In verse 7 the offerings suggested gradually increase in size and value until they reach a climax that is both horrifying and self-defeating. It was quite beyond the ability of the ordinary Israelite to offer thousands of sheep, though on rare state occasions such huge offerings were made (1 Kgs 8.63; 2 Chr 30.24; 35.7). Some translators may need to express the sex of the sheep. As Revised Standard Version “rams” indicates, they were males. Be pleased here means that the Lord will consider that the offering is a good one and will accept it, and therefore he will accept and be happy with the one who brings it.
The next suggestion the worshiper makes is literally “ten thousands of rivers of oil” (Revised Standard Version). The numeral is not meant literally and simply stands for a very large number. Good News Translation expresses this well with its endless streams. Good News Translation also makes it explicit that the kind of oil was the olive oil that was required to accompany grain offerings (compare 6.15; see, for example, Lev 2). Endless streams of olive oil would therefore imply grain offerings vast beyond imagination. Translators should find a good expression in their own language to suggest a huge amount of liquid. It is not likely that endless streams will be the right solution in many languages. In languages where the olive or olive oil is not known, the word chosen for oil should suggest cooking oil. Olives are a kind of fruit that grows on a tree. Another possibility is to say “enough oil to go with huge grain offerings.”
In the last part of verse 7 the speaker seems to realize that all his suggestions are futile. At the climax of the list he suggests something that was forbidden in Israel, namely, child sacrifice. Although this practice was forbidden, it was nevertheless sometimes carried out, as for instance by King Ahaz in 2 Kgs 16.3. Perhaps some reference to this event is intended here.
In the Hebrew this suggestion is made in two parallel clauses (see Revised Standard Version), with synonyms for child (“my first-born” and “the fruit of my body”) and for sin (“transgression” and “sin”). In Good News Translation Shall I offer him my first-born child to pay for my sins? this parallelism is combined into a single clause, and there is no repetition of synonyms. Many translators will find this shorter form of expression more natural in their own languages. First-born means oldest. The Revised Standard Version phrase “the sin of my soul” probably means “my own personal sin” and is adequately conveyed by my sins of Good News Translation. The intended purpose of the child sacrifice was to remove sin, and this is made explicit in to pay for of Good News Translation. Of course, the killing of one’s child counted as murder, and if carried out it would in fact increase the sin of the speaker, not remove it. The sacrifice of the highest possible value is thus shown to be useless in pleasing God. In this way the speaker is partially prepared for the answer that comes from the prophet in the next verse, which ignores the sacrificial system entirely (compare Heb 10.4).
Because human sacrifice is so opposed to the teaching of the Bible, many readers may not realize that this is the meaning here unless it is made very clear. It may be expressed as “Shall I kill my first-born child as an offering?” To pay for may cause problems for some translators. If there is a word to express the payment or other action that is required by the law in order to put right the bad effects of a crime, this can perhaps be used here. In some languages it may be necessary to mention these events in the order in which they occurred and say something like “I have sinned, so should I sacrifice my child to God to pay for my sins?”
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 .