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Micah 5

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The Ruler from Bethlehem Promised 1–6

1
Now shalt thou gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us; they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek. ​
2
But thou, Beth-lehem Ephrathah, which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall one come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting. ​
3
Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she who travaileth hath brought forth: then the residue of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. ​
4
And he shall stand, and shall feed his flock in the strength of Jehovah, in the majesty of the name of Jehovah his God: and they shall abide; for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth. ​
5
And this man shall be our peace. When the Assyrian shall come into our land, and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men. ​
6
And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: and he shall deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our border.

The Role of the Restored Remnant 7–9

7
And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples as dew from Jehovah, as showers upon the grass, that tarry not for man, nor wait for the sons of men. ​
8
And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep; who, if he go through, treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and there is none to deliver. ​
9
Let thy hand be lifted up above thine adversaries, and let all thine enemies be cut off.

The Lord Purifies Israel and Judges the Nations 10–15

10
And it shall come to pass in that day, saith Jehovah, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and will destroy thy chariots: ​
11
and I will cut off the cities of thy land, and will throw down all thy strongholds.
12
And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thy hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers: ​
13
and I will cut off thy graven images and thy pillars out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thy hands; ​
14
and I will pluck up thine Asherim out of the midst of thee; and I will destroy thy cities. ​
15
And I will execute vengeance in anger and wrath upon the nations which hearkened not.

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Micah 5

Verse 1

smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek — 'Gather thyself in troops' (gadad, to crowd together) is said to the 'daughter of troops' while 'he hath laid siege against us'. A blow to the cheek is contempt: 'they have smitten me upon the cheek reproachfully' (Job 16:10; compare Lam 3:30). The next verse speaks of the ruler who will come out of Bethlehem.

Verse 2

Bethlehem Ephratah — Ephrath is the older name, 'Ephrath, which is Bethlehem' (Gen 35:19), and David was son of 'that Ephrathite of Bethlehemjudah' (1 Sam 17:12). 'Little' (tsa'ir) is the word of Isa 60:22, 'a small one a strong nation'. The chief priests and scribes cite the verse to Herod as the Christ's birthplace (Matt 2:4–6).

Verse 3

until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth — The birth is that of the ruler in v.2. Mic 4:10 has Zion in pain 'like a woman in travail', and Isa 7:14 says 'a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son'. 'Give them up' is nathan, to give over; the 'remnant' (yether, what remains) of his brethren then 'shall return' (shub) to the children of Israel.

Verse 4

he shall stand and feed — 'Feed' is ra'ah, to shepherd, the verb of 'The LORD is my shepherd' (Ps 23:1), and Isa 40:11 has 'He shall feed his flock like a shepherd'. His strength is the LORD's: 'in the strength (oz) of the LORD, in the majesty (ga'on) of the name of the LORD his God'. 'He shall be great' is echoed in Luke 1:32.

Verse 5

this man shall be the peace — Shalom, peace, is what the ruler of v.2 is; Paul says of Christ, 'he is our peace' (Eph 2:14), and Zech 9:10 says 'he shall speak peace unto the heathen'. The Assyrian (v.6 adds 'the land of Nimrod') is met by 'seven shepherds, and eight principal men': the shepherds (ro'im) are of the same root as 'feed' in v.4.

Verse 7

as a dew from the LORD — The remnant is blessing: 'dew' (tal) and 'showers' (raviv) come without man's help, 'that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men'. Hos 14:5 has the LORD say 'I will be as the dew unto Israel'. The same remnant 'in the midst of many people' becomes a lion in v.8.

Verse 8

as a lion among the beasts of the forest — The remnant 'in the midst of many people' of v.7 is now a lion (ari) and a young lion (kephir) among sheep. Balaam saw the same: 'the people shall rise up as a great lion' (Num 23:24). 'Treadeth down' is ramas, 'teareth in pieces' taraph; Mic 4:13 has 'Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion'.

Verse 10

I will cut off thy horses — 'Cut off' is karath, 'cut', and horses and chariots are what Israel was warned against: the king 'shall not multiply horses to himself' (Deut 17:16). Ps 20:7 sets them against the name of the LORD. Zech 9:9–10 pairs the king 'riding upon an ass' with 'I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem'.

Verse 12

witchcrafts out of thine hand — Kesheph, sorcery, is the noun of the verb in Deut 18:10, 'or a witch'. 'Soothsayers' is anan, the word rendered 'observers of times' in Deut 18:10, 14. Isa 8:19–20 answers the call to 'familiar spirits' and wizards with 'To the law and to the testimony'.

Verse 13

graven images… standing images — Pesil, a carved image (Lev 26:1 has the related pesel), and matstsebah, a pillar, are the two forbidden together in Lev 26:1: 'no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image'. 'The work of thine hands' (ma'aseh yad) is the phrase of Hos 14:3, 'neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods'.

Verse 14

I will pluck up thy groves — 'Groves' is asherim, plural of Asherah, the wooden pole set by a Baal altar: Gideon was told to 'throw down the altar of Baal… and cut down the grove that is by it' (Judg 6:25). 'Pluck up' is nathash, the verb of 'root out' in Jer 1:10 and of 'pluck up' in Jer 31:28.