Mikha 5:6-7

5:6 They will rule ¹  the land of Assyria with the sword,

the land of Nimrod ²  with a drawn sword. ³ 

Our king ⁴  will rescue us from the Assyrians

should they attempt to invade our land

and try to set foot in our territory.

5:7 Those survivors from ⁵  Jacob will live ⁶ 

in the midst of many nations. ⁷ 

They will be like the dew the Lord sends,

like the rain on the grass,

that does not hope for men to come

or wait around for humans to arrive. ⁸ 

¹ tn Or perhaps “break”; or “defeat.”

² sn According to Gen 10:8-12, Nimrod, who was famous as a warrior and hunter, founded Assyria.

³ tc The MT reads “in her gates,” but the text should be emended to בַּפְּתִיחָה (baptikhah, “with a drawn sword”).

⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the coming king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁵ tn Heb “the remnant of” (also in v. 8).

⁶ tn Heb “will be.”

⁷ tn This could mean “(scattered) among the nations” (cf. CEV, NLT) or “surrounded by many nations” (cf. NRSV).

⁸ tn Heb “that does not hope for man, and does not wait for the sons of men.”

sn Men wait eagerly for the dew and the rain, not vice versa. Just as the dew and rain are subject to the Lord, not men, so the remnant of Israel will succeed by the supernatural power of God and not need the support of other nations. There may even be a military metaphor here. Israel will overwhelm their enemies, just as the dew completely covers the grass (see 2 Sam 17:12). This interpretation would be consistent with the image of v. 7.