assign to the participle 7Sty the meaning "priest," i. e. one who
seeks oracles, and would treat Dl^t^^ as a corruption of some verb,
so gettmg the rendering, "the prince, the priest and the judge. . . ."
But ingenious as this is, it fails because such a use of this parti-
ciple in Hebrew cannot be established, and because the parallel
^n^n with its participle "121" demands a similar construction
here. — And the great man expresses the desire of his soul] The rich
and powerful make known their wishes, and these are carried into

* Rosenm.. t Ew.. t Or..

§ Um.; similarly Casp., Ke.. ♦* RV.. tt JSL. XIX, 95 /••



142 MICAH

effect by the courts, whose judgments are for sale to the highest
bidder. The word "desire" is always used of evil wishes. It is
possible that "the great man" is an official and that the meaning of
the phrase is, "the great man decides according to his own wicked
desires." The pronoim Nl" must be taken with this Ime if M is
correct; the rendering then would be, "and as for the great man, he
expresses the desire of his soul," the pronoun being emphatic; but
the length of the line thereby produced and the unnecessary em-
phasis are against iJI's arrangement. The pronoun has been taken
as intensifying the suflBx, viz. "desire of his own soul"; but this is
un-Hebraic. It seems best to regard Hln as a fragment of the first
part of the following line which has been lost or corrupted beyond
recognition. — He . . . and they weave it] This line is partly
missing, and what remains is obscure. The verb occurs only here,
and its meaning must be conjectured from the substantives "leafy"
and " cord, " formed from the same root, and from the context here.
The emendation "pervert" {v. s.) is attractive, but in so uncertain
a context no certainty as to details is possible. The sufi&x ap-
parently refers to the wicked desire of the great, while the subject
must be the combined classes represented by "the prince" and
"the great man," who together overcome all opposition and cir-
cumvent the righteous poor,

Str. IV in its first half summarises the denunciation up to the
present point, and in its second half threatens the wicked oppres-
sors with punishment. — 4. The best of them are like a brier] Cf.
2 S. 23^- '. The comparison is probably double-edged, having
reference to the roughness and sharpness of briers and also to their
susceptibility to quick combustion; cf. Ex. 22® Is. 9^^ 10". — The
most upright of them like a hedge] For text, v. s.. M = "more
just than a hedge," which is nonsense. RV. "the most upright
is worse than a thorn-hedge" cannot possibly be derived from iH;
while RVm., "the straightest is as it were taken from a thorn-
hedge" is no better. Whether the hedge is mentioned as suggest-
ing an obstruction or injurious roughness cannot be determined;
cf. Pr. 15^^. — The day of their visitation comes, now will be their
havoc] The day of Yahweh is here before the prophet's mind, that
great day of judgment that engaged the attention of the prophets



7*-' 143

from first to last; cj. Is. 22^. Hence a gloss makes ^ read, the
day of thy watchmen (i. e. thy prophets), thy visitation comes] which
is poor Hebrew. The sufl5x must agree with those of the preced-
ing and following lines.

Str. V abandons the form of the lament wholly and passes over
into direct address, cautioning each Israelite to beware of treachery,
even in the heart of his most dearly beloved. — 5. Put no confidence
in a friend ; trust not an intimate] From the friend in general (J?"l)
to the bosom friend (5)1 7K), the prophet proceeds in ascending
scale; none is worthy of confidence, not even a man's wife, — From
her that lies in thy bosom guard the doors of thy mouth] There is
no hint here of any intention to cast a slur upon womankind in gen-
eral as unable to keep a secret; it is simply the crowning proof of
the universal faithlessness. Roorda's view that v.^ depicts not exist-
ing conditions, but those that shall supervene in the "day of their
visitation," is wholly without foundation; cf v. ^'^.

Having uttered the warning in Str. V the prophet proceeds in
Str. VI to state the facts which warrant his advice. — 6. For son
insults father] A heinous ofi'ence in Semitic eyes; cf. Code of
Hammurabi, §§ 186, 192, 195; Ex. 20^^ 21^^- " Dt. 21'*^- Lv. 20"
Pr. 20^". — Daughter rises up against her mother] The submissive-
ness of the daughter to her parents is well illustrated by the mar-
riage customs in accordance with which the daughter's hand was
absolutely at the disposal of her father; cf. Gn. 31^^. Her sub-
jection was more complete than that of the son; consequently her
insubordination would be correspondingly more shocking. — The
daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law] The ideal relationship
between mother-in-law and son's wife is revealed to us by the
story of Ruth and Naomi. The mother was granted absolute
authority over her son's wife. — A man's enemies are the men of
his own house] Not merely his servants or slaves; but also, and
chiefly, his nearest relatives, the members of his ovvn family.
With vv. ^- \ cf. Ovid, Metamorph. I, 144/..

1. "h^ti] Again in Jb. 10"; both times expressive of grief; cf. Assy.
aM; Ko. "-psso. — .gox] On d., cf. Sta. ^"-2). — 'cn p.x] Circum-
stantial clause, with the force of the negative continuing in foil, clause. —
SaNS] Inf. with S has force of a gerundive; cf. Ko. ^'"'«°. — 'i nnx] Rel.



144 MICAH

clause with rel. particle omitted; Ges. 5'"". — 2, mn] Ace. of instrument
Ges. § '17 ff- Ko. ^ 332 uj this is the sole example of this construction, but
analogous usage is found in Ju. 19^ Ps. 5'^ 5114. — 3. oi'-a'a] Ace. to M
this is dependent upon hav, which is to be understood with odbti; but
'a VNty always applies to the consulting of deity through oracles, which
is unsuitable here, 'a is probably due to the editor who inserted aotrn
and was intended by him as 2 of price. — Nin ib-dj] Treated by Ges.
5 135 f . K6. ^ i» as a pron. strengthening the sf.; but such prons. are usually
introduced by dj (cf. i K. 21"); cf., however, Zc. 7' Dt. 5'. — 4. nxa]
Agreeing with the nearer noun, rather than with av, the real subj.. —
5. 'n r2yi'] Genitive, instead of ace. of place, or prep, a, seems to im-
ply a closer relationship; cf. Ko. ^^^sep. — innc] The pi. by metonymy,
instrument for product; cf. Ko. ^ "" •.

§ 20. The Discomfiture of the Foe (7''^°).

In four strs. of four lines each, the prophet expresses his con-
viction that Yahweh will vindicate his people by overthrowing
their enemies. The poem sounds somewhat like an imprecatory
psalm. Str. I warns the enemy not to rejoice too prematurely,
for Israel's distress is only temporary. Str. II expresses the res-
olution to bear Yahweh's chastisement uncomplainingly, since it
is due to sin and will end in Israel's vindication. Str. Ill declares
that the tables are to be turned upon Israel's enemies ; those who
have reviled her will themselves be put to shame. — Str. IV an-
noimces a time when those who scoffed at Israel's God because of
Israel's calamities will in their turn be grotmd down by oppression.

"D EJOICE not, O mine enemy, over me!

Though I am fallen, I shall arise.

Though I sit in darkness,

Yahweh will be my light.
'T'HE anger of Yahweh I must bear —

For I have sinned against him —

Until he shall take up ray cause.

And execute my right.
UE will bring me forth to the light;

I shall gaze upon his righteousness.

And mine enemy will see.

And shame will cover her;
CHE that said unto me.

Where is Yahweh, thy God?

Mine eyes will gaze upon her;

Now will she be for trampling.



7'-" 145

There are traces of the qtna rhythm in this poem; but the interchange
of trimeter and dimeter is too irregular to permit us to classify the poem
as elegiac. This may be seen from Siev.'s attempt (cf. also Du.) at such
an arrangement which involves three changes for metrical reasons only
as well as the omission of the first two lines of Str. Ill as a gloss in
tetrameter. The parall. is beautifully regular and the logic unfailingly
indicates the strophic divisions.

The general period to which the poem belongs is manifest. Israel
is no longer awaiting punishment as in 7'-', but is already enduring it,
and is hoping for deliverance. This points naturally to exilic or post-
exilic conditions. There is the same acknowledgment of the justice
of the punishment as in Is. 40-55, and the same conviction that de-
liverance will come. But the attitude toward the heathen foe is not
that of the Servant passages toward the world in behalf of which Israel
suffers, but rather that of the later prophets who had become bitter
against their oppressors; cf. Is. 63' ^- Zc. 14"^- Ob. '^ 'â– . No satis-
factorj' connection can be found for v. ^ either with the preceding sec-
tion or with this. It seems to be a misplaced fragment.

7. '•jNi] Siev. om.. — nS^nis] QI ynx, deriving it from Sin. — ^y^^] ^
T({5 ffurrrjpl fju)v; so & IB. Siev. supposes the omission of a trimeter line
from M at this point. — 8. iS] Siev. tr. to precede T2-t<; cf. (5. — ■h -iin]
(j§ 0a)Tter juoi; so9uI&; several mss. 0ws ii.01. — 9. la'N ij:] Du. "^1". —
hn-in] Some Heb. mss. hnini; so &. — 10. vn] We. n<N; so Now., OortE™-,
Siev.. — mn>] & om.. — n.^y] Oort'^'"- r;\ Siev. •>?.

Str. I serves warning upon Israel's foes that her present mis-
fortunes will soon give place to honour and glory from Yahweh,
her God. — 7. Bui I will watch expectantly for Yahweh, I will hope
for the God of my deliverance ; my God will help me] The original
connection of this verse with another context is shown by the man-
ner in which it evidently contrasts "I" with something that has
gone before, though there is no fitting contrast in the present con-
text.* The presence of this fragment here may be due to an
effort to establish some connection between w. ® and *. The
speaker here is apparently not an individual, but the oppressed
community, which gives expression to its unquenchable faith in
Yahweh as the source of ultimate deliverance. For similar phra-
seology, cf. Ps. 5' 18'^ 25^ 38'' 43^ Hb. 3^^ The original poem
begins with v.*. — 8. Rejoice not, O mine enemy, over mef] "En-
emy" is collective here, including all of Israel's foes; cf. Ob. '-^•

* Cj. Du. who attaches v. ' to w. *â–  *.



146 MICAH

Ps. 25^ 35*^. — Though I am fallen, I shall arise] Faith under difS-
culties, the certainty of final vindication, was characteristic of all
the exilic and postexilic prophets; cf. Is. 60^ ^- Ez. 37-39 Zc. 14. —
Darkness . . . light] A common figure for calamity and pros-
perity; cf. Am. 5»« Is. 62iff- 9^ff- 58^° 59^ Jb. ^d^^

In Str. II the speaker declares himself ready to bear patiently
the well-merited pimishment of Yahweh until such time as Yah-
weh may choose to release him. — 9. The anger of Yahweh I must
bear] This is in accord with all Semitic thought which always
explained disaster as due to divine wrath.* From the time
of Josiah's untimely death on, the consciousness of being under
the wrath of Yahweh was a heavy burden upon Israel; cf. 2 K.
23^^ ^- 24^*^ Is. 42^* ^•. — For I have sinned against him] A par-
enthetical statement of the occasion of the divine anger. Sin
and pimishment are indissolubly united in Hebrew and Semitic
thought. There is in this ascription of the disasters of Israel
to Yahweh's anger because of her sin a direct rebuke of the foes
who have failed to realise in their unholy glee that they are but in-
struments in the hand of a just God. — Until he shall take up my
cause and execute my right] There is a limit to Yahweh's wrath;
cf. Ps. 103^. Though he is now angry at Israel, yet when his
pimitive purpose is accomplished he will take his place as Israel's
avenger over against her foes. As compared vdth them, Israel is
righteous; Yahweh therefore vrill not allow them to push her to
destruction; cf. Zc. i^^ ^•.

Str. Ill contrasts the fact of Israel's vindication with its neces-
sary corollary, the public humiHation of her foes. — 9e, f. He will
bring me forth to the light ; I shall gaze upon his righteousness] The
"righteousness" of Yahweh, as in Is. 40-55, is here identical with
the vindication of Israel. Israel being more nearly in accordance
with the divine will than the nations are who triumph over her, it
is required of the justice of Yahweh that he deliver his people and
punish their oppressors who have exceeded their commission of
chastisement upon Israel. The destruction of Israel by the heathen
nations would be wholly inconsistent with the character of the
God of justice. His righteousness demands Israel's triumph over

*C/. Mesa-Inscription, 1. s; the Stele of Nabonidus, 1. i ff.



7'-'" 147

her foes. — 10a, b. A fid mine enemy will see, and shame will cover
her] Israel's vindication would be incomplete apart from the dis-
grace of her enemies. The latter is involved in the former. But
to say with Caspar! that Israel's joy is a holy exultation over the
overthrow of the enemies of God does not tell the whole story.
Such an element is undoubtedly present, but there is coupled with
it the element of revenge for wanton and gross insults long en-
dured; cf. Na. 3 Ps. 109 and Ob..

Str. IV announces the complete and final overthrow of the ene-
mies of Israel and Yahweh. — lOc-f. Where is Yahweh, thy God?]
A proverbial expression indicative of the powerlessness of Yahweh;
cf. 2 K. 18^ Jo. 2'^ Ps. 79^° 115^. Among peoples entertaining a
limited conception of deity as the champion of a particular nation,
the continuous disaster of a nation must always be interpreted as
due to the weakness of its patron deity. — Mine eyes will gaze upon
her] She who doubted Yahweh's power, if not his very existence,
will now feel that power in her own person. The "gaze" is
one of gloating hatred; cf. Ob. "■ ^^ Ez. 28^^ Ps. 22^^ — N'ow will
she be for trampling] A final note of triumph over the prostrate
foe. — Like the mire of the streets] An editorial expansion, as is
shown by the metre;* for similar additions, cf. 1*.

8. tj-'k] Fem. as collective, Ges. 5i«s_ — 9. tip] Of anger ol'\ only
here and Is. 30"; a stronger term than the more common ^x ,cj.*? and
m3>. — '•afliTD nc'j?] i. e. do me justice, give judgment in my favour ; cf. Ps.
96. — 10. N^nV] An abnormal form and accentuation, but found also
in Zc. 9» and Gn. 41'^ (in some mss.). According to Ges. ^"p due to
desire to avoid hiatus before foil, n; but perhaps better treated as re-
flecting Aramaic usage, Ges. ^"i^. On the force of the tense, cf. Ko.
§364 f._ — pf}-] Correction to nix is unnecessary in view of 2 K. 19" Is.
19" Je. 37''; the sf. vividly anticipates the subj.; cf. Ko. 5*"''. — nj^Nin]
D. f. affectuosum, as in ^^-y>^, Ju. 5"; Ges. ^ " ^. There is no room here
for a sf..

♦ So Marti, Now.^, Siev., Hpt.. But c}. Du., who retains it and drops " mine eyes will gaze
upon her."



148 MICAH

§ 21. The Restoration of Jerusalem and the Return of
Exiles (7"-").

A single eight-line str. tells of the time when the city's walls will
be rebuilt, her borders extended and her citizens brought back from
every quarter of the earth; while the heathen world will receive
drastic punishment for the sin of its mhabitants.

A DAY will there be for rebuilding thy walls.
On that day the border will be distant.
A day will there be when unto thee will they come,
From Assyria even unto Egypt,
And from Egypt even to the river,
And from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain.
But the earth will become a desolation,
On account of its inhabitants, because of the fruit of their deeds.

Tetrameter rhythm prevails in this oracle as it is found in iH; but
the text is doubtful at several points. The connection within the str.
is very close, except between vv. ^^ and •«, where contrast must be under-
stood to make any connection possible. But since good connection may
be secured in this way, it seems unnecessary to separate v. ", either in
order to connect it with v. " (Marti) or with v. < (Siev.). There is not
the slightest link of connection between this passage and its context on
either side. The proposition of Marti (so also Now.*^) to secure connec-
tion with w. '-'I' by changing the sf. of the 2d pers. here to that of the ist
pers. does not commend itself, for such promises for the future are ordi-
narily spoken to the community or concerning it by a prophet and do not
emanate from the community itself. Van H.'s proposal to place w.
nb-13 immediately after v. », involves an impossible exegesis of v. ". The
passage is, therefore, a fragment lacking close relationship to the other
fragments of which chs. 6 and 7 are composed (so also Du.).

The time of the writing of this piece is clearly revealed as falling
within certain limits. The terminus a quo for its origin is necessarily
the fall or Jerusalem in 586 B.C., at which time the walls of the city were
razed (2 K. as") ; the terminus ad quem is evidently the year of the rebuild-
ing of the walls under Nehemiah. The prophet apparently looks for-
ward to the rebuilding as close at hand; hence we might place the proph-
ecy shortly before that task was actually begun. But it is impossible
to say how many times prophetic hopes of this character may have been
kindled only to meet with disappointment. It is unsafe, therefore,
CO specify any time within the first century and a half after the fall of
Jerusalem for the utterance of this prophecy.



7"-' U9

11. Dv] Add Nin, with Marti and Now.'^, as copula; cf. v. ». Che.c",
Ninn DV3. — rmS] (S dXoKpijs tr\lv6ov = nijj'?. Siev. nijan. — t-i-ij] (6
i^dXeixph (Tov. Marti, '''IV.; so Now.*^, Siev., Hal. t^i.^J. — xinn or]
Siev. om.. — pn pm^] ($ Kal iiroTplferai. vS/xifid aov. ^ thai thou be taken
away, omitting r»n. "B longe fiet lex. Aq. fj.aKpvv6T^(r€rai. t} dKpurla. S
fULKpav (ffrai i] iirirayfi. Gr. pirn prn\ Oort^â„¢- 'Hipn-r. Marti, 't
^•5^; so Now. '^, Siev.. Hpt. ipn a V. Du. 'n in-ji. — 12. Tl^ll Rd. :]^t;71,
in agreement with v. "; so Now., Hpt.. <S fai al irhXeuffov = inpi. (^
/Ay //me. Marti, ''-^yv, so Now.*^, Siev.. — xn^] Rd. ino;, with (S, We.,
Taylor, Gr., Now., Marti, Siev., Hpt.. — ''JcS] (§ tl% 6fia\ia-nby Kal els
Siafi€pi(rfji6v. — ^-^vi] Rd. '^JJi, with Aq. 9 Ew., Hi., Mau., Ro., Now., Elh.,
We., Gu., GASm., OortE'"-, Marti, Siev., van H., Du., Hpt.. Taylor,
•>1V\ Gr. i;:i. — iisc] (S & H 01 take as common noun. — ^1XD ^jcSi] (g
eij dutnepianbv dirb TiJ^ov =niXD ^jdS; so &. — dm] Elh. nD"i\ — nni] ^
= nni; c/. Nu. 20«. Elh. mm. — inn] Rd. nnc, with ^ B, Taylor,
Elh., We., GASm., Now., Marti, Hal., van H., Du., Hpt..

This short poem is full of movement, — the rebuilding of walls,
the exiles returning in great numbers from every quarter, and over
against this scene of joyous activity the desolation of destruction
upon the pagan world. — 11. A day will there be for rebuilding thy
walls] The city of Jerusalem is addressed. The language of the str.
as a whole shows that the literal rebuilding of the city's walls is meant,
rather than any such general idea as the restoration of the fortimes
of Israel. — On that day will the boundary he far distant] i. e. Is-
rael's territory will be very extensive. For pm as applied to the
extension of boundaries, cf. Is. 26^^. The boundary referred to
may be either that of the city or that of the land ; cf. Zc. 2*. The
text here is somewhat suspicious; pn without the article or other
token of definiteness is unusual, and the repetition of DT» and DT*
Nin in the first three lines is suggestive of dittography. Some would
drop .t!" as a dittograph from the verb; but the resulting sentence,
"that day is far distant," is wholly out of harmony with the opti-
mism of the passage. Other interpretations of this phrase are: —
"that day — distant is the date (pn)";* "the decree shall be ex-
tended," i. e. to include not only Babylon but all the countries
aroimd Judea and to provide for great numbers becoming prose-
lytes to Judaism ;t the limit separating Israel from the nations will
be set aside and all the nations will come flocking to the people of

♦ Ew., Urn.. t Hi,



150 MICAH

God;* the Mosaic law will be surperseded ;t pn = the principles of
the heathen — after the captivity idolatry will be abolished ;| pn =
law and order — in the time foretold in vv. ^"^, with which vv. "'^'^^
should be connected, all restraint will be cast off and anarchy will
prevail. § But these are all open to serious objection and are now
generally abandoned in favour of the view adopted here. — 12. A
day will there he when unto thee will they come from Assyria even
unto Egypt] Not a prediction of foreign invasion,** nor a promise
of the conversion of the nations ;ff but an assurance of the return
of the Jewish exiles. The language of the verse presupposes the
\vide extent of the diaspora; the exiles are sojourners among all
peoples. Assyria and Egypt are the extremities of the prophet's
world on the east and west. — And from Egypt even unto the river]
The river in question is the Euphrates; hence this clause is prac-
tically identical with the preceding. — And from sea to sea, and from
mountain to mountain] The order of words is unusual in M and
the text of the last word unintelligible in this context; v. s.. No
particular sea is alluded to; the expression is rather general and
indefinite, and so intended to convey the impression of vastness
of expanse. The interpretation of Hitzig and Orelli, which identi-
fies the seas as the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea, and the
mountains as a northern Hor (Nu. 34^) and a southern Hor (Nu.
20^^), makes Canaan the whole of the territory covered by the de-
scription of v. ^^'^- '^; but this is an anti-climax after v. ^^'^. For
similar descriptions of a world-wide restoration from exile, cf.
Ez. 34^3 Zc. 10* ^- Is. 27^2 pg_ jQ^2 f.._i3. But the earth will be-
come a desolation] In its present context, the land thus threatened
cannot be Canaan ; but must be the heathen world in general, the
land of Israel's foes; cf. Je. 49^^- " 50^^ Zp. 2^^- ^^ Jo. 3^^. — Because
of its inhabitants, on account of the fruit of their deeds] That the
land should suffer because of the sins of its occupants is a common
thought in the Scriptures; cf. 2 S. 21^^- Is. 24^ Lv. 18^^ Rom. 8^".
The final phrase more specifically defines the occasion of the land's
devastation; for other examples of the phrase, v. Is. 3*'' Je. 17^° 21"
32»«; cf Je. 6^^

* Ke.. t KL. t Baur, Hal..

§ Van H.. ** Van H.. tt Cal., Rosenm., Hesselberg, Mau., KI..



7"-" 151

11. r^i2'^ nv] For ^:3 = rebuild, cf. Ez. 36"'- ". The lack of cop-
ula would make it necessary to draw S'lnn cr to this clause as its
predicate (so Now.); but this violates the metrical norm; it is better to
insert xin. — Ninn ov] An ace. of time when. For lack of art. with
av, cf. Ges. ^'"''. — 12. Nin cv] Lack of art. explained by Ges. 5'2«»»
as due to corrupt text; by Ko. ^'^'P as due to prominent character
of Dv. But it is much better taken with av as subj. of sentence
and Nin as copula {contra Hpt.). — TV^] "and unto thee," i. e. "when
unto thee"; cf. H. 44, 3. — iixc] EIsw. only Is. 19* 2 K. 192'' (= Is.
37"). Perhaps intended to suggest by its pointing the common noun,
siege. Wkl.^"'-, 170, proposes to point "i"'X"'D or ii^?, which he would
connect with Mi-is-sa-ri of the Tel-el-Amama letters; v. Letter of
Ashur-uballit, 1. 2, and that of Tar-hundaras of Arsapi, I. i. — nnj] Ab-
sence of art. = poetic usage, Ko. ^ ^'^ «. For similar refs. to the Euphrates,
cf. Zc. 910 Ps. 728 I K. 4"- 24 1415 2 S. 10I6 Gn. 15I8 Dt. i^.— 13. y-\xr\]
As denoting all non-Israelitish territory, cf. the corresponding use of at.x
in contrast with V.xtj" in Je. 3220, cited by Stei. and Now..

§ 22. A Prayer for Yahwelt's Intervention (7""'").

Three strs. of four lines each, in qtna rhythm, call for Yahweh's
manifestation as the deliverer of his people and base the appeal for
deliverance upon his mercy. Str. I is a prayer to Yahweh for the
resumption of his former attitude of favour toward his people.
Str . II prays for the utter humiliation of the heathen nations and
their complete subjection to Yahweh. Str. Ill recalls the well-
known character of Yahweh and reminds him of his oath to the
patriarchs concerning the glory of Israel.

CHEPHERD thy people with thy staff, the flock of thine inheritance,

That dwells alone in a jungle, in the midst of a garden.