Micah 1:11-12

1:11 Residents ¹  of Shaphir, ²  pass by in nakedness and humiliation! ³ 

The residents of Zaanan can’t leave their city. ⁴ 

Beth Ezel ⁵  mourns, ⁶ 

“He takes from you what he desires.” ⁷ 

1:12 Indeed, the residents of Maroth ⁸  hope for something good to happen, ⁹ 

though the Lord has sent disaster against the city of Jerusalem. ¹⁰ 

Micah 1:15

1:15 Residents of Mareshah, ¹¹  a conqueror will attack you, ¹² 

the leaders of Israel shall flee to Adullam. ¹³ 

Micah 1:13

1:13 Residents of Lachish, ¹⁴  hitch the horses to the chariots!

You ¹⁵  influenced Daughter Zion ¹⁶  to sin, ¹⁷ 

for Israel’s rebellious deeds can be traced back ¹⁸  to you!

[1:11]  ¹ 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]  ² sn The place name Shaphir means “pleasant” in Hebrew.

[1:11]  ³ tn The imperatival form is used rhetorically, emphasizing that the inhabitants of Shaphir will pass by into exile.

[1:11]  ⁴ tn Heb “have not come out”; NIV “will not come out”; NLT “dare not come outside.”

[1:11]  ⁵ sn The place name Beth Ezel means “house of nearness” or “house of proximity” in Hebrew.

[1:11]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ tc The form עֶמְדָּתוֹ (’emdato) should be emended to חֲמַדְּתוֹ (khamadto, “his (the conqueror’s) desire”).

[1:12]  ⁸ sn The place name Maroth sounds like the Hebrew word for “bitter.”

[1:12]  ⁹ tc The translation assumes an emendation of חָלָה (khalah; from חִיל, khil, “to writhe”) to יִחֲלָה (yikhalah; from יָחַל, yakhal, “to wait”).

[1:12]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “though disaster has come down from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem.”

[1:15]  ¹⁵ sn The place name Mareshah sounds like the Hebrew word for “conqueror.”

[1:15]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “Again a conqueror I will bring to you, residents of Mareshah.” The first person verb is problematic, for the Lord would have to be the subject (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). But the prophet appears to be delivering this lament and the Lord is referred to in the third person in v. 12. Consequently many emend the verb to a third person form (יָבוֹא, yavo’) and understand the “conqueror” as subject.

[1:15]  ¹⁷ 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.

[1:13]  ²² sn The place name Lachish sounds like the Hebrew word for “team [of horses].”

[1:13]  ²³ 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]  ²⁴ sn The epithet Daughter Zion pictures the city of Jerusalem as a young lady.

[1:13]  ²⁵ tn Heb “She was the beginning of sin for Daughter Zion.”

[1:13]  ²⁶ tn Heb “for in you was found the transgressions of Israel.”