Courage – Prophetic Moral Strength 249Apart from the general meaning of strength, of power, ghebhûrâh
has two particular shades of meaning. One could be rendered by
‘valour’ and belongs to the language of war, and would thus be
describing the prophet as a courageous person, capable of con-
fronting formidable opponents. The context of bitter controversy
in which Micah is speaking out would justify that use of the word.
The other shade of meaning, which is particularly frequent in the
deuteronomic writings, has connotations of ability, qualification
and competence (Tüchtigkeit).^205Conclusion
Living requires courage, the courage not to give up, not to pull out,
to go forward. And where does such courage come from? Courage be-
longs to the field of ethics. It has three underlying elements...
First there is the courage that looks to other people for its support, to
parents, close relatives and friends. We cannot ignore those around us
and our communities, for they provide resources for us to draw on.
Through their social rituals and education we can gain courage. Admit-
tedly, however, such resources are limited, inadequate and sometimes
only passing.
Courage can also be acquired through dealing with everyday events,
experiences and risk-taking. People can ultimately learn to conquer their
fear, their cowardice and their irresponsibility and so obtain courage.
There is in it an element of pushing oneself, of doing one’s duty. It is
mechanical. But that sort of courage is not able to hold out for long and
does not have staying power.
205
B Renaud, La formation du livre de Michée, traduction et actualisation,
Etudes Bibliques, Paris, J Galbada et Cie Editeurs, 1977, p.136. He quotes P
Biard, La Puissance de Dieu, Paris, 1960, p.19, and J Kuehlewein, article on gbr,
Thati, p.399