1:7
Here is some background information that may be useful in translating this verse. The Jews were the LORD’s special people. In many Old Testament passages, when the Jews worshiped idols or other gods, the LORD compared them to prostitutes. A prostitute sleeps with other men, so she is unfaithful to her husband. In the same way, if the LORD’s people worshiped other gods, they were unfaithful to God.
During the time of Micah, the people who lived in some of the nations near Israel worshiped idols. In some of these nations, there were prostitutes who worked at the idol temples. People who came to worship the idols had sex with the prostitutes as part of their worship. The worshipers gave money and gifts to these prostitutes.
In the city of Samaria, the Jews also had built temples to worship idols. Temple prostitutes were probably part of their idol worship.
1:7a–c
7a All her carved images will be smashed to pieces;
7b all her wages will be burned in the fire,
7c and I will destroy all her idols.
The three parallel lines in 1:7a–c have similar meanings. Each statement begins with the word “all” to give extra emphasis. The LORD would destroy all the idols that the people in Samaria worshiped.
All her carved images…all her wages…all her idols: The pronoun her used in these three phrases refers to the city of Samaria. Actually, these idols and images belonged to the people who lived in Samaria, not to the city itself. Refer to the city here in a natural way in your language. For example:
all its idols,
-or-
all the idols in the city
-or-
all of the idols that the people in Samaria worship
carved images…idols: In Hebrew, the words carved images in 1:7a and idols 1:7c both refer to objects that people made to worship. These idols could be carved out of rock or wood, or they could be made of metal. Some of them were overlaid with gold or silver. English versions translate these two words in various ways. For example:
idols…images (New International Version)
-or-
precious idols…images (Good News Translation)
-or-
carved figures…idols (Revised English Bible)
-or-
idols…statues (God’s Word)
In some languages, it may be more natural to reorder and/or combine the sentences about carved images (1:7a) and idols (1:7c) into one or two sentences. See the General Comment on 1:7a–c at the end of 1:7c.
will be smashed to pieces…will be burned…I will destroy: In Hebrew, the passive verbs in the first two lines do not specify the one who beats and burns. Historically, it was the invading Assyrian army that did this. The third line specifies I as the one who lays waste. The LORD is the one who causes all three things to be done. In some languages, it may be more natural to translate all three verbs with the LORD (I) as the subject. For example:
I will smash into pieces…I will burn…I will destroy…
-or-
I will ⌊cause⌋ to be smashed into pieces…I will ⌊cause⌋ to be burned…I will ⌊cause⌋ to be destroyed…
1:7a
smashed to pieces: The Hebrew word for smashed to pieces means “to smash something,” “to hit it so that it breaks into pieces.” This word probably implies using a tool like a club.
1:7b
wages: In this context, the word wages may have both literal and figurative meanings. It may refer literally to the wages and expensive gifts that were paid to prostitutes. These earnings enriched the city of Samaria and its inhabitants. At the same time, it may refer figuratively to the city’s idols and the wealth that came from idolatry.
If possible, translate 1:7b, d, and e in a way that allows the word wages to be understood either literally or figuratively.
Here are some other ways to translate this word:
Samaria earned her money by being unfaithful to me
-or-
all the gifts to her idols (New Century Version)
burned in the fire: In Hebrew, this phrase means “completely burned up.” In some languages, it may be redundant to specify in the fire. In other languages, it may not be necessary to specify “completely.” Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
will be burned (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
destroyed by fire (NET Bible)
-or-
burned until it is gone
Use an expression that is natural in your language.
1:7c
I will destroy all her idols: In Hebrew, the phrase I will destroy means that the LORD will totally destroy all the idols in Samaria. Here are some other ways to translate this line:
I will destroy all her images. (New International Version)
-or-
All its statues will be turned into a pile of rubble. (God’s Word)
General Comment on 1:7a–c
In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder these three poetic lines. For example, in the Contemporary English Version, lines a and c have been combined, and line b is given last:
Samaria’s idols will be smashed, and the wages of temple prostitutes will be destroyed by fire. (Contemporary English Version)
1:7d–e
The two parallel lines in 1:7d–e have similar meanings:
7d Since she collected the wages of a prostitute,
7e they will be used again on a prostitute.
The first line refers to the source of Samaria’s earnings. These earnings may be compared to the literal wages paid to prostitutes who worked in idol temples. At the same time, these earnings were figuratively gained by unfaithfulness to the LORD.
The second line refers to the future use of these earnings in idol worship elsewhere. The invading army will take the loot to their own country and use it for the similar purpose of idol worship involving prostitutes.
1:7d
Verse 1:7d begins with a Hebrew conjunction that is often translated as “for.” It indicates that 1:7d–e gives the reason for 1:7a–c. The Lord will destroy the idols and valuable things in Samaria because the people had gathered them as a result of their worship of idols involving temple prostitutes. Some versions make a conjunction such as “for” explicit. For example:
for she collected them from a harlot’s earnings… (New American Standard Bible)
Other versions, such as the Berean Standard Bible, do not translate the conjunction. They leave the connection implicit. For example:
They were amassed out of prostitutes’ earnings (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
Samaria acquired these things for its fertility rites (Good News Translation)
Translate this in a natural way in your language to make the connection clear.
Since: In the Hebrew, the conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Since is at the beginning of 7e. This conjunction gives the result of 1:7d. The people gathered valuable things in their worship of idols, and so the LORD will cause those things to be taken away. Other people will use them to worship idols.
The Berean Standard Bible and some other English versions show the relationship between 1:7d and 1:7e by using a conjunction at the beginning of 1:7d. For example:
7d
Since she gathered her gifts from the wages of prostitutes, 7e as the wages of prostitutes they will again be used. (New International Version)
The emphasized word in the above translation is the conjunction that makes 1:7d the reason and 1:7e the result.
In some languages, it may be better to use a conjunction at the beginning of 1:7e. For example:
7d Samaria acquired these things for its fertility rites, 7e and now her enemies will carry them off for temple prostitutes elsewhere. (Good News Translation)
she collected: The pronoun she refers to the city of Samaria. And Samaria represents the people who live in it. People brought money and other gifts to the idol temples in Samaria. The people in Samaria collected all these valuable things.
the wages of a prostitute: See the earlier note on 1:7d–e (first line) regarding the literal and figurative meanings of wages.
1:7e
they will be used again on a prostitute: By these words, Micah implied that an enemy army would carry away the expensive things in the city that were used for idol worship and use them again for the same purpose.
Verses 1:7a–c have just described the smashing and burning of all idols and other expensive things, so it may be hard to understand how these things can be used again. One explanation is that the enemy soldiers stripped off the gold and silver coating before they smashed or burned the stone or wooden items. In some languages, it may be helpful to supply a footnote that gives this explanation.
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