Section 6:9–16
The LORD will punish his people for their dishonesty
This section has three parts. In 6:9–12, the LORD charged the people of Jerusalem and the tribe of Judah with theft, dishonesty, deception, and violence. In 6:13–15, he stated how he will punish them. In 6:16, the LORD restated in a short summary the people’s sin and their punishment. In this section, the LORD was the speaker except for 6:9, in which Micah told the people of the city to listen.
Here are some other examples of section headings:
Cheating and Violence to Be Punished (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
Israel’s Guilt and Punishment (New International Version)
-or-
Accusations and Covenant Curses
Paragraph 6:9–16
In this paragraph, the LORD accused the people of committing several kinds of sin. Most were sins committed by wealthy people. Some were sins by the general population.
6:9
In the first and third clauses of verse 6:9, Micah told the people to pay attention. He told them that the LORD was calling out to the city and the tribe of Judah to listen. This function of calling attention is similar to the first clause of 6:1, in which Micah told the people to listen to the LORD’s case against them. The second clause of verse 6:9 has a style of writing that resembles a wisdom saying.
6:9a
The voice of the LORD calls out to the city: This clause is a statement. However, it functions as a call by Micah to the residents of the city. He urged them to give attention to what the LORD was about to say to them. Some versions supply a word such as “hear” or “listen” to make this function clear. For example:
Listen! The Lord is calling to the city! (NET Bible)
calls out: In Hebrew, this word means “call” or “summon” someone.
Here are some other ways to translate this word:
The Lord calls to the city (Revised English Bible)
-or-
Hark! The Lord summons the city (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)
the city: This phrase refers to Jerusalem. Some versions make this identification explicit. For example:
So listen to my message for the city of Jerusalem. (Contemporary English Version)
6:9b
(and it is sound wisdom to fear Your name): There are three main interpretations of the meaning of this clause:
(1) It is a definition or description of wisdom. For example:
and to fear your name is wisdom (New International Version)
(Berean Standard Bible, English Standard Version, God’s Word, New American Bible, New American Standard Bible, New International Version, New Revised Standard Version)
(2) It is a statement about wise behavior. For example:
It is wise to fear the Lord. (Good News Translation)
(King James Version, NET Bible, Good News Translation)
(3) It is an exhortation to wise people to fear the LORD. For example:
Fear the Lord if you are wise! (New Living Translation (2004))
(New Living Translation (2004))
You may follow any of these interpretations. Interpretation (1) is followed by more versions. However, the difference in meaning between the interpretations is very slight. All of them indicate a connection between wisdom and fear of the LORD. All of them also imply an exhortation to fear the LORD, even though only interpretation (3) makes it explicit.
This clause is similar to a proverb or wisdom saying. The words in 6:9b are not the words that the LORD cries to the city. Rather, this clause briefly interrupts the message here and is probably parenthetical.
Here are some ways to indicate that these are not the words that the LORD cries to the city:
• Mark this clause as parenthetical. The Berean Standard Bible above is an example.
• Move this clause to another part of the verse that does not interrupt the flow of logic. For example:
9b It is wise to fear the Lord. He calls to the city, 9a,c “Listen, you people who assemble in the city!” (Good News Translation)
This clause addresses the LORD directly using the second-person phrase “your name.” In some languages it may be more natural to express this saying with third-person forms such as “the LORD” or “his name.” For example:
It is wise to fear the Lord (Good News Translation)
-or-
the fear of his name brings success (Revised English Bible)
Use a natural way in your language to translate this saying.
sound wisdom: In Hebrew, the word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as sound wisdom refers to the wisdom or practical good sense that leads to a successful result. The word includes two ideas:
(a) competence, good sense, ability to plan what to do
(b) the success that results from this ability.
The word focuses more on making an effective plan than on understanding a complicated situation.
Here are some other ways to translate this word:
prudence
-or-
discernment
fear Your name: There is a textual issue with the word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as fear :
(1) The LXX has “fear.” For example:
and it is sound wisdom to fear your name (English Standard Version)
(2) The Masoretic Text has “see.” For example:
and the man of wisdom shall see thy name (King James Version)
(King James Version)
It is recommended that you follow option (1) along with most versions.
fear: The LXX word translated as fear indicates both real fear and reverential awe. It also involves submitting to the LORD and obeying him.
Here are some other ways to translate this word:
respect (NET Bible)
-or-
revere
Your name: This phrase may be a title for Yahweh. It is another way to refer to him. The phrase Your name implies his character and his attributes, such as his power and authority.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
the Lord (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
O Lord (NET Bible)
6:9c
The New Revised Standard Version has been used as the source line for 6:9c, because it follows the recommended interpretation.
(New Revised Standard Version) Hear, O tribe and assembly of the city!: There is a textual issue with this clause:
(1) Some scholars think that the original text was “Hear, O tribe, and the assembly of the city.” For example:
Listen, you tribe assembled in the city. (God’s Word)
(2) The Masoretic Text has “Hear rod and who appointed it/her.” For example:
Heed the rod and the One who appointed it. (New International Version)
(Berean Standard Bible, English Standard Version, King James Version, New Century Version, New International Version, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures, New Living Translation (2004))
It is recommended that you follow option (1). Both options have support from commentaries and versions. However, elsewhere in the Old Testament, the command “hear” calls attention to what a person says, as in option (1). It does not call attention to an inanimate object or to what the object represents, as in option (2).
In this command, Micah summons the people of the tribe and the city to hear. The implicit object of the verb Hear is the voice of the LORD from the first clause of 6:9.
(New Revised Standard Version) O tribe and assembly of the city: There are two main interpretations of the referent(s) of this phrase:
(1) The tribe and the assembly of the city are two distinct groups of people. For example:
Listen, O nation, and those assembled in the city! (NET Bible)
(2) The tribe and the assembly of the city are one group of people. For example:
Listen, tribe of assembled citizens (New Jerusalem Bible)
(God’s Word, New Jerusalem Bible)
Either interpretation is acceptable. It is possible that the assembly refers to people from throughout Judah who were gathered in Jerusalem for a feast or other celebration. It is also possible that Micah expected people from the city to spread his words to others throughout the nation.
(New Revised Standard Version) O tribe: Here Micah addressed the people directly. Some versions have added the word O to make it clear that tribe is a term of address (vocative). Use a vocative that is natural in your language when a person speaks to a group of people.
Here the word tribe probably refers to the tribe of Judah.
(New Revised Standard Version) the city: This phrase refers to Jerusalem as in 6:9a.
General Comment on 6:9a–c
In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder these lines. See the example under the second bullet in the Note for 6:9b (“it is sound wisdom to fear Your name”).
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