Micah 4 is the fourth chapter of the

Book of Micah The Book of Micah is the sixth of the twelve minor prophets in the Hebrew Bible. Ostensibly, it records the sayings of Micah, whose name is ''Mikayahu'' ( he, מִיכָיָ֫הוּ), meaning "Who is like Yahweh?", an 8th-century BCE prophet fro ...

in the

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' Old Testament of the Christian

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts ...

. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet

Micah Micah (; ) is a given name. Micah is the name of several people in the Hebrew Bible ( Old Testament), and means "Who is like God?" The name is sometimes found with theophoric extensions. Suffix theophory in '' Yah'' and in ''Yahweh'' results in ...

, and is a part of the Book of the Twelve Minor Prophets.

Text

The original text was written in the

Hebrew language Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

. This chapter is divided into 13 verses in English Bibles, but 14 verses in Hebrew Bible (

Masoretic Text The Masoretic Text (MT or 𝕸; he, נֻסָּח הַמָּסוֹרָה, Nūssāḥ Hammāsōrā, lit. 'Text of the Tradition') is the authoritative Hebrew and Aramaic text of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh) in Rabbinic Judaism. ...

) using a different verse numbering (see below).

Verse numbering

There are some differences in verse numbering of this chapter in English Bibles and Hebrew texts: This article generally follows the common numbering in Christian English Bible versions, with notes to the numbering in Hebrew Bible versions.

Textual versions

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

are of the

tradition, which includes the Codex Cairensis (895), the Petersburg Codex of the Prophets (916),

Codex Leningradensis The Leningrad Codex ( la, Codex Leningradensis [Leningrad Book]; he, כתב יד לנינגרד) is the oldest complete manuscript of the Hebrew Bible in Hebrew, using the Masoretic Text and Tiberian vocalization. According to its colopho ...

(1008). Fragments cumulatively containing all verses of this chapter in Hebrew were found among the

Dead Sea Scrolls The Dead Sea Scrolls (also the Qumran Caves Scrolls) are ancient Jewish and Hebrew religious manuscripts discovered between 1946 and 1956 at the Qumran Caves in what was then Mandatory Palestine, near Ein Feshkha in the West Bank, on the ...

, including 4Q82 (4QXII^g; 25 BCE) with extant verses 1–2;Dead sea scrolls - Micah
/ref> and

Wadi Murabba'at Wadi Murabba'at, also known as Nahal Darga, is a ravine cut by a seasonal stream which runs from the Judean desert east of Bethlehem past the Herodium down to the Dead Sea 18 km south of Khirbet Qumran in the West Bank. It was here in caves ...

Minor Prophets (Mur88; MurXIIProph; 75-100 CE) with extant verses 1–13. There is also a translation into

Koine Greek Koine Greek (; Koine el, ἡ κοινὴ διάλεκτος, hē koinè diálektos, the common dialect; ), also known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek or New Testament Greek, was the common supra-reg ...

known as the

Septuagint The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond ...

, made in the last few centuries BCE. Extant ancient manuscripts of the

version include

Codex Vaticanus The Codex Vaticanus ( The Vatican, Bibl. Vat., Vat. gr. 1209), designated by siglum B or 03 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), δ 1 ( von Soden), is a fourth-century Christian manuscript of a Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Greek Old ...

(B;

\mathfrak

^B; 4th century),

Codex Alexandrinus The Codex Alexandrinus (London, British Library, Royal MS 1. D. V-VIII), designated by the siglum A or 02 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts), δ 4 (in the von Soden numbering of New Testament manuscripts), is a manu ...

(A;

\mathfrak

^A; 5th century) and

Codex Marchalianus Codex Marchalianus designated by siglum Q is a 6th-century Greek manuscript copy of the Greek version of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh or Old Testament) known as the Septuagint. The text was written on vellum in uncial letters. Palaeographically it ...

(Q;

\mathfrak

^Q; 6th century). Some fragments containing parts of this chapter (a revision of the Septuagint) were found among the

, that is, Naḥal Ḥever (8ḤevXII^gr; late 1st century BCE) with extant verses 3–10.

Peace at the last (4:1–5)

This section begins with a vision of universal peace, with several verbal associations to the last part of

chapter 3 Chapter Three refers to a third Chapter (books), chapter, but the term may also refer to: Albums *Chapter III (Agathodaimon album), ''Chapter III'' (Agathodaimon album), 2003 *Chapter III (Allure album), ''Chapter III'' (Allure album), 2004 *Chapte ...

. The peace (verses 3b–4) is linked to the willingness of the nations to submit to God's order, as urged in verse 5. Verses 1–3 have a close parallel in , and each passage has a concluding verse (; ). Gedenkstein ev

Verse 3

:''And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.'' *Cross reference: Isaiah 2:4 *"Plowshare": a part of a large plow, that is, 'the metal tip which actually breaks the earth and cuts the furrow'.

Verse 4

: ''But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree,'' :: ''And no one shall make them afraid;'' : ''For the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.'' This verse does not have parallel in the corresponding passage in the Book of Isaiah, so it is considered an original part of the oracle to Micah, although it still has 'Isaianic characteristics', pointing to the existence of 'a common original which was developed in Isaianic circles'.

A positive role for the remnant (4:6–7)

The realization of the vision (cf. 'in that day') will begin by God's rule in Zion over the restored remnant. As 4:1–5 reverses 3:9–12, so here the judgement of 2:12–13 is overturned (see too Zephaniah 3:11–20). This absolute use of the word 'remnant' is post-exilic, and helps to locate the setting of the redaction of this section as a whole.

Verse 7

: ''And I will make her that halted a remnant, and her that was cast far off a strong nation: and the Lord shall reign over them in mount Zion from henceforth, even for ever.''

The instrument of God's rule (4:8–5:6)

This section has a balanced structure, with verses 4:8 and 5:2 (introducing 5:2–6) exactly parallel, and three short paragraphs in between, each of which is introduced by the word 'now' (4:9, 11; 5:1).

Verse 8

: ''And thou, O tower of the flock,'' :: ''the strong hold of the daughter of Zion,'' : ''unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion;'' :: ''the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.'' * "And thou, O tower of the flock": "''Tower of Ader'', '' Migdal Eder''" which is interpreted 'tower of the flock,' about 1000 paces (a mile) from

Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...

," according to Jerome who lived there, "and foresignifying (in its very name) by a sort of prophecy the shepherds at the Birth of the Lord."

Jacob Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. J ...

fed his sheep near there , and later (due to its proximity to

) the shepherds who watched over their flocks by night, saw and heard the angels proclaiming "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Jewish literature inferred that the Messiah should be revealed in this place, Barnes, Albert
''Notes on the Bible'' - Micah 4
London, Blackie & Son, 1884. Reprint, Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998. that is, the place where Messiah as "the lamb of God" should be born.
This teaching by Rabbi Mike L Short. * "The stronghold (''ophel'', "the hill") of the daughter of Zion": The name "

Ophel ''Ophel'' ( he, עֹ֫פֶל ''‘ōp̄el''), also Graecised to ''ophlas'', is the biblical term given to a certain part of a settlement or city that is elevated from its surroundings, and probably means fortified hill or risen area. In the Hebr ...

" is given to the southern spur of Mount Moriah, opposite to the Mount Zion, separated by the

Tyropoeon Valley Tyropoeon Valley (Greek: i.e., "Valley of the Cheesemakers") is the name given by Josephus the historianWars 5.140 to the valley or rugged ravine, in the Old City of Jerusalem, which in ancient times separated Mount Moriah from Mount Zion and em ...

. It was fortified by Jotham () and Manasseh (). The king's house (the old palace of David) and "the tower that lieth out," or the upper tower (see ) were built on this land. It could be the same as "flock tower" (compare , where Ophel and the watch tower are named together) because it was originally a place of refuge for flocks, or of observation for shepherds. Other than representing the power and dominion of Jerusalem, the term also recalls David's work was a shepherd before he was king, and that 'the Israelites are the sheep of the Lord's pasture'. A slight reading variation renders 'ophel' in the

LXX The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond th ...

as , "dark;" so Jerome translated as "nebulosa;" Aquila as and Symmachus as , referring to the 'ruinous condition of the tower'. The Septuagint adds , alluding to the siege of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans.Exell, Joseph S.; Henry Donald Maurice Spence-Jones (Editors). The Pulpit Commentary. 23 volumes. First publication: 1890. * "Even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem": or rather, "and the first dominion shall come, the kingdom to the daughter of Jerusalem": meaning, not the first notice of the Messiah's kingdom, given by

John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

, and his apostles, to the Jews, in the first times of the Gospel; or the preaching of the Gospel of the kingdom first to them; but rather he who has the first or principal dominion, and to whom the kingdom belongs, he shall come to the daughter of Zion, as in Zechariah 9:9; though it rather respects here his coming to them at the time of their conversion, when they shall come to him, ; and when the first, chief, and principal kingdom in the world, and which is preferable to all others, will come unto, and be placed among them, as in Micah 4:7; and when it shall be, as some interpret it, as at the beginning, in the days of David and Solomon, and much more abundantly.John Gill. John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible. Exposition of the Old and New Testament. Published in 1746–1763. * "Kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem": rather, "the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem shall come (again)"; such as it was under David, before its being weakened by the secession of the ten tribes.Robert Jamieson, Andrew Robert Fausset; David Brown. '' Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary On the Whole Bible''. 1871.

Notes

References

Sources

* * * * * * *

External links

Jewish

Micah 4 Hebrew with Parallel EnglishMicah 4 Hebrew with Rashi's Commentary

Christian

Micah 4 English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate
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