MIC 1:9 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=small word differences 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 Ὅτι κατεκράτησεν ἡ πληγὴ αὐτῆς, διότι ἦλθεν ἕως Ἰούδα, καὶ ἥψατο ἕως πύλης λαοῦ μου, ἕως Ἱερουσαλήμ.
(Hoti katekrataʸsen haʸ plaʸgaʸ autaʸs, dioti aʸlthen heōs Youda, kai haʸpsato heōs pulaʸs laou mou, heōs Hierousalaʸm. )

BrTr For her plague has become grievous; for it has come even to Juda; and has reached to the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.

ULT For her wound is incurable,
⇔ for it has come to Judah.
⇔ It has reached the gate of my people,
⇔ to Jerusalem.

UST I will lament because Samaria will be completely destroyed;
⇔ nothing can save that city.
⇔ But the same thing will happen to Judah.
⇔ It is as though the enemy army had already reached the city gates of Jerusalem,
⇔ the main city where my people live.

OEB ⇔ For the blow that Samaria has received is incurable.
⇔ It has spread over Judah,
⇔ it extends even to the gate of my people,
⇔ even to Jerusalem.

WEBBE For her wounds are incurable;
⇔ for it has come even to Judah.
⇔ It reaches to the gate of my people,
⇔ even to Jerusalem.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET For Samaria’s disease is incurable.
⇔ It has infected Judah;
⇔ it has spread to the leadership of my people
⇔ and has even contaminated Jerusalem!

LSV For mortal [are] her wounds,
For it has come to Judah,
It has come to a gate of My people—to Jerusalem.

FBV Their[fn] wound cannot be healed, it has extended to Judah, and reached right to the gates of Jerusalem.

1:9 Referring back to the people of Samaria.

T4T because Samaria will be completely destroyed [MET];
⇔ nothing can save that city.
⇔ But the same thing will happen to Judah!
⇔ It is as though the enemy army has already reached the city gates of Jerusalem,
⇔ the main city where my people live.

LEB • For her wounds are incurable, because it has come to Judah.
• It has reached to the gate of my people, to Jerusalem.

BBE For her wounds may not be made well: for it has come even to Judah, stretching up to the doorway of my people, even to Jerusalem.

Moff for Samaria’s is a deadly stroke,
⇔ her doom shall reach to Judah,
⇔ to the very gates of my own folk,
⇔ even to Jerusalem.
¶ 

JPS For her wound is incurable; for it is come even unto Judah; it reacheth unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.

ASV For her wounds are incurable; for it is come even unto Judah; it reacheth unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.

DRA Because her wound is desperate, because it is come even to Juda, it hath touched the gate of my people even to Jerusalem.

YLT For mortal [are] her wounds, For it hath come unto Judah, It hath come to a gate of My people — to Jerusalem.

Drby For her wounds are incurable; for it is come even unto Judah, it reacheth unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.

RV For her wounds are incurable: for it is come even unto Judah; it reacheth unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.
(For her wounds are incurable: for it is come even unto Yudah; it reacheth unto the gate of my people, even to Yerusalem. )

SLT For her blow is incurable, for it came even to Judah; he touched even to the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.

Wbstr For her wound is incurable; for it is come to Judah; he is come to the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.

KJB-1769 For her wound is incurable; for it is come unto Judah; he is come unto the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.[fn]
(For her wound is incurable; for it is come unto Yudah; he is come unto the gate of my people, even to Yerusalem. )

1.9 her…: or, she is grievously sick of her wounds

KJB-1611 For [fn]her wound is incurable, for it is come vnto Iudah: he is come vnto the gate of my people, euen to Ierusalem.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation and footnotes)

1:9 Or, she is grieuously sicke of her wounds.

Bshps For their wounde is past remedie, it is come into Iuda, and hath touched the gate of my people at Hierusalem alredie.
(For their wound is past remedy, it is come into Yuda, and hath/has touched the gate of my people at Yerusalem alredie.)

Gnva For her plagues are grieuous: for it is come into Iudah: the enemie is come vnto the gate of my people, vnto Ierusalem.
(For her plagues are grievous: for it is come into Yudah: the enemy is come unto the gate of my people, unto Yerusalem. )

Cvdl for their woude is past remedy: And why? it is come in to Iuda, & hath touched ye porte of my people at Ierusale allredy.
(for their wound is past remedy: And why? it is come in to Yuda, and hath/has touched ye/you_all port of my people at Yerusalem already.)

Wycl For wounde therof is dispeirid; for it cam til to Juda, it touchide the yate of my puple, til to Jerusalem.
(For wound thereof is dispeirid; for it came till to Yuda, it touched the gate of my people, till to Yerusalem.)

Luth Denn ihrer Plage ist kein Rat, die bis nach Juda kommen und bis an meines Volks Tore gen Jerusalem hinanreichen wird.
(Because of_their/her plague/infliction is no/not Rat, the until after Yuda coming and until at/to my peoples gates/goals to/toward Yerusalem upreichen becomes.)

ClVg quia desperata est plaga ejus, quia venit usque ad Judam; tetigit portam populi mei usque ad Jerusalem.
(because desperata it_is stroke/wound his, because he_came until to Yudam; touched the_gate of_the_people my/mine until to Yerusalem. )

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 1:8–9

In this paragraph, Micah described the sadness that he felt because of the disaster that would happen to Samaria (1:8a–c, 9a). Then he described the disaster that would also happen to Judah and Jerusalem (1:9b–c).

In 1:6–7, the LORD was the speaker. But here in 1:8–9, Micah is the speaker. In some languages, it may be helpful to make this explicit. For example:

Then Micah said, “Because of this I will mourn and lament. (GNT)

1:9a

For her wound is incurable;

For Samaria’s wounds/injuries cannot be healed.
For the disaster that will certainly happen to Samaria is like a wound from which the people will never recover.
The reason for my sorrow is that the people of Samaria will not survive the disaster that Yahweh causes them to experience.

For her wound is incurable: Micah used the word For to introduce the reason for his loud weeping in 1:8a–c. He mourned because the wound that the LORD would soon cause the city of Samaria to suffer is incurable. Here are some other ways to translate this line:

because Samaria’s wound cannot be healed (NCV)

for Samaria’s disease is incurable (NET)

For my people’s wound is too deep to heal. (NLT)

The nation is fatally wounded. (CEV)

wound: In Hebrew, this word is plural. It refers to injuries caused by beating someone, either with fists or with a weapon like a club.

Micah used the word wound as a metaphor. It refers figuratively to punishment from the LORD. This punishment is compared to wounds that cannot be healed.

is incurable: When Micah said that Samaria’s wound was incurable, he meant that the city’s disaster would be certain and severe. The punishment would be so terrible that the people would not recover.

Here are some ways to translate this verse part without using a metaphor:

Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:
For the terrible things that will happen to Samaria will definitely take place. The people will not escape. It will be like a severe wound that cannot be healed.
Translate without using a figure of speech. For example:
For the LORD will punish the inhabitants of Samaria, and they will not survive.

1:9b–c

In 1:9b–c, Micah gave an additional reason for his sorrow in 1:9a. The reason was that the LORD would not only punish the northern kingdom of Israel with its capital Samaria. He would also punish the land of Judah, including the city of Jerusalem.

The two parallel lines in 1:9b–c are similar in meaning:

^9bit has reached even Judah;

^9cit has approached the gate of my people, as far as Jerusalem itself.

Both lines refer to the southern kingdom of Judah. The second line refers specifically to the capital city, Jerusalem, the center of worship and government.

1:9b

it has reached even Judah;

For this disaster will also reach the land of Judah.
The same terrible thing will certainly happen in the land of Judah as well.
And Yahweh will certainly cause the people in Judah to be punished too.

In Hebrew, this portion of the verse begins with the same word (“For”) that was used in 1:9a. Since it is an additional part of the same reason, many English versions, including the BSB, do not translate this word. The connection is clear without an explicit conjunction. For example:

it has come to Judah (NIV)

In some languages, the connection will be clearer with a specific word such as “for” or “and.” For example:

for it has come to Judah (NASB)

and Judah is about to suffer in the same way (GNT)

it has reached even Judah: This means that Samaria’s incurable wound will also come to the land of Judah. The LORD will certainly punish the people who live there. In some languages, it is not natural to say that punishment or disaster reaches a place. It may be more natural to say that it happens in a place or arrives at a place.

Micah spoke as if this disaster had already happened to Judah. He spoke like this to emphasize that the terrible things that will happen to Samaria will also certainly happen in the land of Judah.The Hebrew verb is a qal perfect. In Hebrew, perfect verbs usually refer to past events. But prophets often used perfect verbs to talk about something that was certain to happen in the future.

In many languages, it may be clearer to use a future expression here. For example:

Judah is about to suffer in the same way (GNT)

It will spread to Judah (NCV)

1:9c

it has approached the gate of my people, as far as Jerusalem itself.

It will happen to the main city of my own people, Jerusalem itself.
He will even punish Jerusalem, the capital city of my countrymen!

it has approached the gate of my people, as far as Jerusalem itself: This line means that even the capital city of Judah, Jerusalem, will experience disaster along with other towns in Judah that will be mentioned in 1:10–16.

The verb tense used here is the same as in 1:9b. See the note and footnote there. Micah used it to emphasize that something would happen in the future. Here are some ways to indicate this future meaning:

It will reach the gates of my people in Jerusalem. (GW)

Jerusalem will fall. (CEV)

the gate of my people, as far as Jerusalem itself: There are two main ways to interpret the connection between the phrase the gate of my people and the phrase as far as Jerusalem:

Micah used the word gate as a metaphor. It represents the city of Jerusalem itself. For example:
It falls on the gateway of my people, on Jerusalem itself. (NJB) (BSB, ESV, KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NJB, NRSV, REB)
Micah used the word gate literally. The disaster will reach the gate of Jerusalem itself.According to interpretation (2), Micah’s words refer to what happened in 701 B.C. In 721 B.C. the Assyrian army destroyed Samaria. Then in 201 B.C., the Assyrian army invaded Judah. They captured many towns in Judah. They surrounded Jerusalem and came right up to the city gate. But they did not conquer or destroy Jerusalem. For example:
destruction has reached the gates of Jerusalem itself, where my people live (GNT) (GW, NCV, NLT, GNT)It is possible that NET refers here to the literal gate, although it gives “gate” a figurative meaning. It has “to the leadership of my people,” and adds a footnote that the word “gate” is used “by metonymy to refer to the leadership who would be present at the gate.”

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with most versions and commentaries.Commentaries that support interpretation (1) include UBS, NICOT, KD, A&F, and Hillers. UBS (page 139) says that the phrase “the gate of my people” “is a picture of the capital city as the center and focus of national life.” A&F (page 198) comments in greater detail: “Targum has the more familiar “gates,” but the other ancient versions support the singular of MT. If the intention was to report the investiture of Jerusalem in siege one might have expected “city gate” (2 Kgs 23:8); compare Isa 14:31, where the construct phrase “the gate of…the city” is broken and distributed over two colons of poetry. It is more likely, in the larger context of the chapter (especially if we read vv 2–9 as a unit) that the goal of the theophany announced in v 3 is “Yahweh’s triumphal entry into the temple precincts of the holy city Jerusalem” (Hanson 1975: 375).” Commentaries that support interpretation (2) include ABC and JFB. JFB (page 688) says: “The foe came to the gate of Jerusalem but did not enter.” ZIBBC (page 126) supports aspects of both interpretations. It says: “In one sense, the gate can stand for the whole city. Assyrian kings often set up memorial stones or impaled kings in front of the gate in order to reach the whole population in the most public terms possible, and they summarized times of siege by noting control over the ability to enter or exit the gate.” The TN editor could not determine which interpretation was followed by Waltke 2007 or NAC.

gate: This word refers to the large gate or doorway in the fortified wall of a city. The city gate was an important place in a city. The city leaders met there to listen to disputes and to make decisions, and people did their buying and selling there also.

In some languages, it may be clearer to translate this metaphor without using a figure of speech. For example:

This terrible thing will happen in the most important place among my people, in Jerusalem itself.

my people: This phrase refers to the people who were part of the same country as Micah. Micah was from Moresheth, a small town in Judah, about 35 kilometers from Jerusalem. (see 1:1a). Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

my fellow citizens

my fellow people from Judah

people of my tribe/country

Use a word or phrase in your language that refers to someone who is from the same country, ethnic group or language group as you, but not necessarily the same village or town.