Discovery BoxMicah 1:2--2:13
Context1:2 Listen, all you nations! 1
Pay attention, all inhabitants of earth! 2
The sovereign Lord will testify 3 against you;
the Lord will accuse you 4 from his majestic palace. 5
1:3 Look, 6 the Lord is coming out of his dwelling place!
He will descend and march on the earth’s mountaintops! 7
1:4 The mountains will disintegrate 8 beneath him,
and the valleys will be split in two. 9
The mountains will melt 10 like wax in a fire,
the rocks will slide down like water cascading down a steep slope. 11
1:5 All this is because of Jacob’s rebellion
and 12 the sins of the nation 13 of Israel.
How has Jacob rebelled, you ask? 14
Samaria epitomizes their rebellion! 15
Where are Judah’s pagan worship centers, you ask? 16
They are right in Jerusalem! 17
1:6 “I will turn Samaria 18 into a heap of ruins in an open field –
vineyards will be planted there! 19
I will tumble 20 the rubble of her stone walls 21 down into the valley,
and tear down her fortifications to their foundations. 22
1:7 All her carved idols will be smashed to pieces;
all her metal cult statues will be destroyed by fire. 23
I will make a waste heap 24 of all her images.
Since 25 she gathered the metal 26 as a prostitute collects her wages,
the idols will become a prostitute’s wages again.” 27
1:8 For this reason I 28 will mourn and wail;
I will walk around barefoot 29 and without my outer garments. 30
I will howl 31 like a wild dog, 32
and screech 33 like an owl. 34
1:9 For Samaria’s 35 disease 36 is incurable.
It has infected 37 Judah;
it has spread to 38 the leadership 39 of my people
and has even contaminated Jerusalem! 40
1:10 Don’t spread the news in Gath! 41
Don’t shed even a single tear! 42
In Beth Leaphrah sit in the dust! 43
1:11 Residents 44 of Shaphir, 45 pass by in nakedness and humiliation! 46
The residents of Zaanan can’t leave their city. 47
“He takes from you what he desires.” 50
1:12 Indeed, the residents of Maroth 51 hope for something good to happen, 52
though the Lord has sent disaster against the city of Jerusalem. 53
1:13 Residents of Lachish, 54 hitch the horses to the chariots!
You 55 influenced Daughter Zion 56 to sin, 57
for Israel’s rebellious deeds can be traced back 58 to you!
1:14 Therefore you 59 will have to say farewell 60 to Moresheth Gath.
The residents 61 of Achzib 62 will be as disappointing
as a dried up well 63 to the kings of Israel. 64
1:15 Residents of Mareshah, 65 a conqueror will attack you, 66
the leaders of Israel shall flee to Adullam. 67
1:16 Shave your heads bald as you mourn for the children you love; 68
shave your foreheads as bald 69 as an eagle, 70
for they are taken from you into exile.
2:1 Those who devise sinful plans are as good as dead, 71
those who dream about doing evil as they lie in bed. 72
As soon as morning dawns they carry out their plans, 73
because they have the power to do so.
2:2 They confiscate the fields they desire,
and seize the houses they want. 74
They defraud people of their homes, 75
and deprive people of the land they have inherited. 76
2:3 Therefore the Lord says this: “Look, I am devising disaster for this nation! 77
It will be like a yoke from which you cannot free your neck. 78
You will no longer 79 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: 80
‘We are completely destroyed;
they sell off 81 the property of my people.
How they remove it from me! 82
They assign our fields to the conqueror.’ 83
2:5 Therefore no one will assign you land in the Lord’s community. 84
2:6 ‘Don’t preach with such impassioned rhetoric,’ they say excitedly. 85
‘These prophets should not preach of such things;
we will not be overtaken by humiliation.’ 86
2:7 Does the family 87 of Jacob say, 88
‘The Lord’s patience 89 can’t be exhausted –
he would never do such things’? 90
To be sure, my commands bring a reward
for those who obey them, 91
2:8 but you rise up as an enemy against my people. 92
You steal a robe from a friend, 93
from those who pass by peacefully as if returning from a war. 94
2:9 You wrongly evict widows 95 among my people from their cherished homes.
You defraud their children 96 of their prized inheritance. 97
2:10 But you are the ones who will be forced to leave! 98
For this land is not secure! 99
Sin will thoroughly destroy it! 100
2:11 If a lying windbag should come and say, 101
‘I’ll promise you blessings of wine and beer,’ 102
he would be just the right preacher for these people! 103
2:12 I will certainly gather all of you, O Jacob,
I will certainly assemble those Israelites who remain. 104
I will bring them together like sheep in a fold, 105
like a flock in the middle of a pasture; 106
they will be so numerous that they will make a lot of noise. 107
2:13 The one who can break through barriers will lead them out 108
they will break out, pass through the gate, and leave. 109
Their king will advance 110 before them,
The Lord himself will lead them. 111
[1:2] 1 tn Heb “O peoples, all of them.”
[1:2] 2 tn Heb “O earth and all its fullness”; KJV “and all that therein is.”
[1:2] 3 tn Heb “May the sovereign
[1:2] 4 tn Heb “the
[1:2] 5 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] 6 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] 7 tn Or “high places” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[1:4] 8 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] 9 sn The mountains will disintegrate…the valleys will be split in two. This imagery pictures an earthquake and accompanying landslide.
[1:4] 10 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] 11 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] 12 tn Heb “and because of.” This was simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[1:5] 14 tn Heb “What is the rebellion of Jacob?”
[1:5] 15 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] 16 tn Heb “What are Judah’s high places?”
[1:5] 17 tn Heb “Is it not Jerusalem?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “It certainly is!”
[1:6] 18 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[1:6] 19 tn Heb “into a planting place for vineyards.”
[1:6] 20 tn Heb “pour” (so NASB, NIV); KJV, NRSV “pour down”; NAB “throw down”; NLT “roll.”
[1:6] 21 tn Heb “her stones.” The term stones is a metonymy for the city walls whose foundations were constructed of stone masonry.
[1:6] 22 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] 23 tn Heb “and all her prostitute’s wages will be burned with fire.”
[1:7] 24 tn Heb “I will make desolate” (so NASB).
[1:7] 25 tn Or “for” (KJV, NASB, NRSV).
[1:7] 26 tn No object is specified in the Hebrew text; the words “the metal” are supplied from the context.
[1:7] 27 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] 28 tn The prophet is probably the speaker here.
[1:8] 29 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] 30 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] 31 tn Heb “I will make lamentation.”
[1:8] 32 tn Or “a jackal”; CEV “howling wolves.”
[1:8] 33 tn Heb “[make] a mourning.”
[1:8] 34 tn Or perhaps “ostrich” (cf. ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT).
[1:9] 35 tn Heb “her”; the referent (Samaria) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:9] 36 tc The MT reads the plural “wounds”; the singular is read by the LXX, Syriac, and Vg.
[1:9] 39 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] 40 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.
[1:10] 41 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] 42 tn The Hebrew infinitive absolute before the negated jussive emphasizes the prohibition.
[1:10] 43 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.”
[1:11] 44 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] 45 sn The place name Shaphir means “pleasant” in Hebrew.
[1:11] 46 tn The imperatival form is used rhetorically, emphasizing that the inhabitants of Shaphir will pass by into exile.
[1:11] 47 tn Heb “have not come out”; NIV “will not come out”; NLT “dare not come outside.”
[1:11] 48 sn The place name Beth Ezel means “house of nearness” or “house of proximity” in Hebrew.
[1:11] 49 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] 50 tc The form עֶמְדָּתוֹ (’emdato) should be emended to חֲמַדְּתוֹ (khamadto, “his (the conqueror’s) desire”).
[1:12] 51 sn The place name Maroth sounds like the Hebrew word for “bitter.”
[1:12] 52 tc The translation assumes an emendation of חָלָה (khalah; from חִיל, khil, “to writhe”) to יִחֲלָה (yikhalah; from יָחַל, yakhal, “to wait”).
[1:12] 53 tn Heb “though disaster has come down from the
[1:13] 54 sn The place name Lachish sounds like the Hebrew word for “team [of horses].”
[1:13] 55 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] 56 sn The epithet Daughter Zion pictures the city of Jerusalem as a young lady.
[1:13] 57 tn Heb “She was the beginning of sin for Daughter Zion.”
[1:13] 58 tn Heb “for in you was found the transgressions of Israel.”
[1:14] 59 tn The subject of the feminine singular verb is probably Lachish.
[1:14] 60 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] 61 tn Heb “houses.” By metonymy this refers to the people who live in them.
[1:14] 62 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] 63 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] 64 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] 65 sn The place name Mareshah sounds like the Hebrew word for “conqueror.”
[1:15] 66 tn Heb “Again a conqueror I will bring to you, residents of Mareshah.” The first person verb is problematic, for the
[1:15] 67 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] 68 tn Heb “over the sons of your delight.”
[1:16] 69 tn Heb “make wide your baldness.”
[1:16] 70 tn Or “a vulture” (cf. NIV, TEV); CEV “a buzzard.” The Hebrew term נֶשֶׁר (nesher) refers to the griffon vulture or eagle.
[2:1] 71 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] 72 tn Heb “those who do evil upon their beds.”
[2:1] 73 tn Heb “at the light of morning they do it.”
[2:2] 74 tn Heb “they desire fields and rob [them], and houses and take [them] away.”
[2:2] 75 tn Heb “and they oppress a man and his home.”
[2:2] 76 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] 77 tn Heb “clan” or “extended family.”
[2:3] 78 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] 79 tn Or “you will not.”
[2:4] 80 tc The form נִהְיָה (nihyah) should be omitted as dittographic (note the preceding וְנָהָה נְהִי vÿnahah nÿhiy).
[2:4] 81 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] 82 tn Heb “how one removes for me.” Apparently the preposition has the nuance “from” here (cf. KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[2:4] 83 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”).
[2:5] 84 tn Heb “therefore you will not have one who strings out a measuring line by lot in the assembly of the
[2:6] 85 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] 86 tc If one follows the MT as it stands, it would appear that the
[2:7] 87 tn Heb “house” (so many English versions); CEV “descendants.’
[2:7] 88 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] 89 tn The Hebrew word רוּחַ (ruach) often means “Spirit” when used of the
[2:7] 90 tn Heb “Has the patience of the
[2:7] 91 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] 92 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] 93 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] 94 tc The passive participle שׁוּבֵי (shuvey) is unattested elsewhere and should be emended to a participle שָׁבִים (shavim).
[2:9] 95 tn Heb “women.” This may be a synecdoche of the whole (women) for the part (widows).
[2:9] 96 tn Heb “her little children” or “her infants”; ASV, NRSV “young children.”
[2:9] 97 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] 98 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] 99 tn Heb “for this is no resting place.” The
[2:10] 100 tn Heb “uncleanness will destroy, and destruction will be severe.”
[2:11] 101 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] 102 tn Heb “I will foam at the mouth concerning wine and beer.”
[2:11] 103 tn Heb “he would be the foamer at the mouth for this people.”
[2:12] 104 tn Heb “the remnant of Israel.”
[2:12] 105 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] 106 tc The MT reads “its pasture,” but the final vav (ו) belongs with the following verb. See GKC 413 §127.i.
[2:12] 107 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.
[2:13] 108 tn Heb “the one who breaks through goes up before them.” The verb form is understood as a perfect of certitude, emphasizing the certainty of this coming event.
[2:13] 109 tn The three verb forms (a perfect and two preterites with vav [ו] consecutive) indicate certitude.
[2:13] 110 tn The verb form (a preterite with vav [ו] consecutive) indicates certitude.
