The Scripture behind the Scripture

Thou Bethlehem

Micah 5:2 foretells that a ruler over Israel will come out of Bethlehem, small among the towns of Judah. Matthew 2:6 cites it when the wise men seek the newborn king, and Matthew's wording differs from both the Hebrew and the Greek, which is worth noting honestly.

“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.”Micah 5:2

“And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.”Matthew 2:6

In its own place

In its own place. Micah prophesied in Judah in the eighth century before Christ, a contemporary of Isaiah, addressing injustice and coming judgment while also holding out hope. In Micah 5, amid threats of siege, the prophet announces that out of Bethlehem Ephratah, though it be little among the thousands of Judah, will come forth one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. In its original setting this promises a future Davidic ruler, born in the ancestral town of David, who will shepherd his people and bring peace. Bethlehem was the small, obscure birthplace of David, and the prophecy signals that God will raise up a new David from the same humble origin to deliver and rule his people. The phrase about the ruler's goings forth from of old, from ancient days, points at least to his ancient Davidic lineage, and many have heard in it a hint of a deeper, more mysterious origin. In context Micah offers hope that despite Judah's coming humiliation, God will bring forth from little Bethlehem a shepherd king who will stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, and be their peace.

Where the New Testament takes it up

This is a quotation, but Matthew's wording differs from both the Hebrew and the Greek Septuagint, which should be noted honestly. In Matthew 2:6, when Herod asks the chief priests and scribes where the Messiah is to be born, they answer with Micah's prophecy, In Bethlehem of Judaea, for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda, for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. Several differences stand out. Micah calls Bethlehem little or small among the clans of Judah, while Matthew's citation says it is not the least among the princes of Judah, seemingly reversing the sense to stress the honor Bethlehem now receives as the Messiah's birthplace. Matthew also adds a phrase drawn from elsewhere, that this ruler will shepherd, or rule, God's people Israel, language echoing God's promise to David. This is a free or interpretive rendering rather than a strict word for word citation, and it may reflect the way the scribes summarized the text. Christians should acknowledge the difference in wording plainly. Matthew is not altering the substance, that the Messiah comes from Bethlehem, but he renders it in a way that highlights the town's new dignity and the ruler's shepherd role, which honestly reflects the New Testament's freedom in citing Scripture for its point.