But now many nations have assembled against you, saying, “Let her be defiled, and let us feast our eyes on Zion.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Now many nations have assembled against you, that say, “Let her be defiled, and let our eye gloat over Zion.”
- KJV Now also many nations are gathered against thee, that say, Let her be defiled, and let our eye look upon Zion.
- NKJV Now also many nations have gathered against you, Who say, “Let her be defiled, And let our eye look upon Zion.”
- NASB “And now many nations have been assembled against you Who say, ‘Let her be defiled, And let our eyes gloat over Zion!’
- NLT Now many nations have gathered against you. “Let her be desecrated,” they say. “Let us see the destruction of Jerusalem.”
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
Many nations gather against Zion, gloating and hoping to see her defiled. It sets the stage of hostile opposition against God's people.
Overview
The enemies assemble with malicious intent, eager to defile and triumph over Zion. Their confidence seems unstoppable from a human viewpoint. Yet, as the next verse shows, they fail to grasp that they are unwittingly serving God's larger purpose.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Obad 1:12But you should not gloat in that day, your brother’s day of misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast proudly in the day of their distress.
- Mic 7:10Then my enemy will see and will be covered with shame—she who said to me, “Where is the LORD your God?” My eyes will see her; at that time she will be trampled like mud in the streets.
- Isa 5:25–30Therefore the anger of the LORD burns against His people; His hand is raised against them to strike them down. The mountains quake, and the corpses lay like refuse in the streets. Despite all this, His anger is not turned away; His hand is still upraised.
- Isa 8:7–8the Lord will surely bring against them the mighty floodwaters of the Euphrates—the king of Assyria and all his pomp. It will overflow its channels and overrun its banks.
- Lam 2:15–16All who pass by clap their hands at you in scorn. They hiss and shake their heads at the Daughter of Jerusalem: “Is this the city that was called the perfection of beauty, the joy of all the earth?”
- Joel 3:2–15I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning My people, My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations as they divided up My land.
- Jer 52:4So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his entire army. They encamped outside the city and built a siege wall all around it.
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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 4:11 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.