For the inhabitant of Maroth waits anxiously for good, because evil has come down from Yahweh to the gate of Jerusalem.
Parallel translations
- KJV For the inhabitant of Maroth waited carefully for good: but evil came down from the LORD unto the gate of Jerusalem.
- BSB For the dwellers of Maroth pined for good, but calamity came down from the LORD, even to the gate of Jerusalem.
- ESV For the inhabitants of Maroth wait anxiously for good, because disaster has come down from the LORD to the gate of Jerusalem.
- NKJV For the inhabitant of Maroth pined for good, But disaster came down from the Lord To the gate of Jerusalem.
- NASB For the inhabitant of Maroth Waits for something good, Because a disaster has come down from the Lord To the gate of Jerusalem.
- NLT The people of Maroth anxiously wait for relief, but only bitterness awaits them as the Lord’s judgment reaches even to the gates of Jerusalem.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Maroth hopes anxiously for relief, but disaster has come from the LORD even to Jerusalem's gate. It stresses that the calamity is God's own doing.
Overview
The town of Maroth ('bitterness') waits in vain for good while evil descends from Yahweh Himself. Micah is clear that the invading army is an instrument of divine judgment, not mere geopolitics. The advance reaching Jerusalem's gate underscores how near the threat comes to the heart of Judah.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Jer 14:19Have you utterly rejected Judah? Has your soul loathed Zion? Why have you struck us, and there is no healing for us? We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of healing, and behold, dismay!
- Mic 1:9For her wounds are incurable; for it has come even to Judah. It reaches to the gate of my people, even to Jerusalem.
- Amos 3:6Does the trumpet alarm sound in a city, without the people being afraid? Does evil happen to a city, and Yahweh hasn’t done it?
- Isa 59:9–11Therefore is justice far from us, and righteousness doesn’t overtake us. We look for light, but see darkness; for brightness, but we walk in obscurity.
- Isa 45:7I form the light, and create darkness. I make peace, and create calamity. I am Yahweh, who does all these things.
- Jer 8:15We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of healing, and behold, dismay!
- Job 30:26When I looked for good, then evil came; When I waited for light, there came darkness.
- 1 Sam 4:13When he came, behold, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road watching; for his heart trembled for God’s ark. When the man came into the city and told about it, all the city cried out.
- Ruth 1:20She said to them, “Don’t call me Naomi. Call me Mara; for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Micah names the town — 'But you, Bethlehem... from you shall come forth one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origins are from of old' — the birthplace of the eternal King.
How Micah 1:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.