Translation & Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church of Manhattan, KS, 13 Oct. 2024
Read my translation starting at chapter 5 v.1: Now you will be robbed, daughter of robbers; {they} have laid a siege against us! With the rod they make a strike against the Judge of Israel on the cheek! But as for you, Bethlehem Ephratah, little though you may be among the precincts of Judah, from you will go forth for me one who is to be Ruler in Israel – indeed His goings-forth have been from of old – since the days of eternity. Therefore He will extend them until the time the birthing-woman has given birth, then the remnant of His brothers will return in addition to the sons of Israel. Then he will stand and shepherd in the strength of Yahweh, in the majesty of the name of Yahweh His God, and they will {be returned} because now He will be great unto the ends of the earth! And this One will be peace! As for Assyria, when it invades our land and when it steps into our compounds, then we will erect against it seven shepherds, even eight anointed by men, and they will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword – even the land of Nimrod at its entrances. Thus He will rescue from Assyria when it invades our land, even when it steps into our territory. Then it will happen that the remnant of Jacob will exist in the midst of many peoples like dew from Yahweh, like showers upon vegetation which don’t wait-up for anybody or wait around for man-kind. It will also happen that the remnant of Jacob will be among the nations – in the midst of many peoples – like a lion among beasts of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep which, when it passes through, also pounces and tears to shreds, and there will be no rescuer. Let Your hand go up against Your adversaries and let all Your enemies be terminated.
In chapter 4, and now in chapter 5, Micah has been predicting the coming of the Messianic king while also predicting sieges against Jerusalem.
We are picking up in chapter 5 verse 5 after the stunning prophecy about the Messiah who has been going on missions since eternity past being born in Bethlehem to shepherd His people with God’s power and majesty in a world-wide kingdom of peace.
Verses five and six seem to go back to the recurring theme of a military threat which Micah had warned in chapters 1-3 would be punishment for the wickedness and corruption of his nation, and which Micah reveals in chapters 4 and 5 will come from Babylon and from Assyria and will involve divine deliverance as well as exile.
Here in chapter 5 verse 5, Assyria is mentioned for the first time, although their unsuccessful siege of Jerusalem seems to have been described already back in chapter 4, vs. 11-13. Once again, God promises a deliverer who will effectively counter the Assyrian invasion.
In Micah’s lifetime, Assyria was the most powerful nation on earth, and the Assyrian army made multiple forays into Israel,
overthrowing the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BC,
then attempting to overthrow the southern kingdom of Judah in 701 BC,
so the Assyrians did indeed “set foot” in Israelite “territory,” “invading” Micah’s “land” and conquering many cities and “fortresses” – including Samaria (2 Kings 17) and Lachish (Jer. 34:7)1, exactly as Micah said, and all that is chronicled in the history books.
In addition to “Assyria,” the name “Nimrod” appears in v.6. He was one of Noah’s great-grandsons, introduced in Genesis 10:8-12 “Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the LORD... And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (that is the principal city).” (NKJV)
So Nimrod is credited with starting the cities of both Nineveh (which became the capitol of Assyria that overthrew the northern kingdom of Israel in the 8th century BC) and of Babylon (which became the capitol of the Chaldean empire that overthrew the Southern kingdom of Judah in the 6th century BC).
It seems likely that Nimrod is just a poetic synonym for Assyria2, although the name Nimrod may include future conquerors yet to come3, and most Bible commentators suggest that Nimrod stands for “all Tyrants and enemies, both spiritual and temporal”4, and in this way, Micah’s prophecy swings out from the 8th century BC to apply to any age, including our own.
“This refers to the deliverance of Hezekiah and his kingdom from the power of Sennacherib, who invaded them, in the type; but, under the shadow of that, it is a promise of the safety of the gospel-church and of all believers from the designs and attempts of the powers of darkness, Satan and all his instruments, the dragon and his angels, that seek to devour the church of the first-born and all that belong to it… When the terrors of [God’s] law set themselves in array against a convi[ct]ed soul, when the temptations of Satan assault the people of God, and the troubles of the world threaten to rob them of all their comforts, then ‘the Assyrian comes into their land and treads in their palaces.’ ‘Without are fightings, within are fears’... can there be any other peace than a tame submission and an unresisted desolation? Yes, even then the church's King will be the conservator of the church's peace, will be for a ‘hiding-place’ (Isa. 32:1-2). Christ is our peace as a priest, making atonement for sin, and reconciling us to God; and he is our peace as a king, conquering our enemies and commanding down disquieting fears and passions... Even ‘when the Assyrian comes into the land,’ when we are in the greatest distress and danger and have ‘received a sentence of death within ourselves’ [1 Cor. 1:9], yet this man may be the peace... He will find out proper instruments to be employed for their protection and deliverance, and the defeat of their enemies… Those that threaten ruin to the church of God hasten ruin to themselves; and their destruction is the church's salvation: ‘Thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian.’ When ‘Satan fell as lightning’ from heaven before the preaching of the gospel (Luke 10:18), and Christ's enemies, that would not have him to reign over them, were slain before him (Luke 19:27), then this was fulfilled. ” ~M. Henry, 1714 AD
But who are the “7 shepherds and 8 anointed leaders” raised up by God’s people to push the Assyrians back and “shepherd them with the sword”?
As for the numbers, I think that this is the X + 1 Hebrew poetic structure that starts with an initial number, then adds one more for effect,
like the “3 transgressions – even 4” in the prophecy of Amos,
like the “6 things – even 7” that the LORD hates in Proverbs 6:16,
or “give portions to 7 or even to 8” from Ecclesiastes 11.
so I think the “shepherds” and the “principal/anointed/princes” are the same group of leaders and that they total eight.
But I have searched in vain to find 7 or 8 particular men with these titles anywhere in the Bible5. All the Bible commentaries I read interpreted this phrase simply to mean that there will be “more than enough” leaders for whatever task is at hand6.
In Micah’s day, there was King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah (and their attendants), and that was enough to lead the besieged residents of Jerusalem to ask God for mercy so that God brought a plague upon the Assyrian army, the survivors of which fled back to Nineveh for good and left Israel alone7.
Isaiah 10:20-25 “In that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean on him who struck them, but will lean on Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God. For though your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. Destruction is decreed, overflowing with righteousness. For the Lord Yahweh Commander of armies will make a full end, as decreed, in the midst of all the earth. Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh Commander of armies: ‘O my people, who dwell in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrians when they strike with the rod and lift up their staff against you as the Egyptians did. For in a very little while my fury will come to an end, and my anger will be directed to their destruction.’” (NAW, cf. Isaiah 14:24-25, Zephaniah 2:13)
During the Babylonian exile, Daniel and Hananiah, Mischael, and Azariah and their buddies8 were raised up as leaders, and also Mordecai and Esther who led the people through various threats and witnessed God’s deliverance.
In the New Testament, we have the 12 Apostles who followed Jesus and led the early church through tremendous persecution to evangelize about a sixth of the world’s population in their lifetime!
But notice, when it comes to the statement about deliverance from the Assyrians, in the middle of v.6, the number goes down to one – and only one: “He will rescue/deliver/save us.” This points us back to the Messianic king to whom Micah keeps referring.
King Hezekiah of Micah’s day was a type of the Messiah who trusted God and witnessed the deliverance of Israel from the threat of Assyria,
but Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment. He is the one who will strike down – not just Assyria but – ‘all His enemies,’ as it says in v.8, or as 1 Corinthians 15:22-27 puts it “For, just as in Adam, all are dying, thus also in the Christ, all will be made alive, yet each in his own rank: Christ is the firstfruit, then those who are Christ's – during His visitation, then there is the end, whenever He delivers the kingdom to His God and Father, whenever He has put out of commission all rule and all authority and power. For it is necessary for Him to reign until whenever He has put all His enemies beneath His feet. Death, the last enemy, is being put out of commission, for ‘He has brought all things under submission beneath His feet.’” (quoting Psalm 8, NAW)
In verses 7 and 8, Micah moves past the Messiah’s rescue of His people from their enemies to talk about how God’s people will relate to the nations in the future after the Messiah delivers them, and interestingly, there is a positive side to that and a negative side to that:
v. 7 speaks of the relationship between God’s people and the nations in terms of blessing,
and v.8 speaks of God’s people being a threat to the nations9.
What’s even more interesting is how perfectly these prophecies match the prophecies of the Israelite patriarchs Isaac and Jacob in the blessings they gave to their descendants,
promising the blessing of the “dew of heaven” upon them in Genesis 27:28,
and that they will be like a “lion” in Genesis 49:9 (cf. Numbers 23:24; 24:9).
“‘Jacob’ is Micah’s term for all Israel” (Waltke), and the idea of the Jewish nation being reduced to a “remnant” has already been introduced in:
Micah 2:12 “I will surely gather each of you, Jacob; I will surely assemble a remnant of Israel. I will put it together like sheep in the enclosure...” (NAW)
Micah 4:7 “and I will position the one who is limping to be the one that remains and the one who was far off to become a strong nation, and Yahweh will reign over them at Mt. Zion from now even to forever!” (NAW)
Micah 5:3 Therefore He shall give them up, Until the time that she who is in labor has given birth; Then the remnant10 of His brethren Shall return to the children of Israel.” (NKJV)
In the prophetic books, the word “remnant” usually refers to the Jews who came back to Jerusalem after the 70 year exile in Babylon,
but here, it is describing Jews who are bringing God’s blessing to “many nations” around them – either while in captivity in Babylon, or perhaps as nation in the future11 (like it had done in the past during the golden age of Solomon when, unlike today, neighboring nations were actually on good terms with Israel.)
In the New Testament, the “remnant” refers to Christians (Rom. 9:27) who are called to bring the Good news of Jesus to all the nations and be “salt” and “light.” (Mark 16:15, Mat. 5:13-16)
This remnant will be “like dew from the LORD.” Dew is always a good thing in the Old Testament12. It was the best way for plants to be watered in a dry climate where streams were few and far between, and it brought welcome coolness to the morning before the day got hot.
Psalm 65:9-11 “You visit the earth and water it, You greatly enrich it; The river of God is full of water; You provide their grain, For so You have prepared it. You water its ridges abundantly, You settle its furrows; You make it soft with showers, You bless its growth. You crown the year with Your goodness, And Your paths drip with abundance.” (NKJV)
Psalm 72:1-6 “<A Psalm of Solomon.> Give the king Your judgments, O God, And Your righteousness to the king's Son. He will judge Your people with righteousness, And Your poor with justice. The mountains will bring peace to the people, And the little hills, by righteousness. He will bring justice to the poor of the people; He will save the children of the needy, And will break in pieces the oppressor. They shall fear You As long as the sun and moon endure, Throughout all generations. He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing, Like showers that water the earth.” (NKJV, cf. Hosea 14:5)
Dew comes out of the air – from heaven, not out of the earth, and likewise we who have been born again have been given God’s life from heaven13; we have died with Christ and our life doesn’t come from the earth, so we bring the life of heaven throughout a dying world wherever we go.
The heavy emphasis at the end of v.7 on the lack of control which human beings have over the rain is curious in this context. “...like dew from Yahweh, like showers... which will not tarry/delay/wait-up for anybody and will not linger/wait-around for man-kind.”
This wording is a bit ambiguous, so there are different opinions on how to translate it14, but I think God is emphasizing the idea that these blessings will be impossible to hold back. Nobody can hold back the rain!
The clouds don’t say, “Oh wait, Suzy is having a birthday party, we’ll wait ‘till the guests leave.”
or “Wait, Farmer John is hoping to dry his corn out a few days longer so he can get a better price at market next week.”
No, it just dumps whenever it pleases, which is ultimately caused by [global warming. Just checking to see if you’re listening! Actually the Bible consistently portrays] God (not man) as the one who controls rain and the environment15.
Micah may be discouraged at how ungodly and sinful his people have become (and you may be feeling the same way about your people being so messed up by their rebellions against God), so God says, “A time is coming when my people can’t help but bless the socks off of everybody around them.
The greedy business barons can’t stop me;
the corrupt politicians can’t stop me;
the faithless religious leaders can’t stop me;
not even the pagan foreigners can stop me!
I am going to fulfill my promise that I made back in Genesis 12:3, that “through [Abraham], all the families of the earth will be blessed,” and nobody’s sin is going to mess up my plan!”
As I have stated before, I believe the New Testament16 teaches that Christians are the “remnant” today. We live surrounded by all the peoples of the world – over ten thousand different ethnic groups in the world today17. God has given us the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus, and He will use us inexorably to bring the blessings of His love to the ends of the earth.
So, are you a blessing to the world around you? Have you accepted this as your mission?
Do people at work, or at home, or in public feel like they have had their thirst slaked and their temper cooled when you come around, or do they resent you for your selfishness and pride and indifference?
Let us be sure to bring blessings from God to to the world around us through exhibiting a kind, gracious demeanor to them (Phil 4:5), through doing hard work that brings prosperity (Eph. 4:28), and through intercessory prayer that holds off God’s wrath against them (1 John 5:16)!
But there is another side to the relationship between the remnant of God’s people and the nations. Not only does God bring blessing through us, He also brings through us the threat of judgment upon all who will not acknowledge Him as Lord.
The “remnant of Jacob” who are devoted to the LORD are compared in v.8 to a lion that sits at the top of the food chain and feels no threat because it has the power to overcome any other animal18.
Now this symbolism flies in the face of the world powers of Micah’s day. The Egyptian and Assyrian kings represented themselves as lions – perhaps you’ve seen the Egyptian sphinx or the Assyrian winged lion statues. For God to say that His people would be the lion among the nations was a prophecy of the end of the great empires of Micah’s day. The grand civilizations of Egypt and Assyria are in heaps of rubble today, but God’s kingdom is still thriving and growing!
This is related to the similar figurative language in Micah 4:13 “Get up and thresh, Daughter of Zion, for I will set your horn with iron and I will set your hooves with bronze, and you will crush many peoples, and will devote their gain to Yahweh and their resources to the Master of all the earth.” (NAW, cf. Isa. 41:15ff, Psalm 44:54)
Now, don’t get this wrong: God is NOT saying that we should try to intimidate and threaten other people. Jesus later told His disciples that they are “like sheep” who need to “be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves” (Matt. 10:16, KJV).
Nevertheless, we do represent the truth of God and the Lordship of God, and those realities of God’s truth and kingdom naturally feel threatening to the world that is trying to prop up its counter-kingdom of man with all the lies that entails.
That’s why King Ahab hated the prophet Miciah (1 Kings 22:8);
That’s why the high priest imprisoned the prophet Jeremiah in a well (Jer. 20);
That’s why the Pharisees plotted to kill Jesus (Mat. 12:14);
That’s why Saul persecuted the church of Jesus Christ (Acts 9):
They saw the truth and the kingdom of Christ as a threat to their man-centered empires.
And the world will also see you as a dangerous threat to its lies and its rebellion against God.
So, instead of pouncing on people and eating them like a lion, we simply share the truth of God’s word with people and win them over to become followers of Christ.
Prov. 28:1 “The wicked flee when no one pursues, But the righteous are bold as a lion.” (NKJV)
The truth is that when God’s people rely on God, and God’s power works through His people, impressive victories over sin and evil are accomplished19.
Jesus told His disciples in Luke 21:15-18 “I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But not a hair of your head shall be lost.” (NKJV)
He also said in Matthew 16:18 “...I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not be as strong as she!” (NAW)
The Apostle Paul told the church in Corinth, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…” (2 Cor. 10:3-5, NKJV)
“When infidelity is silenced, and all iniquity made to stop her mouth, when sinners are convinced and converted by the power of the gospel, in the doctrine of its ministers and the conversation of its professors, then ‘the remnant of Jacob is like a lion’... Christ's arrows of conviction shall be sharp in their hearts, so that they shall fall under him; they shall ‘yield themselves subjects’ to him (Psalm 45:5) and be happily conquered and ‘subdued’ (Psalm 110:2).” ~Matthew Henry, 1714 AD
Verse 9 then seems to flow from verse 8 in terms of God’s enemies feeling threatened, but it is hard to tell from the English translation whether this is a prayer for God to triumph over His enemies (in which case the “you” would refer to God), or whether this is God commanding His remnant to smite her enemies (in which case the “you” refers to the remnant).
The Hebrew language, however, keeps track of the gender of the pronoun, and the “you” here is masculine, which points to the masculine “God,” rather than the feminine “remnant,”20 so it is Micah (and all the people of God together with him) praying for God to consumate justice upon all God’s enemies.
The imperfect verbs “be lifted up” and “be destroyed” can be interpreted as future tense, as most English Bibles have done, but there are a couple of English versions and Bible reference books21 which interpret it as a jussive, “Let Your hand be lifted up and let Your enemies be cut off,” and that interpretation – as a petition to God – makes more sense to me as Micah’s response to the prophecies that God’s people are going to bless and rule the nations.
Remember, the power that is threatening to the world system is not our puny church but the Almighty power of God Himself brought to bear on the systems of the world when we pray!
Are you praying that?
It’s in the Lord’s prayer, “Let your kingdom come.”
Are you sick of the evil in this land? Then let’s pray with Micah for God to end the corruption and oppression!
God shares enemies in common with us.
When Saul the Pharisee persecuted the early church, God went after him and said, “...Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting22 Me? ...” (Acts 9:4, NKJV),
so when the world treats you as an enemy, it becomes God’s enemy because it is your enemy, and you can pray with Micah, “Let Your enemies be cut off!” These aren’t just my enemies, Lord, they’re Yours!
There is debate over what the upraised hand means in v.9.
The most popular interpretation is as a sign of triumph after beating an enemy,
but because of the picture I remember from Isaiah of God “stretching out” His “hand” to “strike” in judgment over and over again23, I think that the “upraised hand” denotes impending judgment (like when I’m standing over a fly with a fly-swatter, just about to swat).
There’s also the Psalms
Psalm 10:12 & 15 “Arise, Yahweh! God, lift up [נְשָׂא] Your hand... Break the arm of the wicked and evil man...” (NAW)
Psalm 21:8-9 “Your hand will find all Your enemies; Your right hand will find those who hate You... In His anger Yahweh will swallow them up, and fire will devour them.” (NAW)
But whether it is impending judgment or completed triumph, God is still the One who will put an end to our enemies.
Now, after Micah prays that God would “cut off/destroy” His enemies,” God answers in verses 10-15, “I will cut off [my enemies],” listing four enemies to the worship of God in particular that He intends to destroy, but I plan to look at that in my next sermon.
For now, we need to remember that God is just as imminent as our enemies are. When enemies rear their ugly heads, God will show up to deliver. And once you understand where your salvation comes from, then you can be secure in your role as a redeemed member of His people.
We also need to remember our dual role: both to bless the nations like dew and to threaten the nations like a lion. The church is to be both aggressive in winning souls for Christ and soothing in bringing the peace of Christ to bless all the nations.
“Who could have dreamed that out of the remnant within Jerusalem, besieged by an international army, would come forth a church that encompasses the world as it administers eternal life and eternal death? Who could have dreamed that from the Lord Jesus hanging on a cross would have sprung the church like a mighty army? Who could have dreamed that the church within the mighty Roman Empire and throughout history would always be led in triumphal procession so that they became the fragrance of the knowledge of Christ everywhere: ‘the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one … the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task (2 Cor 2:15–16)?’ Since only the sovereign I AM is equal to such a task, the faithful ever respond to his initiative with the prayer that their sovereign I AM’s hand be raised in triumph over all and that all his enemies be cut off so that he might reign extensively and entirely and eternally. To the King of kings, and Lord of lords, belongs the praise both now and forever.” ~Bruce Waltke, 2007 AD
DouayB (Vulgate) |
LXXC |
BrentonD
|
KJVE |
NAW |
Masoretic HebrewF |
5 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. |
4
καὶ ἔσται
αὕτ |
5
And |
5 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. |
5 And this One will be peace! As for Assyria, when it invades our land and when it steps into our compounds, then we will erect against it seven shepherds, even eight anointed by men, |
(ד) וְהָיָה זֶה שָׁלוֹם אַשּׁוּר כִּי יָבוֹא בְאַרְצֵנוּ וְכִי יִדְרֹךְ בְּאַרְמְנֹתֵינוּ וַהֲקֵמֹנוּJ עָלָיו שִׁבְעָה רֹעִים וּשְׁמֹנָהK נְסִיכֵיL אָדָם. |
6 And they shall feed the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nemrod with the spears thereof: and he shall deliver [us] from the Assyrian when he shall come into our land, and when he shall tread in our border[s]. |
5
καὶ ποιμανοῦσιν
τὸν
ΧM
Ασσουρ ἐν
X
ῥομφαίᾳ καὶ
τὴν γῆν τοῦ Νεβρωδ
ἐν τῇ τάφρῳN
αὐτῆς· καὶ ῥύσεται ἐκ τοῦ Ασσουρ,
ὅταν ἐπέλθῃ
ἐπὶO
τὴν γῆν |
6
And they shall tend the Χ
Χ Assyrian
with |
6
And they shall |
6 and they will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword – even the land of Nimrod at its entrances. Thus He will rescue from Assyria when it invades our land, even when it steps into our territory. |
(ה) וְרָעוּP אֶת אֶרֶץ אַשּׁוּר בַּחֶרֶב וְאֶת אֶרֶץ נִמְרֹד בִּפְתָחֶיהָQ Rוְהִצִּיל מֵאַשּׁוּר כִּי יָבוֹא בְאַרְצֵנוּ וְכִיS יִדְרֹךְ בִּגְבוּלֵנוּ. |
7 And X the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples, as a dew from the Lord, [and] as drops upon the grass, which waiteth not for man, nor tarrieth for the children of men. |
6
καὶ ἔσται τὸ ὑπόλειμμαT
τοῦ Ιακωβ [ἐν
τοῖς ἔθνεσιν] ἐν μέσῳ
λαῶν πολλῶν ὡς δρόσος
παρὰ κυρίου [πίπτουσα
καὶ] ὡς |
7
And X the
remnant of Jacob shall be [among
the GentilesZ]
in the midst of many peoples, as dew [falling]
from the Lord, [and]
as |
7 And X the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men. |
7 Then it will happen that the remnant of Jacob will exist in the midst of many peoples like dew from Yahweh, like showers upon vegetation which don’t wait-up for anybody or wait around for man-kind. |
(ו) וְהָיָהAA שְׁאֵרִיתAB יַעֲקֹבAC בְּקֶרֶב עַמִּים רַבִּים כְּטַל מֵאֵת יְהוָה כִּרְבִיבִיםAD עֲלֵי עֵשֶׂב אֲשֶׁרAE לֹא יְקַוֶּהAF לְאִישׁ וְלֹא יְיַחֵלAG לִבְנֵי אָדָם. |
8
And X the
remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles, in the midst of
many peoples, as a lion among the beasts of the forest[s],
and as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, when he shall
go through, and tread
down,
and |
7
καὶ ἔσται τὸ ὑπόλειμμα τοῦ Ιακωβ
ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐν μέσῳ λαῶν πολλῶν
ὡς λέων ἐν κτήνεσιν ἐν τῷ δρυμῷ
καὶ ὡς σκύμνος ἐν ποιμνίοις προβάτων,
ὃν τρόπον X
ὅταν διέλθῃ καὶ |
8
And X the
remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many
nations, as a lion in the forest among cattle X
XAH,
and as a lion's whelp among the flocks of sheep, |
8 And X the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many peopleX as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver. |
8 It will also happen that the remnant of Jacob will be among the nations – in the midst of many peoples – like a lion among beasts of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep which, when it passes through – and pounces and tears to shreds, then there will be no one to rescue. |
(ז) וְהָיָה שְׁאֵרִית יַעֲקֹב בַּגּוֹיִם בְּקֶרֶב עַמִּים רַבִּים AIכְּאַרְיֵה בְּבַהֲמוֹת יַעַרAJ כִּכְפִיר בְּעֶדְרֵיAK צֹאן אֲשֶׁר אִם עָבַר וְרָמַסAL וְטָרַף וְאֵין מַצִּילAM. |
9 Thy hand shall be lifted up over thy enemies, and all thy enemies shall be cut off. |
8 ὑψωθήσεται ἡ χείρ σου ἐπὶ τοὺς θλίβοντάς σε, καὶ πάντες οἱ ἐχθροί σου ἐξολεθρευθήσονται. |
9 Thine hand shall be lifted up against them that afflict thee, and all thine enemies shall be utterly destroyed. |
9 Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off. |
9 Let Your hand rise up against Your adversaries and let all Your enemies be terminated. |
(ח) תָּרֹם יָדְךָAN עַל צָרֶיךָ וְכָל אֹיְבֶיךָ יִכָּרֵתוּ. |
1“‘Why then does not God give earlier relief?’ But we see the manner in which God intends to preserve his Church: for as the faithful often need some chastisement, God humbles them when it is expedient, and then delivers them. This is the reason why God allowed such liberty to the Assyrians before he supplied assistance.” ~J. Calvin
2So Gilby, Targum Jonathan, Cohen, Keil
3Calvin, Henry, Renaud, and Waltke saw Nimrod as a representation of Chaldea in distinction from Assyria. Chaldea did become a distinct empire, but during Micah’s time, Babylon was still part of the Assyrian empire. On the other hand, Psalm 83:1-16 and Isaiah 8:7 mention the Chaldean invasion that conquered Jerusalem and took exiles to Babylon as being “Assyrian,” so since the two empires were from the same part of the world and happened one right after the other, they reasonably may be lumped together.
4Gilby, cf. Cohen, Henry, Calvin, Keil, Waltke
5The closest I could find is the 3 + 4+ 1 kings in Daniel 11:1-41, one of whom “enters the glorious land.” But it doesn’t match Micah here because they are in succession to each other, they are not allies of Israel, and they are long after the Assyrian empire.
6cf. Henry: “…‘seven shepherds and eight principal men,’ that is, a competent number of persons, proper to oppose the enemy, and make head against him, and protect the church of God in peace... Seven and eight are a certain number for an uncertain. Note, When God has work to do he will not want fitting instruments to do it with…” Keil added: “Seven is mentioned as the number of the works proceeding from God, so that seven shepherds, i.e., princes, would be quite sufficient; and this number is surpassed by the eight, to express the thought that there might be even more than were required.”
7Isaiah 37:36-37 “And the angel of Yahweh went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when they arose in the morning, ‘Look at all these dead bodies!’ Then Sennacherib king of Assyria pulled out and went and returned home and sat in Nineveh.” (NAW)
8Daniel 1:1-6 uses Micah’s word “anointed” to refer to them.
9This bifurcation is debated. Calvin (followed by Hitzig, H Wolff, A Weiser, T. Lassow, and J.M.P. Smith) saw vs.7 & 8 as saying the same thing, but even Calvin’s own translator complained that he stretched the meanings too far to make them parallel. Keil noted “The refreshing dew and the rending lion cannot possibly be synonymous figures.” Waltke agreed, noting the differences between the consequences of watering grass and tearing prey, and listing W. Rudolph, R.E. Wolfe, and B. Renaud in support.
10This is actually from יֶ֣תֶר, a synonym for the word for “remnant” used in v.7 (שאר).
11This was Waltke’s position.
12“טל… is always a sign of benediction” ~Renaud
13John 1:13, 3:3-5, 1 Peter 1:23, 1Jn 3:9, 4:7, 5:1, 5:4, 5:18, 1Cor. 15:47
14Matthew Henry (followed by Bruce Waltke and others) went a different direction in his interpretation: “[T]hey shall not rely upon human aids and powers, but on divine grace.” The Hebrew word for “wait” is sometimes translated “hope” and is sometimes used in the context of trusting in someone for salvation, so it is a fair alternate interpretation. Calvin (followed by Hitzig) interpreted it in the sense of dependence and provision coming from God instead of man. Keil’s interpretation was more like mine with an emphasis on God’s sovereignty: “As the falling of the dew in rain-drops upon the grass does not depend upon the waiting of men, but proceeds from Jehovah; so will the spiritual blessing, which will flow over from Israel upon the nations, not depend upon the waiting of the nations, but will flow to them against and beyond their expectation.”
15The Bible consistently portrays God (not man) as the one who controls rain: Gen. 2:5, 7:4, Exo. 9:18, Lev. 26:4, Deu. 11:14,17, 28:12, 24, 1 Sam. 12:17-18, 1 Ki. 8:35-36, 1 Ki. 17:14, 18:1, 2 Chr. 6:27, 7:13, Job 5:10, 28:26, 37:6, 38:26, Psa. 68:9, 135:7, 147:8, Isa. 5:6, 30:23, 45:8, Jer. 3:3, 5:24, 10:13, 14:22, 51:16, Eze. 13:13, 38:22, Joel 2:23, Amos 4:7, Zech. 10:1, Mat. 5:45, Acts 14:17, Heb. 6:7, Jas. 5:17-18
16Rom. 9:27 and 11:5 are the only places where the word “remnant/remainder” appear in the New Testament, and both times the word refers to Christians.
17https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/counts
18“Thys is it that Iacob dyd Prophecy of hys posterytye in the latter dayes to be fulfylled. Genesis [49:9, cf. Num. 24:9] shewynge to hys chyldren that whyche God had opened vnto hym of Iuda, whome he nameth to be lyke a Lyon” ~A. Gilby, 1551 AD
19In the physical world, victories like that of Mordecai over Haman, Charles Martel over the Mohammedans, or George Washington over the Redcoats come to mind.
20- a detail apparently missed in the New Living Translation and in Matthew Henry’s commentary.
21Including the NET Bible, Westminister Hebrew morphology, C. F. Keil’s commentary, and Waltke’s commentary.
22The Greek root in Acts is διωκω (“hunt down”), a synonym to the word in the LXX of Micah (θλίβοντάς – “afflict”).
23Isa. 5:25; 9:12,17,21; 10:4 all speak of the Lord’s hand stretching out to strike, using the verb נטה, but the verb Micah uses here (רום) does occur in a similar statement in Isaiah 26:11 “Yahweh, Your hand is lifted up, but they will NOT see. Let them see the people's zeal and be ashamed. Also, let Your enemy's fire consume them.” (NAW)
AMy
original chart includes the following copyrighted English versions:
NASB, NIV, ESV, Bauscher’s version of the Peshitta, and Cathcart’s
version of the Targums, but I remove these columns from my public,
non-copyrighted edition of this chart so as not to infringe on their
copyrights. NAW is my translation. When a translation adds words not
in the Hebrew text, but does not indicate it has done so by the use
of italics or greyed-out text, I put the added words in [square
brackets]. When one version chooses a wording which is different
from all the other translations, I underline it. When a
version chooses a translation which, in my opinion, either departs
too far from the root meaning of the Hebrew word or departs too far
from the grammar form of the original text, I use strikeout.
And when a version omits a word which is in the original text, I
insert an X. I also place an X at the end of a word if the original
word is plural but the English translation is singular. I
occasionally use colors to help the reader see correlations between
the various editions and versions when there are more than two
different translations of a given word. The only known Dead Sea
Scrolls containing Micah 5 are 4Q81 (containing parts of verses 2-3
and dated between 175-50BC), 4Q82 (containing parts of verses 7-8
and dated between 30-1 BC), the Nahal Hever Greek scroll
(containing parts of vs. 2-7 and dated around 25BC), and the Wadi
Muraba’at Scroll (containing parts verses 1-2 & 6-13 and dated
around 135 AD). Where the DSS is legible and in agreement with the
MT, the MT is colored purple. Where the
DSS supports the LXX/Vulgate/Peshitta with omissions or text not in
the MT, I have highlighted with
yellow the LXX and its translation into English, and where I
have accepted that into my NAW translation, I have marked it with
{pointed brackets}.
BDouay Old Testament first published by the English College at Douay, A.D. 1609, Revised and Diligently Compared with the Latin Vulgate by Bishop Richard Challoner, Published in 1582, 1609, 1752. As published on E-Sword.
C“Septuagint” Greek Old Testament, edited by Alfred Rahlfs. Published in 1935. As published on E-Sword.
DEnglish translation of the Septuagint by Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton, 1851, “based upon the text of the Vaticanus” but not identical to the Vaticanus. As published electronically by E-Sword.
E1769 King James Version of the Holy Bible; public domain. As published electronically by E-Sword.
FFrom
the Wiki Hebrew Bible
https://he.wikisource.org/wiki/%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%9B%D7%94_%D7%91/%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%AA
.
DSS text comes from https://downloads.thewaytoyahuweh.com
GBHS suggested that the third letter, resh, when read as the very similar-looking letter daleth instead (or perhaps trilled by a lector and mistaken for the sound of a daleth) could have been translated “ground/land” as the LXX did. N.H. reads βαρ--- (dashes represent illegible letters) referring to something “expensive/heavily-built/weighty.”
HN.H. (επεγερουμεν) is active, 1p, like the MT, Vulgate, Peshitta, and Targums.
ILXX follows the homonym נשׁך (“bite”) rather than what is written in the MT נסך (“outpouring/prince”). This is not the first time in Micah that the LXX has confused the word in the MT for a different word which sounds the same but does not look the same. This could be evidence of the LXX translator translating as he listened to someone reading rather than reading the Hebrew for himself. The earlier Nahal Hever Greek translation does not suffer from this problem; it translates with the word αρχοντας (“rulers”) followed by Theodotian (αρχηγους). Αquilla, however, translated it καθεσταμενους (“antagonists”) and Symmachus χριστους (“Anointed ones” – closest to the MT) – all of which are persons rather than an impersonal “attack” as per the LXX.
JCalvin asserted that this simply means that after the exile, Israel would regain its sovereignty, in other words, the line of kings would be broken, but they would later be able to govern themselves, but the following phrase “against it” rather militates against Calvin’s view, for the text indicates a defense mounted against Assyria (“it”).
K“even
eight” – NIV, “yea eight” ~Keil
“This Phrase of .vii.
and .viii. Betokeneth abundaunce & plenteth of captaynes lyke as
ye xi. chap of Eccle.” ~A. Gilby
LRare word only here and Josh. 13:21; Ps. 83:12; Ezek. 32:30; Dan. 11:8 (and Deut. 32:38 describing drink offerings), denoting those over whom oil had been poured them to anoint them for an office.
MΝ.Η. did not omit the word “land” in the MT like the LXX did.
Ncf. Aq. (σειρομασταις “daggers”), Sym. (πυλων) & Theod. (πυλαις) = “gates,”, but N.H. translated with the better synonym παραξ--- (“passages” cf. E παραξιφισιν αυτων) and got the plural correct (unlike the LXX) but omitted the possessive pronoun which is in the LXX and MT and other ancient versions.
ON.H. rendered οτι ελθη εις which amounts to the same meaning as the LXX.
PGeneva, KJV, AJV, and NKJV render “waste/destroy” as though the root were רעע, but the historic Latin, Aramaic, and Greek versions all translated it as the root רעה (“shepherd” – which includes the ideas of feeding and ruling). Keil was certain that “רָעוּ [is] from רָעָה, not from רָעַע.” Calvin suggested that “shepherd” could have both a positive (“feed”) and a negative (“destroy”) meaning.
Q“The
verses move from the defensive posture of chiefs defending their
homeland against Assyria to the offensive posture in v 4(5) of their
ruling Assyria’s homeland.” ~B. Waltke
This Hebrew word has
received a wide range of translation: Quinta of
Hexapla/Dodecapropheton Murabbaat/Aquila/Kimchi/Ibn
Ezra/Gilby/Calvin/Geneva/AJV/NIV/NET/NLT = “[drawn/sharp]
sword[s],” cf. Vulgate = “spears,”
Symmachus/Rashi/KJV/Marckius/Newcome/Henderson/Owen/Keil/Waltke/NASB/ESV
= “entrances” cf. Nahal Hever = “passages,” LXX = “trench,”
Peshitta = “wrath,” Targums/Caspari/Hitzig/Keil = “fortified
cities.”
R“wāw-relative... a summarizing epexegetical use (‘and so...’)” ~B. Waltke (following Keil)
SThe Peshitta and Targums read as though this were the word לא (“not”), but Vulgate and LXX agree with MT (“when”). Unfortunately all the DSS have lacunae here, so we can’t compare with what they had recorded.
TN.H. rendered with the synonym -λοιπον
Ucf. Aquilla = ψεκαδες (“drips”?), Sym. & Theod. = νιφετος (“rain-clouds”?)
VAquilla = ποαν (?), Sym. & Theod. = χορτον (“hay”)
WAq. (‘υπομενει) & Theod. (μενει) = “remain” correcting the LXX to the MT and other ancient versions.
Xcf. the more literal translations of Aq. (ανδρα) and Theod. (ανθρωπον) = “man”
Ycf. Aq. περιμενει (“wait around”) and Theod. ελπισει (“will hope in”)
ZAlthough the Peshitta supports this redundancy, it is not in the Nahal Hever or the MT, Vulgate, or Targums (although it does occur in them in the next verse).
AAThis verb of being is masculine, so the feminine noun “remnant” is not its subject. The subject of this verb is unexpressed, and that requires adding a second verb of being to link “remnant” with its predicate nominative. The same thing happens at the beginning of the next verse. Waltke was the only commentator I found who caught this.
AB“In 5:6–8(7–9) Micah ripens his theme regarding the role of the remnant of Jacob among the nations in Israel’s eschatological figure. He planted the seed in 2:12–13: out of the remnant that God gathered as a flock into Jerusalem during the Assyrian invasion of Judah and siege of its capital, I AM, their true King, would lead them forth triumphantly. He watered it in 4:6–7: out of the gathered remnant of Jacob, whom I AM had lamed once again before conferring his blessing on them, the King, who miraculously led them out of the city in triumph, promises to make them a great nation under his eternal Kingship. In 5:6–8(7–9) he nourishes it to maturity: that great nation, spiritually unified under their eternal King and having been handed over by I AM to his faithful Messiah for his skillful shepherding, will be I AM’s instrument both of life among the nations, like a gentle rain falling upon plants, and of death, like a lion mauling its victims.” ~B. Waltke, 2007 AD
ACLXX and Peshitta seem to have followed a different Hebrew text which added the words “with the nations” here. The redundancy with the subsequent phrase results in no difference of meaning, however.
ADRelatively-rare word, only here and Deut. 32:2; Ps. 65:11; 72:6; Jer. 3:3; 14:22, always in parallel with dew or rain.
AE“relative clause emphasizes divine initiative and the remnant’s dependency on God… rain does not look expectantly to man to send it forth… but to God.” ~Waltke
AFWhile this could be interpreted as a future tense, Waltke labeled it a “frequentive piel,” and that is the way all the English versions have translated it.
AGWaltke was pretty much alone in moving the meaning of this from “waiting/tarrying/delaying/lingering” to “painful expectation” to match his interpretation of the previous verb “look expectantly.” Anticipation/hope is in the range of meaning of קוה, but I question whether it is in the meaning of יחל. This affects the interpretation of this verse, whether it is about the remnant (represented as rain) being a blessing to the nations when they put their hope in God instead of man (which was Waltke’s take - and is very Biblical) or whether it is about the sovereign action of God in bringing blessing through His people to the nations (which is my interpretation, and which is also in agreement with Scripture).
AHBrenton appears to have inadvertently skipped the phrase “of the forest” which is in the Greek text.
AIW.M., the only DSS legible at this point starts the word with -ב (“with/in/at”) instead of with the comparative -כ (“like/as”). All the ancient versions read with a comparative, so I wonder if my transcription of W.M. is mistaken here.
AJAccording to Micah’s simile, the “remnant of Jacob” is compared to a “lion” and a “young lion,” and the “many nations” are compared to the “beasts of the forest” and “flocks of sheep.”
AKcf. Mic. 2:12 where “flocks” refer to Jews. Waltke noted the synecdoche of wild “beasts of the forest” and domesticated “flock of sheep” – a merism for “all animals.”
ALThis word is a synonym to derek in vs. 5 & 6 and denotes “stepping/stamping/treading,” so Peshitta and LXX seem to be off with “cut out/select,” as is the NIV “maul.” It seems to correlate to the way that felines “pounce” or strike with their limbs to knock down and incapacitate prey. The subsequent word denotes the way felines use their claws to “tear/rip up/shred” their prey. Waltke labeled these three verbs “gnomic perfects” (describing common experience). According to OSHB cantillation and Waltke, the Masoretic accents indicate that “and pounces and rips” go with “when it passes through,” and there is a more disjunctive accent that sets apart “and there will be no one to deliver.” Waltke called the אם (“if/when”) a “protasis im” and the -ו before אין an “apodasis vav.”
AMcf.
Psalm 50:22 “Please understand this, you who forget God; otherwise
I will rip you to shreds and there will be no escape.”
(NAW)
Hosea 5:14 “For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, And
like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear them
and go away; I will take them away, and no one shall rescue.”
(NKJV)
ANThe masculine gender makes God the referent rather than the feminine “remnant.” Malbim, however, said it could refer to either God or the remnant. The NIV and NET bibles (and Waltke, in his commentary) added the word “triumph,” interpreting the raised hand as a celebratory sign after a victory (cf. Cohen) rather than a threatening sign before a strike, but the parallel passages in Isaiah argue persuasively that it is the latter. Keil agreed with me, “This wish (târōm is optative) closes the promise of the attitude which Israel will assume among the nations of the world. For târōm yâd (high be the hand), compare Isa. 26:11. High is the hand which accomplishes mighty deeds, which smites and destroys the foe.”