Micah 6–7

Footnotes

1. 1 Or “plead your case” (, , ); “present your plea”; “state your case.” Defend yourself. The Lord challenges Israel to defend itself against the charges he is bringing.
2. 2 As in some ancient Near Eastern treaties, the mountains are personified as legal witnesses that will settle the dispute between God and Israel.
3. 3 Heb “let the hills hear your voice.”
4. 4 This verse briefly interrupts the Lord’s statement (see vv. 1, 3) as the prophet summons the mountains as witnesses. Because of this v. 2 has been placed in parentheses in the translation.
5. 5 Heb “My people, what have I done to you?”
6. 6 Heb “before you.”
7. 7 Heb “remember what Balak … planned.”
8. 8 Heb “From Shittim to Gilgal, in order to know the just acts of the Lord.” Something appears to be missing at the beginning of the line. The present translation supplies the words, “Recall how you went.” This apparently refers to how Israel crossed the Jordan River (see Josh 3:1; 4:19–24).
9. 9 With what should I enter the Lord’s presence? The prophet speaks again, playing the role of an inquisitive worshiper who wants to know what God really desires from his followers.
10. 10 The words “with what” do double duty in the parallelism and are supplied in the second line of the translation for clarification.
11. 11 Or “the exalted God.”
12. 12 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.”
13. 13 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.
14. 14 Heb “except.” This statement is actually linked with what precedes, “What does he want from you except.…”
15. 15 Heb “to do,” in the sense of “promote.”
16. 16 Heb “to love faithfulness.”
17. 17 Heb “to walk humbly [or perhaps, “carefully”] with.”
18. 18 Or “the voice of the Lord is calling.” The translation understands קוֹל (qol, “voice”) as equivalent to an imperative.
19. 19 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 Lord’s “name” here stands by metonymy for his authority.
20. 20 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”).
21. 21 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.”
22. 22 Heb “the treasures of sin”; “treasures of wickedness”; “ill-gotten treasures.”
23. 23 Heb “the accursed scant measure.” Merchants would use a smaller than standard measure so they could give the customer less than he thought he was paying for.
24. 24 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. Merchants also used rigged scales and deceptive weights to cheat their customers. See the note at .
25. 25 Heb “because her rich are full of violence.”
26. 26 Heb “speak lies.”
27. 27 Heb “and their tongue is deceptive in their mouth.”
28. 28 Heb “and also I, I will make you sick, striking you.”
29. 29 The first Hebrew term in the line (וְיֶשְׁחֲךָ, véyeshkhakha) is obscure. 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 (véyesh-koakh, “and [if] there is strength inside you”).
30. 30 The meaning of the Hebrew term וְתַסֵּג (vétasseg) 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), .
31. 31 The Hiphal of פָּלַט (palat) is used in Isa 5:29 of an animal carrying its prey to a secure place.
32. 32 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.
33. 33 Heb “but you will not rub yourselves with oil.”
34. 34 Heb “and juice, but you will not drink wine.” The verb תִדְרֹךְ (tidrokh, “you will tread”) must be supplied from the preceding line.
35. 35 Heb “the edicts of Omri are kept, and all the deeds of the house of Ahab.”
36. 36 Heb “and you walk in their plans.” The Omride dynasty, of which Ahab was the most infamous king, had a reputation for implementing unjust and oppressive measures. See 1 Kgs 21.
37. 37 The Hebrew term שַׁמָּה (shammah) can refer to “destruction; ruin,” or to the reaction it produces in those who witness the destruction.
38. 38 Heb “her”; the referent (the city) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
39. 39 Heb “[an object] of hissing,” which was a way of taunting someone.
40. 40 The translation assumes an emendation of the ’s עַמִּי (’ammi, “my people”) to עַמִּים (’ammim, “nations”). 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.
41. 1 Heb “woe to me!” In light of the image that follows, perhaps one could translate, “I am disappointed.”
42. 2 Or “for.”
43. 3 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.”
44. 4 Heb “my appetite craves.”
45. 5 Or “have perished”; “have been destroyed.”
46. 6 Heb “and an upright one among men there is not.”
47. 7 Heb “for bloodshed” (so ); “for a chance to commit murder.”
48. 8 Micah compares these ungodly people to hunters trying to capture their prey with a net.
49. 9 Heb “upon evil [are their] hands to do [it] well.”
50. 10 Heb “the official asks—and the judge—for a bribe.”
51. 11 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.
52. 12 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 582 6 and §133.e.
53. 13 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.”
54. 14 Heb “and now will be their confusion.”
55. 15 Heb “from the one who lies in your arms, guard the doors of your mouth.”
56. 16 Heb “rises up against.”
57. 17 Heb “the enemies of a man are the men of his house.”
58. 18 Heb “me.” In the interest of clarity the nature of the prophet’s cry has been specified as “my lament” in the translation.
59. 19 The singular form is understood as collective.
60. 20 Or “rejoice” (, , , ); “don’t laugh at me.”
61. 21 Darkness represents judgment; light (also in v. 9) symbolizes deliverance. The Lord is the source of the latter.
62. 22 Heb “lift, bear.”
63. 23 Heb “until.”
64. 24 Or “plead my case” ( and both similar); “until he takes my side.”
65. 25 Heb “see.”
66. 26 Or “justice, vindication.”
67. 27 Heb “who say.” A new sentence was begun here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
68. 28 Heb “My eyes will look on them.”
69. 29 Heb “a trampled-down place.”
70. 30 Personified Jerusalem declares her confidence in vv. 8–10; in this verse she is assured that she will indeed be vindicated.
71. 31 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 Lord).
72. 32 The masculine pronominal suffix suggests the Lord is addressed. Some emend to a feminine form and take Jerusalem as the addressee.
73. 33 The reads וְעָרֵי (vé’arey, “and the cities [of Egypt]”), but the parallel line indicates this is a corruption of וְעַד (vé’ad, “even to”).
74. 34 Heb “the River,” referring to the Euphrates River. This has been specified in the translation for clarity (so also , ).
75. 35 Heb “and sea from sea.” Many prefer to emend this to מִיָּם עַד יָם (miyyam ’ad yam, “from sea to sea”).
76. 36 Heb “and mountain of the mountain.” Many prefer to emend this to וּמֵהַר עַד הַר (umehar ’ad har, “and mountain to mountain”).
77. 37 Or “will be ruined.”
78. 38 Heb “on account of its inhabitants, because of the fruit of their deeds.”
79. 39 Or “with your scepter” (the Hebrew term can mean either “rod” or “scepter”).
80. 40 Heb “the flock of your inheritance.”
81. 41 Or “in the midst of Carmel.” The Hebrew term translated “pastureland” may be a place name. 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.
82. 42 The regions of Bashan and Gilead, located in Transjordan, were noted for their rich grazing lands.
83. 43 Heb “as in the days of antiquity.”
84. 44 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.
85. 45 I will show you miraculous deeds. In this verse the Lord responds to the petition of v. 14 with a brief promise of deliverance.
86. 46 Or “be ashamed of.”
87. 47 Heb “and their ears will be deaf.” Apparently this means the opposing nations will be left dumbfounded by the Lord’s power. Their inability to respond will make them appear to be deaf mutes.
88. 48 Heb “like crawling things on the ground.” The parallelism suggests snakes are in view.
89. 49 The translation assumes that the phrase אֶל־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ (’el-yéhvah ’elohenu, “to the Lord our God”) goes with what precedes. Another option is to take the phrase with the following verb, in which case one could translate, “to the Lord our God they will turn in dread.”
90. 50 Heb “they will be in dread and afraid.”
91. 51 The Lord is addressed directly using the second person.
92. 52 Heb “Who is a God like you?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “No one!”
93. 53 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.
94. 54 Heb “pass over.”
95. 55 Heb “of the remnant of his inheritance.”
96. 56 Heb “he does not keep hold of his anger forever.”
97. 57 The verb יָשׁוּב (yashuv, “he will return”) is here used adverbially in relation to the following verb, indicating that the Lord will again show mercy.
98. 58 Some prefer to read יִכְבֹּס (yikhbos, “he will cleanse”; see כבס pi). If the is taken as it stands, sin is personified as an enemy that the Lord subdues.
99. 59 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.
100. 60 In this metaphor the Lord disposes of Israel’s sins by throwing them into the waters of the sea (here symbolic of chaos).
101. 61 More literally, “You will extend loyalty to Jacob, and loyal love to Abraham.
102. 62 Heb “our fathers.” The Hebrew term refers here to more distant ancestors, not immediate parents.
103. 63 Heb “which you swore [or, “pledged”] to our fathers from days of old.”