OET interlinear MIC 7:4

7:4a–b

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^4a The best of them is like a brier;

^4b the most upright is sharper than a hedge of thorns.

In Hebrew, there is an ellipsis (a deliberately omitted phrase) in 7:4b (bracketed in the BSB above). In some languages, you may not need to do this, or it may be more natural to supply missing words that match 7:4a more closely. For example:

^4b the most upright is like a hedge of thorns.

In these parallel lines Micah continues to describe the widespread evil among the people of that time. Each line is a figure of speech that compares the best of the people to undesirable weeds.

The best of them…the most upright: In Hebrew, these phrases are more literally “their good person” and “an upright [person].” In Hebrew, the word “good” means “ethical.”BDB #2895 (page 374). In Hebrew, the word upright means “morally straight” or “just.”BDB #3477 (page 449) and Mounce (page 954). However, in this context these words are meant as sarcasm.UBS (pages 246–247). The people are not truly good and upright. The similes indicate that the level/standard of moral goodness and responsibility among the people is very low.NICOT (page 387) and UBS (pages 246–247).

Here are some ways to translate these phrases:

• Use sarcasm. Rely on the comparison of the people to weeds to indicate that the words for “good” and upright are meant negatively here. This example uses superlatives, best and most.A superlative is a word that means “surpassing all others.” See Merriam-Webster “Superlative.” In these phrases the superlatives indicate that these are the most responsible people among them. It gives attention to the most responsible people among them.

  The best of them is like a briar. The most decent person is sharper than thornbushes. (GW) This example uses normal words for “good” and upright. It gives attention to the people as a group.

  Their goodness is twisted like rank weeds and their honesty like briars. (REB)

• Translate the negative meaning of the words “good” and upright in this context. For example:

  The so called good person is really as bad as a brier. The one they say is upright is dangerous like a thorn bush that pricks and scratches.

  Some of them are as bad as briars and thorns, and the rest of them are even worse.Modified from a suggestion by UBS (pages 246–247).

brier…hedge of thorns: In Hebrew, the words brier and hedge of thorns refer to plants with thorns. Here the similes compare the people to these thorny plants. The way they are similar is that they are both harmful.

Here are some other ways to translate these words:

thornbush…prickly plant (NCV)

rank weeds…briars (NEB)

sharper than a hedge of thorns: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “more than a thorn hedge.” A hedge is a row of plants that may line the boundary of a property. The phrase probably means that the upright person of this simile causes even more harm/injury to other people than a thorn hedge would cause.Pusey (page 91) and the NET footnote on “a row of thorn bushes.” Some versions, including the BSB, make this meaning clear. For example:

the most godly among them are more dangerous than a row of thorn bushes (NET)

The [most] upright, worse than a barrier of thorns (NJPS)

7:4a

7:4b

7:4c

The day for your watchmen has come, the day of your visitation: The phrases The day for your watchmen and the day of your visitation, are two ways to refer to the same event. The word day does not refer to a literal 24–hour day. Here it refers to the time when the LORD would punish the people of Israel. The phrase has come indicates that the time had arrived.

The day for your watchmen: There is a textual issue about the word watchmen:

1. The Masoretic Text has watchmen. For example:

   The day of your watchmen (ESV) (CEV, ESV, GNT, KJV, NAB, NASB, BSB, NCV, NIV, NRSV)

2. Some scholars say that the original word was “judgment.”See CBC (page 343). For example:

   But your judgment day is coming swiftly now. (NLT) (NLT, REB)

3. Some scholars say that the original word was “from the north.”See Waltke 2007 (page 421). For example:

   Now from the north their punishment approaches! (NJB) (NJB)

It is recommended that you follow option (1) along with most versions and commentaries.

At the time of Micah, a “watchman” or “sentinel” was a person who gave a warning to the residents of a town or city when he saw potential danger. In this verse the word watchmen referred to the prophets. In the past the prophets had warned the people that this time of punishment was coming.UBS, KD, and A&F.

Here are some ways to translate the phrase The day for your watchmen:

• Make some aspects of meaning more explicit. Both examples below make explicit that the people were previously warned. The second example also makes explicit the identity of the sentinels/watchmen:

  The day that your watchmen warned you about has come. (NCV)

  The day has come when God will punish the people, as he warned them through their watchmen, the prophets. (GNT)

• Translate the phrase literally and leave the aspects of meaning implied. For example:

  The day of their watchmen, of their punishment, has come. (RSV)

• Leave the entire phrase The day for your watchmen implied. Allow the reference to punishment to provide the meaning. For example:

  The day of their punishment has come (REB)

  But your judgment day is coming swiftly now. Your time of punishment is here (NLT)

your: In 7:4a–b and 7:4d Micah uses the pronouns “them” and “their” to talk about the people. He used the pronoun your in this line and in 7:5 to address the people directly.Some commentators propose that a change of speaker and/or addressee occurs here. For example, A&F suggest that the speaker is the LORD and the addressee is the people. NICOT proposes that the speaker is Micah and the addressee is the LORD. These notes will follow the suggestion of UBS, NAC, KD and Waltke 2007, all of whom regard Micah to be the speaker and the addressee to be the people. In Hebrew poetry, it is common for an author to alternate pronouns in this way, even though the pronoun referent remains the same.

One way that versions reduce the potential confusion to readers is to reduce the number of times the pronouns alternate. For example, the NRSV has “their” in this line to match the other pronouns in 7:4. The NIV does it differently. It has “you/your” in this line and in 7:4d:

^4cThe day God visits you has come, the day your watchmen sound the alarm. ^4dNow is the time of your confusion. (NIV)

Use the most natural and least confusing way in your language to translate the pronouns in this verse.

the day of your visitation: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “your visitation.” Here the phrase means “the LORD’s judgment of the people.”HALOT (electronic edition, page 958), BDB #6486 (page 824). Waltke 2007 (page 421) calls the phrase “a metonymy for judgment.” Also see Davis, NAC, and CBC.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

your doom (NJPS)

your judgment day…Your time of punishment (NLT)

7:4d

Now is the time of their confusion: This line means that the punishment from the LORD will cause confusion among the people.

Now: This word indicates “at that time.” Here are some other ways to translate it:

Then (NASB)

That will be when (NJB)

is the time: This phrase is not in the Hebrew text. It is an expression in English that the BSB and some other versions supply. It reinforces that the time of punishment would happen at that time. If this expression is not natural in your language, it is best to leave it untranslated.

confusion: This word refers to chaos or disorder or panic that results from an attack by an enemy.NAC, Davis, and CBC. The LORD probably allowed this kind of attack as his means of punishment.