The Greek and Hebrew that are often translated as “miracles” or “miraculous powers” into English are translated as “thing which no one has ever seen before” (San Blas Kuna), “thing marveled at” (Tepeuxila Cuicatec), “breathtaking thing” (Ngäbere), “long-necked thing” (referring to the onlookers who stretch their necks to see) (Huautla Mazatec), “sign done by God’s power” (Mossi), “supernatural power” (Javanese), “thing that has heaven-strength” (Highland Totonac) (source for all above: Bratcher / Nida), “amazing thing” (Muna) (source: René van den Berg), “sign no one else could do” (Tenango Otomi) (source: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125), or “impossible thing” (Mairasi) (source: Enggavoter 2004).
Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Micah 7:15:
Kupsabiny: “God is saying, ‘I shall do wonders for them like when/how I led them out from the land of Egypt.’” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
Newari: “As at the time of your coming out of the country Egypt, I will show them my marvelous deeds.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
Hiligaynon: “You (sing.) show to us (excl.) miracles like what you (sing.) did before when you (sing.) brought- us (excl.) -out of Egipto.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
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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 first person singular and plural pronoun (“I” and “we” and its various forms) as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. The most commonly used watashi/watakushi (私) is typically used when the speaker is humble and asking for help. In these verses, where God / Jesus is referring to himself, watashi is also used but instead of the kanji writing system (私) the syllabary hiragana (わたし) is used to distinguish God from others.
As the literal translation of the Good News Translation footnote and the Revised Standard Version text and footnote show, there is in this verse in the Hebrew a variation in personal pronoun forms that is very confusing. If the Hebrew text is translated as it stands, the English will be “I will show him marvelous things” (compare Revised Standard Version footnote, King James Version, rv, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). In this sentence the “I” must refer to the Lord and the “him” to the people of Israel. Since they have been called “you” in the earlier part of the sentence, the change is very awkward. Even Revised Standard Version and New International Version, which try to follow the Hebrew closely here, translate as “them” instead of “him,” referring to the people.
A relatively small change in the Hebrew lets us translate “I will show them” (footnote “him”) of Revised Standard Version as an imperative, and this change is accepted by Bible de Jérusalem, Jerusalem Bible, and New English Bible, as well as Good News Translation. This certainly gives a smooth and intelligible meaning to the verse, which on this understanding continues the prayer of the previous verse.
Good News Translation reorders the lines of this verse and puts the main clause first, Work miracles for us. This clause may have to be structured in quite a different way in other languages. Miracles are amazing, wonderful, unexpected acts. Some languages may have a single word for this, while others may have to describe the idea in a longer expression. For us may have to be translated as “in order to help us.” Another restructuring can be “Help us by doing marvelous things.”
Revised Standard Version “As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt” is a reference to the idea of the Lord being at the head of his people at the time of the exodus. This is expanded and made more explicit in Good News Translation: as you did in the days when you brought us out of Egypt. The days can of course be translated as “the time,” or just “when.” You brought us can be translated as “you led us.”
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 .
As in the days when you came out of Egypt: There are two main interpretations of the referent of the word you in this clause part:
(1) The word you refers to Israel. The LORD is the speaker. In this clause part he referred to the time that the people of Israel came out of Egypt. For example:
As in the days when you departed from the land of Egypt, I will show you miraculous deeds. (NET Bible)
(2) The word you refers to the LORD. Micah is the speaker. In this clause part he referred to the time that the LORD came out of Egypt. For example:
Show us miracles as in the days when you came out of Egypt. (Revised English Bible)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) along with a slight majority of versions. In the Display, one line will use you(sing) to refer to Israel as a collective whole. The other line will use you(plur) to refer to the people of Israel.
In Hebrew, this clause part indicates only that the people came out of Egypt. It leaves implicit that it was the LORD who led the people out. In some languages, it may be helpful to make this information explicit. For example:
As in the days when I brought you out of Egypt (New Century Version)
the days: In Hebrew, this phrase is an expression that means “the time.”
Here are some other ways to translate this expression:
• Keep the expression. For example:
in the days when you came out of Egypt (New International Version)
• Translate the meaning directly. For example:
when you came out of Egypt
7:15b
I will show My wonders: There is a textual issue here:
(1) The Masoretic Text has “I will show him.” For example:
I will show him wondrous deeds (Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures)
(2) Some scholars think that the original Hebrew text was “Show us.” For example:
Show us miracles (Revised English Bible)
It is recommended that you follow option (1). It makes good sense and requires no change to the Hebrew text. Here the LORD promised that he would again do marvelous things for the people of Israel as he did when he rescued them from slavery in Egypt.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause part:
I will show you miraculous deeds (NET Bible) -or-
I will show them my wonders (New International Version) -or-
I will do mighty miracles for you (New Living Translation (2004))
show: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “show him.” The phrase refers to the LORD showing or demonstrating his power to Israel by doing marvelous things. The phrase “show him” sounds unnatural in some languages. Many versions translate this phrase in a more natural way in their language. For example:
show them (New International Version) -or-
do…for you (New Living Translation (2004))
wonders: This phrase refers to the acts of the LORD during the time of the exodus. In this context, some of these acts were the plagues in Egypt and the miracles in the wilderness of Sinai. See the previous note for other ways to translate this phrase.
General Comment on 7:15a–b
In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder these lines. For example:
15b I, the Lord, will work miracles 15a just as I did when I led you out of Egypt. (Contemporary English Version)
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