MIC 7:14 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 Ποίμαινε λαόν σου ἐν ῥάβδῳ σου, πρόβατα κληρονομίας σου, κατασκηνοῦντας καθʼ ἑαυτοὺς δρυμὸν ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ Καρμήλου· νεμήσονται τὴν Βασανίτιν, καὶ τὴν Γαλααδίτιν καθὼς αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ αἰῶνος.
(Poimaine laon sou en ɽabdōi sou, probata klaʸronomias sou, kataskaʸnountas kathʼ heautous drumon en mesōi tou Karmaʸlou; nemaʸsontai taʸn Basanitin, kai taʸn Galaʼaditin kathōs hai haʸmerai tou aiōnos. )

BrTr Tend thy people with thy rod, the sheep of thine inheritance, those that inhabit by themselves the thicket in the midst of Carmel: they shall feed in the land of Basan, and in the land of Galaad, as in the days of old.

ULT Shepherd your people with your rod,
⇔ the flock of your inheritance.
⇔ They live alone in a thicket,
⇔ in the midst of a pastureland.
⇔ Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead
⇔ as in the old days.

UST Yahweh, protect your people as a shepherd protects his sheep with his staff.
⇔ Lead the people whom you have chosen to belong to you.
⇔ Even though some of them live by themselves in a forest,
⇔ give them the fertile pastureland
⇔ in the regions of Bashan and Gilead,
⇔ which they possessed long ago.

OEB ⇔ Shepherd your flock with your staff, the flock that belong to you,
⇔ who live alone in the forest, in the midst of meadows;
⇔ so that they may pasture in Bashon and Gilead as in the days of old,

WEBBE Shepherd your people with your staff,
⇔ the flock of your heritage,
⇔ who dwell by themselves in a forest.
⇔ Let them feed in the middle of fertile pasture land,
⇔ in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Shepherd your people with your shepherd’s rod,
⇔ the flock that belongs to you,
⇔ the one that lives alone in a thicket,
⇔ in the midst of a pastureland.
⇔ Allow them to graze in Bashan and Gilead,
⇔ as they did in the old days.

LSV Rule Your people with Your rod,
The flock of Your inheritance,
Dwelling alone [in] a forest in the midst of Carmel,
They enjoy Bashan and Gilead as in days of old.

FBV Protect your people with your shepherd's rod. Take care of your flock, your special people,[fn] who live alone in the wilderness and in cultivated land. Let them feed in Basham and Gilead as they did long ago.

7:14 Literally, “inheritance.” Also in verse 18.

T4T Yahweh, protect your people like [MET] a shepherd protects his sheep by using his walking stick;
⇔ lead your people [MET] whom you have chosen to belong to you.
⇔ Even though some of them live by themselves in a forest,
⇔ give them the fertile pastureland
⇔ in the Bashan and Gilead regions
⇔ that they possessed long ago.

LEB   • Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance,
• those dwelling alone in a forest
  • in the midst of Carmel.
• Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead,
  • as in the days of old.

BBE Keep your people safe with your rod, the flock of your heritage, living by themselves in the woods in the middle of Carmel: let them get their food in Bashan and Gilead as in the past.

Moff O shepherd, guide thy people,
⇔ thine own flock,
⇔ so lonely, lonely like a wild patch
⇔ within a garden.
⇔ Let Bashan and let Gilead be their pasture
⇔ as in days of old;

JPS Tend Thy people with Thy staff, the flock of Thy heritage, that dwell solitarily, as a forest in the midst of the fruitful field; let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.

ASV Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thy heritage, which dwell solitarily, in the forest in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.

DRA Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thy inheritance, them that dwell alone in the forest, in the midst of Carmel: they shall feed in Basan and Galaad according to the days of old.

YLT Rule Thou Thy people with Thy rod, The flock of Thine inheritance, Dwelling alone [in] a forest in the midst of Carmel, They enjoy Bashan and Gilead as in days of old.

Drby Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine inheritance, dwelling alone in the forest, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.

RV Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily, in the forest in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.
(Feed thy/your people with thy/your rod/staff, the flock of thine/your heritage, which dwell solitarily, in the forest in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old. )

SLT Feed my people with thy rod, the sheep of thine inheritance dwelling by themselves in the forest, in the midst of Carmel: they shall feed Bashan and Gilead as the days of old.

Wbstr Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thy heritage, who dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.

KJB-1769 ¶ Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.[fn]
(¶ Feed thy/your people with thy/your rod/staff, the flock of thine/your heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old. )

7.14 Feed: or, Rule

KJB-1611 ¶ [fn]Feede thy people with thy rod, the flocke of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feede in Bashan and Gilead, as in the dayes of old.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from marking of added words (and possibly capitalisation and punctuation and footnotes))

7:14 Or, rule.

Bshps Therfore feede thy people with thy rod, the flocke of thyne heritage whiche dwel desolate in the wood, that they may be fed vpon the mount of Carmel, Basan, and Gilead, as aforetime.
(Therefore feed thy/your people with thy/your rod/staff, the flock of thine/your heritage which dwell desolate in the wood, that they may be fed upon the mount of Carmel, Basan, and Gilead, as aforetime/previously.)

Gnva Feed thy people with thy rod, the flocke of thine heritage (which dwell solitarie in the wood) as in the middes of Carmel: let them feede in Bashan and Gilead, as in olde time.
(Feed thy/your people with thy/your rod/staff, the flock of thine/your heritage (which dwell solitary in the wood) as in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in old time. )

Cvdl Therfore fede thy people with thy rodde, the flocke of thine heretage which dwell desolate in the wodde: that they maye be fedde vpon the mount of Charmel, Basan & Galaad as afore tyme.
(Therefore feed thy/your people with thy/your rod/staff, the flock of thine/your heritage which dwell desolate in the wood: that they may be fed upon the mount of Charmel, Basan and Galaad as afore time.)

Wycl Fede thou thi puple in thi yerde, the floc of thin eritage, that dwellen aloone in wielde wode; in the myddil of Carmel thei schulen be fed of Basan and of Galaad,
(Feed thou/you thy/your people in thy/your rod/stick, the flock of thin heritage, that dwell alone in wild wode; in the middle of Carmel they should be fed of Basan and of Galaad,)

Luth Du aber weide dein Volk mit deinem Stabe, die Herde deines Erbteils, die da wohnen beide, im Walde alleine und auf dem Felde; laß sie zu Basan und Gilead weiden wie vor alters!
(You(sg) but weide your(s) people with your rod/staff, the herd your(s) Erbteils, the there live/reside both, in_the forest alone/solely and on/in/to to_him field; let they/she/them to/for Basan and Gilead graze as/like before/in_front_of alters!)

ClVg [Pasce populum tuum in virga tua, gregem hæreditatis tuæ, habitantes solos, in saltu, in medio Carmeli. Pascentur Basan et Galaad juxta dies antiquos.
([Pasce the_people your(sg) in/into/on rod/staff your, flock inheritance yours, inhabitants solos, in/into/on jump, in/into/on in_the_middle Carmeli. Pascentur Basan and Galaad next_to days the_ancients. )

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 7:14–20: A prayer to the LORD for restoration, and praise for his mercy

This section has two main parts. The first part, 7:14–17, contains prayers to the LORD for the restoration of his people and the defeat of their enemies. The second part, 18–20, is a hymn of praise to the LORD for his compassion and his faithful relationship with Israel. These Notes and the Display will assume that the main speaker is Micah, who speaks as a representative of the people.This suggestion is favored by EBC, JFB, TOTC, Mangum, and Waltke 2007. Commentators who suggest that the speaker is the people, collectively, include Achtemeier, NICOT, WBC, and UBS. However, in 7:15 and in 18–20 there are brief changes of speaker and/or addressee. See the notes under paragraph 7:14–17 and under paragraph 7:18–20 for more detailed discussion.

Here are some other examples of section headings:

Prayer and Praise (NIV)

The Lord’s compassion on Israel (NLT)

Paragraph 7:14–17

The Notes and the Display will follow the paragraph description below:

In 7:14 Micah prayed to the LORD on behalf of the people.
In 7:15 the LORD told how he would answer the prayer.
In 7:16–17 Micah prayed again based on the answer that the LORD gave in 7:15.
Some versions place paragraph headings here. These are some examples:
A prayer for the Confusion of Zion’s Enemies (NJB)
Micah’s Prayer and the Lord’s Answer (CEV)

7:14

In this verse Micah prayed to the LORD using agricultural figures of speech that the people at that time understood.

He asked the LORD to rule over his people and to restore the blessings that they enjoyed in the past.

7:14a

Shepherd with Your staff Your people,

¶ Care for your^(sing) people with your shepherd’s staff.
¶ Yahweh, rule your people. Guide and protect them, like a shepherd does with his staff.

Shepherd with Your staff Your people: Here Micah used a metaphor to ask the LORD to rule over his people.TOTC (page 224) says that the metaphor of a shepherd was common in the ancient Near East to represent an ideal king. See also Mounce (page 1043), “to care for flocks…by extension: to rule, with a focus on care and concern.” This metaphor compares the activities of a ruler to those of a shepherd. A shepherd cared for his sheep by guiding, leading, feeding and protecting them.

Here are some ways to translate this metaphor:

Keep the metaphor. For example:
Shepherd your people with your shepherd’s rod. (NET)
Keep part of the metaphor and make some of the meaning explicit. For example:
With your shepherd’s staff, take care of your people (GW)
Change the metaphor to a simile and make some of the meaning explicit. For example:
LORD, rule your people. Guide and protect them, like a shepherd with his staff.
Translate the meaning directly. For example:
O Lord, come and rule your people (NLT96).

with Your staff: A staff was a rod that a shepherd used to guide his sheep and to protect them from wild animals. In this metaphor, the phrase with Your staff highlighted Micah’s request that the LORD would guide and protect his people.Waltke 2007, UBS, CBC, and JFB.

7:14b

the flock of Your inheritance.

They are your^(sing) very own flock
They are the people you have chosen.

the flock of Your inheritance: This phrase continues the metaphor from 14a. In this part of the metaphor the LORD’s people are compared to a flock of sheep or other domesticated animal. The phrase of Your inheritance gives attention to the special relationship that the LORD has with Israel. They are the people he chose to be his own.In Hebrew, this phrase is more literally “the flock of your inheritance.” UBS (page 257) warns translators that in some languages the word “inheritance” may suggest that someone has to die before the heir can take possession of the flock. That is not the correct meaning here. In this verse, the correct meaning of the word “inheritance” is “belonging to you in a special way.”

Here are some ways to translate this part of the metaphor:

Keep the metaphor. For example:
Your very own flock (NJPS)
Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:
who are like your own flock of sheep
Translate the meaning directly. For example:
the people you have chosen (GNT)

7:14c

They live alone in a woodland,

that lives isolated in a woodland,
They live alone, as if confined to a thicket,

They live alone in a woodland: This line describes the setting where the flock lives. There are two main interpretations of the phrase live alone in a woodland:

The setting is undesirable. The people live in a wooded place that is not good for grazing or farming. The word alone implies that the area is isolated from other people.Favored by NICOT, NAC, and UBS. For example:
the one that lives alone in a thicket (NET) (CEV, GNT, NET, NJB, NJPS, NLT, REB)
The setting is desirable. The people live in a place with wood and pasture land. The word alone implies that the area is secure and protected from negative influences of other people.Favored by KD, TOTC, Waltke 2007, and JFB. For example:
which lives by itself in a forest, in fertile pasturelands (NIV) (GW, NIV)

Some versions are ambiguous and have not been listed above. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with more versions and commentators. It provides a reason why Micah asked the LORD to allow the people to move from their present location to fertile pasturelands in 7:14d.

woodland: In Hebrew, this word means “thicket,” “undergrowth,” “wood.”HALOT (electronic edition, pages 422–423). Here the reference is probably to a thicket or other kind of poor land for grazing.NICOT, UBS, and NAC. Some versions make this meaning explicit. For example:

they live alone in a thicket (NLT)

7:14d

surrounded by pastures.

surrounded by fertile grasslands.
with lush meadows all around them.

surrounded by pastures: This line is part of the clause that starts in 7:14c. It describes the location of the forest. There are two main interpretations of the phrase surrounded by:

The forest is surrounded by good pasture land. The phrase pastures indicates a contrast to forest land, which is less fertile.Favored by NICOT, NAC, and UBS. For example:
Grasslands surround us (CEV) (CEV, GNT, NET, NJB, NJPS, REB)
The forest is part of the good pasture land. Both places are fertile.Favored by KD, TOTC, Waltke 2007, and JFB. For example:
they live alone in the woods, in fertile pasturelands (GW) (GW, NIV)

Some versions are ambiguous and have not been listed above. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with more versions and commentators.

pastures: There are two main interpretations of the Hebrew word that the BSB translates as pastures:

The word means “ garden land.” It refers to land that is very fertile and good for pasture.Mounce (page 951), NICOT, NAC, and UBS. For example:
Grasslands surround us (CEV) (CEV, ESV, GNT, GW, NASB, NCV, NET, NIV, NJB, NJPS, NRSV, REB, BSB)
The word means “Carmel/Mount Carmel.” It is a location in the northern part of Israel.EBC, NAC, ABC, TOTC, and Pusey. For example:
…on the heights of Mount Carmel (NLT) (KJV, NAB, NLT)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with the majority of versions and commentators.

Here are some other ways to translate pastures:

farmland (NJPS)

fertile pastures (GW)

meadows (REB)

7:14e

Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.

Allow your^(sing) flock to graze in Bashan and Gilead as in days long ago.
Let them enjoy your abundant blessings as they did in Bashan and Gilead in the past.

Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old: In this line, Micah asks the LORD to restore to the people of Israel the prosperity and blessing that they enjoyed in the past.EBC (page 549) states that Bashan and Gilead were places of great fertility that became symbols of plenty. Here they are used in a request that the LORD restore Israel’s former years of blessing. This line continues the metaphor in which the LORD’s people are compared to a flock of animals. In this part of the metaphor, the people’s experience of blessing is compared to the feeding of a flock of animals in good pasture.

Here are some ways to translate this part of the metaphor:

Keep the metaphor. For example:
Allow them to graze in Bashan and Gilead as they did in the old days. (NET)
Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:
like a flock of sheep, let them feed again in Bashan and Gilead as in the past
Translate the meaning directly. For example:
let the people you have chosen enjoy the abundance of your blessings as they did long ago

Bashan and Gilead: These two places were occupied by the people of Israel early in their history.CBC (page 344) states that Bashan was located east and northeast of the Sea of Galilee. Gilead was located in the Transjordan between the Yarmuk and Arnon Rivers. They were known for their excellent pastures.Carson, CBC, NICOT, JFB, UBS, KD, ZIBBC, and ABC. Here they represent abundant prosperity and blessing.However, some commentators suggest that the intent of Micah’s request may be more literal. Micah may be asking the LORD to expand Israel’s territory to include Bashan and Gilead once again. UBS, Pusey, and NAC.

the days of old: This phrase refers to the early time period in the history of Israel when they first began to occupy the land.This reference was probably to the time of Moses and Joshua. See NAC, KD, and TOTC.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

As in days long ago (NIV)

as in days gone by (REB)

as they did long ago (GNT)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

(Occurrence 0) Shepherd your people with your rod, the flock of your inheritance

(Some words not found in UHB: shepherd people_of,your with,your_of,rod flock_of_sheep/goats your_inheritance_of,of lives_of (of),alone forest in_the=middle garden_land feed Bāshān and,Gilead like_[the],days_of old )

Micah is praying to Yahweh, asking him to protect his people of Israel again. Here “rod” refers to God’s leadership and guidance, as a shepherd uses a stick to guide and protect his sheep.

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

(Occurrence 0) They live alone in a thicket, in the midst of a pastureland

Micah speaks of his people as if they were wild animals hiding in bushes instead of livestock grazing in fields with much grass to eat.

(Occurrence 0) a thicket

a place where many small woody plants grow

(Occurrence 0) Bashan and Gilead

These regions are known as rich land for growing food.

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

(Occurrence 0) as in the old days

Bashan and Gilead had been part of Israel long ago, when David was king.

Parallel MIC 7:14