MIC 1:13 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

BrLXX ψόφος ἁρμάτων καὶ ἱππευόντων· κατοικοῦσα Λαχεὶς, ἀρχηγὸς ἁμαρτίας αὕτη ἐστὶ τῇ θυγατρὶ Σιὼν, ὅτι ἐν σοὶ εὑρέθησαν ἀσέβειαι τοῦ Ἰσραήλ.
(psofos harmatōn kai hippeuontōn; katoikousa Laⱪeis, arⱪaʸgos hamartias hautaʸ esti taʸ thugatri Siōn, hoti en soi heurethaʸsan asebeiai tou Israaʸl. )

BrTr even a sound of chariots and horsemen: the inhabitants of Lachis, she is the leader of sin to the daughter of Sion: for in thee were found the transgressions of Israel.

ULT Harness the chariot to the team of horses, inhabitants of Lachish.
⇔ She was the beginning of sin for the daughter of Zion,
⇔ for in you were found, the transgressions of Israel.

UST You people in the city of Lachish,
⇔ hitch your horses to pull the chariots in which you can ride to flee from your enemies.
⇔ The Israelite people rebelled against Yahweh,
⇔ and you imitated them,
⇔ and that caused the people of Jerusalem to start sinning, too.

1:13 Lachish sounds like the Hebrew term for team of horses.

OEB Harness the horse to the chariot, inhabitants of Lachish.
⇔ You led the daughter of Zion, Jerusalem, into sin,
⇔ in you are found the crimes of Israel.

WEBBE Harness the chariot to the swift steed, inhabitant of Lachish.
⇔ She was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion;
⇔ for the transgressions of Israel were found in you.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Residents of Lachish, hitch the horses to the chariots!
⇔ You influenced Daughter Zion to sin,
⇔ for Israel’s rebellious deeds can be traced back to you!

LSV Bind the chariot to a swift beast, O inhabitant of Lachish,
The beginning of sin [is] she to the daughter of Zion,
For in you have been found the transgressions of Israel.

FBV Harness the team of horses to the chariot, you people of Lachish, because the sins of the people of Jerusalem[fn] began with you, for the sins of Israel were first found in you.

1:13 Literally, “daughter of Zion.”

T4T You people of Lachish city, whose name sounds like ‘team,’
⇔ hitch your horses to pull the chariots in which you can ride to flee from your enemies.
⇔ The Israeli people rebelled against Yahweh,
⇔ and you ◄imitated them/did the same evil things that they did►,
⇔ and that caused the people of Jerusalem [IDM] to start sinning, too.

LEB   • Harness the chariot to the team of horses, O inhabitants of Lachish;
• it is the beginning of sin
  • for the daughter of Zion,
• for the transgressions of Israel
  • were found in you.

BBE Let the war-carriage be yoked to the quick-running horse, you who are living in Lachish: she was the first cause of sin to the daughter of Zion; for the wrongdoings of Israel were seen in you.

Moff To horse and drive away, O Horsetown (Lakhish),
⇔ O source of Sion’s sin,
⇔ where the crimes of Israel centre!

JPS Bind the chariots to the swift steeds, O inhabitant of Lachish; she was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion; for the transgressions of Israel are found in thee.

ASV Bind the chariot to the swift steed, O inhabitant of Lachish: she was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion; for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee.

DRA A tumult of chariots hath astonished the inhabitants of Lachis: it is the beginning of sin to the daughter of Sion, for in thee were found the crimes of Israel.

YLT Bind the chariot to a swift beast, O inhabitant of Lachish, The beginning of sin [is] she to the daughter of Zion, For in thee have been found the transgressions of Israel.

Drby Bind the chariot to the swift steed, O inhabitress of Lachish: she was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion; for in thee were found the transgressions of Israel.

RV Bind the chariot to the swift steed, O inhabitant of Lachish: she was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion; for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee.
(Bind the chariot to the swift steed, Oh inhabitant of Lachish: she was the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion; for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee/you. )

SLT Make fast the chariot to the steed, thou inhabitress of the smitten: she the beginning of sin to the daughter of Zion: for in thee were found the transgressions of Israel.

Wbstr O thou inhabitant of Lachish, bind the chariot to the swift beast: she is the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion: for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee.

KJB-1769 O thou inhabitant of Lachish, bind the chariot to the swift beast: she is the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion: for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee.[fn]
(Oh thou/you inhabitant of Lachish, bind the chariot to the swift beast: she is the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion: for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee/you. )

1.13 inhabitant: Heb. inhabitress

KJB-1611 O thou inhabitant of Lachish, bind the charet to the swift beast: she is the beginning of the sinne to the daughter of Zion: for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps O thou inhabitaunt of Lachis, binde the charette to the swiftest beast, she is the beginning of the sinne of the daughter of Sion: for the transgressions of Israel were founde in thee.
(Oh thou/you inhabitaunt of Lachis, bind the charette to the swiftest beast, she is the beginning of the sin of the daughter of Zion: for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee/you.)

Gnva O thou inhabitant of Lachish, binde the charet to the beastes of price: she is the beginning of the sinne to the daughter of Zion: for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee.
(Oh thou/you inhabitant of Lachish, bind the chariot to the beasts/animals of price: she is the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion: for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee/you. )

Cvdl The greate noyse off the charettes shall feare them, that dwell at Lachis, which is an occasion of ye synne of ye doughter of Sion, for in the came vp the wickednesses of Israel.
(The great noise off the chariots shall fear them, that dwell at Lachis, which is an occasion of ye/you_all sin of ye/you_all daughter of Zion, for in the came up the wickednesses of Israel.)

Wycl of drede to the puple dwellynge at Lachis. It is the bigynnyng of synne of the douyter of Sion, for the grete trespassis of Israel ben foundun in thee.
(of dread to the people dwelling at Lachis. It is the beginning of sin of the daughter of Zion, for the great trespasses of Israel been found in thee/you.)

Luth Du Stadt Lachis, spanne Läufer an und fahre davon; denn du bist der Tochter Zion der Anfang zur Sünde, und in dir sind funden die Übertretungen Israels.
(You(sg) city Lachis, spanne runner/bishop at/to and drive of_that; because/than you(sg) are the/of_the daughter Zion the/of_the beginning to/for sin(n), and in you/to_you(sg) are found the violations Israels.)

ClVg Tumultus quadrigæ stuporis habitanti Lachis: principium peccati est filiæ Sion, quia in te inventa sunt scelera Israël.
(Tumultus quadrigæ stuporis they_livei Lachis: principle of_sin it_is daughters Sion, because in/into/on you(sg) invention are crimes Israel. )

SOTN 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.

1:13a

Harness your chariot horses, O dweller of Lachish.

Tie^(plur) horses to the chariots, you people of Lachish!
You people of Lachish! Hitch/Harness horses to your chariots.
You who live in Lachish, prepare horses/animals and carts so you can escape/flee from your enemies.

Harness your chariot horses, O dweller of Lachish: In this sentence, Micah spoke to the people who lived in the town of Lachish.According to NAC (page 59), Lachish was located “almost thirty miles southwest of Jerusalem and only six miles southwest of Moresheth Gath.” It was south and slightly east from Gath (maps in the NLT and NIV study Bibles). It was an important town that King Rehoboam of Judah had fortified (see 2 Chronicles 11:5–12). That means that there were soldiers, horses, chariots, and other fighting equipment in the town.

There are two ways to interpret Micah’s words in this verse part:

The inhabitants should prepare to flee from the enemy. They should ride in chariots to get away. For example:
Harness your chariot horses and flee, you people of Lachish. (NLT) (NLT)
The inhabitants should prepare to fight the enemy. For example:
Get the war chariots ready, you people of Lachish. (CEV) (CEV)

Almost all commentaries clearly support interpretation (1).It is possible that WBC supports interpretation (2). His translation is ambiguous, but in the comment section (pages 20–21), he says “the horses in Lachish were to be harnessed to the chariots because the day of battle has come.” Most English versions are ambiguous. They say only that the people should harness the horses to the chariots. It is recommended that you leave the purpose for harnessing the horses implicit if possible. If that is not possible in your language, you should follow interpretation (1). The first two meaning lines in the Display will leave the purpose implied. The third meaning line will make it explicit.

Harness your chariot horses: In Hebrew, this clause is literally “Harness the chariot to the steed.” Most English versions reverse this order (“Harness the steeds to the chariots” (NRSV)). Use whatever order is natural in your language.

Micah used the definite article “the” two times in this sentence: “Harness the steeds to the chariots.” He was referring to the horses and chariots that were in Lachish. In some languages, it may be better to use the pronoun your or to not use a definite article. For example:

People in Lachish! Tie horses to your^(plur) chariots.

Another example is the NLT (quoted above).

In Hebrew, “steed” and “chariot” are singular. Perhaps Micah used these singular words to refer to each horse or team of horses that pulled a chariot. For example:

harness the team to the chariot (NIV)

Harness the chariot to the team of horses (NASB)

Most versions uses plural forms. Use whatever is natural in your language.

Harness: This word means “to tie or fasten horses to the chariots.” People tied special ropes or straps on the horses and tied these ropes to the chariot. The horses pulled the chariot. Here is another way to translate this word:

hitch the horses to the chariots (NET)

chariot horses: This phrase refers to a team of two or more horses that worked together to pull a chariot. See the NIV, NASB, and GNT (quoted above) for some ways to translate this phrase.

chariot: The word chariot refers to two-wheeled carts pulled by one or more horses. One or more people rode in a chariot. In languages that do not use a specific word such as chariot, it may be possible to use a general term such as “carts” or “war carts.”

In some areas, people do not know about horses and chariots. If that is true in your area, you may want to translate the implied purpose in interpretation (1) without mentioning either of these words. For example:

You people in Lachish! Prepare to flee from your enemies.

horses…Lachish: Micah made a pun in this sentence. In Hebrew, the word translated as horses sounds like the name of the city Lachish.In Hebrew, the name Lachish is lakiš, and the word “steed(s)” is larekeš.

You may want to use a footnote to help your readers understand this pun. For example:

Lachish sounds like the Hebrew term for “team of horses.” (NLT footnote)

If you do not use footnotes, you may decide to include the meanings of the place and the pun in your translation. For example:

And you who live in Lachish, the name of your town sounds like “horses,” so fasten your horses to your chariots.

O dweller of Lachish: In Hebrew, these words are at the end of the sentence. In some languages, this may be the natural place to put these words. In other languages, it may be more natural to put this phrase at the beginning of the sentence. For example:

You who live in Lachish, harness the team to the chariot. (NIV)

Put this phrase in a place that is natural in your language.

1:13b

You were the beginning of sin to the Daughter of Zion,

You^(plur) were the first people in Judah to encourage the people in Zion to sin.
You were the ones who first influenced the people in Jerusalem to sin.

You were the beginning of sin to the Daughter of Zion: In this sentence, Micah said that the people of Lachish were the beginning of sin to the people of Jerusalem.

You: In Hebrew, this pronoun is either “she” or “it.” The pronoun refers to Lachish in 1:13a.The pronoun “she” or “it” refers to the city of Lachish. Most scholars think it means the people in Lachish. Most English versions change the pronoun to “you” to make it agree with the rest of the verse.

the beginning of sin: Lachish was the beginning of sin to Jerusalem in the sense that the people of Lachish were the first ones to lead (encourage, influence) the people of Jerusalem to do a certain sin. Here are some other ways to translate 1:13b:

You were the first to lead the people of Zion into sin. (GW)

Jerusalem’s sins started in you (NCV)

You influenced Daughter Zion to sin (NET)

sin: Micah did not specify a particular sin. Almost all English versions leave the kind of sin implied.The NLT96 is an exception. It has “You were the first city in Judah to follow Israel in the sin of idol worship, and so you led Jerusalem into sin.” Commentaries interpret the nature of the sin in two main ways:

The sin was idolatry, including the worship of Baal.The northern kingdom’s first king, Jeroboam, began idol worship in Israel (cf. 1 Kings 16:26, 22:52–53), and idol worship in that nation became common. Although Israel had its own centers of worship, many people still traveled to the temple in Jerusalem and influenced them to worship idols in the temple there.
The sin was relying on military power instead of God.

It is likely that some of the people were guilty of one or both of these sins. Commentaries slightly favor interpretation (1), but it is recommended that you use a general word for sin and leave the specific sin implied.Commentaries that favor interpretation (2) include Waltke 2007, NAC, and ZIBBC. NAC (page 59) says: “The NIrV seems to capture the intended sense: ‘You trust in military power. / That was the beginning of sin / for the people of Zion…’ It is instructive that ‘military power’ (horses and war chariots) would be demolished by the Lord (5:10).” Commentaries that favor interpretation (1) include A&F, WBC, JFB, and TOTC. JFB (page 689) says: “As lying near the border of the north kingdom, Lachish was first to be infected by its [Israel’s] idolatry, which thence spread to Jerusalem.” According to A&F (page 230), “ ‘She’ is the goddess whose image and cult were exported from Samaria to various other places and that the capital sin of the north (idolatry) reached Jerusalem via Lachish. The sin was setting up idols (and precisely idols of that goddess) in the high places of Judah (v 5)…The best sense we can make out of Micah 1:13 is that it documents the spread of a serious sin from Samaria to Jerusalem.”

If your translation uses footnotes, you may want supply a footnote that summarizes the specific sins that were probably implied. For example:

The sin that Micah was talking about was probably the sin of worshiping idols, specifically Baal (see 1 Kings 16:26–32). But the sin may also have been that Lachish led the nation to trust the power of war chariots instead of the LORD.

the Daughter of Zion: This phrase is a poetic way to refer to the people who live in Jerusalem.One of the hills on which Jerusalem was built was called Zion, and the temple was on that hill, so the Jews used the name Zion as another name for Jerusalem. In Hebrew, the word for “city” is feminine, so Hebrew prophets and poets sometimes personified the city as a woman and the people who lived there as her daughter. The phrase Daughter of Zion occurs four times in the book of Micah: 1:13; 4:8; 4:10; and 4:13. Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

Jerusalem (GNT)

the people of Jerusalem

the people of Zion (GW)

If you use a translation like one of these, you may want to use a footnote to give the literal translation. For example:

Hebrew: the daughter of Zion (NLT footnote)

1:13b “the people of Jerusalem.” What it says in Hebrew is: the daughter of Zion.

1:13c

for the transgressions of Israel were found in you.

For you^(plur) are guilty of the same crime as the Israel people.
You broke God’s law in the same way that the people in Israel did.
I say this is because you rebelled against God, just like the people of Israel rebelled.

for: This word (ki in Hebrew) is a conjunction that marks a reason. Micah used it here to give evidence for what he said in 1:13b.The NCV translates this conjunction as “yes”: “Jerusalem’s sins started in you; yes, Israel’s sins were found in you.” According to this interpretation, 1:13b and c are parallel lines of poetry that have similar meaning. This is a possible interpretation, and the NJB, for example, ends this line with an exclamation mark. But most English versions clearly interpret 1:13c as the evidence for 1:13b. For example:

Because (NASB)

Some versions leave the reason implied. For example:

the crimes of Israel can be traced to you (NJB)

In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of the clauses so that the reason precedes the result. For example:

You imitated the sins of Israel and so caused Jerusalem to sin. (GNT)

the transgressions of Israel were found in you: This clause means that the people in Lachish rebelled against the LORD and broke his laws in the same way that the people of Israel did.

the transgressions of Israel: See the note on the word “transgression” at 1:5a for more information about the meaning of that word.

Israel: The name Israel refers here to the people in the northern kingdom. Lachish was a city in Judah, the southern kingdom. But the people in Lachish did the same kind of evil things.

were found: This is probably a figurative way of saying that the transgressions of Israel also occurred in Lachish. Here are some ways to translate this clause:

You imitated the sins of Israel… (GNT)

you broke the same laws of God that the people of Israel broke

you imitated the people of Israel and broke God’s laws in the same way that they did

General Comment on 1:13b–c

In some languages, it may be clearer to reverse the order of 1:13b and c. For example:

^cYou people of Lachish are guilty of breaking God’s laws, just like the people of Israel did. ^bAnd so you were the first to cause the people of Jerusalem to sin.