translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: MIC

label: NET translator note

text: Heb “The word of the Lord which came to.”


text: The words “he delivered this message” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarification.


text: Heb “in the days of” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV).


text: Heb “O peoples, all of them.”


text: Heb “O earth and all its fullness”; KJV “and all that therein is.”


text: Heb “May the sovereign Lord testify against you.” The verb וִיהִי ( vihiy ) is jussive, which normally conveys a volitional sense of an urgent request or prayer (“may he testify!”). However, GKC 325-26 §109. k notes that here the jussive form is used without any volitional sense for the ordinary imperfect, as a rhythmic shortening at the beginning of a sentence, thus removed as far as possible from the principal accent (cf. Gen 49:17 ; Deut 28:8 ; 1 Sam 10:5 ; 2 Sam 5:24 ; Hos 6:1; 11:4 ; Amos 5:14 ; Zeph 2:13 ; Zech 9:5 ; Pss 72:16-17; 104:31 ; Job 18:12; 20:23, 26, 28; 27:8; 33:21; 34:37 ; Ruth 3:4 ). Thus, the translation here renders the jussive as an ordinary imperfect. Some translations render it in a traditional jussive sense: (1) urgent request: “And let my Lord God be your accuser” (NJPS); or (2) dependent purpose/result: “that the Sovereign Lord may witness against you” (NIV).


text: Heb “the Lord from his majestic palace.” Since the verb is omitted it is unclear whether the implied term be supplied from the preceding line (“he will testify against you”) or the following line (“he is leaving”). So the line may be rendered “the Lord will accuse you from his majestic temple” or “the Lord will come forth from his majestic temple.” Most translations render it literally, but some remove the ambiguity: “the Lord God accuses you from his holy temple” (CEV); “He speaks from his holy temple” (TEV).


text: Or “his holy temple” (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). This refers to the Lord’s dwelling in heaven, however, rather than the temple in Jerusalem (note the following verse, which describes a theophany).


text: Or “For look.” The expression כִּי־הִנֵּה ( ki-hinneh ) may function as an explanatory introduction (“For look!”; Isa 26:21; 60:2; 65:17, 18: 66:15 ; Jer 1:15; 25:29; 30:10; 45:5; 46:27; 50:9 ; Ezek 30:9; 36:9 ; Zech 2:10; 3:8 ), or as an emphatic introduction (“Look!”; Jdgs 3:15; Isa 3:1 ; Jer 8:17; 30:3; 49:15 ; Hos 9:6 ; Joel 3:1 [HT 4:1 ]; Amos 4:2, 13; 6:11, 14; 9:9 ; Hab 1:6 ; Zech 2:9 [HT 2:13 ]; Zech 3:9; 11:16 ).


text: Or “high places” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).


text: Or “melt” (NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). This is a figurative description of earthquakes, landslides, and collapse of the mountains, rather than some sort of volcanic activity (note the remainder of the verse).


text: Heb “and because of.” This was simplified in the translation for stylistic reasons.


text: Heb “house.”


text: Heb “What is the rebellion of Jacob?”


text: Heb “Is it not Samaria?” The negated rhetorical question expects the answer, “It certainly is!” To make this clear the question has been translated as a strong affirmative statement.


text: Heb “What are Judah’s high places?”


text: Heb “Is it not Jerusalem?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “It certainly is!” sn In vv. 2-5 Micah narrows the scope of God’s judgment from the nations (vv. 2-4 ) to his covenant people (v. 5 ). Universal judgment is coming, but ironically Israel is the focal point of God’s anger. In v. 5 c the prophet includes Judah within the scope of divine judgment, for it has followed in the pagan steps of the northern kingdom. He accomplishes this with rhetorical skill. In v. 5 b he develops the first assertion of v. 5 a (“All of this is because of Jacob’s rebellion”). One expects in v. 5 c an elaboration of the second assertion in v. 5 a (“and the sins of the nation of Israel”), which one assumes, in light of v. 5 b, pertains to the northern kingdom. But the prophet specifies the “sins” as “high places” and makes it clear that “the nation of Israel” includes Judah. Verses 6-7 further develop v. 5 b (judgment on the northern kingdom), while vv. 8-16 expand on v. 5 c (judgment on Judah). map For location see Map5-B1 ; Map6-F3 ; Map7-E2 ; Map8-F2 ; Map10-B3 ; JP1-F4 ; JP2-F4 ; JP3-F4 ; JP4-F4 .


text: For location see Map2-B1 ; Map4-D3 ; Map5-E2 ; Map6-A4 ; Map7-C1 .


text: Heb “into a planting place for vineyards.”


text: Heb “pour” (so NASB, NIV); KJV, NRSV “pour down”; NAB “throw down”; NLT “roll.”


text: Heb “and all her prostitute’s wages will be burned with fire.” sn The precious metal used by Samaria’s pagan worship centers to make idols are here compared to a prostitute’s wages because Samaria had been unfaithful to the Lord and prostituted herself to pagan gods, such as Baal.


text: Heb “I will make desolate” (so NASB).


text: Or “for” (KJV, NASB, NRSV).


text: No object is specified in the Hebrew text; the words “the metal” are supplied from the context.


text: Heb “for from a prostitute’s wages she gathered, and to a prostitute’s wages they will return.” When the metal was first collected it was comparable to the coins a prostitute would receive for her services. The metal was then formed into idols, but now the Lord ’s fiery judgment would reduce the metal images to their original condition.


text: The prophet is probably the speaker here.


text: Or “stripped.” The precise meaning of this Hebrew word is unclear. It may refer to walking barefoot (see 2 Sam 15:30 ) or to partially stripping oneself (see Job 12:17-19 ).


text: Heb “naked.” This probably does not refer to complete nudity, but to stripping off one’s outer garments as an outward sign of the destitution felt by the mourner.


text: Heb “I will make lamentation.”


text: Or “a jackal”; CEV “howling wolves.”


text: Heb “[make] a mourning.”


text: Or perhaps “ostrich” (cf. ASV, NAB, NASB, NRSV, NLT).


text: Heb “her”; the referent (Samaria) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


label: NET textual note

text: The MT reads the plural “wounds”; the singular is read by the LXX, Syriac, and Vg. tn Or “wound.”


text: Heb “come to.”


text: Or “reached.”


text: Heb “the gate.” Kings and civic leaders typically conducted important business at the city gate (see 1 Kgs 22:10 for an example), and the term is understood here to refer by metonymy to the leadership who would be present at the gate.


text: Heb “to Jerusalem.” The expression “it has contaminated” do not appear in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied to fill out the parallelism with the preceding line. map For location see Map5-B1 ; Map6-F3 ; Map7-E2 ; Map8-F2 ; Map10-B3 ; JP1-F4 ; JP2-F4 ; JP3-F4 ; JP4-F4 .


text: Heb “Tell it not in Gath.” The Hebrew word for “tell” ( נָגַד , nagad ) sounds like the name of the city, Gath ( גַּת , gat ).


text: The Hebrew infinitive absolute before the negated jussive emphasizes the prohibition.


text: The translation assumes a masculine plural imperative. If one were to emend בְּבֵית ( bÿvet ) to בֵית ( vet ), Beth Leaphrah would then be the addressee and the feminine singular imperative (see Qere ) could be retained, “O Beth Leaphrah, sit in the dust.” tn Heb “roll about in mourning in the dust”; or “wallow about in mourning in the dust.” The verb פָּלַשׁ ( palash , “roll about in mourning [in dust]”; HALOT 935 s.v. פלשׁ ) is figurative (metonymy) for sitting as an outward sign of mourning. sn To sit in the dust was an outward sign of mourning. The name Beth Leaphrah means “house of dust.”


text: The Hebrew participial form, which is feminine singular, is here used in a collective sense for the all the residents of the town. See GKC 394 §122. s .


text: The imperatival form is used rhetorically, emphasizing that the inhabitants of Shaphir will pass by into exile.


text: Heb “have not come out”; NIV “will not come out”; NLT “dare not come outside.” sn The expression can’t leave their city alludes to a siege of the town. The place name Zaanan sounds like the verb “come out” (i.e., “can’t leave”) in Hebrew.


text: Heb “the lamentation of Beth Ezel.” The following words could be the lamentation offered up by Beth Ezel (subjective genitive) or the mourning song sung over it (objective genitive).


text: The translation assumes an emendation of חָלָה ( khalah ; from חִיל , khil , “to writhe”) to יִחֲלָה ( yikhalah ; from יָחַל , yakhal , “to wait”). tn Heb “[the residents of Maroth] writhe [= “anxiously long for”?] good.”


text: Heb “though disaster has come down from the Lord to the gate of Jerusalem.”


text: Heb “she”; this has been translated as second person (“you”) in keeping with the direct address to the residents of Lachish in the previous line.


text: Heb “She was the beginning of sin for Daughter Zion.”


text: Heb “for in you was found the transgressions of Israel.”


text: The subject of the feminine singular verb is probably Lachish.


text: Heb “you will give a dowry to”; NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV “give parting gifts to.” Lachish is compared to a father who presents wedding gifts to his daughter as she leaves her father’s home to take up residence with her husband. In similar fashion Lachish will bid farewell to Moresheth Gath, for the latter will be taken by the invader.


text: Heb “houses.” By metonymy this refers to the people who live in them.


text: Or “will be a deception.” The term אַכְזָב (’ akhzav ) is often translated “deception,” as derived from the verb I כָּזָב (“to deceive, lie”; HALOT 467-68 s.v. I כזב ). However, it probably means “what is dried up,” since (1) the noun elsewhere refers to an empty well or dried river in summer ( Jer 15:18 ; cf. Job 6:15-20 ) ( HALOT 45 s.v. אַכְזָב ); (2) the place-name “Achzib” ( אַכְזִיב ) literally means “place on the אַכְזָב [dried up river]” ( HALOT 45 s.v. אַכְזָב ); and (3) it is derived from the verb II כָּזָב (“to dry up [brook]”; Isa 58:11 ), which also appears in Mishnaic Hebrew and Arabic. The point of the metaphor is that Achzib will be as disappointing to the kings of Israel as a dried up spring in the summer is to a thirsty traveler in the Jordanian desert.


text: Heb “Again a conqueror I will bring to you, residents of Mareshah.” The first person verb is problematic, for the Lord would have to be the subject (cf. NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT). But the prophet appears to be delivering this lament and the Lord is referred to in the third person in v. 12 . Consequently many emend the verb to a third person form ( יָבוֹא , yavo ’) and understand the “conqueror” as subject.


text: Heb “to Adullam the glory of Israel will go.” This probably means that the nation’s leadership will run for their lives and, like David of old, hide from their enemy in the caves of Adullam. Cf. NIV’s “He who is the glory of Israel will come to Adullam,” which sounds as if an individual is in view, and could be understood as a messianic reference.


text: Heb “over the sons of your delight.”


text: Heb “make wide your baldness.”


text: Or “a vulture” (cf. NIV, TEV); CEV “a buzzard.” The Hebrew term נֶשֶׁר ( nesher ) refers to the griffon vulture or eagle.