Berean Standard Bible
Micah 5:2
2But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans1 of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel2— One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity.
Micah 5:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)But thou, Beth–lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
- New International Version (NIV)“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
- New King James Version (NKJV)“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.”
Context of Micah 5:2
1Now, O daughter of troops, mobilize your troops; for a siege is laid against us! With a rod they will strike the cheek of the judge of Israel. But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel— One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity. 3Therefore Israel will be abandoned until she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of His brothers will return to the children of Israel. 4He will stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majestic name of the LORD His God. And they will dwell securely, for then His greatness will extend to the ends of the earth.
Read all of Micah 5Micah 5:2 word by word
וְאַתָּ֞ה בֵּֽית־לֶ֣חֶם אֶפְרָ֗תָה צָעִיר֙ לִֽהְיוֹת֙ בְּאַלְפֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֔ה מִמְּךָ֙ לִ֣י יֵצֵ֔א לִֽהְי֥וֹת מוֹשֵׁ֖ל בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וּמוֹצָאֹתָ֥יו מִקֶּ֖דֶם מִימֵ֥י עוֹלָֽם׃Read the interlinear
- But youאַתָּ֫ה'attâh 'attâ 'ath 'attîy 'attem 'atten 'attênâh 'attênnâh · you(m.s.)H859
- Bethlehemבֵּית לֶ֫חֶםbêyth lechem · BethlehemH1035
- Ephrathahאֶפְרָ֫תָה'ephrâth 'ephrâthâh · EphrathahH672
- who areהָיָהhâyâh · to beH1961
- smallצָעִירtsâ‛îyr tsâ‛ôr · littleH6810
- among the clansאֶ֫לֶף'eleph · thousand: clanH505
- of Judahיְהוּדָהyehûdâh · JudahH3063
- out of youמִן־min minnîy minnêy · fromH4480
- will come forthיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: produceH3318
- rulerמָשַׁלmâshal · to ruleH4910
- over Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- One whose originsמוֹצָאָהmôtsâ'âh · going forthH4163
- are of oldקֶ֫דֶםqedem qêdmâh · front: oldH6924
- from the daysיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
- of eternityעוֹלָם‛ôlâm ‛ôlâm · forever: antiquityH5769
Cross-references for Micah 5:2
- Matthew 2:6‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of My people Israel.’”
- John 7:42Doesn’t the Scripture say that the Christ will come from the line of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?”
- Genesis 35:19So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).
- Genesis 48:7Now as for me, when I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died along the way in the land of Canaan, some distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).
- Ruth 4:11“We are witnesses,” said the elders and all the people at the gate. “May the LORD make the woman entering your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you be prosperous in Ephrathah and famous in Bethlehem.
- 1 Samuel 17:12Now David was the son of a man named Jesse, an Ephrathite from Bethlehem of Judah who had eight sons. And in the days of Saul, Jesse was old and well along in years.
- 1 Chronicles 2:50These were the descendants of Caleb. The sons of Hur the firstborn of Ephrathah:
- 1 Chronicles 4:4Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer was the father of Hushah. These were the descendants of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah and the father of Bethlehem.
- Psalms 132:6We heard that the ark was in Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar.
- 1 Samuel 10:19But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your troubles and afflictions, and you have said to Him, ‘No, set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and clans.”
- 1 Samuel 23:23Observe and find out all the places where he hides. Then come back to me with certainty, and I will go with you. If he is in the land, I will search him out among all the clans of Judah.”
- Exodus 18:21Furthermore, select capable men from among the people—God-fearing, trustworthy men who are averse to dishonest gain. Appoint them over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
- Deuteronomy 1:15So I took the leaders of your tribes, wise and respected men, and appointed them as leaders over you—as commanders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens, and as officers for your tribes.
- 1 Samuel 8:12He will appoint some for himself as commanders of thousands and of fifties, and others to plow his ground, to reap his harvest, and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.
- 1 Samuel 17:18Take also these ten portions of cheese to the commander of their unit. Check on the welfare of your brothers and bring back an assurance from them.
- Isaiah 11:1Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.
Commentaries on Micah 5:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah - I have considered this subject in great detail in the notes on Matthew 2:6, to which the reader will be pleased to refer. This verse should begin this chapter; the first verse belongs to the preceding chapter. Bethlehem Ephratah, to distinguish it from another Beth-lehem, which was in the tribe of Zebulun, Joshua 19:15. Thousands of Judah - The tribes were divided into small portions called thousands; as in our country…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2But - (And) thou, Bethlehem Ephratah With us, the chequered events of time stand in strong contrast, painful or gladdening. Good seems to efface evil, or evil blots out the memory of the good. God orders all in the continuous course of His Wisdom. All lies in perfect harmony in the Divine Mind. Each event is the sequel of what went before. So here the prophet joins on, what to us stands in such contrast, with that simple, And. Yet he describes the two…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2Ephrathah was the ancient name of Bethlehem (Genesis 35:16; Ruth 4:11), where David was born. In the future, a ruler greater than David would come from there (Matthew 2:5–6; John 7:42). This future king's influence would span from the distant past (Hebrew qedem; compare Deuteronomy 33:27; Proverbs 8:22–23; Isaiah 37:26) to a time yet to come, suggesting a divine-human being.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22. Beth-lehem Ephratah--(Ge 48:7), or, Beth-lehem Judah; so called to distinguish it from Beth-lehem in Zebulun. It is a few miles southwest of Jerusalem. Beth-lehem means "the house of bread"; Ephratah means "fruitful": both names referring to the fertility of the region. though thou be little among--though thou be scarcely large enough to be reckoned among, &c. It was insignificant in size and population; so that in Jos 15:21, &c., it is not enumerated…Read the comment
Topics related to Micah 5:2
In the dictionaries
Notes
- 1. Micah 5:2 Or thousands ↩
- 2. Micah 5:2 Cited in Matthew 2:6 ↩
Commentaries on Micah 5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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