complete verse (Micah 7:12)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Micah 7:12:

  • Kupsabiny: “People will be drawn to you there/then
    coming from Assyria and Egypt,
    returning from Egypt to Euphrates
    and even countries far away.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “In that day people will come
    to you from the country of Assyria and the cities of Egypt.
    People from countries between Egypt up to the Euphrates River,
    and from the great ocean
    to the mountains will come to you.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “At that time also the people will-come to you (plur.) from Asiria and the cities/towns of Egipto, and the places from Egipto going to the River Eufrates, and from the far places.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)

sea / lake

The various Greek, Aramaic, Ge’ez, and Latin and Hebrew terms that are translated as “sea,” “ocean,” or “lake” in English are all translated in Chichewa with one term: nyanja. Malawi, where Chichewa is spoken, has a lot of lakes but does not share a border with the ocean. (Source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation)

In Malagasy culture, the sea is perceived as sacred because it was a path taken by the ancestors. That is why the Malagasy word for the “sea” is ranomasina, which literally means “the sacred water.” The word masina actually has two different meanings: “salted” and “sacred/holy.” Salt is used for the conservation of some foods, such as meat or fish, that are to be set aside for later use. In this sense, the Malagasy phrase for “Holy Spirit” has the literal meaning of “Salted Spirit.” (Source: Brigitte Rabarijaona in The Bible Translator 2022, p. 103ff.)

Translation commentary on Micah 7:12

The prophet here goes on to speak of the return of the people of Israel from exile. There is some textual difficulty with the list of places mentioned, but the general effect of the list is well expressed by Good News Translation, which begins Your people will return to you from everywhere. Of the places listed, Assyria and Egypt were the opposite ends of the familiar world. The original readers knew in which directions they were, but Good News Translation makes this explicit by saying Assyria in the east and Egypt in the south.

The Hebrew actually contains two reference to Egypt, as shown in Revised Standard Version. Some translators here prefer to follow the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament, and read “Tyre” instead of the second reference to Egypt. (The names for these two places were more similar in Hebrew than they appear in English.) Jerusalem Bible is one translation that does this, and the effect is to give two pairs of names (Assyria and Egypt, Tyre and the River [Euphrates]), which form a better balanced list than the three names of Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. However, the Hebrew makes good sense as it stands, and it should be followed. Translators should note that the Euphrates River is in the same direction as Assyria, so that the two lines seem to describe the same set of directions, first moving from northeast (Assyria) to southwest (Egypt), then from southwest (Egypt) back to northeast (the Euphrates). If this is the intention, it may be clearer just to say it once (“from Assyria and the Euphrates River in the east and from Egypt in the south”), rather than to suggest that three separate places are in mind, as Good News Translation does. Note than in Hebrew the Euphrates in simply referred to as “the River” (Revised Standard Version).

The literal “from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain” (Revised Standard Version) refers to all seas and mountains in general. This idea is well expressed in English by Good News Translation‘s from distant seas and far-off mountains, but many languages may prefer a form closer to the Hebrew, as long as it has the correct meaning.

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 7:12

7:12a

On that day: This phrase refers to the same day, or time period, as in 7:11a and 7:11b. See the note on the same phrase under 7:11b for other translation examples.

they will come to you: In Hebrew, the word come means either come or “return.” In Hebrew, the word they is literally indefinite “someone/he.” In this verse the word refers collectively to people from various locations. There are three main interpretations of who the people are:

(1) The reference is to Gentiles and/or to Jewish exiles. For example:

In that day people will come to you. (NET Bible)

(2) The reference is to Jewish exiles. For example:

At that time your people will come back to you (New Century Version)

(3) The reference is to Gentiles. For example:

The day when others come to you. (New Jerusalem Bible)

(New Jerusalem Bible, Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). All the versions listed under interpretation (1) leave the identity of the people implied. These versions translate the word they either as they or as “people.” The implied reference could be either “Gentiles,” “Jewish exiles,” or both groups.

to you: The referent of you in this phrase is probably the city of Jerusalem as in the phrase “your walls” in 7:11a. See the note there for more details.

7:12b–e

Notice the similarity between these parallel lines:

12b
from Assyria and the cities of Egypt,

12c even from Egypt to the Euphrates,

12d
from sea to sea

12e and mountain to mountain.

Each of these four lines describes a separate large region. Travelers from each of these regions will journey to Jerusalem. If readers are unfamiliar with these places, it may be helpful to include a map.

from…to: In Hebrew, these words, used together, are an expression that indicates the boundaries of an area. In Hebrew, the word from means “from/from out of” a place. In Hebrew, the word to means “to/as far as” a place. The place names of each boundary are also part of the expression, as shown in each of the examples above.

7:12b

from Assyria and the cities of Egypt:
There is a textual issue regarding this phrase:

(1) Some scholars think that the original text was “from Assyria to Egypt.” For example:

from Assyria to Egypt (Revised English Bible)

(2) Some scholars think that the original text was “from Assyria and [from] Egypt.” For example:

all the way from Assyria, from Egypt (New Jerusalem Bible)

(3) The Masoretic Text has “from Assyria and the cities of Egypt.” For example:

From Assyria and the towns of Egypt (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)

It is recommended that you follow option (1). It is the best match to the parallel line 12c.

The nation of Assyria was northeast of Jerusalem. The nation of Egypt was southwest of Jerusalem. In some languages it may be helpful to include these directions. For example:

from Assyria in the east, from Egypt in the south (Good News Translation)

7:12c

even from Egypt to the Euphrates: There is a textual issue regarding this phrase:

(1) The Masoretic Text has “and from Egypt and to [the] River.” For example:

and from Egypt to the River (English Standard Version)

(2) The LXX and the Peshitta have “from Tyre as far as the river.” For example:

from Tyre even to the River (New American Bible)

It is recommended that you follow option (1) along with the majority of versions. This line refers to the entire region from Egypt to the Euphrates river.

Here is another way to translate this referent:

From [every land from] Egypt to the Euphrates (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)

the Euphrates: This phrase is literally “the river.” It may be helpful to make this referent explicit in your translation as in the Berean Standard Bible. Here is another example:

the Euphrates River (NET Bible)

7:12d

from sea to sea and mountain to mountain: These phrases are more literally “and sea from sea and mountain the mountain.” These phrases probably do not refer to specific seas or mountains. Rather they refer to any seas and any mountains. Most versions supply extra words to make these phrases sound more natural. For example:

from sea to sea and from mountain to mountain (English Standard Version)
-or-
from the seacoasts and the mountains (NET Bible)
-or-
from distant seas and far-off mountains (Good News Translation)

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