complete verse (Micah 1:11)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Micah 1:11:

  • Kupsabiny: “You people of Shaphir, you shall be taken to another country.
    You shall go naked in shame.
    And you people of Zaanan,
    you shall not live/stay in your city.
    The people of Beth-ezel are mourning
    without anything to hope for.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Oh, habitants of Saphir
    come outside with nakedness and shame.
    The inhabitants of Zaanan won’t come out.
    Bethezel is weeping, your place of refuge has been taken away from you.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “‘Residents of Shafir, you (plur.) will-be-taken-captive and will-be-brought naked, so you (plur.) will-be-shamed. The residents of Zaanan will-be-afraid to come-out from their place to help you (plur.). The ones (who) come-from-Bet Ezel who will-cry/weep over their destruction will- also not -be-able-to-defend/support you (plur.).” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)

formal 2nd person plural pronoun (Japanese)

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.

Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the choice of a formal plural suffix to the second person pronoun (“you” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, anata-gata (あなたがた) is used, combining the second person pronoun anata and the plural suffix -gata to create a formal plural pronoun (“you” [plural] in English).

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Micah 1:11

The location of Shaphir is not known, and the play on this name has also been lost. Some scholars want to restore the pun by emending the text to include the Hebrew word shophar, “ram’s horn trumpet.” Thus the beginning of the verse is translated “Sound the horn, you who live in Shaphir” in Jerusalem Bible. Since the pun cannot be translated, it is safer to follow the Hebrew text as it stands, as Good News Translation and Revised Standard Version do. The command to “Pass on your way” (Revised Standard Version) is to be understood as a reference to going into exile, as Good News Translation makes clear.

The prophet here once again names the people he is talking to: You people of Shaphir. Go into exile means to be taken away by their enemies to live in a foreign land. It may be translated as “You will go away with our enemies, as their prisoners” or as “Our enemies will force you to leave your homes.” This is actually a command in Hebrew, but what the prophet means is that these people will be forced to go into exile. He is not telling them that they should do this. The use of the command here suggests that it is something that is already happening, and in this way it makes the picture more vivid.

The people are going into exile naked and ashamed. Nakedness was commonly associated with shame in Hebrew culture (see Gen 2.25; 3.7-11; 1 Chr 19.4-5; Isa 20.4; Nahum 3.5). Naked here means completely naked, with no clothes on at all. They are ashamed because everyone can see them naked, as well as for the more basic reason that they have been defeated by their enemies. These two words describe the way they look and feel as they go into exile. In some languages it may be necessary to describe this before the idea of going to exile: “Our enemies will strip you naked (or, force you to strip naked), and you will be ashamed, and they will force you to go away into exile like this.” It is possible that the words “naked and ashamed” go with the next line, Those who live in Zaanan. New English Bible takes them this way, but the sense of the verse has a better balance if the punctuation of the Masoretic text is followed, as in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation.

Zaanan is perhaps the same place as the Zenan mentioned in Josh 15.37. Two of the Hebrew consonants in this name also occur in the word for come out and thus form the pun in this sentence. In saying that the inhabitants do not dare to come out of their city, Micah probably means that the city is under siege by the enemy.

Here Micah does not actually speak directly to Those who live in Zaanan but simply describes them. If they cannot come out, this may be the reason he does not actually address them. The Hebrew simply says that they do not come out. Good News Translation has added do not dare, suggesting that they are afraid of what the enemies will do to them if they come out. It is also possible to understand this as meaning that they cannot escape from the enemies. Both of these meanings suggest that this town must have had walls around it, so that they had some protection from the enemies.

In the third section of the verse, Bethezel is unknown and no pun can be noticed. In fact it is difficult to make any sense at all of this sentence, as the literal translation of Revised Standard Version shows. Jerusalem Bible assumes that “standing place” is to be taken in its plain meaning, and translates accordingly: “Bethezel is torn from its foundations, from its strong supports.” New English Bible and Good News Translation both take “standing place” figuratively but in different ways. New English Bible “she can lend you support no longer” seems to refer to military strength (compare New International Version). Good News Translation, on the other hand, takes “standing place” as a place where one can stand or stop fleeing, that is, a place of refuge.

The wide differences between the modern versions indicate the difficulties. Almost certainly the text we have today is not what was originally written, but no suggestions for restoring the original have gained general agreement among scholars.

Whatever the prophet is saying about Bethezel, he is saying it to some group of people whom he calls you. It is probably addressed to the people of Judah in general, the same group we assumed he was speaking to at the beginning of verse 10. It is also possible that it is addressed to the people of Shaphir (and perhaps the people of Zaanan), since they were mentioned most recently.

The people of Bethezel are mourning or wailing, making a loud noise to show their sorrow, presumably because of what the enemies have done to them. Because of what has happened to Bethezel there is no refuge there, if we take the understanding of Good News Translation. This means that the people that Micah is speaking to cannot go to Bethezel to be safe from the enemies. Good News Translation connects the two parts of the sentence by saying When you hear them wailing, you will know that Bethezel is not a place to hide. There could be other ways of connecting these two ideas, such as “the wailing of the people shows you that there is no refuge there.”

If the translator prefers to follow the New English Bible interpretation, “she can lend you support no longer,” this means “you cannot expect the people of Bethezel to come and help you when you are fighting the enemy.”

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Micah 1:11

1:11a

Depart in shameful nakedness, O dwellers of Shaphir: Grammatically, Micah’s words Depart in shameful nakedness… are a command. However, his intention is not to command them to do something, but to predict what will happen to them. The people of Shaphir will be forced to leave their city in shame. In some languages, it may be clearer to express this as a future event. For example:

You inhabitants of Shaphir! You will depart naked and ashamed.

There is implied information in this verse. An enemy army will capture the people in Shaphir and take them away as slaves or as prisoners of war.

Here are some ways to make this implied information explicit:

You people of Shaphir, go into exile, naked and ashamed. (Good News Translation)
-or-
You people of Shaphir, go as captives into exile —naked and ashamed. (New Living Translation (2004))

Depart:
In Hebrew, the verb phrase used here means that the people in Shaphir will leave their city. Here are some other ways to translate it:

Pass on your way (English Standard Version)
-or-
Take to the road (Revised English Bible)

in shameful nakedness: In Hebrew, both these words are nouns (“nakedness and shame” (New Revised Standard Version)). In many languages, it may be clearer to translate these nouns as adjectives or verbs. The Berean Standard Bible took a mixed approach. For example:

naked and ashamed (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Your captors will strip off your clothes and humiliate you.

When the enemy army captures the people in Shaphir, they will strip off the people’s clothes and lead the people away as captives. That is why the people will be naked and ashamed.

Shaphir: This name means “beautiful” or “pleasant” in Hebrew. But what will happen there will not be pleasant. It will be horrible. You may want to use a footnote to explain the implied information in 1:11a. For example:

1:11a Shaphir means “pleasant.” (New Living Translation (2004) footnote)
-or-
The place name Shaphir means “pleasant” in Hebrew. (NET Bible footnote)

See the third meaning line in the Display for a way to explain the meaning of the pun in the translation itself.

1:11b

The dwellers of Zaanan will not come out: In 1:11a, Micah talked to the people in Shaphir. But here in 1:11b, he talked about the people in Zaanan.

Zaanan: The name Zaanan sounds like the Hebrew word that means “come out” or “come forth.” But even though the name of their town sounds like “come out,” the people there will not come out. They will remain inside their town.

You may want to use a footnote to make explicit the pun in 1:11b. For example:

[Zanaan] This name sounds like the Hebrew word for “come out.” (New Century Version footnote)

In some languages, it may be better to make this meaning explicit in the translation itself. For example:

As for the people in Zaanan, ⌊the name of their town sounds like “come out,” but⌋ they will not go out of their town.

will not come out: Zaanan probably had a wall around the town. The phrase will not come out means that the people will not go outside the wall. Hebrew and most English versions do not supply a reason for their staying inside. The implied reason is that an enemy army will be outside, so the people will be unable or unwilling to face them. In some languages, it may be helpful to make a reason explicit. For example:

Those who live in Zaanan do not dare to come out of their city. (Good News Translation)
-or-
The residents of Zaanan can’t leave their city. (NET Bible)

1:11c

Beth-ezel is in mourning; its support is taken from you: There are at least three ways to interpret this sentence:

(1) Beth-ezel will no longer help protect the people of Judah. It will withdraw its support, because it is in mourning. For example:

Beth Ezel is in mourning; it no longer protects you. (New International Version (2011))
-or-
When you hear the people of Bethezel mourn, you will know that there is no refuge there. (Good News Translation)

(2) Beth-ezel’s foundations will be destroyed. For example:

Beth-Ezel is torn from its foundations, from its strong supports. (New Jerusalem Bible)

(New Jerusalem Bible, New Living Translation (2004))

(3) Verse 1:11c is a direct quote. It is what the people in Beth-ezel will say :

The lamentation of Beth-ezel: “He will take from you its support.” (New American Standard Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with most versions and commentaries.

Beth-ezel: The name of this town is spelled in several ways in different versions. For example:

Beth-ezel (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)

Beth Ezel (New International Version)

Beth-Ezel (New Jerusalem Bible)

Bethezel (Good News Translation)

You may want to use a spelling that fits the phonetic rules of your language or a spelling that is used in a language of wider communication in your country.

The literal meaning of Beth-ezel in Hebrew is probably “house of nearness,” meaning “nearby house” or “house next door.” We do not know for sure whether Micah used a pun here. If he did, the probable meaning is that people in nearby towns hoped that the inhabitants of Beth-ezel would help them if an enemy attacked.

It may be helpful to use a footnote to help your readers understand the meaning of the possible pun. For example:

[Beth Ezel] This name means “house by the side of another,” suggesting help or support. (New Century Version footnote)
-or-
The place name Beth Ezel means “house of nearness” or “house of proximity” in Hebrew. (NET Bible footnote)

If you do not use footnotes, you may decide to include the meaning of the place and possible pun in your translation. For example:

The people in Beth-ezel will wail. ⌊The name of their city means “nearby house,” but⌋ they will no longer be nearby to protect/help you.

its support is taken from you:
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

its protection is taken from you (New International Version)
-or-
they will not give you any support (New Century Version)
-or-
you will know that there is no refuge there (Good News Translation)

Notice that the Berean Standard Bible and the New International Version use a present tense verb. Remember that Micah spoke about a disaster that would happen to these cities in the future. When Micah spoke these words, this disaster had not yet happened. You should translate all the verses in 1:10–16 in a way that makes this meaning clear.

from you: The pronoun you is plural in Hebrew. It probably refers to the people of Judah in general.

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