About Micah

Micah condemns social injustice while prophesying the Messiah's birthplace and God's ultimate mercy.

Author: MicahWritten: c. 735-700 BCReading time: ~2 minVerses: 15
JusticeJudgmentHopeMessiahCompassionTrue Religion

King James Version

Micah 5

15 verses with commentary

The Ruler from Bethlehem

Now 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.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Now 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.</strong> This verse depicts Jerusalem under siege, yet it transitions brilliantly to Messianic prophecy in verse 2. "Gather thyself in troops" (<em>titgodedi gad</em>, תִּתְגֹּדְדִי גָד) likely refers to Jerusalem's desperate military mobilizati...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

V. (1) **O daughter of troops.**—This verse coheres better with the former chapter, to which it is attached in the Hebrew Version. Micah again interpolates a prediction of trouble and dismay between the sentences describing triumph and glory. The sentence of smiting the judge has its historical fulfilment in the indignities which happened to King Zedekiah.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**17. God gave them knowledge--**(Ex 31:2, 3; 1Ki 3:12; Job 32:8; Jas 1:5, 17). **Daniel had understanding in ... dreams--**God thus made one of the despised covenant-people eclipse the Chaldean sages in the very science on which they most prided themselves. So Joseph in the court of Pharaoh (Ge 40:5; 41:1-8). Daniel, in these praises of his own "understanding," speaks not through vanity, but by...
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But thou, Bethlehem 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 . everlasting: Heb. the days of eternity

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KJV Study Commentary

This verse contains one of the Old Testament's clearest Messianic prophecies, precisely fulfilled in Jesus Christ's birth. "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah" identifies the specific location—not just Bethlehem ("house of bread") but Bethlehem Ephratah ("fruitful") to distinguish it from Bethlehem in Zebulon (Joshua 19:15). This small town six miles south of Jerusalem was David's birthplace (1 Samuel 1...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(2) **But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah**.—This is a passage of immense significance, through the interpretation given to it by the chief priests and scribes in the Gospel of St. Matthew. Beth-lehem Ephratah: the two names, modern and ancient, are united, each of them having reference to the fertility of the country. In the Gospel the scribes quote, evidently from memory, the passage from Micah, in re...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**18. brought them in--**that is, not only Daniel and his three friends, but other youths (Da 1:3, 19, "among them all").

Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.</strong> This cryptic prophecy bridges judgment and restoration. "He give them up" (יִתְּנֵם, <em>yittenem</em>) describes God delivering Israel to enemies—historical fulfillment in Assyrian and Babylonian conquests. Yet thi...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(3) **Therefore will he give them up**.—There is a suggestion here of a parable, setting forth the smallness of Bethlehem, which gave birth to the mighty Ruler that was to come from it. So the nation was to be brought very low before the nativity of the Virgin-born.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**19. stood ... before the king--**that is, were advanced to a position of favor near the throne.

And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth. feed or, rule

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KJV Study Commentary

Messianic King's peaceful reign: 'And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.' The Ruler from Bethlehem (v. 2) will 'stand and shepherd' (we-amad we-ra'ah) His flock with YHWH's strength and majesty. 'They shall abide/dwell securely' (we-yashavu) contrasts with I...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(4) **He shall stand and feed**—*i.e.,* He shall stand with the majesty of an assured sovereignty, uniting the dignity of king with the tenderness of a shepherd’s care—a thought which, underlying the notion of a Jewish monarch (see Psalm 78:70-72), becomes a distinguishing attribute of the King Messiah (Isaiah 40:2; see also Note on Ezekiel 34:2). **His God.**—The Messiah was to be subordinate to ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**20. ten times--**literally, "ten hands." **magicians--**properly, "sacred scribes, skilled in the sacred writings, a class of Egyptian priests" [Gesenius]; from a Hebrew root, "a pen." The word in our English Version, "magicians," comes from mag, that is, "a priest." The Magi formed one of the six divisions of the Medes. **astrologers--**Hebrew, "enchanters," from a root, "to conceal," pacti...
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Deliverance and Judgment

And this man shall be the 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. principal: Heb. princes of

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land.</strong> Following verse 4's prophecy of Messiah ruling in the Lord's strength, verse 5 declares <strong>"this man shall be the peace"</strong> (וְהָיָה זֶה שָׁלוֹם, <em>ve-hayah zeh shalom</em>). The Hebrew <em>shalom</em> encompasses wholeness, harmony, security, prosperity, and right relationship with God. Chri...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(5) **And this man shall be the peace**—*i.e.*, He shall Himself be Peace (after the same idiomatic expression David speaks of himself, “For my love they are my adversaries, but *I* am *Prayer*”—Psalm 109:4). This sentence is connected with the former instead of the following passage, with which the Authorised Version joins it. **When the Assyrian shall come into our land.**—This may refer to the ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**21. Daniel continued ... unto ... first year of Cyrus--**(2Ch 36:22; Ezr 1:1). Not that he did not continue beyond that year, but the expression is designed to mark the fact that he who was one of the first captives taken to Babylon, lived to see the end of the captivity. See my Introduction, "Significance of the Babylonian Captivity." In Da 10:1 he is mentioned as living "in the third year of C...
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And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our borders. waste: Heb. eat up in the: or, with her own naked swords

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof.</strong> This verse predicts complete reversal: Assyria, the devouring empire, will itself be devoured. <strong>"Waste"</strong> (רָעָה, <em>ra'ah</em>) means to shepherd, tend, graze—but here in a destructive sense: to pasture/graze upon, consuming like flocks devour grass. The sword ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(6) **They shall waste.**—Literally, *feed upon, consume, depasture.* The Land of Nimrod represents the opposing world-power.

And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the LORD.</strong> The phrase <strong>"remnant of Jacob"</strong> (שְׁאֵרִית יַעֲקֹב, <em>she'erit Ya'akov</em>) refers to the faithful surviving community—those who trust Messiah. In judgment, God preserves a remnant (Isaiah 10:20-22; Romans 9:27; 11:5). This remnant becomes a blessing <strong>"in the midst of man...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(7) **As a dew from the Lord.**—The Jews should, on their return from captivity, pour down their influence upon the nations, as God-sent showers upon the grass. So, through the dispersion of Jewish Christians, on the death of St. Stephen, the Lord caused the knowledge of the truth with which the Jews were cloud-charged to descend upon many people: “He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass;...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 2 Da 2:1-49. Nebuchadnezzar's Dream: Daniel's Interpretation of It, and Advancement. **1. second year of ... Nebuchadnezzar--**Da 1:5 shows that "three years" had elapsed since Nebuchadnezzar had taken Jerusalem. The solution of this difficulty is: Nebuchadnezzar first ruled as subordinate to his father Nabopolassar, to which time the first chapter refers (Da 1:1); whereas "the second yea...
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And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver. sheep: or, goats

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest.</strong> Verse 8 dramatically shifts imagery from dew (v. 7) to lion. The remnant isn't only gentle blessing but formidable power. <strong>"As a lion among the beasts of the forest"</strong> (כְּאַרְיֵה בְּבַהֲמוֹת יָעַר, <em>ke-aryeh be-vahamot ya'ar</em>) depicts dom...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(8) **As a lion among the beasts of the forest.**—There is righteous wrath as well as all-embracing mercy with God. Christ, whose graciousness is likened to the dew, and His gentleness to the lamb, is at the same time the Lion of the tribe of Judah. At the opening of the “sixth seal” the kings of the earth and great men are represented as in extreme terror at “the wrath of the Lamb” (Revelation 6:...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**2. Chaldeans--**here, a certain order of priest-magicians, who wore a peculiar dress, like that seen on the gods and deified men in the Assyrian sculptures. Probably they belonged exclusively to the Chaldeans, the original tribe of the Babylonian nation, just as the Magians were properly Medes.

Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shall be cut off.</strong> After describing the remnant's character (dew and lion), verse 9 announces victory. <strong>"Thine hand shall be lifted up"</strong> (תָּרֹם יָדְךָ, <em>tarom yadkha</em>) signals triumph—the raised hand of conquest. In battle, the victor raises his hand/weapon in triumph over defeated fo...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**3. troubled to know the dream--**He awoke in alarm, remembering that something solemn had been presented to him in a dream, without being able to recall the form in which it had clothed itself. His thoughts on the unprecedented greatness to which his power had attained (Da 2:29) made him anxious to know what the issue of all this should be. God meets this wish in the way most calculated to impre...
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And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots:

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and I will destroy thy chariots.</strong> The phrase <strong>"in that day"</strong> (בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא, <em>ba-yom ha-hu</em>) refers to Messiah's eschatological reign—the day of His rule. Remarkably, God promises to remove Israel's military assets: <strong>"horses"</strong> (סוּסִ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(10) **It shall come to pass in that day.**—The prophet now passes on to the purification of the Church from the defilements mentioned by Isaiah (Isaiah 2:3-10), with reference to the ultimate holiness which shall be established “in that day.” **I will cut off thy horses.**—The possession of horses was imperatively forbidden to the Jewish king (Deuteronomy 17:16), and Isaiah describes the land as ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

4. Here begins the Chaldee portion of Daniel, which continues to the end of the seventh chapter. In it the course, character, and crisis of the Gentile power are treated; whereas, in the other parts, which are in Hebrew, the things treated apply more particularly to the Jews and Jerusalem. **Syriac--**the Aramean Chaldee, the vernacular tongue of the king and his court; the prophet, by mentionin...
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And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds:

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and throw down all thy strong holds.</strong> Following the removal of military equipment (v. 10), God promises to dismantle Israel's defensive infrastructure: <strong>"cities"</strong> (עָרֵי אַרְצֶךָ, <em>arei artzekha</em>) and <strong>"strong holds"</strong> (מִבְצָרִים, <em>mivtzarim</em>)—fortified places, military installations. This seems ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(11) **I will cut off the cities.**—Fenced cities and the other paraphernalia of war will be unnecessary in the Messiah’s kingdom: “they shall not learn war any more” (Micah 4:3).

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**5. The thing--**that is, The dream, "is gone from me." Gesenius translates, "The decree is gone forth from me," irrevocable (compare Is 45:23); namely, that you shall be executed, if you do not tell both the dream and the interpretation. English Version is simpler, which supposes the king himself to have forgotten the dream. Pretenders to supernatural knowledge often bring on themselves their ow...
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And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers:

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers.</strong> God continues His purge of false securities, now targeting occult practices. <strong>"Witchcrafts"</strong> (כְּשָׁפִים, <em>keshaphim</em>) refers to sorcery, magic arts, and divination—attempts to manipulate spiritual forces or gain hidden knowledge through forbidden means. <strong>"Sooths...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**6. rewards--**literally, "presents poured out in lavish profusion."

Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands. standing: or, statues

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands.</strong> God targets idolatry directly. <strong>"Graven images"</strong> (פְּסִילֶיךָ, <em>pesilekha</em>) are carved idols—statues, figurines representing false gods. <strong>"Standing images"</strong> (מַצֵּבוֹתֶיךָ, <em>matzevotekha</em>) were ...
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And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities . cities: or, enemies

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities.</strong> <strong>"Groves"</strong> (אֲשֵׁרִים, <em>Asherim</em>) were wooden poles or living trees associated with Asherah worship—the Canaanite fertility goddess. These groves often accompanied Baal worship sites. Deuteronomy 16:21 commanded: "Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(14) **I will pluck up thy groves**—*i.e.*, either the statues, pillars, or trees connected with the worship of Baal and Astarte. Some such statue was placed by Manasseh even in the house of the Lord, from which it was brought out and burnt by Josiah (2Kings 23:6). **Thy cities**—*i.e.,* the pollutions, tumults, &c., of which the cities were the strongholds.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**8. gain ... time--**literally, "buy." Compare Ep 5:16; Col 4:5, where the sense is somewhat different. **the thing is gone from me--**(See on Da 2:5).

And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.</strong> Micah 5 concludes with sobering judgment. After describing Messiah's peaceful reign (v. 2-5a), the remnant's blessing (v. 7), their victory (v. 8-9), and God's purge of Israel's idolatry (v. 10-14), verse 15 addresses <strong>"the heathen"</strong> (הַגּוֹיִם, <em>ha-goyim</em>)—the Genti...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(15) **Such as they have not heard.**—Rather, *which have not been obedient*—*i.e.*, which had not availed themselves of the opportunities of learning the true religion. **Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission. **Bible Hub

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**9. one decree--**There can be no second one reversing the first (Es 4:11). **corrupt--**deceitful. **till the time be changed--**till a new state of things arrive, either by my ceasing to trouble myself about the dream, or by a change of government (which perhaps the agitation caused by the dream made Nebuchadnezzar to forebode, and so to suspect the Chaldeans of plotting). **tell ... drea...
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