MIC 4:12 Interlinear View

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 4:9–13: The people of Jerusalem will suffer exile in Babylon, but in the future the LORD will deliver them from their enemies

In this section, the LORD spoke about the future. He said that he would punish his people. He would cause their enemies to take them as captives to Babylon. But the LORD also promised that in the future he would regather his people. He would make them a strong nation, and he would rule over them.Scholars analyze the structure of 4:9–5:15 in different ways. The Notes will list only a few of the analyses here; some of them have only minor variations. A&F (page 394) posit five sections, each beginning with ʿaṯṯâ “now” (4:9–10a, 10b, 11–13, 14; 5:1–3) [5:4–5, 6, 7–9, 10–15]. In this analysis, 4:11–13 forms the center unit, with two units on either side. WBC (vol. 32, pages 11–12) has 4:9–10,11–13; 5:1–4, 5–6, 7–9, 10–15. NICOT (page 257), NAC (page 42) and Waltke 2007 (page viii) have 4:9–10, 11–13; 5:1–6, 7–9, 10–15. TOTC (page 150) and Waltke 1993 (page 598) has 4:9–13; 5:1–6, 7–9, 10–15.

In this section, as in the previous section, Micah quoted the words of the LORD and also sometimes referred to the LORD in the third person.

The Notes have divided this section into two paragraphs. If a separate paragraph heading will be helpful for your readers, here are some possible headings for each paragraph.

^9–10Why the Israelites Must Go to Babylon (NCV)

^9–10Current suffering and captivity, but future rescue

^11–13Her Enemies to Be Crushed on the Threshing-Floor (NJB)

^11–13Jerusalem will completely destroy its enemies

Paragraph 4:11–13

In this paragraph, Micah told the people of Jerusalem that people of many nations had gathered together to attack Jerusalem. But actually, the LORD had a different plan. He had gathered those nations together to punish those nations. He would make his people strong so they could defeat their enemies.

In 4:11–12, Micah used a Hebrew verb tense that usually refers to events that have already happened or that are now happening.The verbs that are in perfect tense in 4:11–12 are: “have assembled” (11a), “saying” (11b), “know” (12a), “understand” (12a), and “has gathered” (12b).

Throughout this paragraph (4:11–13), Micah wrote as if many nations had already assembled to attack Jerusalem. But the time period to which he referred has similar uncertainties to 4:9b–c. See the notes on those verse parts. The recommendation here is the same: translate in a way that allows either a present time or a future time to be understood.

4:12

Verse 12 begins with an emphatic contrast: “But they….” In verse 11 Micah spoke about what foreign enemies planned to do to Jerusalem. Here in verse 12, he spoke about what the LORD planned to do.

Those enemies had gathered together to attack Jerusalem. That was their plan. But the LORD had a different plan: the LORD allowed those people to gather together in order to punish them.

The first two lines in this verse are parallel. Notice the parallel parts in 4:12a–b that are similar in meaning:

^12aBut they do not know the thoughts of the LORD,

^12bor understand His plan,

Verse 4:12c explains the content of the “thoughts/plan of the LORD”:

^12cfor He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.

4:12a

But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD

But they do not know what Yahweh is thinking.
But these people/enemies who talk like that do not know what is in Yahweh’s mind.

But they: The words But they introduce an emphatic contrast.In Hebrew, this contrast is indicated by the conjunction wǝ- and the emphatic independent pronoun hemmah “they.” The plan of the foreign enemies was to defeat and humiliate the city of Zion and its inhabitants (4:11b–c). By contrast, the plan of the LORD was to punish these enemies (4:12c). A few versions do not indicate this contrast explicitly. Indicate the emphatic contrast in a natural way in your language.

do not know the thoughts of the LORD: The word thoughts refers to what the LORD is thinking. Specifically, it refers here to what he is planning in his mind to do. Here are some other ways to translate this verse part:

But they don’t know what the Lord is thinking (NCV)

But these nations do not know what is in the Lord’s mind. (GNT)

4:12b

or understand His plan,

They do not know what he plans/intends to do.
They do not understand what Yahweh’s purpose is in allowing/causing this to happen.

or understand His plan: The word plan refers here to what the LORD has decided/determined to do. Here are some other ways to translate this verse part:

they do not understand his design (NJB)

they do not understand his strategy (NET)

and they do not understand His purpose (NASB)

4:12c

for He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.

He is gathering them together like people gather sheaves of wheat in order to thresh them.
Yahweh’s plan is this: he has gathered together those people in order to punish them. It will be like people who gather newly-cut stalks/heads of wheat/grain so they can trample on them at the place where they separate the grain from the stalks.
The truth is that it is Yahweh who gathered those enemy people together so that he can completely defeat them.

for He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor: There are two ways to interpret the Hebrew word ki (BSB for) that begins this verse part:

Micah used this word to identify the content of the LORD’s plan. Most versions translate it with the word “that” or leave it implied.
These nations don’t know that he is gathering them together to be beaten and trampled like sheaves of grain on a threshing floor. (NLT)
He has gathered them like bundles of grain to the threshing floor. (NCV) (CEV, ESV, GW, NCV, NET, NJB, NLT, NRSV, GNT)
A few versions translate it as for. Micah used this word to explain what Jerusalem’s enemies do not understand. For example:
For He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor. (NASB) (BSB, NASB, KJV, REB)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with most English versions. Almost no commentaries discuss this issue. Only one commentary supports interpretation (2).KD (page 319) says that ki means “for:” “The sentence explains the assertion that they do not understand the counsel of the Lord.” Waltke 2007 (page 254) translates ki as “surely,” and identifies it as “an emphatic causal adverb.” WBC (page 41) does not comment, but his translation supports the NRSV and the strong majority of English versions.

He has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor: The pronoun He refers to the LORD. The pronoun them refers to the soldiers of “many nations” who have gathered.

Micah used a simile here. He compared what the LORD did to what people do when they gather sheaves of grain to thresh them. There are at least two points of similarity:

The LORD gathered the nations to fulfill his own plans. People gather sheaves of grain in order to thresh them.
The LORD intended to treat the nations harshly and punish or destroy them. People treat sheaves of grain harshly by causing animals to trample on them and pull hard, sharp threshing sledges over them.

sheaves: The word sheaves refers to heads of ripe grain. The two most common grains in Israel were wheat and barley. The Jews harvested grain by cutting the stalk below the head of ripe grain. Then they gathered these stalks of grain and carried them to a threshing floor.

threshing floor: A threshing floor is a flat smooth area of hard ground or rock. This is the place where people removed the grains from the stalks. People placed the harvested stalks of grain on the floor. Then they made cows walk on the stalks or pull a threshing sledge over the stalks. (A threshing sledge is a heavy piece of wood with bits of sharp metal or stones on the bottom.) This knocked the grains from the stalks. Then people separated the grain from the empty stalks by winnowing.Winnowing involves tossing the threshed chaff and grain into the air on a windy day. In many cultures, a wide, fairly flat winnowing basket is used for this purpose. The wind then blows away the chaff, leaving the grain in the basket.

Here are some ways to translate this figure of speech:

Translate the simile without making any points of similarity explicit. For example:
He has gathered them as people gather stalks of grain at a threshing floor.
Make one or more of the points of similarity explicit, as in the NLT (quoted above). Here is another example:
…they have been gathered together to be punished in the same way that grain is brought in to be threshed (GNT)
Replace this simile with a comparison that people in your area will understand. For example:
The LORD has gathered them together in order to destroy them. It will be like when people gather snail shells and burn them and crush them to make lime.
Translate without a simile. For example:
The LORD plans to gather them together to utterly destroy them.

Use an option that will be acceptable and well understood in your language area.

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 4:12