translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: MIC

label: NET translator note

text: The Hebrew verb גָדַד ( gadad ) can be translated “slash yourself” or “gather in troops.” A number of English translations are based on the latter meaning (e.g., NASB, NIV, NLT). sn Slash yourself . Slashing one’s body was a form of mourning. See Deut 14:1 ; 1 Kgs 18:28 ; Jer 16:6; 41:5; 47:5 .


text: Heb “daughter of a troop of warriors.” sn The daughter surrounded by soldiers is an image of the city of Jerusalem under siege (note the address “Daughter Jerusalem” in 4:8 ).


text: Or “staff”; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT “rod”; CEV “stick”; NCV “club.” sn Striking a king with a scepter , a symbol of rulership, would be especially ironic and humiliating.


text: Traditionally, “the judge of Israel” (so KJV, NASB).


text: Heb “being small.” Some omit לִהְיוֹת ( lihyot , “being”) because it fits awkwardly and appears again in the next line.


text: Heb “from you for me one will go out to be a ruler over Israel.”


text: Heb “his goings out.” The term may refer to the ruler’s origins (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT) or to his activities.


text: 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. 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 ).


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


text: Heb “them”; the referent (the people of Israel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: The words “to their enemies” are supplied in the translation for clarification.


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


text: Heb “to the sons of Israel.” The words “be reunited with” are supplied in the translation for clarity. sn The rest of the king’s brothers are the coming king’s fellow Judahites, while the sons of Israel are the northern tribes. The verse pictures the reunification of the nation under the Davidic king. See Isa 11:12-13 ; Jer 31:2-6, 15-20 ; ; Hos 1:11; 3:5 .


text: Heb “stand up”; NAB “stand firm”; NASB “will arise.”


text: The words “the people” are supplied in the translation for clarification.


text: Heb “by the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.”


text: The words “in peace” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Perhaps וְיָשָׁבוּ ( vÿyashavu , “and they will live”) should be emended to וְשָׁבוּ ( vÿshavu , “and they will return”).


text: Heb “be great.”


text: Or “to the ends of.”


text: Heb “and this one will be peace”; ASV “and this man shall be our peace” (cf. Eph 2:14 ).


label: NET textual note

text: Some prefer to read “in our land,” emending the text to בְּאַדְמָתֵנוּ ( bÿ ’ admatenu ).


text: Heb “raise up.”


text: Heb “shepherds.”


text: Heb “and eight leaders of men.”


text: Or perhaps “break”; or “defeat.”


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


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


text: Heb “the remnant of” (also in v. 8 ).


text: Heb “will be.”


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


text: 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 .


text: The words “its prey” are supplied in the translation for clarification.


text: Heb “and there is no deliverer.”


text: Heb “let your hand be lifted against your adversaries.”


text: Heb “be cut off.”


text: Heb “cut off” (also in the following verse).


text: 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 .


text: Heb “from your hands.”


text: Heb “and you will not have omen-readers.”


text: Or “Asherah poles.” 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.


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