Micah 5:2

A King Will Come and a Remnant Will Prosper

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

seemingly insignificant ²  among the clans of Judah –

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

one whose origins ⁴  are in the distant past. ⁵ 

Micah 6:5

6:5 My people, recall how King Balak of Moab planned to harm you, ⁶ 

how Balaam son of Beor responded to him.

Recall how you journeyed from Shittim to Gilgal,

so you might acknowledge that the Lord has treated you fairly.” ⁷ 

Micah 6:8

6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good,

and what the Lord really wants from you: ⁸ 

He wants you to ⁹  promote ¹⁰  justice, to be faithful, ¹¹ 

and to live obediently before ¹²  your God.

[5:2]  ¹ sn 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]  ² tn Heb “being small.” Some omit לִהְיוֹת (lihyot, “being”) because it fits awkwardly and appears again in the next line.

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

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

[5:2]  ⁵ tn 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.

[6:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “remember what Balak…planned.”

[6:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “From Shittim to Gilgal, in order to know the just acts of the Lord.” Something appears to be missing at the beginning of the line. The present translation supplies the words, “Recall how you went.” This apparently refers to how Israel crossed the Jordan River (see Josh 3:1; 4:19-24).

[6:8]  ¹¹ sn What the Lord really wants from you. Now the prophet switches roles and answers the hypothetical worshiper’s question. He makes it clear that the Lord desires proper attitudes more than ritual and sacrifice.

[6:8]  ¹² tn Heb “except.” This statement is actually linked with what precedes, “What does he want from you except….”

[6:8]  ¹³ tn Heb “to do,” in the sense of “promote.”

[6:8]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “to love faithfulness.”

[6:8]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “to walk humbly [or perhaps, “carefully”] with.”