OET interlinear MIC 7:2

7:2a–b

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^2a The godly man has perished from the earth;

^2b there is no one upright among men.

These parallel lines explain why Micah was in despair. The lack of fruit he described in the similes of 7:1 represented the lack of faithful people in the land.

Here are some other ways to translate these phrases:

The faithful have been swept from the land; not one upright person remains. (NIV)

The faithful are gone from the earth, among men the upright are no more! (NAB)

The godly people have all disappeared; not one honest person is left on the earth. (NLT)

The godly…upright: In Hebrew, the words godly and upright are two ways to describe a person who followed the standards of Yahweh’s covenant.“The faithful” are people “who keep covenant with God and his community” (TOTC page 218). They show “faithful covenant love” (NAC page 122). The upright are “those who maintain the moral rectitude of the covenant” TOTC (page 218).

The word godly means “a person who obeys God and shows mercy toward others.”HALOT (electronic edition, page 111) “faithful, devout.” The word indicates a responsibility to God and to his people, and has a distinctly social emphasis (NICOT page 385). The phrase the godly means “faithful people.”

The word upright means “a person who is morally straight and deals fairly with others.”Mounce (page 954) “morally straight: right, upright, innocent.” “One who conforms his life to the ‘straight’ standard of Yahweh’s covenant law” (Davis page 142).

Here are some other ways to translate these words:

faithful…honest (NJB)

godly people…fair-minded (NLT)

loyal to God…does right (CEV)

has perished from the earth…there is no one upright among men: Both phrases mean that there are no faithful, upright people. These phrases do not specify the way that the people disappeared, only that there are none.

7:2a

from the earth: There are two main interpretations of the referent of earth in this phrase:

1. The referent of the word earth is left implied. Here it probably refers to the land of Israel. For example:

   the faithful have vanished from the land (REB) (GNT, NASB, NET, NIV, NJB, NJPS, NRSV, REB)

2. The referent of the word earth is the earth. For example:

   The godly has perished from the earth (ESV) (ESV, GW, KJV, NAB, BSB)

Either interpretation is acceptable. Interpretation (1) fits well with the similes in 7:1 that depict a local, agricultural setting of fig and grape harvests, and with the description of Micah’s contemporaries in 7:3–6.USB (page 245) suggests that Micah is concerned with his own nation in particular rather than the whole world. Also Waltke 2007 (page 417). However, interpretation (2) fits well with the parallel line that may have an application beyond Israel.KD (page 341). (See the next note).

7:2b

there is no one upright among men: In Hebrew, this phrase is more literally “and an upright [person] among humankind there [is] not.” The phrase may refer to the absence of upright people among humans.JFB (page 694) notes the similarity of these lines to Psalm 12:1 “no one is faithful anymore, those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.” Or, it may be a figure of speech (hyperbole) that refers to the people of Israel. It is acceptable to translate the phrase either way.

Here are some examples:

• Translate the phrase more literally. For example:

  there is no one upright among mankind (ESV)

• Leave implied the words “among humankind.” For example:

  no one does right (CEV)

  not one honest person is to be found (REB)

7:2c

7:2d

7:2c–d

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^2c They all lie in wait for blood;

^2d they hunt one other with a net.

In these parallel lines Micah gives examples of the people’s evil behavior to show that the people in the land are not faithful or upright.

They all…they: The phrase They all and the word they refer to the same people. The reference is probably to every person in the land.According to Waltke 2007 (page 417), the Hebrew phrase “all of them” indicates totality. However, A&F (page 568) and NAC (page 122) suggest that in this context the reference is to those listed in 7:3, which are rulers, judges and the powerful. Micah highlights especially the officials, judges and powerful people in 7:3. It may be that the corruption began in these groups and spread to the entire population.NAC (page 122).

Here are some other ways to translate these pronouns:

Everyone…everyone (NCV)

All people…They (GW)

All of them…every man (NJB)

lie in wait for blood…hunt one another with a net: These parallel expressions are both figures of speech. The expression lie in wait for blood means “to attack and kill someone.” The expression hunt one another with a net is more literally “each hunts his brother [with] a net.” It compares how a person captured a fellow Israelite to the way a hunter trapped and killed animals.

These expressions describe the behavior of the people of Israel at that time. The expressions may refer to people who killed others for personal gain. It is also possible that they are hyperboles (exaggerations) that refer to people who took advantage of others to benefit themselves in various ways.Both ideas are suggested by commentators. KD (page 341) and WBC (page 545) suggest that excessive mistreatment of others may be meant, not necessarily murder. However, UBS (page 245) suggests that “the people are pictured as being so bad that everyone is waiting for a chance to commit murder.” TOTC (page 218) comments that the expression “hunters who lie in wait” means that “their practices are sinister and covert” and the expression “hunt with a net” means that they are “effectively deadly.”

Here are some ways to translate these expressions:

• Keep the figures of speech. For example:

  They all wait in ambush so they can shed blood…they hunt their own brother with a net (NET)

• Translate the meaning of the expressions more directly. The first example shows that the meaning is evil behavior, but not necessarily murder. The second example regards the meaning to be actual murder. For example:

  Everyone is brutal and eager to deceive everyone else. (CEV)

  Everyone is waiting for a chance to commit murder. Everyone hunts down their own people. (GNT)

blood: In Hebrew, this word means “blood that is shed through violence.”BDB #1818 (pages 196–187).

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

shed blood (NIV)

commit murder (GNT)

net: In Hebrew, this word means “a device with holes that is used to capture fish or other animals.”TWOT #745a.

Here are some ways to translate this word:

• Translate as net or something similar. For example:

  net (NJPS)

  trap (NCV)

• Translate as behavior associated with the use of a net. For example:

  hunts down (GNT)

  ensnares (NAB)