Mikha 7:7
Konteks7:7 But I will keep watching for the Lord;
I will wait for the God who delivers me.
My God will hear my lament. 1
Mikha 3:8
Konteks3:8 But I 2 am full of the courage that the Lord’s Spirit gives,
and have a strong commitment to justice. 3
This enables me to confront Jacob with its rebellion,
and Israel with its sin. 4
Mikha 4:12
Konteks4:12 But they do not know what the Lord is planning;
they do not understand his strategy.
He has gathered them like stalks of grain to be threshed 5 at the threshing floor.
Mikha 3:4
Konteks3:4 Someday these sinners will cry to the Lord for help, 6
but he will not answer them.
He will hide his face from them at that time,
because they have done such wicked deeds.”
Mikha 2:8
Konteks2:8 but you rise up as an enemy against my people. 7
You steal a robe from a friend, 8
from those who pass by peacefully as if returning from a war. 9
Mikha 3:5
Konteks3:5 This is what the Lord says: “The prophets who mislead my people
are as good as dead. 10
If someone gives them enough to eat,
they offer an oracle of peace. 11
But if someone does not give them food,
they are ready to declare war on him. 12
Mikha 5:2
Konteks5:2 (5:1) As for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, 13
seemingly insignificant 14 among the clans of Judah –
from you a king will emerge who will rule over Israel on my behalf, 15
one whose origins 16 are in the distant past. 17
Mikha 4:10
Konteks4:10 Twist and strain, 18 Daughter Zion, as if you were in labor!
For you will leave the city
and live in the open field.
You will go to Babylon,
but there you will be rescued.
There the Lord will deliver 19 you
from the power 20 of your enemies.
Mikha 6:15
Konteks6:15 You will plant crops, but will not harvest them;
you will squeeze oil from the olives, 21 but you will have no oil to rub on your bodies; 22
you will squeeze juice from the grapes, but you will have no wine to drink. 23
Mikha 7:13
Konteks7:13 The earth will become desolate 24
because of what its inhabitants have done. 25
Mikha 6:14
Konteks6:14 You will eat, but not be satisfied.
Even if you have the strength 26 to overtake some prey, 27
you will not be able to carry it away; 28
if you do happen to carry away something,
I will deliver it over to the sword.
Mikha 4:5
Konteks4:5 Though all the nations follow their respective gods, 29
we will follow 30 the Lord our God forever.
Mikha 4:1
Konteks4:1 In the future 31 the Lord’s Temple Mount will be the most important mountain of all; 32
it will be more prominent than other hills. 33
People will stream to it.
Mikha 3:2
Konteks3:2 yet you 34 hate what is good, 35
and love what is evil. 36
You flay my people’s skin 37
and rip the flesh from their bones. 38
Mikha 4:4
Konteks4:4 Each will sit under his own grapevine
or under his own fig tree without any fear. 39
The Lord who commands armies has decreed it. 40
Mikha 4:7
Konteks4:7 I will transform the lame into the nucleus of a new nation, 41
and those far off 42 into a mighty nation.
The Lord will reign over them on Mount Zion,
from that day forward and forevermore.” 43
Mikha 4:9
Konteks4:9 Jerusalem, why are you 44 now shouting so loudly? 45
Has your king disappeared? 46
Has your wise leader 47 been destroyed?
Is this why 48 pain grips 49 you as if you were a woman in labor?
Mikha 7:8
Konteks7:8 My enemies, 50 do not gloat 51 over me!
Though I have fallen, I will get up.
Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light. 52
Mikha 2:3
Konteks2:3 Therefore the Lord says this: “Look, I am devising disaster for this nation! 53
It will be like a yoke from which you cannot free your neck. 54
You will no longer 55 walk proudly,
for it will be a time of catastrophe.
Mikha 6:5
Konteks6:5 My people, recall how King Balak of Moab planned to harm you, 56
how Balaam son of Beor responded to him.
Recall how you journeyed from Shittim to Gilgal,
so you might acknowledge that the Lord has treated you fairly.” 57
Mikha 7:4
Konteks7:4 The best of them is like a thorn;
the most godly among them are more dangerous than a row of thorn bushes. 58
The day you try to avoid by posting watchmen –
your appointed time of punishment – is on the way, 59
and then you will experience confusion. 60
Mikha 7:9-10
Konteks7:9 I must endure 61 the Lord’s anger,
for I have sinned against him.
But then 62 he will defend my cause, 63
and accomplish justice on my behalf.
He will lead me out into the light;
I will experience firsthand 64 his deliverance. 65
7:10 When my enemies see this, they will be covered with shame.
They say 66 to me, “Where is the Lord your God?”
I will gloat over them. 67
Then they will be trampled down 68
like mud in the streets.
[7:7] 1 tn Heb “me.” In the interest of clarity the nature of the prophet’s cry has been specified as “my lament” in the translation.
[3:8] 2 sn The prophet Micah speaks here and contrasts himself with the mercenaries just denounced by the
[3:8] 3 tn Heb “am full of power, the Spirit of the
[3:8] 4 tn Heb “to declare to Jacob his rebellion and to Israel his sin.” The words “this enables me” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[4:12] 5 tn The words “to be threshed” are not in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation to make it clear that the
[3:4] 6 tn Heb “then they will cry out to the
[2:8] 7 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] 8 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] 9 tc The passive participle שׁוּבֵי (shuvey) is unattested elsewhere and should be emended to a participle שָׁבִים (shavim).
[2:8] tn Heb “from those passing by peacefully, returnees from war.” Actual refugees, however, are probably not in view. The second line compares those who pass by peacefully with individuals returning from war. The battle is over and they do not expect their own countrymen to attack them.
[3:5] 10 tn Heb “concerning the prophets, those who mislead my people.” The first person pronominal suffix is awkward in a quotation formula that introduces the words of the
[3:5] 11 tn Heb “those who bite with their teeth and cry out, ‘peace.’” The phrase “bite with the teeth” is taken here as idiomatic for eating. Apparently these prophets were driven by mercenary motives. If they were paid well, they gave positive oracles to their clients, but if someone could not afford to pay them, they were hostile and delivered oracles of doom.
[3:5] 12 tn Heb “but [as for the one] who does not place [food] in their mouths, they prepare for war against him.”
[5:2] 13 sn Ephrathah is either an alternate name for Bethlehem or the name of the district in which Bethlehem was located. See Ruth 4:11.
[5:2] map For location of Bethlehem see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.
[5:2] 14 tn Heb “being small.” Some omit לִהְיוֹת (lihyot, “being”) because it fits awkwardly and appears again in the next line.
[5:2] 15 tn Heb “from you for me one will go out to be a ruler over Israel.”
[5:2] 16 tn Heb “his goings out.” The term may refer to the ruler’s origins (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT) or to his activities.
[5:2] 17 tn Heb “from the past, from the days of antiquity.” Elsewhere both phrases refer to the early periods in the history of the world or of the nation of Israel. For מִקֶּדֶם (miqqedem, “from the past”) see Neh 12:46; Pss 74:12; 77:11; Isa 45:21; 46:10. For מִימֵי עוֹלָם (mimey ’olam, “from the days of antiquity”) see Isa 63:9, 11; Amos 9:11; Mic 7:14; Mal 3:4. In Neh 12:46 and Amos 9:11 the Davidic era is in view.
[5:2] sn In riddle-like fashion this verse alludes to David, as the references to Bethlehem and to his ancient origins/activities indicate. The passage anticipates the second coming of the great king to usher in a new era of national glory for Israel. Other prophets are more direct and name this coming ideal ruler “David” (Jer 30:9; Ezek 34:23-24; 37:24-25; Hos 3:5). Of course, this prophecy of “David’s” second coming is actually fulfilled through his descendant, the Messiah, who will rule in the spirit and power of his famous ancestor and bring to realization the Davidic royal ideal in an even greater way than the historical David (see Isa 11:1, 10; Jer 33:15).
[4:10] 18 tn Or perhaps “scream”; NRSV, TEV, NLT “groan.”
[4:10] 19 tn Or “redeem” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
[4:10] 20 tn Heb “hand.” The Hebrew idiom is a metonymy for power or control.
[6:15] 21 tn 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.
[6:15] 22 tn Heb “but you will not rub yourselves with oil.”
[6:15] 23 tn Heb “and juice, but you will not drink wine.” The verb תִדְרֹךְ (tidrokh, “you will tread”) must be supplied from the preceding line.
[7:13] 24 tn Or “will be ruined.”
[7:13] 25 tn Heb “on account of its inhabitants, because of the fruit of their deeds.”
[6:14] 26 tc The first Hebrew term in the line (וְיֶשְׁחֲךָ, vÿyeshkhakha) is obscure. HALOT 446 s.v. 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 (vÿyesh-koakh, “and [if] there is strength inside you”).
[6:14] 27 tn The meaning of the Hebrew term וְתַסֵּג (vÿtasseg) 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), 80.
[6:14] 28 tn The Hiphal of פָּלַט (palat) is used in Isa 5:29 of an animal carrying its prey to a secure place.
[4:5] 29 tn Heb “walk each in the name of his god.” The term “name” here has the idea of “authority.” To “walk in the name” of a god is to recognize the god’s authority as binding over one’s life.
[4:5] 30 tn Heb “walk in the name of.”
[4:1] 31 tn Heb “at the end of days.”
[4:1] 32 tn Heb “will be established as the head of the mountains.”
[4:1] 33 tn Heb “it will be lifted up above the hills.”
[3:2] 34 tn Heb “the ones who.”
[3:2] 37 tn Heb “their skin from upon them.” The referent of the pronoun (“my people,” referring to Jacob and/or the house of Israel, with the
[3:2] 38 tn Heb “and their flesh from their bones.”
[3:2] sn Micah compares the social injustice perpetrated by the house of Jacob/Israel to cannibalism, because it threatens the very lives of the oppressed.
[4:4] 39 tn Heb “and there will be no one making [him] afraid.”
[4:4] 40 tn Heb “for the mouth of the
[4:7] 41 tn Heb “make the lame into a remnant.”
[4:7] 42 tn The precise meaning of this difficult form is uncertain. The present translation assumes the form is a Niphal participle of an otherwise unattested denominative verb הָלָא (hala’, “to be far off”; see BDB 229 s.v.), but attractive emendations include הַנַּחֲלָה (hannakhalah, “the sick one[s]”) from חָלָה (khalah) and הַנִּלְאָה (hannil’ah, “the weary one[s]”) from לָאָה (la’ah).
[4:7] 43 tn Heb “from now until forever.”
[4:9] 44 tn The Hebrew form is feminine singular, indicating that Jerusalem, personified as a young woman, is now addressed (see v. 10). In v. 8 the tower/fortress was addressed with masculine forms, so there is clearly a shift in addressee here. “Jerusalem” has been supplied in the translation at the beginning of v. 9 to make this shift apparent.
[4:9] 45 tn Heb “Now why are you shouting [with] a shout.”
[4:9] 46 tn Heb “Is there no king over you?”
[4:9] 47 tn Traditionally, “counselor” (cf. KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). This refers to the king mentioned in the previous line; the title points to the king’s roles as chief strategist and policy maker, both of which required extraordinary wisdom.
[4:9] 48 tn Heb “that.” The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) is used here in a resultative sense; for this use see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 73, §450.
[4:9] 49 tn Heb “grabs hold of, seizes.”
[7:8] 50 tn The singular form is understood as collective.
[7:8] 51 tn Or “rejoice” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV); NCV “don’t laugh at me.”
[7:8] 52 sn Darkness represents judgment; light (also in v. 9) symbolizes deliverance. The
[2:3] 53 tn Heb “clan” or “extended family.”
[2:3] 54 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] 55 tn Or “you will not.”
[6:5] 56 tn Heb “remember what Balak…planned.”
[6:5] 57 tn Heb “From Shittim to Gilgal, in order to know the just acts of the
[7:4] 58 tn 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 BDB 582 s.v. 6 and GKC 431 §133.e.
[7:4] 59 tn 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.”
[7:4] 60 tn Heb “and now will be their confusion.”
[7:9] 63 tn Or “plead my case” (NASB and NIV both similar); NRSV “until he takes my side.”
[7:9] 65 tn Or “justice, vindication.”
[7:10] 66 tn Heb “who say.” A new sentence was begun here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
