Matthew 2:6

Mat_2:6

A Governor.

Messiahs government

I. The character of the Governor,

1. His dignity (Rom_9:5; Col_2:9; Jer_33:6; Isa_45:18; Isa_45:24; Rom_14:11-12; Joh_1:1, and others). Suitably sustained by His attributes.

2. His condescension (Php_2:5-8).

3. His fidelity-to Him by whom He was appointed (Mat_22:37-38; Mat_5:17-19; Luk_2:49; Mat_3:15; Joh_4:31-34); to them for whom He was appointed (Joh_16:12-13; Joh_16:33; Eph_4:7-13; Luk_12:50; Heb_2:14-18; Heb_7:25).

4. His clemency. Ever ready to pardon, etc.

II. The character of his subjects.

III. The character of his government.

1. Divine and spiritual (Luk_10:18; Col_1:13; Heb_1:14; Eph_1:18; Col_2:2-3).

2. Mild and equitable. Rules without coercion (Psa_119:32).

3. Vigorous and effective (2Ch_16:9; Psa_11:4-7; Psa_24:7-10; Psa_103:19-21; Col_2:15; Heb_2:14; Rom_8:34-39).

4. Staple, prosperous, everlasting (Heb_12:28; Isa_9:7; Dan_7:27; Heb_1:8). Application: Let the enemies of this government tremble (1Co_15:15; Psa_2:9; Rom_2:4; Rom_2:8-9); submit and find peace (Psa_2:10-12). Let the subjects of this government rejoice in anticipation of its progressive and rapid conquests, and its final triumph (Psa_2:7-8; Rev_7:9-12). (Zeta.)

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Mat 2:6. Thou Bethlehem, &c., art not the least among the princes of Juda — It is justly observed by Dr. Doddridge, after Erasmus, here, that “when this and several other quotations from the Old Testament, which we find in the New, come to be compared with the original, and even with the Septuagint, it plainly appears that the apostles did not always think it necessary to transcribe the passages they cited, but sometimes contented themselves with giving the general sense in some little diversity of language.” The words of Micah, which we render, Though thou be little, may be rendered, Art thou little? And his expression, thousands of Judah; and that of the evangelist here, princes, or governors of Judah, are in sense the same, the word thousands being used by the prophet, in allusion to the first division of the tribes of Israel into thousands, hundreds, and other subordinate divisions, over every one of which thousands was a prince or chief. But for a full explanation of both passages the reader is referred to the note on Mic 5:2.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

2:6 Bethlehem, a small village, had a privileged status as the birthplace of King David. The religious leaders knew from the prophets (1:22) that the Messiah would be born there. • King David had been a shepherd in his youth, and as king he became the shepherd of Israel (2 Sam 5:2). Micah 5:2-4 foresees the Messiah as a shepherd (cp. Ps 23:1).

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Mat 2:6. Καὶ σὺ Βηθλεὲμ κ.τ.λ., and thou Bethlehem, etc.) The passage referred to is in Mic 5:2, thus rendered by the LXX., καὶ σὺ Βηθλεὲμ ὁ οἶκος Εὐφραθᾶ, ὀλιγιστὸς εἶ τοῦ εἶναι ἐν χιλιάσιν Ἰούδα· ἐκ σοῦ μοι ἐξελεύσεται, τοῦ εἶναι εἰς ἄρχοντα τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. On which passage see Hallet’s Notes.[82] Let the following be accepted as a paraphrase of both the Prophet and the Evangelist. And thou Bethlehem Ephrata, or district in the tribe of Judah, art small, להיות, to be, in other words, inasmuch as thou art (quז sis) (consult on ì Noldii[83] Concordantiæ Particularum, p. 458), among the thousands of Judah, if this dignity which is not otherwise to be despised, and which far exceeds thy proportion and measure, be compared with that dignity exclusively thine own, by virtue of which thou art by no means the least, but altogether the greatest among the princes and thousands of Judah, sc., that from thee shall go forth for Me, להיות, one who is to be (qui sit) the Ruler in Israel. A similar mode of expression occurs in 2Sa 7:19; Isa 49:6. The greater honour obscures and absorbs the less.—γῆ Ἰούδα, a land of Judah. The land or district is put by Synechdoche,[84] for the township, as in Luk 9:12, fields for cantons: Judah was the tribe of the Messiah. Both words supply the place of Ephrata in the Hebrew. The LXX. have in Joshua 15, either between Jos 15:58 and Jos 15:59, or between Jos 15:59 and Jos 15:60, the following passage: Θεκὼ καὶ Ἐφραθά· αὕτη ἐστὶ Βηθλεὲμ κ.τ.λ.—Theko and Ephrata, which is Bethlehem, etc. If this passage (instead of having fallen out of the Hebrew text from coming between two which have the same ending), be redundant in the Septuagint, it affords a proof, that, at the time when the land of Canaan was divided amongst the tribes of Israel, Bethlehem was not even reckoned among the cities; Cf. Joh 7:42. It must, however, have been so reckoned as early at any rate as the reign of Rehoboam, as we learn from 2Ch 11:6. Micah addresses it in the masculine gender, with an implied reference to אלפים, thousands, families, Cf. אַלְפִי, ἡ κιλιάς μου, my thousand, i.e., my family, in Jdg 6:15. Wherefore St Matthew, after putting ἘΛΑΧΊΣΤΗ, least, in the feminine gender (to agree with γῆ, land, understood), mentions, instead of the thousands themselves, the princes of thousands (for אלף a thousand, family, etc., and אלוף, a chief, leader, etc., are cognate words) over whom he places one prince (ἩΓΟΥΜΈΝΟΝ), even Christ: nor does he so much give the preference to this city or thousand over the other cities or thousands of Judah, as to the Prince who came forth thence, over the other Princes of Thousands.—ἘΚ ΣΟῦ ΓᾺΡ ἘΞΕΛΕΎΣΕΤΑΙ, FOR from thee shall go forth) The LXX., as we have seen, have, from the Hebrew ἐκ σοῦ ΜΟΙ ἐξελεύσεται, from thee shall go forth FOR ME, a reading which is followed by the Codex Basiliensis Β,[85] and the Aldine reprint of Erasmus’ first edition.[86] Others combine both readings thus, ἐκ σοῦ ΓΑΡ ΜΟΙ ἐξελεύσεται—FOR from thee shall go forth FOR ME.[87] The pronoun MOI (to, or for, ME) evidently represents God the Father, speaking of Christ as His Son.—See Luk 1:32, and Cf., Mat 2:13. But the conjunction γαρ (for or because) points out the birthplace of Christ more significantly. The word γεννᾶται, shall be born (nascetur), which occurs in Mat 2:4, is synonymous with the ἐξελεύσεται, shall go forth, of the present passage. The יצא of the Hebrew; the derivative of which מוצאת (rendered by the LXX., ἔξοδοι, goings forth) ought also to be understood of birth or generation, and that from everlasting: Cf. מוצא in Job 38:27, and Num 30:13. The LXX. render צאצאים more than once by ΤΈΚΝΑ, children.—ἡγούμενος ὅστις ποιμανεῖ, a prince who shall shepherd) In 1Ch 11:2, concerning David, the LXX. have ΣῪ ΠΟΙΜΑΝΕῖς ΤῸΝ ΛΑΌΝ ΜΟΥ, ΤῸΝ ἸΣΡΑΉΛ· ΚΑῚ ΣῪ ἜΣῌ ἘΙς ἩΓΟῪΜΕΝΟΝ ἘΠῚ ΤῸΝ ΛΑΌΝ ΜΟΥ ΤῸΝ ἸΣΡΑΉΛΝ, thou shalt shepherd My people Israel, and thou shalt be for a prince over My people Israel. Concerning the expression to shepherd, see Psa 78:71-72. It is indeed a word worthy the kingly office, and at the same time according with the pastoral youth of David at Bethlehem. By the word ΠΟΙΜΑΝΕῖ (He shall shepherd) the evangelist includes also and condenses the third [fourth] verse of the chapter of Micah already cited, where the LXX. have the same expression.—τὸν λαόν Μου, MY people) which corresponds with the expression in Micah, ΜΟῚ ἘΞΕΛΈΥΣΕΤΑΙ, shall go forth for ME, i.e., GOD.—ΤῸΝ ἸΣΡΑῊΛ, Israel) The article is added to the name of a man, when put for that of a people. Israel, i.e., all the tribes of Israel. In the subsequent narrative no further mention occurs of Bethlehem, so that it may be doubted whether our Lord ever returned thither.

[82] JOSEPH HALLET, a dissenting minister, born at Exeter, 1692; died 1744.—(I. B.)

[83] CHRISTIAN NOLDIUS, author of “Concordantiæ Particularum Hebræo-Chaldæorum,” was an eminent Dutch divine, born 1626, died 1683.—(I. B.)

[84] See Explanation of Technical Terms in Appendix.—(I. B.)

[85] A MS. in the Basle Library, entitled there B. vi. 25; but designated as β by Bengel, for the sake of convenience.—See App. Crit., p. 90.—(I. B.)

[86] See Tregelles on the printed text of the Greek New Testament, pp. 19–26.—(I. B.)

[87] The only very ancient authority for γὰρ μοι ἐξελ is C. Theodoret and the Armen. Vers. follow it; but Z (and probably B) and D, and Vulg. omit μοι.—ED.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mat_2:6. In Mic_5:1 the sense is: Although Bethlehem is too unimportant to be reckoned among the cities of the district, yet a ruler in Israel will come forth from it. In Matthew this thought is, with a slight deviation, changed into: Bethlehem is undoubtedly an important place, because, etc. It is therefore unnecessary, with Grotius, to take the passage in Micah as interrogative: Art thou, then, Bethlehem, too small, etc., and to derive the turn of the thought with οὐδαμῶς from this interrogative interpretation (Hilgenfeld). But the Ruler to whom Micah alludes is none other than the Messianic King of Davids race (see Ewald, Proph.), so that in the birth of Jesus this prophecy receives its complete historical fulfilment. Comp. Joh_7:42.

ἐν τοῖς ἡγεμόσιν] בְּאַלְפֵי, LXX. ἐν χιλιάσιν. The Hebrew אֶלֶף denotes the subdivision of the tribes (the thousands, see Ewald, Alterth. p. 323 f.; Keil, Arch. II. p. 223), which had their principal places and their heads (אַלּוּף). See Gesenius, Thes. I. p. 106. The translation by ἡγεμόσιν (Chrysostom: φυλάρχοις) clearly shows that either the evangelist himself had read the word in question not בְּאַלְפֵי, but בְּאַלֻפֵי, or that his translator had committed this mistake. In the Septuagint also אַלּוּף is rendered by ἡγεμών, Gen_36:15 f.; Exo_15:15; 1Ch_1:51 f.; Psa_55:14. According to the words as they stand in Matthew, Bethlehem, the town, appears personified in the midst of the heads of families (Ewald, amongst the princes of Judah), amongst whom it had by no means the lowest position. Fritzsche conjectures ταῖς ἡγεμόσιν, in primariis familiarum in Judaea sedibus. But even thus the sense of אֶלֶף is not yet obtained. How easily, on the contrary, might the evangelist or his translator derive אלפי from אלוף, as the ἡγούμενος which follows must have been before him!

γῆ] not city, but strip of land, province, which includes the same, 1Ma_5:68. Often likewise in the tragic writers. See Fritzsche in loc. Comp. Seidler, ad Eurip. Troad. iv.; Ellendt, Lex. Soph. I. p. 361.

ἐξελεύσεται] will come forth, namely, by birth. Thus יָצָא, Gen_17:6. Comp. Heb_7:5; 1Ma_1:10.

ποιμανεῖ] Comp. the Homeric ποιμένες λαῶν. In like manner רָעָה is used of rulers, 2Sa_5:2; 2Sa_7:7; Jer_23:2 ff.; Mic_5:3.

Meyer — Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament — English translation by Peter Christie, edited by Frederick Crombie (T&T Clark, 1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Though thou be a small town, yet shalt thou be very famous and notable through the birth of the Messiah, who shall be born in thee.

That shall rule and govern: for Kings are fitly called leaders and shepherds of the people.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Juda--the "in" being familiarly left out, as we say, "London, Middlesex."

art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, &c.--This quotation, though differing verbally, agrees substantially with the Hebrew and the Septuagint. For says the prophet, "Though thou be little, yet out of thee shall come the Ruler"--this honor more than compensating for its natural insignificance; while our Evangelist, by a lively turn, makes him say, "Thou art not the least: for out of thee shall come a Governor"--this distinction lifting it from the lowest to the highest rank. The "thousands of Juda," in the prophet, mean the subordinate divisions of the tribe: our Evangelist, instead of these, merely names the "princes" or heads of these families, including the districts which they occupied

that shall rule--or "feed," as in the Margin.

my people Israel--In the Old Testament, kings are, by a beautiful figure, styled "shepherds" (Eze 34:1-10, &c.). The classical writers use the same figure. The pastoral rule of Jehovah and Messiah over His people is a representation pervading all Scripture, and rich in import. (See Psa 23:1-6; Isa 40:11; Eze 37:24; Joh 10:11; Rev 7:17). That this prophecy of Micah referred to the Messiah, was admitted by the ancient Rabbins.

The Wise Men Despatched to Bethlehem by Herod to See the Babe, and Bring Him Word, Make a Religious Offering to the Infant King, but Divinely Warned, Return Home by Another Way (Mat 2:7-12).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 6. And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda] To distinguish it from Bethlehem, in the tribe of Zebulon. Jos 19:15. See Clarke on Mt 2:1.

Art not the least] In Mic 5:2, it is read, Though thou be little - צעיר להיות tsair lehayoth, little to be. Houbigant, struck with the oddness of the construction of the Hebrew, by dividing the last word, and making a small change in two of the letters, makes the prophet agree with the evangelist, צעיר לא היית tsair lo hayita, thou art not the least. Several learned men are of opinion, that the copy from which St. Matthew quoted, had the text in this way. However, some MSS. of very good note, among which is the Codex Bezae, have μη ελαχιστη ει, for ουδαμως ελαχιστη ει, Art thou not the least? This reconciles the prophet and evangelist without farther trouble. See the authorities for this reading in Griesbach and Wetstein.

Among the princes of Juda] In Mic 5:2, it is, the thousands of Judah. There is much reason to believe that each tribe was divided into small portions called thousands, as in England certain small divisions of counties are called hundreds. For the proof of the first, the reader is referred to Jdg 6:15, where, instead of my FAMILY is poor in Manasseh, the Hebrew is, my THOUSAND (אלפי) is the meanest in Manasseh: and to 1Sa 10:19, Present yourselves before the Lord by your TRIBES and by your THOUSANDS: and to 1Ch 12:20, Captains of the THOUSANDS of Manasseh. Now these THOUSANDS being petty governments, Matthew renders them by the word ηγεμοσις, because the word princes or governors was more intelligible in the Greek tongue than thousands, though, in this case, they both signify the same. See Wakefield.

That shall rule my people Israel.] οστις ποιμανει, Who shall FEED my people. That is as a shepherd feeds his flock. Among the Greeks, kings are called, by Homer, λαων ποιμενες, shepherds of the people. This appellation probably originated from the pastoral employment, which kings and patriarchs did not blush to exercise in the times of primitive simplicity; and it might particularly refer to the case of David, the great type of Christ, who was a keeper of his father's sheep, before he was raised to the throne of Israel. As the government of a good king was similar to the care a good shepherd has of his flock, hence ποιμην signified both shepherd and king; and ποιμαινω, to feed and to rule among the ancient Greeks.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(6) And thou Bethlehem. . . .—The Evangelist is not quoting the prophecy of Micah himself, but recording it as it was quoted by the scribes. This in part explains the fact that he does not give either the version of the LXX., or a more accurate rendering of the Hebrew, but a free paraphrase. As the Targum, just referred to, belongs to this period, it is perfectly possible that the writer of it may have been one of the Council. At any rate, his Messianic reference of the passage was likely to be dominant. The chief difference for the English reader to note is, that the Hebrew gives “thou art little among the thousands (i.e., as in Jdg_6:15, the families or clans) of Judah;” the version given by St. Matthew, “thou art not the least among the princes.” The prophet contrasts the outward insignificance with the spiritual greatness. The paraphrast sees the outward transfigured by the glory of the spiritual. So again the simpler “out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel” is paraphrased into “out of thee shall come a Governor that shall rule (e.g., feed, as a shepherd) my people Israel.” The fact that the scribes stopped, and did not go on to the words that told of the Ruler as one “whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting,” may have arisen either from an unwillingness to bring that aspect of the expected Christ before the mind of Herod, or, possibly, from an equal unwillingness to face it themselves.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

6. And thou Bethlehem, &c.] Mic_5:2. The quotation nearly corresponds with the Hebrew text, the literal translation of which is: But thou Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little to be among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall come forth unto me he that is to be ruler in Israel.

The LXX. is singularly different both in words and construction—a proof of the Hebrew original of this gospel; for the Greek translation of the prophecy is evidently independent of the LXX.

A reflection of this prophecy became prevalent in the East. Accordingly the Roman historians designate the Emperor Vespasian as the Eastern Prince who was destined to rule the world: “Percrebuerat Oriente toto vetus et constans opinio esse in fatis ut eo tempore Judæa profecti rerum potirentur. Id de Imperatore Romano quantum postea eventu paruit prædictum Judæi ad se trahentes rebellarunt.” Suet. Vesp. iv. Similarly Tac. Hist. Mat_2:13. Comp. Joseph. B. J. vi. 5. 4. See above, Mat_2:2.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And thou Bethlehem in the land of Juda,.... This prophecy, which the chief priests and scribes produced, as pointing at the place of Christ's birth, is owned by both ancient and later Jews (y) to be a prophecy of the Messiah. The difference between Micah and Matthew is easily reconciled. Bethlehem is called by Micah, Bethlehem Ephratah, and by Matthew, Bethlehem in the land of Judah, and both were one and the same place. Bethlehem Ephratah was in the land of Juda, as appears from the prophecy of Micah itself, from Rut 1:2 and the Septuagint version of Jos 15:60 and is described in this manner by Matthew, partly to distinguish it from another Bethlehem in the land of Zebulun, Jos 19:15 and partly because its other name Ephratah was now disused, and so unknown to Herod, who was unacquainted with the books and prophecies of the Old Testament. Micah says this place was

little among the thousands of Judah. Matthew says, "not the least". But in this is no apparent contradiction, it might be "little" and yet "not the least"; besides, it might be "little" and "not little", or "not the least" in different respects, and at different times; it might be little, mean, and contemptible as to worldly splendour, riches, number of inhabitants, pompous buildings, &c. and yet not be little or mean, when considered as the place of the birth of many great persons, such as Booz, Jesse, David, &c. and especially Christ. It might be little in Micah's time, and yet not in Matthew's; especially since it had received a considerable additional honour by Christ's being born there. Moreover, the words in Micah may be rendered, by way of interrogation, "art thou little, or the least?" To which the answer in Matthew is, "no, thou art not the least", &c. or else the word may be understood, and the text be translated thus; "it is a small thing that thou art among the thousands of Judah, for out of thee", &c. a great honour shall be conferred on thee, the Messiah shall spring from thee. Again, what Micah calls "thousands", are in Matthew called "princes"; the reason of this is, because the tribes of Israel were divided into thousands, and every thousand had its prince; so that though here is a difference in words, yet none in sense. What Micah styles "a ruler in Israel", Matthew expresses by "a governor that shall rule or feed my people Israel"; but in this there is no contradiction. Add to all this, that it should be observed, that the Evangelist is not giving a version of his own, but of the chief priests and scribes; and therefore was it ever so faulty, they, and not he, must be chargeable with it; for he has acted the part of a faithful historian in giving it in the words in which they cited it (z).

(y) Targum Jon. Jarchi, Aben Ezra, Kimchi & Abendana in loc. Abarbinel Mashmia Jeshua, fol. 62. 2. R. Isaac Chizuk Emuna, p. 279. (z) See my book of the "Prophecies of the Messiah", &c. ch. 6. p. 104-116.

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6 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.

Ver. 6. And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least] "Thou art the least," saith Micah, Mic 5:2, via in comparison of greater cities, yet "not the least," saith Matthew, because "out of thee shall come a Governor," &c. In Scripture, the place of holy men’s birth is remembered and registered: God loves the very ground his servants tread on. "The Lord shall count, when he numbereth up the people, that this man was born there:" {Psa 67:6-7} how much more the man Christ Jesus? Any interest or relation to him ennobleth whatsoever place or person, and may justly comfort us against whatsoever troubles. The prophet Micah, whose words are here cited, opposeth the birth of this babe of Bethlehem to all the troops and troubles of Assyria, Mic 5:1-2.

For out of thee shall come a Governor] No sooner is this Child born, this Son given to us, bug the "government is laid upon his shoulder," Isa 9:6, as the key of the house of David was upon Eliakim’s, Isa 22:22. Send ye therefore a lamb to this ruler of the land, Isa 16:1; do him all hearty homage and fealty.

That shall rule my people] Or feed them; {a} for the art of feeding and ruling are sisters. David was taken from following the ewes to feed God’s people; so was Moses, in whose absence, how soon was Israel, as silly sheep, gone out of the way! Christ is the arch-Shepherd, that feeds his people daily, daintily, plentifully, pleasantly, among the lilies, Son 2:16; yea, in his garden of spices, in green pastures of his word, and by the still waters of his sacraments, where we go in and out, and find pasture, Joh 10:9, such as breeds life, and life in more abundance, Mat 2:10. We lie down in peace, Jer 23:4, and need not fear the spiritual Assyrian, Mic 5:5, while we keep us within the hedge, and run to the foddering places; submitting to the ministers, those under-shepherds, Son 1:7-8, who are charged to feed Christ’s sheep, his sheep with golden fleeces; yea, to do it (לי, as the Syriac hath it) for me, for my sake (saith our Saviour), to whom Peter cannot better seal up his love than by taking care of his cure. I know how Bellarmine glosseth that text, {Joh 21:16} "Feed my sheep," that is, Regio more impera, Rule like an emperor: Supremum in Ecclesia dominlum tibi assere, saith Baronius, Domineer over the Church, because the word here used (ποιμαινω, -and so in John) signifieth as well to govern as to feed. But what will they say to βοσκω, the other word there twice used by our Saviour, which always signifieth to feed, and not at all to govern? But these men seize at government, stop feeding, although the Fathers took the text only of feeding by doctrine, and that they beat upon, and urged altogether.

{a} ποιμανει. Psa 78:71. Αγαμεμνονα ποιμενα λαων. Homer. 1Pe 5:4; Son 8:14; Psa 23:2-3.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And thou Bethlehem, &c. This was a clear prophecy concerning the Messias, foretold by Micheas; (chap. v. 2,) yet the words which we read in the evangelist are not quite the same as we find in the prophet, either according to the Hebrew or to the Greek text of the Sept. The chief difference is, that in the prophet we read: And thou Bethlehem art little; but in the evangelist, thou art not the least. Some answer that the words of the prophet are to be expounded by way of an interrogation, art thou little? It is certain the following words, both in the prophet and in the gospel, out of thee shall come forth a leader or a captain, &c. shew that the meaning is, thou art not little. St. Jerome’s observation seems to clear this point: he tells us, that the Jewish priests, who were consulted, gave Herod the sense, and not the very words of the prophet; and the evangelist, as an historian, relates to us the words of these priests to Herod, no the very words of the prophet. (Witham) --- The testimony of the chief priests proves that this text of Micheas was even then generally applied to the Messias, and that to Him alone it must be referred according to the letter. (Haydock)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

6. And thou Bethlehem — The New Testament quotations will often be found to vary from the passage in the Old. New Testament writers sometimes quoted the words of the Hebrew precisely; sometimes quoted the Septuagint or Greek translation, which was commonly read by the Jews of their day; and sometimes quoted substantially, with such variations as rendered the passage more clear, without misrepresenting the original divine mind in the passage.

This passage in the Old Testament reads thus: 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. Mic_5:2. The evangelist leaves out Ephratah as a name now little known, and substitutes land of Judah as expressing the same limitation of the site of Bethlehem. Though thou be little, in the Hebrew, the evangelist changes to art not the least; for the smallness of the external size is mentioned by the Hebrew to imply its not being small in divine favour, as expressed by the evangelist. Matthew puts princes, or rulers of a thousand apiece, for the thousands themselves, which amounts to the same thing.

This is a most signal passage of prophecy, for many reasons, among which are the following:

1. It was the uniform practice of the ancient Jews, agreeing with Herod’s Sanhedrim, to apply it to the Messiah. “All the Jewish interpreters,” says Hengstenberg, “with the Chaldee at their head, (who paraphrase the closing part of the passage, ‘from thee shall the Messiah go forth to me, before me,’) maintain the application to the Messiah.” But so fatal to their own cause has this proved that the modern Jews have been obliged to abandon their ancient interpretation!

2. This prophecy brings to a point a whole series of converging prophecies. First we have the Edenic prediction of the seed of the woman; it is narrowed to the line of Shem; next to the line of Abraham, to that of Isaac, Jacob, Judah, David, and finally to the city of David, Bethlehem.

3. This pointing to Bethlehem made more conspicuous the fact that Jesus was of the royal line of David. It pointed to the place where David spent his boyhood; and to the place where the record of the pedigree of Jesus was to be found, so completing the evidence presented in Matthew’s genealogy. Moreover, of the two cities of David, Jerusalem and Bethlehem, the latter is selected as the starting place of both David and Jesus, each from a humble origin, the latter from the decayed line of the former.

4. And those who complain that the whole account of the Messiah’s birth seems an obscure and humble matter, in a narrow corner of the world, unlike what an incarnation should be, should take into consideration how clear are the predictions that God would fling the vail over that transaction. See note on Mat_2:23.

5. The predicted birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, of the line of David, and so of the tribe of Judah, settles the point that the Messiah has come. Not only was it predicted that Messiah should appear during the second temple, (which is now no more,) but the tribeship of Judah and the lineage of David are lost. All traces of the royal line disappeared at the fall of Jerusalem and the dispersion of their race.

6. Finally, no infidel can say these prophecies were forged by Christians, or were made to suit the event, for the records are preserved by our opponents, the Jews. The Hebrews keep our library of proofs. Judaism furnishes the prophecy; Christianity furnishes the fulfilment; and how will infidelity explain the agreement?

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Jude, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel; and thou Bethlehem, land of Judah, art in no wise least among the princes of Judah: For out of thee shall come forth a governor, which shall be shepherd of my people Israel (Revised Version). In this quotation from Mic_5:2 notice the following Variations from the Hebrew, and practically from the LXX:

(1) "Land of Judah" for "Ephratah"; an unimportant change in the terms of definition.

(2) "Art in no wise least" for "which art little to be"; a verbal contradiction probably, but also unimportant, as the thought of the context in Micah is of Bethlehem"s greatness.

(3) "Princes" for "thousands." This may be due

(a) to a different pointing of the Hebrew, ypeluaB for ypelaB (cf. the rabbinic commentary, "Metzud. Zion."), or

(b) to understanding ypelaB as "families", (Jud_1:6:15; cf. Revised "Version margin) and then concentrating the family in its head.

(4) "For out of thee shall come forth a governor, which shall be shepherd of my people Israel" for "out of thee shall one come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel." This is a paraphrase, with a paraphrastic addition from 2Sa_5:2, (2Sa_7:7) in order to distinctly identify the ruler with Messiah. Nothing is commoner in Jewish authors than the silent conjunction of quotations from separate contexts. In this case the thought of the shepherd in Mic_5:4 made the addition from Samuel the more easy. It must also be noticed that the reference of the passage in Micah to Christ is fully borne out by Jewish writers. Though they generally explain the rest of the verse as referring to the long lapse of time from David himself, they understand the ruler to be Messiah. But it is not usual with Jewish interpreters to understand the reference to Bethlehem as implying the place of Messiah"s own birth. They generally take it as referring to the home of David, Messiah"s ancestor. And this is the more natural meaning of the prophecy. The quotation, however, from the Jerusalem Talmud already given on ver. 1, and the Targum of Jonathan on Gen_35:21 ("the tower of Edar the place whence King Messiah is about to be revealed in the end of the days"), endorse the thoroughly Jewish character of the reply given to Herod. (cf. also Joh_7:42) If it be asked why St. Matthew does not give an exact and verbal rendering of the Hebrew, the answer may be made that he probably gives the current form of its exposition. The high priests and scribes would have doubtless quoted it accurately in the process of weighing Micah"s statement, but when, as here, they were only reproducing the result that they had arrived at, they would care for only the substance of the prophet"s teaching (cf. the paraphrastic rendering of the Targum). In the land of Judah; Revised Version omits in (Bhyleeda). "Bethlehem-Judah" would have presented no difficulty, for a town was often distinguished by the apposition of the name of the district in which it was situated; e.g. Ramoth-Gilead, Kedesh-Naphtali. It seems best to explain the gh as a mere expansion of "Judah". (cf. RAPC 1Ma 5:68, azwton ghn allofulwn , where probably the thought was Ashdod-Philistia) It is, however, possible that gh is here used in the sense of "the town and its surrounding district, over which district, it is to be observed, Herod extended his massacre (verse 16)" (Humphrey, in loc.).

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Thou art in nowise the least among the princes of Judah - That is, among the cities belonging to the princes or heads of thousands in Judah. When this and several other quotations from the Old Testament are compared with the original, it plainly appears, the apostles did not always think it necessary exactly to transcribe the passages they cited, but contented themselves with giving the general sense, though with some diversity of language. The words of Micah, which we render, Though thou be little, may be rendered, Art thou little? And then the difference which seems to be here between the prophet and the evangelist vanishes away. Micah v, 2.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

6. And thou Bethlehem. The quotation is made freely from the Septuagint version (Greek), which was in common use, and from which the Savior and his apostles constantly quoted. The Hebrew is literally, “But thou Bethlehem Ephrata, too small to be among the thousands of Judah (i. e., the towns where the heads of thousands resided, the chief towns in the distribution of the tribes), out of thee shall come forth one who is to be the ruler of Israel.” Princes. Put for towns, where the princes or head of thousands lived.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

6. καὶ σὺ Βηθλεέμ κ.τ.λ. Mic 5:2. The quotation (as usually in passages cited by St Matthew alone) nearly corresponds with the Hebrew text, the literal translation of which is: ‘But thou Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little to be among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall come forth unto me he that is to be ruler in Israel.’

A note of interrogation in the Hebrew would entirely reconcile the quotation with the original passage. Others have conjectured the loss of a negative in the Hebrew text, which seems to have been cited by some of the fathers with the negative. See Bp Jebb, Sacr. Lit. p. 99.

The LXX. differs widely both in words and construction—an indication of a Hebrew original of this gospel; for the Greek translation of the prophecy is evidently independent of the LXX. It stands thus in A. καὶ σὺ Βηθλεέμ, οἶκος τοῦ Ἐφραθά, ὀλιγοστὸς εἶ τοῦ εἶναι ἐν χιλιάσιν Ἰοῦδα· ἐκ σοῦ μοι ἐξελεύσεται ἡγούμενος, τοῦ εἶναι εἰς ἄρχοντα ἐν τῷ Ἰσραήλ. Note here the greater excellence of the Gospel version and the poetical touch in ποιμανεῖ (cp. the Homeric ποιμένα λαῶν) not found in the Hebrew original or in the LXX. ὀλιγοστὸς appears to be used in the LXX. as superlative of ὀλίγος for ὀλίγιστος· the classical meaning ‘one of few,’ i.e. ‘among the mightiest,’ ‘considerable’ (see Campbell’s note on Soph. Ant. 625 and cp. πολλοστός) would bring the LXX. more nearly in accord with St Matthew’s citation. The substitution of ἡγεμόσιν for the technical word χιλιάσιν may mark the form in which the message was actually conveyed to Herod, or it may be an adaptation for the sake of clearness. ἡγούμενος, modern Greek, in this sense, see Geldart, Mod. Greek, p. 103.

A reflection of this prophecy became prevalent in the East. Accordingly the Roman historians designate the Emperor Vespasian as the Eastern Prince who was destined to rule the world: ‘Percrebuerat Oriente toto vetus et constans opinio esse in fatis ut eo tempore Judæa profecti rerum potirentur. Id de Imperatore Romano quantum postea eventu paruit prædictum Judæi ad se trahentes rebellarunt.’ Suet. Vesp. IV. Similarly Tac. Hist. Mat 2:13. Comp. Joseph. B. J. VI. 5. 4. See above, Mat 2:2.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

6. καὶ σύ] This is a free paraphrase of the prophecy in Mic 5:2. It must be remembered that though the words are the answer of the Sanhedrim to Herod, and not a citation of the prophet by the Evangelist, yet they are adopted by the latter as correct. Lightfoot renders the Hebrew, ‘parvum est ut sis inter chiliadas,’ and adds, that the Chaldee paraphrast, who may possibly have been present at this very council, renders the words ‘intra pauxillum es ut præficiaris.’

γῆ Ἰούδα] γῆ need not be supposed to be put for πόλις: the district may be intended, as described in ver. 16.

ἡγεμόσιν] or χιλιάσιν (LXX). The tribes were divided into chiliads, and the names of the chiliads inscribed in the public records of their respective cities. In Jdg 6:15 Gideon says ἰδοὺ ἡ χιλιάς μου ἠσθένησεν ἐν Μανασσῇ, on which R. Kimchi (cited by Lightfoot) annotates, “Some understand Alphi to mean ‘my father,’ as if it were Alluph, whose signification is ‘prince or lord.’ ” And thus, it appears, did the Sanhedrim understand the word (which is the same) in Mic 5:2. The word באלפי, without points, may mean either בְּאַלְפֵי, ἐν χιλιάσιν, or בְּאַלֻּפֵי, ἐν ἡγεμόσιν.

ἐκ σοῦ γὰρ ἐξ.] It has been remarked that the singular Latin expression, which occurs both in Tacitus and Suetonius (see the passages above in note on μάγοι ἀπ. ἀν.) ‘Judæa profecti,’ may have been derived from these words of the LXX.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

6. γῆ] Om. S1 S2.—Ἰούδα] D a c f g1 q have τῆς Ἰουδαίας.

(P)

6. In favour of as early a date as possible, is the fact that the agreement of Mat_1 and Luk_1 as to the central fact of supernatural birth presupposes the existence of the tradition for some years prior to the publication of these Gospels. It is here assumed that Luk 1:34, Luk 1:35 form an integral part of Lk.’s narrative. See Gunkel, p. 67; Interpreter, February 1905, pp. 116 ff.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Land of Judah. To distinguish it from Bethlehem in the territory of Zebulon.

Shall be shepherd of [ποιμανει] , from poimhn, a shepherd. So Rev., rightly, instead of shall rule. The word involves the whole office of the shepherd - guiding, guarding, folding, as well as feeding. Hence appropriate and often applied to the guides and guardians of others. Homer calls kings "the shepherds of the people." To David the people said, "The Lord said to thee, Thou shalt feed (as a shepherd) my people Israel" (2Sa 5:2, compare Psa 78:70 - 72). God is often called a shepherd (Gen 48:15; Psa 23:1; Psa 77:20; Psa 80:1; Isa 40:11; Eze 34:11 - 31). Jesus calls himself the good shepherd (Joh 10:11). Peter, who is bidden by Jesus to shepherd his sheep (Joh 21:16, poimaine, Rev., tend), calls him the Shepherd of Souls (1Pe 2:25), and the Chief Shepherd (1Pe 5:4); and in the Epistle to the Hebrews (xiii. 20), he is styled the great Shepherd of the sheep. In Rev 2:27, rule is literally to shepherd (compare Rev 19:15); but Christ will shepherd his enemies, not with the pastoral crook, but with a sceptre of iron. Finally, Jesus will perpetuate this name and office in heaven among his redeemed ones, for "the Lamb, which is in the midst of the throne, shall be their shepherd (Rev 7:17, Rev.). In this verse the word governor is in harmony with the idea of shepherding, since the word hJgoumenov originally means one who goes before, or leads the way, and suggests Christ 's words about the good shepherd in Joh 10:3, 4." He calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.... He goeth before them, and the sheep follow him. "

Inquired diligently [ηκριβωσεν] . Better learned accurately. The verb is formed from akrov, at the point or end. The idea is, therefore, he ascertained to the last point; denoting the exactness of the information rather than the diligence of the search for it. Compare ver. 8, " Search out carefully [ακριβως] . So the Rev. for diligently.

What time the star appeared [τον χρονον του φαινομενου] . Lit., the time of the appearing star. Herod asks, "How long does the star make itself visible since its rising in the East? rather than" At what time did it appear? "

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.