The Messiah, the Saviour who will be Born in Bethlehem

Micah 5:2-5a (NAB - Micah 5:1-4a)

[2] But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.

[3] Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in travail has brought forth; then the rest of his brethren shall return to the people of Israel.

[4] And he shall stand and feed 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.

Assyria repulsed

[5] And this shall be peace, when the Assyrian comes into our land and treads upon our soil.

Commentary:

5:2-4. The scenario, darkened for a moment in the previous three verses (4:9-5: 1), becomes bright again with the announcement of a "ruler" or governor in Israel, who will be born ("come forth from" O Bethlehem, the city of David, a city in the region of "Ephrath" (Gen 35:16). The region is often distinguished from its leading city (cf. 1 Sam 17:12), but in some passages the region and the city are treated as one and the same (Gen 35:19).

There are many contrasts here, a typical feature of salvation oracles: the future king will have humble origins, for he will be born in a small town ("you … who are little" in v. 2 could also be translated as "you … who are least"); still, Bethlehem is not without honour, for it was the birthplace of David and is therefore the place that guaranteed one’s belonging to the line of David; this ruler comes from an ancient line, but to perceive his presence one must wait until "she who is in travail has brought forth" (v. 3); all he will do is tend his flock, yet the benefits of his rule will extend to the ends of the earth (v. 4). No contemporary king could match this description; the prophet is referring to the future Messiah-king. There are many elements in this passage that link it to the messianic passages in Isaiah (Is 7: 14; 9:5-6; 11:1-4) and to passages about the future offspring of David (2 Sam 7: 12-16; Ps 89:3).

Jewish tradition read this passage as a messianic prophecy, as can be seen from passages in the Talmud (Pesahim, 51, 1 and Nedarim, 39, 2). The New Testament contains clear references to it: for example, the verses in the Gospel of St John that report the opinion of Jesus’ contemporaries as to where the Messiah would come from: "Is the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not the scripture said that the Christ is descended from David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was? (Jn 7:40-42); but Matthew 2:4-6 is the main text that applies the prophecy to Jesus: the evangelist subtly ennobles the city of David (he says: "And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah are by no means least among the rulers of Judah", instead of Micah’s "who are little" or "least" — in order to enhance the figure of Jesus, the Messiah).

Going along with this interpretation in St Matthew, Christian tradition has seen the Micah passage as an announcement of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem. The Fathers developed many arguments to try to convince Jews that Jesus was the expected Messiah. For example, Tertullian wrote: "Since the children of Israel accuse us of grave error because we believe in Christ, who has come, let us show them from the Scriptures that the Christ who was foretold has come […]. He was born in Bethlehem in Judah, as the prophet foretold: But you, O Bethlehem, are by no means least . . . (v. 2)" ("Adversus Iudaeos", 13). And St Irenaeus said: "In his day, the prophet Micah told us of the place where the Christ would be born: Bethlehem, in Judah. O Bethlehem . . . , who are little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth from me one who is to be ruler of Israel. Bethlehem is also in the homeland of David, and Christ comes from the line of David, not only because he was born of the Virgin, but because he was born in Bethlehem" ("Demonstratio praedicationis apostolicae", 63).

5:5-6. "This [the Messiah who will be born in Bethlehem] shall be peace" (v. 5). In the same way as "Egypt" was synonymous with "bondage", now Assyria has come to symbolize the oppressive nation. This oracle, then, comes prior to the appearance of Babylon on the horizon of the chosen people. A Christian reading of the passage sees in it a description of any crisis experienced by the people of God or by a sincere believer, who looks to his Lord for peace. Ephesians 2: 13-14 echoes 5:4: "But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near in the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility."

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.