Micah 7:14
Context7:14 Shepherd your people with your shepherd’s rod, 1
the flock that belongs to you, 2
the one that lives alone in a thicket,
in the midst of a pastureland. 3
Allow them to graze in Bashan and Gilead, 4
as they did in the old days. 5
Micah 7:18
Context7:18 There is no other God like you! 6
You 7 forgive sin
and pardon 8 the rebellion
of those who remain among your people. 9
You do not remain angry forever, 10
but delight in showing loyal love.
1 tn Or “with your scepter” (the Hebrew term can mean either “rod” or “scepter”).
2 tn Heb “the flock of your inheritance.”
3 tn Or “in the midst of Carmel.” The Hebrew term translated “pastureland” may be a place name.
sn The point seems to be that Israel is in a vulnerable position, like sheep in a thicket populated by predators, while rich pastureland (their homeland and God’s blessings) is in view.
4 sn The regions of Bashan and Gilead, located in Transjordan, were noted for their rich grazing lands.
5 tn Heb “as in the days of antiquity.”
6 tn Heb “Who is a God like you?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “No one!”
7 tn Heb “one who.” The prayer moves from direct address (second person) in v. 18a to a descriptive (third person) style in vv. 18b-19a and then back to direct address (second person) in vv. 19b-20. Due to considerations of English style and the unfamiliarity of the modern reader with alternation of persons in Hebrew poetry, the entire section has been rendered as direct address (second person) in the translation.
8 tn Heb “pass over.”
9 tn Heb “of the remnant of his inheritance.”
10 tn Heb “he does not keep hold of his anger forever.”