English Standard Version
Micah 5:2
2But 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.
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.”
- 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.”
- New Living Translation (NLT)But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf.
Context of Micah 5:2
1Now muster your troops, O daughter of troops; siege is laid against us; with a rod they strike the judge of Israel on the cheek. 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. 3Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. 4And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great 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
Words taken from the KJV.
- But thou, Beth–lehemבֵּית לֶ֫חֶםbêyth lechem · BethlehemH1035
- Ephratahאֶפְרָ֫תָה'ephrâth 'ephrâthâh · EphrathahH672
- thou be littleצָעִירtsâ‛îyr tsâ‛ôr · littleH6810
- among the thousandsאֶ֫לֶף'eleph · thousand: clanH505
- of Judahיְהוּדָהyehûdâh · JudahH3063
- out of thee shall he come forthיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: produceH3318
- to be rulerמָשַׁלmâshal · to ruleH4910
- in Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- whose goings forthמוֹצָאָהmôtsâ'âh · going forthH4163
- from of oldקֶ֫דֶםqedem qêdmâh · front: oldH6924
- from everlastingעוֹלָם‛ôlâm ‛ôlâm · forever: antiquityH5769
- from everlastingיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
Cross-references for Micah 5:2
- Matthew 2:6"'And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'"
- John 7:42Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?"
- Genesis 35:19So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem),
- Genesis 48:7As for me, when I came from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath, and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem)."
- Ruth 4:11Then all the people who were at the gate and the elders said, "We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman, who is coming into your house, like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you act worthily in Ephrathah and be renowned in Bethlehem,
- 1 Samuel 17:12Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. In the days of Saul the man was already old and advanced in years.
- 1 Chronicles 2:50These were the descendants of Caleb. The sons of Hur the firstborn of Ephrathah: Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim,
- 1 Chronicles 4:4and Penuel fathered Gedor, and Ezer fathered Hushah. These were the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah, the father of Bethlehem.
- Psalms 132:6Behold, we heard of it 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 calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, 'Set a king over us.' Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your thousands."
- 1 Samuel 23:23See therefore and take note of all the lurking places where he hides, and come back to me with sure information. Then I will go with you. And if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah."
- Exodus 18:21Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
- Deuteronomy 1:15So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men, and set them as heads over you, commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of fifties, commanders of tens, and officers, throughout your tribes.
- 1 Samuel 8:12And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots.
- 1 Samuel 17:18Also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. See if your brothers are well, and bring some token from them."
- Isaiah 11:1There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall 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
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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