mikha 2:3
Konteks2:3 Therefore the Lord says this: “Look, I am devising disaster for this nation! 34
It will be like a yoke from which you cannot free your neck. 35
You will no longer 36 walk proudly,
for it will be a time of catastrophe.
Mikha 1:1-16
Konteks1:1 This is the prophetic message that the Lord gave to 37 Micah of Moresheth. He delivered this message 38 during the reigns of 39 Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. The prophecies pertain to 40 Samaria 41 and Jerusalem. 42
1:2 Listen, all you nations! 43
Pay attention, all inhabitants of earth! 44
The sovereign Lord will testify 45 against you;
the Lord will accuse you 46 from his majestic palace. 47
1:3 Look, 48 the Lord is coming out of his dwelling place!
He will descend and march on the earth’s mountaintops! 49
1:4 The mountains will disintegrate 50 beneath him,
and the valleys will be split in two. 51
The mountains will melt 52 like wax in a fire,
the rocks will slide down like water cascading down a steep slope. 53
1:5 All this is because of Jacob’s rebellion
and 54 the sins of the nation 55 of Israel.
How has Jacob rebelled, you ask? 56
Samaria epitomizes their rebellion! 57
Where are Judah’s pagan worship centers, you ask? 58
They are right in Jerusalem! 59
1:6 “I will turn Samaria 60 into a heap of ruins in an open field –
vineyards will be planted there! 61
I will tumble 62 the rubble of her stone walls 63 down into the valley,
and tear down her fortifications to their foundations. 64
1:7 All her carved idols will be smashed to pieces;
all her metal cult statues will be destroyed by fire. 65
I will make a waste heap 66 of all her images.
Since 67 she gathered the metal 68 as a prostitute collects her wages,
the idols will become a prostitute’s wages again.” 69
1:8 For this reason I 70 will mourn and wail;
I will walk around barefoot 71 and without my outer garments. 72
I will howl 73 like a wild dog, 74
and screech 75 like an owl. 76
1:9 For Samaria’s 77 disease 78 is incurable.
It has infected 79 Judah;
it has spread to 80 the leadership 81 of my people
and has even contaminated Jerusalem! 82
1:10 Don’t spread the news in Gath! 83
Don’t shed even a single tear! 84
In Beth Leaphrah sit in the dust! 85
1:11 Residents 86 of Shaphir, 87 pass by in nakedness and humiliation! 88
The residents of Zaanan can’t leave their city. 89
“He takes from you what he desires.” 92
1:12 Indeed, the residents of Maroth 93 hope for something good to happen, 94
though the Lord has sent disaster against the city of Jerusalem. 95
1:13 Residents of Lachish, 96 hitch the horses to the chariots!
You 97 influenced Daughter Zion 98 to sin, 99
for Israel’s rebellious deeds can be traced back 100 to you!
1:14 Therefore you 101 will have to say farewell 102 to Moresheth Gath.
The residents 103 of Achzib 104 will be as disappointing
as a dried up well 105 to the kings of Israel. 106
1:15 Residents of Mareshah, 107 a conqueror will attack you, 108
the leaders of Israel shall flee to Adullam. 109
1:16 Shave your heads bald as you mourn for the children you love; 110
shave your foreheads as bald 111 as an eagle, 112
for they are taken from you into exile.
Mikha 6:9-16
Konteks6:9 Listen! The Lord is calling 113 to the city!
It is wise to respect your authority, O Lord! 114
Listen, O nation, and those assembled in the city! 115
6:10 “I will not overlook, 116 O sinful house, the dishonest gain you have hoarded away, 117
or the smaller-than-standard measure I hate so much. 118
6:11 I do not condone the use of rigged scales,
or a bag of deceptive weights. 119
6:12 The city’s rich men think nothing of resorting to violence; 120
her inhabitants lie, 121
their tongues speak deceptive words. 122
6:13 I will strike you brutally 123
and destroy you because of your sin.
6:14 You will eat, but not be satisfied.
Even if you have the strength 124 to overtake some prey, 125
you will not be able to carry it away; 126
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, 127 but you will have no oil to rub on your bodies; 128
you will squeeze juice from the grapes, but you will have no wine to drink. 129
6:16 You implement the regulations of Omri,
and all the practices of Ahab’s dynasty; 130
you follow their policies. 131
Therefore I will make you an appalling sight, 132
the city’s 133 inhabitants will be taunted derisively, 134
and nations will mock all of you.” 135
[2:1] 1 tn Heb “Woe to those who plan sin.” The Hebrew term הוֹי (hoy, “woe”; “ah”) was a cry used in mourning the dead.
[2:1] 2 tn Heb “those who do evil upon their beds.”
[2:1] 3 tn Heb “at the light of morning they do it.”
[2:2] 4 tn Heb “they desire fields and rob [them], and houses and take [them] away.”
[2:2] 5 tn Heb “and they oppress a man and his home.”
[2:2] 6 tn Heb “and a man and his inheritance.” The verb עָשַׁק (’ashaq, “to oppress”; “to wrong”) does double duty in the parallel structure and is understood by ellipsis in the second line.
[2:3] 7 tn Heb “clan” or “extended family.”
[2:3] 8 tn Heb “from which you will not remove your neck.” The words “It will be like a yoke” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[2:4] 10 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] 11 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] 12 tn Heb “how one removes for me.” Apparently the preposition has the nuance “from” here (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[2:4] 13 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.”
[2:5] 14 tn Heb “therefore you will not have one who strings out a measuring line by lot in the assembly of the
[2:5] sn No one will assign you land in the
[2:6] 15 tn Heb “‘Do not foam at the mouth,’ they foam at the mouth.” The verb נָטַף (nataf) means “to drip.” When used of speech it probably has the nuance “to drivel, to foam at the mouth” (HALOT 694 s.v. נטף). The sinful people tell the
[2:6] 16 tc If one follows the MT as it stands, it would appear that the
[2:6] tn Heb “they should not foam at the mouth concerning these things, humiliation will not be removed.”
[2:7] 17 tn Heb “house” (so many English versions); CEV “descendants.’
[2:7] 18 tc The MT has אָמוּר (’amur), an otherwise unattested passive participle, which is better emended to אָמוֹר (’amor), an infinitive absolute functioning as a finite verb (see BDB 55 s.v. אָמַר).
[2:7] 19 tn The Hebrew word רוּחַ (ruach) often means “Spirit” when used of the
[2:7] 20 tn Heb “Has the patience of the
[2:7] 21 tn Heb “Do not my words accomplish good for the one who walks uprightly?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course they do!” The
[2:8] 22 tc Heb “Recently my people rise up as an enemy.” The MT is problematic in light of v. 9, where “my people” are the object of oppression, not the perpetrators of it. The form וְאֶתְמוּל (vÿ’etmul, “and recently”) is probably the product of fusion and subsequent suppression of an (ע) ayin. The translation assumes an emendation to וְאַתֶּם עַל (vÿ’attem ’al, “and you against [my people]”). The second person plural pronoun fits well with the second plural verb forms of vv. 8b-10. If this emendation is accepted, then יְקוֹמֵם (yÿqomem, the imperfect of קוּם [qum]) should be emended to קָמִים (qamim; a participle from the same root).
[2:8] 23 tc Heb “From the front of a garment glory [or perhaps, “a robe”] you strip off,” but this makes little if any sense. The term מִמּוּל (mimmul, “from the front of”) is probably the product of dittography (note the preceding word, which ends in [ם] mem) and subsequent suppression of ע (ayin). The translation assumes an emendation to מֵעַל (me’al, “from upon”). The translation also assumes an emendation of שַׂלְמָה אֶדֶר (salmah ’eder, “a garment, glory [or robe]”) to שֹׁלְמִים אֲדֶרֶת (sholÿmim ’aderet, “[from] a friend the robe [you strip off]”). The MT’s אֶדֶר (’eder) is the result of misdivision (the article has erroneously been attached to the preceding word) and haplography (of the final tav, which also begins the following word).
[2:8] 24 tc The passive participle שׁוּבֵי (shuvey) is unattested elsewhere and should be emended to a participle שָׁבִים (shavim).
[2:8] tn Heb “from those passing by peacefully, returnees from war.” Actual refugees, however, are probably not in view. The second line compares those who pass by peacefully with individuals returning from war. The battle is over and they do not expect their own countrymen to attack them.
[2:9] 25 tn Heb “women.” This may be a synecdoche of the whole (women) for the part (widows).
[2:9] 26 tn Heb “her little children” or “her infants”; ASV, NRSV “young children.”
[2:9] 27 tn Heb “from their children you take my glory forever.” The yod (י) ending on הֲדָרִי (hadariy) is usually taken as a first person common singular suffix (“my glory”). But it may be the archaic genitive ending (“glory of”) in the construct expression “glory of perpetuity,” that is, “perpetual glory.” In either case, this probably refers to the dignity or honor the
[2:10] 28 tn Heb “Arise and go!” These imperatives are rhetorical. Those who wrongly drove widows and orphans from their homes and land inheritances will themselves be driven out of the land (cf. Isa 5:8-17). This is an example of poetic justice.
[2:10] 29 tn Heb “for this is no resting place.” The
[2:10] 30 tn Heb “uncleanness will destroy, and destruction will be severe.”
[2:11] 31 tn Heb “if a man, coming [as] wind and falsehood, should lie”; NASB “walking after wind and falsehood”; NIV “a liar and a deceiver.”
[2:11] 32 tn Heb “I will foam at the mouth concerning wine and beer.”
[2:11] 33 tn Heb “he would be the foamer at the mouth for this people.”
[2:3] 34 tn Heb “clan” or “extended family.”
[2:3] 35 tn Heb “from which you will not remove your neck.” The words “It will be like a yoke” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[2:3] 36 tn Or “you will not.”
[1:1] 37 tn Heb “The word of the
[1:1] 38 tn The words “he delivered this message” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[1:1] 39 tn Heb “in the days of” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV).
[1:1] 40 tn Heb “which he saw concerning.”
[1:1] 41 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[1:1] 42 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[1:2] 43 tn Heb “O peoples, all of them.”
[1:2] 44 tn Heb “O earth and all its fullness”; KJV “and all that therein is.”
[1:2] 45 tn Heb “May the sovereign
[1:2] 46 tn Heb “the
[1:2] 47 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] 48 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] 49 tn Or “high places” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[1:4] 50 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] 51 sn The mountains will disintegrate…the valleys will be split in two. This imagery pictures an earthquake and accompanying landslide.
[1:4] 52 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] 53 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] 54 tn Heb “and because of.” This was simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[1:5] 56 tn Heb “What is the rebellion of Jacob?”
[1:5] 57 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] 58 tn Heb “What are Judah’s high places?”
[1:5] 59 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] 60 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[1:6] 61 tn Heb “into a planting place for vineyards.”
[1:6] 62 tn Heb “pour” (so NASB, NIV); KJV, NRSV “pour down”; NAB “throw down”; NLT “roll.”
[1:6] 63 tn Heb “her stones.” The term stones is a metonymy for the city walls whose foundations were constructed of stone masonry.
[1:6] 64 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] 65 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] 66 tn Heb “I will make desolate” (so NASB).
[1:7] 67 tn Or “for” (KJV, NASB, NRSV).
[1:7] 68 tn No object is specified in the Hebrew text; the words “the metal” are supplied from the context.
[1:7] 69 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] 70 tn The prophet is probably the speaker here.
[1:8] 71 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] 72 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] 73 tn Heb “I will make lamentation.”
[1:8] 74 tn Or “a jackal”; CEV “howling wolves.”
[1:8] 75 tn Heb “[make] a mourning.”
[1:8] 76 tn Or perhaps “ostrich” (cf. ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT).
[1:9] 77 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Samaria) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:9] 78 tc The MT reads the plural “wounds”; the singular is read by the LXX, Syriac, and Vg.
[1:9] tn Or “wound.”
[1:9] 81 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] 82 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] 83 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] 84 tn The Hebrew infinitive absolute before the negated jussive emphasizes the prohibition.
[1:10] 85 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] 86 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] 87 sn The place name Shaphir means “pleasant” in Hebrew.
[1:11] 88 tn The imperatival form is used rhetorically, emphasizing that the inhabitants of Shaphir will pass by into exile.
[1:11] 89 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] 90 sn The place name Beth Ezel means “house of nearness” or “house of proximity” in Hebrew.
[1:11] 91 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] 92 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] 93 sn The place name Maroth sounds like the Hebrew word for “bitter.”
[1:12] 94 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] 95 tn Heb “though disaster has come down from the
[1:13] 96 sn The place name Lachish sounds like the Hebrew word for “team [of horses].”
[1:13] 97 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] 98 sn The epithet Daughter Zion pictures the city of Jerusalem as a young lady.
[1:13] 99 tn Heb “She was the beginning of sin for Daughter Zion.”
[1:13] 100 tn Heb “for in you was found the transgressions of Israel.”
[1:14] 101 tn The subject of the feminine singular verb is probably Lachish.
[1:14] 102 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] 103 tn Heb “houses.” By metonymy this refers to the people who live in them.
[1:14] 104 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] 105 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] 106 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] 107 sn The place name Mareshah sounds like the Hebrew word for “conqueror.”
[1:15] 108 tn Heb “Again a conqueror I will bring to you, residents of Mareshah.” The first person verb is problematic, for the
[1:15] 109 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] 110 tn Heb “over the sons of your delight.”
[1:16] 111 tn Heb “make wide your baldness.”
[1:16] 112 tn Or “a vulture” (cf. NIV, TEV); CEV “a buzzard.” The Hebrew term נֶשֶׁר (nesher) refers to the griffon vulture or eagle.
[6:9] 113 tn Or “the voice of the
[6:9] 114 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] 115 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] 116 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] 117 tn Heb “the treasures of sin”; NASB “treasures of wickedness”; NIV “ill-gotten treasures.”
[6:10] 118 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] 119 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] 120 tn Heb “because her rich are full of violence.”
[6:12] 121 tn Heb “speak lies.”
[6:12] 122 tn Heb “and their tongue is deceptive in their mouth.”
[6:13] 123 tn Heb “and also I, I will make you sick, striking you.”
[6:14] 124 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] 125 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] 126 tn The Hiphal of פָּלַט (palat) is used in Isa 5:29 of an animal carrying its prey to a secure place.
[6:15] 127 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] 128 tn Heb “but you will not rub yourselves with oil.”
[6:15] 129 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] 130 tn Heb “the edicts of Omri are kept, and all the deeds of the house of Ahab.”
[6:16] 131 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] 132 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] 133 tn Heb “her”; the referent (the city) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:16] 134 tn Heb “[an object] of hissing,” which was a way of taunting someone.
[6:16] 135 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.
