Micah 5:2-5

Context

A King Will Come and a Remnant Will Prosper

5:2 (5:1) As for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,¹

seemingly insignificant² among the clans of Judah –

from you a king will emerge who will rule over Israel on my behalf,³

one whose origins⁴ are in the distant past.⁵

5:3 So the Lord⁶ will hand the people of Israel⁷ over to their enemies⁸

until the time when the woman in labor⁹ gives birth.¹⁰

Then the rest of the king’s¹¹ countrymen will return

to be reunited with the people of Israel.¹²

5:4 He will assume his post¹³ and shepherd the people¹⁴ by the Lord’s strength,

by the sovereign authority of the Lord his God.¹⁵

They will live securely,¹⁶ for at that time he will be honored¹⁷

even in the distant regions of¹⁸ the earth.

5:5 He will give us peace.¹⁹

Should the Assyrians try to invade our land

and attempt to set foot in our fortresses,²⁰

we will send²¹ against them seven²² shepherd-rulers,²³

make that eight commanders.²⁴

[5:2] ¹sn Ephrathah is either an alternate name for Bethlehem or the name of the district in which Bethlehem was located. See Ruth 4:11.

[5:2] ²tn Heb “being small.” Some omit לִהְיוֹת (lihyot, “being”) because it fits awkwardly and appears again in the next line.

[5:2] ³tn Heb “from you for me one will go out to be a ruler over Israel.”

[5:2] ⁴tn Heb “his goings out.” The term may refer to the ruler’s origins (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT) or to his activities.

[5:2] ⁵tn Heb “from the past, from the days of antiquity.” Elsewhere both phrases refer to the early periods in the history of the world or of the nation of Israel. For מִקֶּדֶם (miqqedem, “from the past”) see Neh 12:46; Pss 74:12; 77:11; Isa 45:21; 46:10. For מִימֵי עוֹלָם (mimey ’olam, “from the days of antiquity”) see Isa 63:9, 11; Amos 9:11; Mic 7:14; Mal 3:4. In Neh 12:46 and Amos 9:11 the Davidic era is in view.

[5:3] ⁶tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:3] ⁷tn Heb “them”; the referent (the people of Israel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:3] ⁸tn The words “to their enemies” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[5:3] ⁹sn The woman in labor. Personified, suffering Jerusalem is the referent. See 4:9-10.

[5:3] ¹⁰sn Gives birth. The point of the figurative language is that Jerusalem finally finds relief from her suffering. See 4:10.

[5:3] ¹¹tn Heb “his”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:3] ¹²tn Heb “to the sons of Israel.” The words “be reunited with” are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[5:4] ¹³tn Heb “stand up”; NAB “stand firm”; NASB “will arise.”

[5:4] ¹⁴tn The words “the people” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[5:4] ¹⁵tn Heb “by the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.”

[5:4] ¹⁶tn The words “in peace” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Perhaps וְיָשָׁבוּ (vÿyashavu, “and they will live”) should be emended to וְשָׁבוּ (vÿshavu, “and they will return”).

[5:4] ¹⁷tn Heb “be great.”

[5:4] ¹⁸tn Or “to the ends of.”

[5:5] ¹⁹tn Heb “and this one will be peace”; ASV “and this man shall be our peace” (cf. Eph 2:14).

[5:5] ²⁰tc Some prefer to read “in our land,” emending the text to בְּאַדְמָתֵנוּ (bÿ’admatenu).

[5:5] ²¹tn Heb “raise up.”

[5:5] ²²sn The numbers seven and eight here symbolize completeness and emphasize that Israel will have more than enough military leadership and strength to withstand the Assyrian advance.

[5:5] ²³tn Heb “shepherds.”

[5:5] ²⁴tn Heb “and eight leaders of men.”