Mikha 6:8

6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good,

and what the Lord really wants from you: ¹ 

He wants you to ²  promote ³  justice, to be faithful, ⁴ 

and to live obediently before ⁵  your God.

Mikha 4:4

4:4 Each will sit under his own grapevine

or under his own fig tree without any fear. ⁶ 

The Lord who commands armies has decreed it. ⁷ 

Mikha 3:2

3:2 yet you ⁸  hate what is good, ⁹ 

and love what is evil. ¹⁰ 

You flay my people’s skin ¹¹ 

and rip the flesh from their bones. ¹² 

Mikha 7:14

7:14 Shepherd your people with your shepherd’s rod, ¹³ 

the flock that belongs to you, ¹⁴ 

the one that lives alone in a thicket,

in the midst of a pastureland. ¹⁵ 

Allow them to graze in Bashan and Gilead, ¹⁶ 

as they did in the old days. ¹⁷ 

Mikha 5:2

A King Will Come and a Remnant Will Prosper

5:2 (5:1) As for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, ¹⁸ 

seemingly insignificant ¹⁹  among the clans of Judah –

from you a king will emerge who will rule over Israel on my behalf, ²⁰ 

one whose origins ²¹  are in the distant past. ²² 

Mikha 5:4

5:4 He will assume his post ²³  and shepherd the people ²⁴  by the Lord’s strength,

by the sovereign authority of the Lord his God. ²⁵ 

They will live securely, ²⁶  for at that time he will be honored ²⁷ 

even in the distant regions of ²⁸  the earth.

[6:8]  ¹ sn What the Lord really wants from you. Now the prophet switches roles and answers the hypothetical worshiper’s question. He makes it clear that the Lord desires proper attitudes more than ritual and sacrifice.

[6:8]  ² tn Heb “except.” This statement is actually linked with what precedes, “What does he want from you except….”

[6:8]  ³ tn Heb “to do,” in the sense of “promote.”

[6:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “to love faithfulness.”

[6:8]  ⁵ tn Heb “to walk humbly [or perhaps, “carefully”] with.”

[4:4]  ⁶ tn Heb “and there will be no one making [him] afraid.”

[4:4]  ⁷ tn Heb “for the mouth of the Lord of Hosts has spoken.”

[3:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “the ones who.”

[3:2]  ⁹ tn Or “good.”

[3:2]  ¹⁰ tn Or “evil.”

[3:2]  ¹¹ tn Heb “their skin from upon them.” The referent of the pronoun (“my people,” referring to Jacob and/or the house of Israel, with the Lord as the speaker) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:2]  ¹² tn Heb “and their flesh from their bones.”

[3:2]  sn Micah compares the social injustice perpetrated by the house of Jacob/Israel to cannibalism, because it threatens the very lives of the oppressed.

[7:14]  ¹³ tn Or “with your scepter” (the Hebrew term can mean either “rod” or “scepter”).

[7:14]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “the flock of your inheritance.”

[7:14]  ¹⁵ 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]  ¹⁶ sn The regions of Bashan and Gilead, located in Transjordan, were noted for their rich grazing lands.

[7:14]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “as in the days of antiquity.”

[5:2]  ¹⁸ sn Ephrathah is either an alternate name for Bethlehem or the name of the district in which Bethlehem was located. See Ruth 4:11.

[5:2]  map For location of Bethlehem see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[5:2]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “being small.” Some omit לִהְיוֹת (lihyot, “being”) because it fits awkwardly and appears again in the next line.

[5:2]  ²⁰ tn Heb “from you for me one will go out to be a ruler over Israel.”

[5:2]  ²¹ tn Heb “his goings out.” The term may refer to the ruler’s origins (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT) or to his activities.

[5:2]  ²² tn Heb “from the past, from the days of antiquity.” Elsewhere both phrases refer to the early periods in the history of the world or of the nation of Israel. For מִקֶּדֶם (miqqedem, “from the past”) see Neh 12:46; Pss 74:12; 77:11; Isa 45:21; 46:10. For מִימֵי עוֹלָם (mimey ’olam, “from the days of antiquity”) see Isa 63:9, 11; Amos 9:11; Mic 7:14; Mal 3:4. In Neh 12:46 and Amos 9:11 the Davidic era is in view.

[5:2]  sn In riddle-like fashion this verse alludes to David, as the references to Bethlehem and to his ancient origins/activities indicate. The passage anticipates the second coming of the great king to usher in a new era of national glory for Israel. Other prophets are more direct and name this coming ideal ruler “David” (Jer 30:9; Ezek 34:23-24; 37:24-25; Hos 3:5). Of course, this prophecy of “David’s” second coming is actually fulfilled through his descendant, the Messiah, who will rule in the spirit and power of his famous ancestor and bring to realization the Davidic royal ideal in an even greater way than the historical David (see Isa 11:1, 10; Jer 33:15).

[5:4]  ²³ tn Heb “stand up”; NAB “stand firm”; NASB “will arise.”

[5:4]  ²⁴ tn The words “the people” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[5:4]  ²⁵ tn Heb “by the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.”

[5:4]  ²⁶ tn The words “in peace” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Perhaps וְיָשָׁבוּ (vÿyashavu, “and they will live”) should be emended to וְשָׁבוּ (vÿshavu, “and they will return”).

[5:4]  ²⁷ tn Heb “be great.”

[5:4]  ²⁸ tn Or “to the ends of.”