Verse 4 describes the happy results of worldwide peace in terms of an agricultural society such as that in which Micah lived. The description is given in traditional language (see also 1 Kgs 4.25; Zech 3.10). For everyone to “sit … under his vine and under his fig tree” (Revised Standard Version) means that they will be able to live in peace and enjoy the results of their own labors. For people who know fig trees, it is not hard to imagine sitting under one, but it may seem more difficult to sit under a grapevine. What is probably meant here is a vine that has been allowed to grow up onto a trellis, that is, a structure of raised poles that the vines can grow on. Even though in Hebrew only one vine and one fig tree are mentioned, Good News Translation gives the correct meaning when it speaks of vineyards and fig trees. In areas where these plants are unknown, it would be better to translate by a generic expression such as “among his own fields and gardens” rather than substituting local produce such as coconuts or mangoes, which were not known in Israel.
The peace each man enjoys will be so secure that no one will make him afraid. The fulfillment of the prophet’s vision was distant in time from his own day, but his confidence that it would eventually come about was based on the fact that The LORD Almighty has promised this. The literal form of this is found in Revised Standard Version, “the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken.” The mouth stands here for the whole being, and in English it sounds very unnatural when translated literally. However, in many languages this figure of speech would be perfectly normal, and in such cases it should be retained.
The expression “the LORD of hosts” (Revised Standard Version) is a traditional and literal rendering of the Hebrew. The “hosts” in this setting refers to armies of angelic beings who obey the Lord’s commands and thus demonstrate his supreme power. A literal translation is quite obscure in meaning to the average English reader, and Good News Translation has therefore abandoned it and attempted to make the sense clear with The LORD Almighty.
Translators will need to find a suitable expression in their own language to convey clearly the meaning of this phrase that occurs frequently in the Old Testament. In situations where there is already a traditional translation of the Bible, there will probably be a need to change a familiar but obscure expression into something more easily understood. One possibility would be “The Lord of the whole earth.”
Quoted with permission from Clark, David J. et al. A Handbook on Micah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1978, 1982, 1993. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .