complete verse (Micah 7:14)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Micah 7:14:

  • Kupsabiny: “Lead your people (by the hand) oh God!
    Guard your sheep peacefully with a staff.
    They are over there in the grazing area alone
    a land with much grass.
    Let them come and graze in Bashan and Gilead
    like it was in the old days.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “O LORD, Shepherd your people with your rod,
    shepherd the flock of your inheritance.
    Though they live alone in a forest
    on the heights of mount Carmel,
    let them feed in pasturelands of Bashan and Gilad
    as in long time ago.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “The Israelinhon prayed, ‘LORD, watch-over us (excl.) your (sing.) people whom you (plur.) possess, as the shepherd watches the sheep. The land around us (excl.) are abundant pastureland, but we (excl.) live by-ourselves in the desolate-place. Widen again our (excl.) territory till Basan and Gilead like in-the-time-past.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)

Japanese benefactives (bokushite)

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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 benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017.

Here, bokushite (牧して) or “shepherd” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).” (Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Japanese benefactives (yō ni shite)

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 benefactive construction as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. Here, yō ni shite (ようにして) or “do so (so that) / make it like” is used in combination with kudasaru (くださる), a respectful form of the benefactive kureru (くれる). A benefactive reflects the good will of the giver or the gratitude of a recipient of the favor. To convey this connotation, English translation needs to employ a phrase such as “for me (my sake)” or “for you (your sake).”

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

Translation commentary on Micah 7:14

The people here address the Lord in his role as their shepherd. This is an important Old Testament picture of the Lord’s relationship to his people, best known in Psalm 23. Here the shepherd is asked to fulfill his task of taking care of the people who are called “the flock of thy inheritance” (Revised Standard Version). The means of doing this is “with thy staff,” that is, with the usual equipment of a shepherd. (Contrast the expression “shepherd Assyria with the sword” in 5.6, Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible.) Good News Translation does not mention the staff as the instrument the shepherd uses, but it conveys the idea of protection by using a noun rather than a verb and saying Be a shepherd to your people. In areas where sheep are not kept, it will probably be good for translators to follow this example. But it may be necessary to change the figure of speech from a metaphor to a simile and say “Be like a shepherd to your people” or “Look after your people as a shepherd looks after his sheep.” Another possibility is to mention the staff or crook and state its purpose, as Jerusalem Bible does: “With shepherd’s crook lead your people to pasture.” A shepherd is simply a man who takes care of a flock of sheep, or who looks after them. His “staff” is a long, straight pole, which he used mainly as a walking stick and as a support while he was standing watching the flock. This verse suggests that he may also have used it to guide the sheep or to protect them.

Revised Standard Version “flock of thy inheritance” is a literal translation that continues the metaphor. “Thy inheritance” here means “belonging to you in a special way.” Good News Translation drops the figure in this phrase and states the plain meaning with the people you have chosen. If a simile has been used in the opening clause, it can well be continued here by saying “we are like a flock that you own” or “your very own flock.” Even if a translator decides not to use the figure, it may be helpful in some languages to say “the people you have chosen to be your own.” In any case, translators should be careful not to use a word meaning “inheritance” if this will suggest that someone has to die before the heir can take possession.

The middle part of the verse is less clear in meaning. For Revised Standard Version‘s “forest” and “garden land” Good News Translation has wilderness and fertile land. The basic contrast is between cultivated and uncultivated land, and in the majority of languages there will be little difficulty in expressing this distinction. The sentence seems to describe the Lord’s people as dwelling only in the rather barren uplands of Judah. It is therefore an implied request for the extension of their territory, as mentioned in verse 11, to include the better land in surrounding areas such as the coastal plain, the plain of Jezreel, and the Jordan valley.

The word apart or “alone” (Revised Standard Version) is probably used to stress that they are not living in a good situation. Not only is their ground poor, but they are cut off from other peoples and cannot get goods or help from them. Some commentators see this as a reference to the people of Israel being set apart as a special people of God, but that is probably not the main meaning here.

The third sentence continues the metaphor of the first with its plea Let them go and feed. The reference to Bashan and Gilead supports the view that the people are asking to extend their territory. As Good News Translation makes explicit, these were areas of rich pastures. They were located on the east of the River Jordan and were among the first areas to come into the possession of the Israelites at the conquest. They had been lost to invaders in the eighth century. The prayer for their restoration in effect suggests a picture of a future that will be as glorious as the past, when the united monarchy was at the height of its power under King Solomon.

The translation of Good News Translation is rather surprising here, since it continues with the metaphor of the people as a flock of sheep who are going to feed, after having dropped this metaphor earlier and not actually having called the people a “flock.” It will probably be better for translators to be consistent. Either the picture should be kept throughout the verse, or else it should be dropped here at the end as well as in the reference to the people. If it is dropped, it is enough to say “Let them go and live in the rich land of Bashan and Gilead.” Rich in reference to pastures or fields means that the land is very fertile. Pastures are large fields with good grass for the sheep to eat.

Though the individual clauses of this verse make sense in themselves, it is not easy to see what the relationships are between them. Good News Translation tries to make these clearer by its use of Although. The sequence of thought is a follows: at this time the Lord’s people occupy only a small territory, but there is better land in neighboring areas; therefore they ask the Lord to allow them to expand and use it again, as they did long ago.

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 7:14

Section 7:14–20

A prayer to the LORD for restoration, and praise for his mercy

This section has two main parts. The first part, 7:14–17, contains prayers to the LORD for the restoration of his people and the defeat of their enemies. The second part, 18–20, is a hymn of praise to the LORD for his compassion and his faithful relationship with Israel. These Notes and the Display will assume that the main speaker is Micah, who speaks as a representative of the people. However, in 7:15 and in 18–20 there are brief changes of speaker and/or addressee. See the notes under paragraph 7:14–17 and under paragraph 7:18–20 for more detailed discussion.

Here are some other examples of section headings:

Prayer and Praise (New International Version)
-or-
The Lord ’s compassion on Israel (New Living Translation (2004))

Paragraph 7:14–17

The Notes and the Display will follow the paragraph description below:

• In 7:14 Micah prayed to the LORD on behalf of the people.

• In 7:15 the LORD told how he would answer the prayer.

• In 7:16–17 Micah prayed again based on the answer that the LORD gave in 7:15.

• Some versions place paragraph headings here. These are some examples:

A prayer for the Confusion of Zion’s Enemies (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
Micah’s Prayer and the Lord ’s Answer (Contemporary English Version)

7:14

In this verse Micah prayed to the LORD using agricultural figures of speech that the people at that time understood.

He asked the LORD to rule over his people and to restore the blessings that they enjoyed in the past.

7:14a

Shepherd with Your staff Your people: Here Micah used a metaphor to ask the LORD to rule over his people. This metaphor compares the activities of a ruler to those of a shepherd. A shepherd cared for his sheep by guiding, leading, feeding and protecting them.

Here are some ways to translate this metaphor:

• Keep the metaphor. For example:

Shepherd your people with your shepherd’s rod. (NET Bible)

• Keep part of the metaphor and make some of the meaning explicit. For example:

With your shepherd’s staff, take care of your people (God’s Word)

• Change the metaphor to a simile and make some of the meaning explicit. For example:

LORD, rule your people. Guide and protect them, like a shepherd with his staff.

• Translate the meaning directly. For example:

O Lord, come and rule your people (New Living Translation (1996)).

with Your staff: A staff was a rod that a shepherd used to guide his sheep and to protect them from wild animals. In this metaphor, the phrase with Your staff highlighted Micah’s request that the LORD would guide and protect his people.

7:14b

the flock of Your inheritance: This phrase continues the metaphor from 14a. In this part of the metaphor the LORD’s people are compared to a flock of sheep or other domesticated animal. The phrase of Your inheritance gives attention to the special relationship that the LORD has with Israel. They are the people he chose to be his own.

Here are some ways to translate this part of the metaphor:

• Keep the metaphor. For example:

Your very own flock (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)

• Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:

who are like your own flock ⌊of sheep⌋

• Translate the meaning directly. For example:

the people you have chosen (Good News Translation)

7:14c

They live alone in a woodland: This line describes the setting where the flock lives. There are two main interpretations of the phrase live alone in a woodland :

(1) The setting is undesirable. The people live in a wooded place that is not good for grazing or farming. The word alone implies that the area is isolated from other people. For example:

the one that lives alone in a thicket (NET Bible)

(2) The setting is desirable. The people live in a place with wood and pasture land. The word alone implies that the area is secure and protected from negative influences of other people. For example:

which lives by itself in a forest, in fertile pasturelands (New International Version)

Some versions are ambiguous and have not been listed above. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with more versions and commentators. It provides a reason why Micah asked the LORD to allow the people to move from their present location to fertile pasturelands in 7:14d.

woodland: In Hebrew, this word means “thicket,” “undergrowth,” “wood.” Here the reference is probably to a thicket or other kind of poor land for grazing. Some versions make this meaning explicit. For example:

they live alone in a thicket (New Living Translation (2004))

7:14d

surrounded by pastures: This line is part of the clause that starts in 7:14c. It describes the location of the forest. There are two main interpretations of the phrase surrounded by :

(1) The forest is surrounded by good pasture land. The phrase pastures indicates a contrast to forest land, which is less fertile. For example:

Grasslands surround us (Contemporary English Version)

(2) The forest is part of the good pasture land. Both places are fertile. For example:

they live alone in the woods, in fertile pasturelands (God’s Word)

Some versions are ambiguous and have not been listed above. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with more versions and commentators.

pastures: There are two main interpretations of the Hebrew word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as pastures :

(1) The word means “ garden land.” It refers to land that is very fertile and good for pasture. For example:

Grasslands surround us (Contemporary English Version)

(2) The word means “Carmel/Mount Carmel.” It is a location in the northern part of Israel. For example:

…on the heights of Mount Carmel (New Living Translation (2004))

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with the majority of versions and commentators.

Here are some other ways to translate pastures :

farmland (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)
-or-
fertile pastures (God’s Word)
-or-
meadows (Revised English Bible)

7:14e

Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old: In this line, Micah asks the LORD to restore to the people of Israel the prosperity and blessing that they enjoyed in the past. This line continues the metaphor in which the LORD’s people are compared to a flock of animals. In this part of the metaphor, the people’s experience of blessing is compared to the feeding of a flock of animals in good pasture.

Here are some ways to translate this part of the metaphor:

• Keep the metaphor. For example:

Allow them to graze in Bashan and Gilead as they did in the old days. (NET Bible)

• Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:

like a flock ⌊of sheep⌋, let them feed ⌊again⌋ in Bashan and Gilead as in the past

• Translate the meaning directly. For example:

let the people you have chosen enjoy the abundance of your blessings as they did long ago

Bashan and Gilead: These two places were occupied by the people of Israel early in their history. They were known for their excellent pastures. Here they represent abundant prosperity and blessing.

the days of old: This phrase refers to the early time period in the history of Israel when they first began to occupy the land.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

As in days long ago (New International Version)
-or-
as in days gone by (Revised English Bible)
-or-
as they did long ago (Good News Translation)

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