Micah 5

everlasting.] The Prophet proceeds in describing Him, who was to “come out of Beth-lehem,” and to be “Ruler in Israel,” by another more eminent coming or going forth, even from all eternity. This is so signal a description of the Divine generation before all time, or of that going forth from everlasting of Christ, the eternal Son of God, God, of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds, who was afterwards in time (according to the prediction that He should “come forth out of Beth lehem”) made man, of the substance of his mother, and born in the world, that the prophecy evidently belongs only to Him, and could never be verified of any other. Dr. Pocock. The plural form may denote the eminence of Christ’s eternal generation. Abp. Secker. It is a common Hebraism, to denote the eminency or continuation of a thing or action by the plural number, “God shall judge the world with righteousness and equity,” Ps. xviii. 9; or most righteously and equitably. “The angers of the Lord,” Lam. iv. 16; “wisdoms,” Prov. i. 20; for the high degree of both. Bp. Chandler. This famous prophecy of Micah appears to have given occasion to the manner of speaking, used by our Church in her second Article, where she speaks of the Son of God, as “begotten from everlasting.” Waldo.

— when the Assyrian shall come into our land: &c.] The sense, which Mr. Mede has given to this passage, appears most agreeable to the scope and design of the following part of the chapter. He expounds the place of the general destruction of some remarkable enemy, or enemies to God and his truth, which should come to pass before the consummation of all things: an event foretold in several places of Scripture. See Ps. cx. 5, 6; Isa. xxvi. 20, 21; xxxiv. 1, &c.; lxxi. 16; Jer. xxx. 7. 10; Ezek. xxxviii, xxxiv; Joel iii. 9. 14; Obad. ver. 15, &c.; Zeph. iii. 8; Hag. ii. 22; Zech. xii. 1; xiv. 8; Rev. xiv. 19; xx. 9. This enemy is probably called by the name of the Assyrian in Isaiah, chap. xiv. 23, as well as by Micah here. See the note upon that place. Mr. Mede ingeniously conjectures, that this name was given him by these two Prophets, because that ever since the invasion of Sennacherib, the very name of Assyrian carried verour along with it, being esteemed by the Jews as their most formidable enemy. W. Lowth.

— seven shepherds, and eight principal men.] Or, rulers. Under his conduct we shall be furnished with commanders sufficient to oppose the enterprises of the enemy. “Shepherds” are elsewhere equivalent to princes or generals; see Jer. vi. 3; xxv. 34; Nahum iii. 18. The words “seven” and “eight” are used for an indefinite number: see Eccles. xi. 2. So once and twice, six and seven, are used, Job xxxiii. 14; v. 19; Prov. vi. 16. W. Lowth.

Chap. VI. ver. 1.—Arise, contend thou before the mountains, &c.] Arise, saith God to me, and call the very senseless earth, even the hills and mountains, to record what I have to say against my people. Bp. Hall. See the notes on Deut. iv. 26; Isa. i. 2.

The manner of raising attention in the two first verses, by calling on man to urge his plea in the face of all nature, and on the inanimate creation to hear the expostulation of Jehovah with his people, is truly awakening and magnificent. The words of Jehovah follow in the 3d, 4th, and 5th verses. And God’s mercies having been set before his people, one of them is introduced in a beautiful dramatick form, as asking what his duty is toward so gracious a God, ver. 6, 7. The answer follows in the 8th verse, in the words of the Prophet. Abp. Newcome.

Micah 5:2

2. But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, &c.] The Prophet, having intimated what contempt should befall the family of David, subjoins, according to God’s usual method, a declaration of the dignity which they should attain to, in the time of their restoration from the Babylonish captivity. Dr. Pocock. Ephrath, or Ephratah, was another name for Bethlehem in the tribe of Judah. See Gen. xxxv. 19. And both names are joined together to distinguish it from another Beth-lehem, situate in the tribe of Zebulun, mentioned Joshua xix. 15. It is called “little among the thousands;” that is, among the families or cities of Judah. Compare Judges vi. 15; I Sam. x. 19. The expression is taken from the first division of the people into thousands, hundreds, and other subordinate divisions. See Exod. xviii. 21-25. Both the city and family of David were in a mean condition at the time of Christ’s birth; whereupon the Blessed Virgin in her song thankfully commemorates God’s extraordinary favour in hisnouring that low estate to which they were reduced, with the birth of the Messiah, Luke i. 48. 52, 53. W. Lowth. — though thou be little among the thousands of Judah.] Every tribe was of old divided into so many thousands, as shires in England are into hundreds, over which presided a leader to command them in battle. Beth-lehem was too small in people to be reckoned as one of these thousands, or to be numbered singly in the army against the enemy; but is promised the advantage over them all in giving birth to the “Ruler in Israel,” who is superior to all the princes of the thousands; even that Son of David, “whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” Bp. Chandler. — out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; The Scribes and Pharisees understood this prophecy of the birth of the Messiah, as appears from Matt. ii. 5, 6; and so did the generality of the Jews of that age, who speak of it as an undoubted truth, that “Christ was to come of the seed of David, and out of the town of Beth-lehem where David was,” John vii. 42. The Chaldee agrees with their sentiments, and expressly applies the prophecy to the Messiah; and our Lord was born at Beth-lehem by an especial act of Providence, that this prophecy might plainly be fulfilled in Him. See Luke ii. 4. “To come forth” is the same as to be born. See Gen. x. 14; xvii. 6; xxv. 25;

Micah 5:3

3. Therefore will he give them up, &c.] But in the mean time He shall suffer his Israel to be grievously affected, &c. Bp. Holt. The particle, rendered “therefore,” should be translated “nevertheless,” here and in some other places, as Dr. Pocock observes. Notwithstanding the promise of so great a blessing, God will give up his people into the hands of their enemies, or leave them to be exercised with troubles and afflictions, till the appointed time of their deliverance cometh, which shall be greater than that from Babylon. See chap. iv. 10. This deliverance may be understood of the Church bringing forth children by the preaching of the Gospel; see Gal. iv. 27; but will be more fully completed in the general restoration of the Jewish nation, to be expected in the latter ages. Compare Isa. lxvi. 7. 8. W. Lowth. — then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.] Or, “shall be converted with the children of Israel.” W. Lowth. The promise of God was not only to Israel according to the flesh, but “to all (also) that were also off, even as many as the Lord our God should call,” Acts ii. 39; and all these are called “the remnant of his brethren,” even those that were before “aliens from the commonwealth of Israel,” and after off, are now in Christ made one with them, Eph. ii. 12, &c.; all brethren among themselves, and all brethren to Christ their ruler. Having taken on Him their nature in the flesh, He is not ashamed to call them so, as the Apostle speaks, Heb. ii. 11, confirming it out of Ps. xxii. 22; and Christ Himself vouchsafes to call all true believers by this title, Matt. xii. 46; Luke viii. 21. Dr. Pocock.

Micah 5:4

4. And he shall stand and feed &c.] He shall persist and continue to feed; that is, He shall carefully, watchfully, and tenderly supply all the wants of his subjects, as a good shepherd doth those of his sheep: compare John x. 9. 14. And this He shall do “in the strength of the Lord,” not as an ordinary man, but as One, who hath extraordinary and plainly Divine power conferred Christ’s kingdom. Christ’s kingdom.

Micah 5:5

5. And this man shall be the peace.] A Jewish expositor observes, that this passage is to be understood of the Messiah, because He shall be the cause of peace, as it is said, “and he shall speak peace unto the heathen,” Zech. ix. 10. And therefore our Lord Christ being the true Messiah, of Him, agreeably to the words here, it is said, “He is our peace,” Eph. ii. 14. At his birth the heavenly host proclaimed “peace on earth,” Luke ii. 14; and He, while on earth, came and preached “peace to them which were afar off, and to them that were nigh,” Eph. ii. 17: and when He was again to leave the world, He bequeathed peace to his disciples, “gave it to them, and left it with them,” John xiv. 27. Of Him therefore it might be truly said by way of prophecy, “This man shall be peace,” or “the peace.” Dr. Pocock.

This sentence may be best explained as connected with the foregoing verse. W. Lowth.

This prophecy of Micah is perhaps the most important single prophecy in the Old Testament, and the most comprehensive, re-joining the personal character of the Messiah, and his successive manifestations to the world. It crowns the whole chain of prophecies descriptive of the several limitations of the blessed “Seed of the woman” to the line of Shem, to the family of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to the tribe of Judah, and to the royal house of David, here terminating in his birth at Beth-lehem, “the city of David.” It carefully distinguishes his human nativity from his eternal generation; foretells the rejection of the Israelites and Jews for a season; their final restoration, and the universal “peace” destined to prevail throughout the earth in “the regeneration.” It forms therefore the basis of the New Testament, which begins with his human birth at Beth-lehem, the miraculous circumstances of which are recorded in the introductions of St. Matthew’s and St. Luke’s Gospels; his eternal generation, as “the Word,” in the sublime introduction of St. John’s Gospel; his prophetic character, and second coming, illustrated in the four Gospels and

thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders.

5. O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, &c.] Remember what answers I put into the mouth of Balaam, the son of Beor; how I drew blessings even from his mouth upon you, instead of curses which Balak would have hired him to utter against you: remember all my gracious dealings with you in all the passages of the wilderness, even from Shittim unto Gilgal, till the very entrance into the land of promise; that ye may acknowledge the righteous proceedings of the Lord with you. Bp. Hall.

To make the sense of the words “from Shittim unto Gilgal” complete, we must supply it from the beginning of the verse, as in the Chaldee Paraphrase, “Remember what I have done for you from Shittim unto Gilgal;” that is, from your encampment in the plains of Moab, near Shittim, east of Jordan, (where they sinned in the matter of Peor, Numb. xxv. 3. 18, and deserved to be cut off, had not God been merciful to them,) until your encampment at Gilgal on the other side of Jordan

Micah 5:6

6. And they shall waste—in the entrances thereof.] In its borders, where its garrisons are, and its chief strength lies, Assyria is called “the land of Nimrod,” because he was the first king of the country: see Gen. x. 11, where the marginal reading is right. W. Lowth.

According to the figurative signification of the words, embraced by most Christians, the meaning of this passage is evident, that by the might and power of Christ, and such as shall be by Him qualified and commissioned for the spreading and maintaining of his truth, all that oppose it shall be brought under and made to yield, as certainly as when an enemy, such as the Assyrian then was to Israel, is by many commanders and their forces beaten in his own country and with his own weapons, forced from him and turned back upon himself, (see the margin,) so that he shall not be able to create farther disturbances. Dr. Pocock.

— thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, &c.] By these means shall Christ deliver us from the hands of such enemies as shall assault us, so that we shall not have need to fear them. Dr. Pocock.

Micah 5:7

7. And the remnant of Jacob shall be &c.] The remnant of the dispersed Jews upon their conversion shall be the instruments of converting those Gentiles among whom they live; and may therefore be fitly represented by the dews and rains which come from heaven, and make the earth fruitful. W. Lowth.

— that tarrieth not for man, &c.] The dews and Christ’s complete conquest. MICAII. God’s controversy for unkindness, Before CHRIST 710. Or, goats.

Micah 5:8

8. And the remnant of Jacob shall be—as a lion &c.] This has been most eminently and fully made good by the establishing of Christ’s spiritual kingdom among men, and by the conquests obtained by his little flock over sin, the world, and the devil. Dr. Pocock.

Micah 5:10

10, 11.—I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, &c.] These words are a promise of peace and security, and an encouragement to rely on God alone, without dependence on ordinary human helps. Much the like words are applied to the peaceable condition of the kingdom of Christ by Zechariah, chap. ix. 10. Dr. Pocock. See also Hos. i. 7.

Micah 5:12

12—14. And I will cut off witchcrafts &c.] The Prophet may be supposed to mention here those sins wherein the Jews of his own age were chiefly faulty, thereby to signify, that in aftertimes, when the promises here mentioned should be fulfilled, such offences should not be found among them. Compare Isa. ii. 6—8, with the context here. We may in general take notice, that the destruction of idolatry is often mentioned in the Prophets as a principal circumstance in their descriptions of the flourishing state of the Church, which should come to pass in aftertimes. W. Lowth.

Micah 5:14

14.—so will I destroy thy cities.] It is supposed by some interpreters, that in ver. 11 are meant cities of defence, and here cities of idolatrous worship, in which were their groves and idol-temples. Dr. Pocock.

Micah 5:15

15. And I will execute vengeance &c.] When I have purged my people from their corruptions, I will severely vindicate their cause to the utter destruction of all their unbelieving enemies. W. Lowth.