Yesaya 42:22

42:22 But these people are looted and plundered;

all of them are trapped in pits ¹ 

and held captive ²  in prisons.

They were carried away as loot with no one to rescue them;

they were carried away as plunder, and no one says, “Bring that back!” ³ 

Mikha 5:7

5:7 Those survivors from ⁴  Jacob will live ⁵ 

in the midst of many nations. ⁶ 

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. ⁷ 

[42:22]  ¹ tc The Hebrew text has בַּחוּרִים (bakhurim, “young men”), but the text should be emended to בְּהוֹרִים (bÿhorim, “in holes”).

[42:22]  ² tn Heb “and made to be hidden”; NAB, NASB, NIV, TEV “hidden away in prisons.”

[42:22]  ³ tn Heb “they became loot and there was no one rescuing, plunder and there was no one saying, ‘Bring back’.”

[5:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “the remnant of” (also in v. 8).

[5:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “will be.”

[5:7]  ⁶ tn This could mean “(scattered) among the nations” (cf. CEV, NLT) or “surrounded by many nations” (cf. NRSV).

[5:7]  ⁷ 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.