Mikha 5:6-15

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 

5:8 Those survivors from Jacob will live among the nations,

in the midst of many peoples.

They will be like a lion among the animals of the forest,

like a young lion among the flocks of sheep,

which attacks when it passes through;

it rips its prey ⁹  and there is no one to stop it. ¹⁰ 

5:9 Lift your hand triumphantly against your adversaries; ¹¹ 

may all your enemies be destroyed! ¹² 

The Lord Will Purify His People

5:10 “In that day,” says the Lord,

“I will destroy ¹³  your horses from your midst,

and smash your chariots.

5:11 I will destroy the cities of your land,

and tear down all your fortresses.

5:12 I will remove the sorcery ¹⁴  that you practice, ¹⁵ 

and you will no longer have omen readers living among you. ¹⁶ 

5:13 I will remove your idols and sacred pillars from your midst;

you will no longer worship what your own hands made.

5:14 I will uproot your images of Asherah ¹⁷  from your midst,

and destroy your idols. ¹⁸ 

5:15 I will angrily seek vengeance

on the nations that do not obey me.” ¹⁹ 

[5:6]  ¹ tn Or perhaps “break”; or “defeat.”

[5:6]  ² sn According to Gen 10:8-12, Nimrod, who was famous as a warrior and hunter, founded Assyria.

[5:6]  ³ tc The MT reads “in her gates,” but the text should be emended to בַּפְּתִיחָה (baptikhah, “with a drawn sword”).

[5:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the coming king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “the remnant of” (also in v. 8).

[5:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “will be.”

[5:7]  ⁷ tn This could mean “(scattered) among the nations” (cf. CEV, NLT) or “surrounded by many nations” (cf. NRSV).

[5:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “that does not hope for man, and does not wait for the sons of men.”

[5:7]  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.

[5:8]  ⁹ tn The words “its prey” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[5:8]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and there is no deliverer.”

[5:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “let your hand be lifted against your adversaries.”

[5:9]  ¹² tn Heb “be cut off.”

[5:10]  ¹³ tn Heb “cut off” (also in the following verse).

[5:12]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “magic charms” (so NCV, TEV); NIV, NLT “witchcraft”; NAB “the means of divination.” The precise meaning of this Hebrew word is uncertain, but note its use in Isa 47:9, 12.

[5:12]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “from your hands.”

[5:12]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and you will not have omen-readers.”

[5:14]  ¹⁷ tn Or “Asherah poles.”

[5:14]  sn Asherah was a leading deity of the Canaanite pantheon, wife/sister of El and goddess of fertility. She was commonly worshiped at shrines in or near groves of evergreen trees, or, failing that, at places marked by wooden poles. These were to be burned or cut down (Deut 12:3; 16:21; Judg 6:25, 28, 30; 2 Kgs 18:4). The Lord states that he will destroy these images, something the Israelites themselves should have done but failed to do.

[5:14]  ¹⁸ tn The MT reads “your cities,” but many emend the text to צִרֶיךָ (tsirekha, “your images”) or עֲצַבֶּיךָ (’atsbbekha, “your idols”).

[5:15]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “I will accomplish in anger and in rage, vengeance on the nations who do not listen.”