MIC 5:5 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) That one will be our peace.
⇔ When the Assyrians come into our land
⇔ ≈ and when they march against our fortresses,
⇔ then we’ll raise seven shepherds against them
⇔ ≈ and eight leaders of men.

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 καὶ ποιμανοῦσι τὸν Ἀσσοὺρ ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ, καὶ τὴν γῆν τοῦ Νεβρὼδ ἐν τῇ τάφρῳ αὐτῆς· καὶ ῥύσεται ἐκ τοῦ Ἀσσοὺρ ὅταν ἐπέλθῃ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ὑμῶν, καὶ ὅταν ἐπιβῇ ἐπὶ τὰ ὅρια ὑμῶν.
(kai poimanousi ton Assour en ɽomfaia, kai taʸn gaʸn tou Nebrōd en taʸ tafrōi autaʸs; kai ɽusetai ek tou Assour hotan epelthaʸ epi taʸn gaʸn humōn, kai hotan epibaʸ epi ta horia humōn. )

BrTr And they shall tend the Assyrian with a sword, and the land of Nebrod with her trench: and he shall deliver you from the Assyrian, when he shall come upon your land, and when he shall invade your coasts.

ULT For this shall be the peace—
⇔ when the Assyrians come into our land,
⇔ and when they march against our fortresses,
⇔ then we will raise against them seven shepherds
⇔ and eight leaders over men.

UST And he will cause things to go well with his people.
⇔ When the army of Assyria attacks our country
⇔ and breaks through our fortresses,
⇔ we will appoint seven or eight leaders to lead our army to fight against them.

BSB And He will be our peace[fn]
⇔ when Assyria invades our land
⇔ and tramples our citadels.
⇔ We will raise against it seven shepherds,
⇔ even eight leaders of men.

OEB ⇔ This will be our peace:
⇔ when Assyria comes into our land
⇔ and treads on our soil,
⇔ we will raise up against him seven shepherds,
⇔ eight leaders of men.

WEBBE He will be our peace when Assyria invades our land
⇔ and when he marches through our fortresses,
⇔ then we will raise against him seven shepherds,
⇔ and eight leaders of men.

WMBB (Same as above)

MSG ^(5-6)And if some bullying Assyrian shows up,
  invades and violates our land, don’t worry.
We’ll put him in his place, send him packing,
  and watch his every move.
Shepherd-rule will extend as far as needed,
  to Assyria and all other Nimrod-bullies.
Our shepherd-ruler will save us from old or new enemies,
  from anyone who invades or violates our land.

NET He will give us peace.
⇔ Should the Assyrians try to invade our land
⇔ and attempt to set foot in our fortresses,
⇔ we will send against them seven shepherd-rulers,
⇔ make that eight commanders.

LSV And this [One] has been peace. Asshur, when he comes into our land,
And when he treads in our palaces,
We have raised against him seven shepherds,
And eight anointed of man.

FBV He will be our source of peace when the Assyrians invade our land and destroy our fortresses. Then we will appoint many strong leaders,[fn]

5:5 Literally, “seven shepherds and eight leaders.” The numbers are not considered of particular significance; they simply indicate there would be sufficient for the situation.

T4T And he will cause things to go well for his people.
⇔ When the army of Assyria attacks our country
⇔ and breaks though our fortresses,
⇔ we will appoint ◄seven or eight/several► leaders to lead our army to fight against them.

LEB • And this one will be peace. As for the Assyrian,[fn] when he comes into our land
• and when he treads on our fortresses,
• then we will raise up against him seven shepherds
• and eight leaders of men.

5:? Hebrew “Assyria”

BBE And this will be our peace: when the Assyrian comes into our country and his feet are in our land, then we will put up against him seven keepers of the flocks and eight chiefs among men.

Moff But this will protect us,
⇔ when the Assyrian invades our land,
⇔ when he sets foot on our soil;
⇔ ample leaders we shall raise against him,
⇔ princes ample and enough,

JPS (5-4) And this shall be peace: when the Assyrian shall come into our land, and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight princes among men.

ASV And this man shall be our peace. When the Assyrian shall come into our land, and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.

DRA And this man shall be our peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land, and when he shall set his foot in our houses: and we shall raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.

YLT And this [one] hath been peace, Asshur! when he doth come into our land, And when he doth tread in our palaces, We have raised against him seven shepherds, And eight anointed of man.

Drby And this [man] shall be Peace. When the Assyrian shall come into our land, and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight princes of men.

RV And this man shall be our peace: when the Assyrian shall come into our land, and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.

SLT And this was peace, for Assur shall come up into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces and we raised against him seven shepherds, and eight anointed men.

Wbstr And this man will be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.

KJB-1769 And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.[fn]

5.5 principal: Heb. princes of

KJB-1611 [fn]And this man shall bee the peace when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when hee shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seuen Shepheards, and eight principall men.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation and footnotes)

5:5 Heb. princes of men.

Bshps And he shall be our peace: when the Assirians shall come into our lande, when he shal treade in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seuen sheepheardes, and eyght principall men.
(And he shall be our peace: when the Assirians shall come into our land, when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.)

Gnva And hee shall be our peace when Asshur shall come into our lande: when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seuen shepheardes, and eight principall men.
(And he shall be our peace when Asshur shall come into our land: when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men. )

Cvdl Then shal there be peace, so that the Assirian maye come in to oure londe, and treade in oure houses. We shall brynge vp seuen shepherdes and viij. prynces vpo them:
(Then shall there be peace, so that the Assirian may come in to our land, and tread in our houses. We shall bring up seven shepherds and 8. princes upon them:)

Wycl And this schal be pees, whanne Assirius schal come in to oure lond, and whanne he schal trede in oure housis; and we schulen reise on hym seuene scheepherdis, and eiyte primatis men, ether the firste in dignytee.
(And this shall be peace, when Assirius shall come in to our land, and when he shall trede in our houses; and we should raise on him seven shepherds, and eight primatis men, either the first in dignytee.)

Luth die das Land Assur verderben mit dem Schwert und das Land Nimrods mit ihren bloßen Waffen. Also werden wir von Assur gerettet werden, der in unser Land gefallen ist und unsere Grenze zertreten hat.
(the the country Assur spoil/corrupt with to_him sword and the country Nimrods with your(pl) mere weapons. So become we/us from Assur gerettet become, the/of_the in our country fallen is and our border/boundary crushed/trampled has.)

ClVg Et erit iste pax: cum venerit Assyrius in terram nostram, et quando calcaverit domibus nostris, et suscitabimus super eum septem pastores et octo primates homines;
(And will_be this peace: when/with will_have_placed Assyrius in/into/on the_earth/land ours, and when calcaverit houses ours, and suscitabimus over him seven shepherds and eight primates people/men; )

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 5:1–6: A ruler will be born in Bethlehem

In this section, Micah told the people of Jerusalem that an enemy would come against them who would cause them to suffer. But their suffering would end when a strong ruler came from Bethlehem. He would enable the people to defeat their enemies and would bring peace.

Here are some other examples of section headings:Some versions place a similar heading before verse 2. For example, the NRSV has “The Ruler from Bethlehem,” and the NET has “A King Will Come and a Remnant Will Prosper.”

A Promised Ruler (CEV)

The Ruler to Be Born in Bethlehem (ESV)

Birth of the King in Bethlehem (NASB)

Note: TN and most English versions number the verses in this chapter as 5:1–15. The NAB, NJB, and NJPS number the verses according to the Hebrew Text (BHS): 4:14–5:14.NET footnote (a). When TN quotes one of these four versions, it will adjust the numbering to follow the BSB and most English versions.

Paragraphs:In some cases, the paragraph divisions are not indicated or else differ between Paratext, TW, Logos, and Bible Gateway. In such cases, TN has tried to follow the majority. The Notes will divide this section into the following paragraphs: 5:1, 2–4, 5–6 (NJB). Divide the paragraphs in a way that will be appropriate and acceptable to the readers in your language area.

5:5–6

In these two verses, 5a–c form a unit at the beginning, and the parallel lines 6:c-e form another unit at the end. One function of this structure is to show that the shepherd-rulers (5:d–e) who will rule Assyria (6:a–b) are under the leadership of the highest ruler, the Messiah, who has been described in 5:2–4.Some scholars identify the repetition of lines that start and end this literary unit as an inclusio. See Waltke 2007 (page 304), Waltke 1993 (page 708), NAC (pages 101–102), and A&F (page 473). These scholars also mention the chiastic structure. Waltke 1993, 2007 says the combination of inclusion and chiasm functions to highlight the Messiah’s role. This structure can be clearly seen in the NIV11 (indentations adjusted). Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

^5a And he will be our peace

^5b when the Assyrians invade our land

^5c and march through our fortresses.

^5d We will raise against them seven shepherds,

^5e even eight commanders,

^6a who will rule the land of Assyria with the sword,

^6b the land of Nimrod with drawn sword.

^6c He will deliver us from the Assyrians

^6d when they invade our land

^6e and march across our borders.

5:5a

And He will be our peace

¶ And he will bring peace.
¶ There will be peace because of him.

And He will be our peace: There are two main ways to interpret the way this clause connects to the surrounding clauses:

It is in the same paragraph as the other clauses in 5:5–6. It introduces the topic of peace through victory over Assyria by identifying the ruler who will be source of that peace. The NIV11 quoted earlier is one example. (BSB, KJV, NASB, NET, NIV11, NJB, NJPS, RSV)
It is in the same paragraph as the preceding clauses. It concludes the topic of the Israelites living peacefully in their land (5:2–4) by identifying the ruler who will be the source of that peace.UBS (page 211). The next paragraph (5:5b–6) introduces the new topic of victory over Assyria. Four versions use a heading before 5:5b in addition to a paragraph break to indicate the division. For example:
^5aand he will bring peace.
Deliverance and Punishment
^5bWhen the Assyrians invade our country… (GNT) (CEV, ESV, GW, NAB, NCV, NIV, NLT, NRSV, REB, GNT)

The Notes will follow interpretation (1). It more clearly shows the Hebrew structure illustrated in the note on 5:5–6.The MT places in one paragraph all the verses in chapter 5 up to and including this verse. It does not mark this clause as the start or end of a separate paragraph as do some modern versions. It also allows 5:5–6 to be seen as a smaller unit within 5:1–6. Interpretation (2) does not show the Hebrew structure as clearly as the first interpretation, but it is followed by more English versions. It also forms a natural conclusion to the topic in 5:2–5a and allows readers to more easily identify the new topic of winning a victory over Assyria.

This clause is more literally “and this [one/he] will be peace.”BART (adjusted to normal English SVO order). There are three main interpretations of this clause:

The ruler will be the source of peace. The word “this” refers to a person, “this one,” the ruler. For example:
And he shall be their peace. (ESV)
He will bring peace. (NCV)
And he will be the source of peace. (NLT) (ESV, BSB, CEV, GW, KJV, NAB, NASB, NCV, NET, NIV, NJB, NLT, NRSV, GNT)
The word “this” refers to an event, the coming and rule of the ruler that will result in peace. For example:
And that shall afford safety. (NJPS)
Then there will be peace. (REB) (NJPS, REB)
The word “this” refers to an event, the future conquest that 5:5–6 describes. For example:
⁵And this shall be peace, when the Assyrian comes…. that we will raise against him seven shepherds and eight princes…⁶…and they shall deliver us from the Assyrian… (RSV) (RSV)

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

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

And he will be our peace (NIV11)

He will give us peace. (NET)

peace: The Hebrew word for peace can mean physical well-being and security, such as no more war. It can also mean spiritual well-being in relationship to God.NAC (page 102) and CBC (page 328). In these verses, both aspects of meaning may be intended.

5:5b–e

The remainder of the verse is a single conditional sentence that is assumed will be true. When the condition “when Assyria invades our land and tramples our citadels” is true, the result is that the people will raise up leaders to confront them.

In this clause, Micah expresses confidence that the future leader will help the people defend and save Israel whenever other nations attack them.See especially NICOT (page 347) and NAC (pages 102–103). It is probably not a prediction of specific, future attacks.

5:5b–c

Notice the parallel lines that are similar in meaning:

^5b when Assyria invades our land

^5c and tramples our citadels.

There is an ellipsis (a deliberately omitted phrase) in 5:5c. In some languages, it may be necessary to supply the missing words from 5:5b. For example:

^5c and when Assyria tramples our citadels.

5:5b

when Assyria invades our land

If the Assyrian soldiers enter our^(incl) country
If/When the Assyrians invade the land of Israel

when Assyria invades our land: Here is another way to introduce this condition:

If the Assyrians come into our land (NRSV)

Assyria: The nation of Assyria was the main oppressor of Israel in Micah’s time. However, here the name Assyria is probably also a figure of speech that represents the future enemies of Israel.JFB (page 693) states that “Assyria is made the representative of all the foes of Israel in all ages….” See also Hays (page 315), KD (page 329), NAC (page 102), and EBC (page 532).

In Hebrew, the reference to Assyria is singular. It is more literally “Assyria it/he will come.” However, in some languages, it is more natural to describe an attack by a country by referring to the people from that country. Here many versions translate Assyria as “Assyrians.” Translate Assyria in a natural way in your language.

invades: This means the Assyrians come into Israel to attack it.

our land: This refers to the land of Israel. Here is another way to translate this phrase:

our country (GNT)

5:5c

and tramples our citadels.

and break into our^(incl) walled cities,
and march through our strongest/fortified buildings,

and tramples our citadels: There is a textual issue here:

The MT has: “and if he tread on our citadel fortresses.” For example:
and treads in our palaces (ESV) (BSB, CEV, ESV, GW, KJV, NASB, NCV, NET, NIV, NJPS, NLT, REB, GNT)
The LXX has: “and when he treads upon our country.” For example:
If the Assyrians come into our land and tread upon our soil (NRSV) (NAB, NJB, NRSV)

It is recommended that you follow option (1) along with most versions. The phrase tramples our citadels probably implies that the Assyrians broke through Israel’s defenses, marched into the cities, and captured their most important buildings.A&F (page 477).

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

and break through our defenses (NLT)

and marches through our fortresses (NIV)

tramples: In this context, the word tramples means “march” or “advance.”DCH (page 462) 1a. tread, trample, march, advance.

our citadels: The word citadels means “strong, fortified buildings of a city.”BDB (#759) citadel, castle, palace.

5:5d–e

(combined/reordered)

we will send our strongest leaders to fight them. (GNT)

5:5d–e is a numerical expression. It is similar to a numerical proverb.Some examples of numerical proverbs are found in Proverbs 30:15, 18, 21 and 29. A numerical expression lists things that are similar in some way. In a numerical expression, the second line contains a number (in this case, eight) that is one greater than the parallel number (seven) in the first line. The two numbers function together as a pair and are primarily a poetic feature.According to UBS (page 214), the numbers themselves probably have no special significance. However, according to Pusey (page 75), the numbers do have significance. He suggests that the number seven denotes a great, complete multitude, and that the number eight designates an almost countless multitude. For the meaning of the expression in this verse see the note below on “seven…eight.”

The parallel parts are similar in meaning:

^5d We will raise against it seven shepherds,

^5eeven eight leaders of men.

There is an ellipsis (a deliberately omitted phrase) in 5:5e. In some languages, it may be necessary to supply the missing phrase from 5:5d. For example:

^5e and we will raise against it even eight leaders of men.

These parallel lines are the last part of the conditional sentence that was introduced in 5:b-c.The apodosis of the conditional sentence. They explain the result if the Assyrians come into their land to attack them. Some versions make explicit that this is the last part of the conditional sentence. For example:

then we will raise against him (NASB)

We will raise against it: This phrase means that the people will appointDCH (pages 232–233). leaders to defend them against the Assyrian attackers.

seven…eight: This numerical expression means that the number of leaders will be sufficient to successfully defend the people against the Assyrians. As a numerical expression, the numbers seven and eight should not be understood literally.

Here are two ways to avoid wrong implications:

Translate the numbers seven and eight. Explain the meaning of the numerical expression in a footnote. Here is a sample footnote:
The numbers seven and eight here symbolize completeness and emphasize that Israel will have more than enough military leadership and strength to withstand the Assyrian advance. (NET footnote)
Use a general phrase instead of the exact numbers.This suggestion comes from UBS (page 214). For example:
We will counterattack, led by a number of rulers (CEV) You can also add a footnote to indicate that Hebrew has the numbers seven and eight.

shepherds…leaders of men: The Hebrew words are more literally “shepherds…princes of man.” In this verse, the word shepherds and the phrase “princes of man” are in parallel lines and have the same meaning. They are two ways to refer to the appointed leaders who will rule and protect the people of Israel.

Here are some other ways to translate this pair of words:

shepherd-rulers…commanders (NET)

rulers…princes (NLT)

General Comment on 5:5d–e

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder the parallel parts. For example:

we will send our strongest leaders to fight them (GNT)

5:5d

We will raise against it seven shepherds,

we^(incl) will appoint plenty of men who know how to take charge of others.
then we will fight against them. They will be led into battle by our many leaders

5:5e

even eight leaders of men.

Our^(incl) best commanders will lead our^(incl) soldiers in battle against them.
who are commanders of men.

Parallel MIC 5:5