MIC 1:14 Interlinear View

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 1:8–16: Micah mourned because an enemy army will invade Judah and take many people into exile

In 1:5, Micah mentioned the sins of the people in Samaria and Jerusalem. In 1:6–7, he predicted that the LORD would destroy Samaria. Here in 1:8–16, he predicted that the LORD would also punish the people in Judah, including Jerusalem. He would punish them by causing an enemy army to invade Judah.

This section has two paragraphs: 1:8–9 and 1:10–16. In the first paragraph, Micah said that he would “lament and wail” (BSB). He described the way that he would mourn and then gave the reason. In the second paragraph, he mentioned several cities in Judah that an enemy army would soon attack on its way to Jerusalem. Some versions have separate section headings for each paragraph. The Notes will include both paragraphs as part of the same section. Here are some other examples of section headings for the entire section (1:8–16):

Lament for Jerusalem and the lowland towns (NJB)

Judah Is Doomed (CEV)

The Doom of the Cities of Judah (NRSV)

Micah mourned the disaster that will happen to various cities in Judah

If you choose to use separate section headings for 1:8–9 and 1:10–16, here are some examples for 1:8–9:

Weeping and Mourning (NIV, BSB)

Micah’s Great Sadness (NCV)

Either the CEV or NRSV headings above will be appropriate for 1:10–16. Here is another example:

Disaster will happen to various cities in Judah

Paragraph 1:10–16

In this paragraph, Micah mentioned the names of eleven towns in Judah in addition to the city of Jerusalem (v.12). These towns were located in the foothills between the low coastal area and the mountains of Judah.EBC (page 508). According to A&F (page 212), some of the cities mentioned have not been identified, and it is not possible to guess the route of the attack or the identity of the invaders. It could have been any of several different kings.

In many English versions as well as TN, 1:10–16 forms one paragraph. Some versions divide it into two or three paragraphs. For example, the GNT has two paragraphs (10–14 and 15–16). The NLT has three paragraphs (10–12, 13–15, and 16). Use whatever paragraph structure is appropriate for your language.

Here are some of the poetic variations of Micah’s lament in 1:10–16:

In some verses, he spoke to the people in a particular town. In other verses, he spoke about them.
Sometimes he used plural nouns or pronouns to refer to the people in a particular town. At other times, he used singular nouns or pronouns.

English versions consistently use either plural or singular forms throughout these verses. For example, in 1:11b, the NJB uses singular pronouns:

She has not left her city, she who lives in Zanaan. (NJB)

The NIV uses a plural pronoun:

Those who live in Zaanan will not come out. (NIV)

You may use either singular or plural forms or a combination of the two, depending on what is natural and appropriate in your language.

In 1:10–16, Micah used past tense verbs to describe what was still in the future. See the notes on 1:9b and 1:9c for more details.

Micah also made puns with the names of several of the towns or cities. A pun is a figure of speech in which a person uses a word that has two meanings or a word that sounds like another word.

In some verses, he used a word that sounded like the name of that town.
In other verses, he said something about a town that was related to the meaning of its name.

Here is a brief summary of the puns in each verseThis summary is condensed and adapted from EBC (pages 407–8.) and some general advice on how to translate puns. Complete notes on each verse will start with 1:10a.

Beth-leaphrah (1:10b): The name of this city sounds like the Hebrew words that mean “house of dust.” Micah commanded those who live in that town to roll in the dust.
Shaphir (1:11a): This name means “beautiful” or “pleasant” in Hebrew. Micah said that the lives of the people in that town will not be pleasant.
Zaanan (1:11b): This name sounds like the Hebrew word for “come out.” Micah said that the people there will not come out of their city.
Beth-ezel (1:11c): This name probably means “nearby house” in Hebrew. Micah said that Beth-ezel would no longer be nearby to serve as a “standing place” (protection, refuge) for Jerusalem.
Maroth (1:12a): This name sounds like the Hebrew word for “bitter.” Micah said that the people in that town will suffer bitterly.
Lachish (1:13): This name sounds like the Hebrew word for “team of horses.” Micah told the people in that town to flee like running horses.
Moresheth (-gath) (1:14a): This name sounds like the Hebrew word for “betrothed” (engaged to be married). Just like a young woman departs from her family when she gets married, so the people in that town would soon depart from Judah.
Achzib (1:14b): This name means “deception” in Hebrew. That town will be a deception to the kings of Israel. These kings had hoped in vain that the people of Achzib would help them fight the enemy.
Mareshah (1:15a): This name sounds like the Hebrew word for “conqueror.” The LORD will bring an enemy to that town who will conquer them.

In addition to the above puns, Micah also included the names of two places (Gath 1:10a) and Adullam (1:15b) that are famous in Jewish history. Their significance will be discussed in the notes on those verses.

The people to whom Micah spoke over 2,700 years ago understood the puns. They also understood the historical significance of Gath and Adullam. But most people today do not understand these things. That is the reason it is difficult to translate these verses clearly. Here are some general options to consider in translating the puns:

Ignore the puns. Most English versions do this in the actual translation. Just translate the name in the Hebrew text. Those who read your translation will understand the basic meaning of each verse, but they will not know that there was a pun in Hebrew.
Use footnotes to explain the puns. Many English versions with footnotes do this. For example, the NIV uses footnotes at 1:10a, 11b, 12a, 13a, and 15a to explain that a name sounds like another Hebrew word. It uses other footnotes at 1:10b, 11a, and 14b to explain the meaning of the name of a town.
Explain in your translation the meaning or the sound of the names for the cities. If you use this option, you will need to clearly indicate in some way that this information is not part of your translation.

Choose an option that is appropriate for the readers in your language area.

1:14a

Therefore, send farewell gifts to Moresheth-gath;

Therefore you^(plur) will give a farewell gift to Moresheth-gath.
So you must give good-bye gifts to the people of Moresheth-gath.
And so, you people of Judah, you will say good-bye to those who live in Moresheth-gath, for they will be taken away by their enemies.

Therefore, send farewell gifts to Moresheth-gath: In this verse part, Micah talked about Moresheth-gath, another small town in Judah.

Therefore: There are two ways to interpret the connection of the word Therefore:

What Micah said about Moresheth-gath is the result of what he said in the previous verse. For example:
And so (NJB) (BSB, ESV, GW, KJV, NAB, NASB, NCV, NET, NIV, NJB, NRSV, REB)
What Micah said about Moresheth-gath is the next thing he said in his list of comments to cities in Judah.
And now (GNT) (CEV, GNT)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with most English versions. The people in Jerusalem and Judah had begun to sin just like the northern kingdom. Therefore they must say good-bye to the people in Moresheth-gath. Here is another way to translate this connection:

That is why (GW)

Translate this connection in a natural way in your language.

send farewell gifts to Moresheth-gath: Micah made a pun here. The name “Moresheth” sounds like the Hebrew word for fiancée. In the Jewish culture, parents gave their engaged daughter a special gift at the time she left their home to go live with her husband.

Micah’s pun means that an enemy army will capture the city of Moresheth-gath and take the people away as captives. The people are like a daughter that will soon leave home. The other people in Judah will soon no longer see them. It is not recommended that you make this pun explicit in the translation itself.

If you use footnotes in your translation, here are some sample footnotes:

1.14a Moresheth sounds like the Hebrew term for “gift” or “dowry.” (NLT footnote)

1.14 farewell gift: The gift (dowry) that a bride’s father gave her when she left the home of her parents to live with the family of her husband. In Hebrew the word for “bride” or “fiancée” sounds like “Moresheth.” (CEV footnote)

Here are some ways to translate 1:14a without a figure of speech:

And so, people of Judah, you will say good-bye to the town of Moresheth Gath. (based on GNT)

So wave good-bye to the people of Moresheth-gath, for they must soon go away.

If you prefer not to refer to the pun in a footnote, you may translate without a figure of speech (as in the two preceding examples), but supply a footnote that explains the reason the people will have to leave. For example:

Micah told the people of Judah to say good-bye to the people of Moresheth-gath, because an enemy army would capture that city and take the people away as captives.

send: It is not clear to whom this command is given. Here are the main interpretations:

It is given to the people in Judah.
people of Judah, say good-bye to the town of Moresheth Gath (GNT) (GNT)
It is given to the people in Lachish (see 1:13a–c).
It is given to the people in Jerusalem (“daughter of Zion,” see 1:13b).

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with most commentaries.Commentaries that support interpretation (1) include NAC, JFB, and TOTC. According to JFB (page 689), “‘Israel’ in this verse is used for the kingdom of Judah, which was the chief representative of the whole nation of Israel.” Interpretation (2) is supported by a footnote in the NET: “The subject of the feminine singular verb is probably Lachish.” Interpretation (3) is supported by A&F (page 232), who say only: “In the absence of a clear candidate to be subject of the verb, Jerusalem is the probable giver.” A fourth interpretation is suggested by Waltke 2007. On pages 81–82, he says: “the parallel in v 14b shows that the rulers of Israel are the subjects.” The GNT explicitly follows this interpretation. Other versions leave the reference implicit (ambiguous). For many readers, an ambiguous command will incorrectly refer back to Israel or Lachish. So it is recommended that you translate in a way that refers clearly to Judah.

In Hebrew, this command is singular. Micah used Hebrew poetry here, so he spoke to the nation as if it were one person. You may use either singular or plural, depending on whether you refer here to the nation or the people of the nation.

Moresheth-gath: In 1:1a, Micah called the name of his home town Moresheth, but here he called it Moresheth-gath.There was probably more than one town named Moresheth, so by adding the extra name “Gath” Micah made it clear which town he meant. Some scholars think that this town was called Moresheth-gath because it was near the Philistine city of Gath.

Some English versions spell the name of this town differently. For example:

Moresheth Gath (NIV)

Moreshethgath (KJV)

Moresheth in Gath (NCV)

You may want to use a spelling that fits the phonetic rules of your language or a spelling that is used in a language of wider communication in your country.

1:14b

the houses of Achzib will prove deceptive to the kings of Israel.

The kings of Israel will get no help from the people in Achzib.
The kings of Israel will be disappointed. The town of Achzib will not help them.
The kings of Israel hope that the people of Achzib will be their ally, but they will be disappointed.

the houses of Achzib will prove deceptive to the kings of Israel: Micah used a pun in this sentence. The name Achzib sounds like the Hebrew word for deceptive (achzab).In Hebrew, the name Achzib is (ʾakzib). The word for “deceptive” is (ʾakzab). Instead of “deceptive,” two versions follow another possible meaning. The NET has: “as disappointing as a dried up well.” The NJPS has “like a spring that fails.” NAC (pages 59–60) has the following comment: “In Jer 15:18 ‘deceptive’ is used of a brook that has dried up. Achzib will be as undependable and disappointing as a dried-up brook because its people won’t be able to give any help to the kings of Israel.” A footnote in the NET has: The term אַכְזָב (ʾakzab) 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.

The kings of Israel hoped that the town of Achzib would be their ally. They hoped that the people in Achzib would send soldiers to help them fight the enemy. But the kings of Israel would soon feel deceived or disappointed, because Achzib would not send any help. Here are some other ways to translate this idea:

The kings of Israel will get no help from the town of Achzib. (GNT)

Israel’s kings will discover that they cannot trust the town of Achzib. (CEV)

The town of Achzib has deceived the kings of Israel, for it promised help it could not give. (NLT96)

The kings in Israel trusted the Achzib people to help them. But they will send no help.

the houses of Achzib: This phrase is a poetic way to refer to the town of Achzib or to the people who live there.The Hebrew text has plural “houses of” (Hebrew: botteh). The plural form is reflected in the BSB, ESV, KJV, NASB, NCV, NJPS, and NRSV. Singular “house of” would be bet in Hebrew. Versions that reflect the singular form include the CEV, GW, NAB, NIV, NJB, NLT, REB and GNT. The singular form may also assume that “house of” is part of the name of the town, such as the Bethlehem (meaning “house of bread”). The Notes have not treated this as a textual or interpretation issue, because the singular-plural distinction does not affect the number of towns and has only a slight effect on the meaning of the pun. Waltke 2007 (page 83) advances the idea that “houses” should be translated as “workshops” and that these workshops (factories) would no longer produce goods that could be sold. No versions translate this word as “workshops.” NAC (pages 59–60) gives persuasive reasons for rejecting Waltke’s idea. It says: “Elsewhere when ḇayiṯ, ‘house,’ is used in the sense of “workshop,” the nature of the work is specified. In 1 Chr 4:21 it is linen work; in Jer 18:2 it is the work of a potter. Here in Mic 1:14 no such work is specified. Furthermore, as Hillers points out, this passage speaks not of ‘loss’ but of ‘something that deceives or disappoints.’ So while ‘workshops’ is semantically possible, ‘town’ seems more likely.” Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

the town of Achzib (GNT)

the residents of Achzib (NET)

Beth-Achzib (NJB)

kings of Israel: This phrase may refer to kings of the northern kingdom in contrast to kings of the southern kingdom of Judah. It may also refer to kings of Judah with the assumption that Judah is considered to be part of the kingdom of Israel as a whole. All English versions identify the country as Israel. It is recommended that you do the same thing. Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

rulers/leaders of Israel

the person who sits on the throne in Israel

If you feel it will be helpful for your readers, it is suggested that you supply a footnote that gives some of this background material. For example:

The phrase “kings of Israel” might refer to a king or kings who ruled in Judah (Jerusalem). Sometimes Judah was considered to be part of the nation of Israel as a whole.

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.

Acknowledgements: The Hebrew text, lemmas, and morphology are all thanks to the OSHB and some of the glosses are from Macula Hebrew.

OET interlinear MIC 1:14

Hebrew word order

Section 1:8–16: Micah mourned because an enemy army will invade Judah and take many people into exile

Paragraph 1:10–16

1:14a

1:14b

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)