Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G MessageAnnounce it not in Gath—in your weeping, do not weep! In Beth-le-aphrah, House of Dust, roll yourself in the dust.
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.GIn Gat, tell it not; in weeping, weep not. In Beit-le-Aphrah, roll yourself in the dust.
KJV
King James VersionDeclare ye it not at Gath, weep ye not at all: in the house of Aphrah roll thyself in the dust.
BSB
Berean Standard BibleDo not tell it in Gath; do not weep at all. Roll in the dust in Beth-leaphrah.
Footnotes
This verse opens a blistering series of wordplays on Shephelah town names. 'Tell it not in Gat' deliberately echoes David's lament over Saul and Jonathan in 2 Samuel 1:20—Micah frames national disaster in the language of Israel's most famous grief. בֵּית לְעַפְרָה (Beit-le-Aphrah) means 'House of Dust' (עָפָר, aphar = dust), so the command to roll in dust in Dust-Town is a savage pun: you will become what your name says. בָּכוֹ אַל-תִּבְכּוּ is an infinitive absolute construction meaning 'in all your weeping, do not weep'—suppress public grief, deny the enemy the satisfaction of your tears. F.O.G keeps Hebrew town names to honour the puns; F.O.G Message translates 'House of Dust' to make the wordplay land in English.
