Micah 5:2 - Born in Bethlehem - His Pre-Existence

 There are multiple claims concerning what Christians refer to as Micah 5:2 (or what the Masoretic Text calls “Micah 5:1”). To understand these claims, let us first examine the KJV version of this verse:

“But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from old, from everlasting.”

This verse can be confusing because the first “thou” refers to the town of Bethlehem, which is located in the area or town called Efrat, distinguishing it from another Bethlehem further north in Galilee.

Consider a different translation—my own. In this translation, the three words in bold and all capitals indicate Hebrew words that are masculine, a significant distinction when reading the text, which is not apparent in an English translation:

“And YOU of Bethlehem by Efrat, a YOUTH among the thousands of those of Judah, it is from YOU that will come forth to me a ruler in Israel, from the past, from days of long ago.”

Just as the masculine form of “YOU” (אתה) refers to the masculine form of “YOUTH” (צעיר), rather than the feminine town (Bethlehem is always referred to as “she” (היא) and is never masculine), this YOUTH is referred to as having the rulership come from him, not from the feminine town.

A more freeform translation might clarify it further:

“And YOU, a Bethlehemite YOUTH of Efrat, who, from the thousands of the tribe of Judah, it is from YOU that a ruler of Israel will come forth to me, just as it was in the past, from days of long ago.”

It is an oft-repeated theme that the promised Messiah will come from a specific individual as his root. In this case, it uses the expression of a young Bethlehemite from long ago.

Keep in mind that 500 years before this prophecy, young David, a Bethlehemite, was chosen out of the many thousands of the tribe of Judah, who were older and more experienced than he. On the day that David was anointed by Samuel, his father referred to him as the “qatan” (קטן), the small or little one compared to his many older brothers, who were all over the age of 20 and fighting in the war with King Saul. David, being the youngest, was too young and remained at home.

The Hebrew word used for the masculine form of “youth” is tza’ir (צעיר). It can mean small but typically means “young one.” Some commentators see this term as negative, saying it refers to the taint of Ruth, the Moabite. However, such a view is anachronistic, given the time period when Ruth was written (post-exile). Addressing the source of kings and the Messiah, it is unlikely that “youth” was intended as an insult. It was likely a reminder that “of all of the thousands of the tribe of Judah, God chose a young one who nobody would have foreseen as the best person for the job.”

To reiterate, the first “YOU” (אתה) is masculine, referring not to the feminine town or area, but to the masculine “YOUTH.” The youth was a Bethlehemite, chosen hundreds of years before, and it was from him that a lineage of kings would descend. The Hebrew word for “coming forth” in this verse is in the plural form, likely referring to David as not only the source of the Messiah but also the source of all kings that followed him, at least the Kings of Judah.

Remember, one’s tribal alliance is based on the birth father. Jesus is not only not from the tribe of Judah (he was tribeless with no Jewish birth father), but he also could not be a descendant of the lineage of David. If one is not from the tribe of Judah, one cannot be descended from someone in the tribe of Judah. Therefore, this verse cannot refer to him. Since this verse is not about Bethlehem, but about a Bethlehemite from long ago, it is even more so not about Jesus.

It is also important to read this verse in context with the few that precede and follow it. In the previous verses, in chapter 4 of the Book of Micah, Jerusalem has fallen, and the tribe of Judah has been taken captive and exiled to Babylon. Following that description, there is the promise of the Judeans being saved, and then this verse about the Davidic rulership and Messiah. The very next verse, after this one, states that the Jews will remain in Babylon until this Messiah comes forth, and only then will his brothers of Judah return to Israel.

Jesus was not involved in any of that. Nor was he made king over Israel after the return of the Babylonian exiles, which happened centuries before his birth.

One final point:

This verse ends with (KJV): “whose goings forth have been from old, from everlasting.”

Many Christians interpret this to mean that the Messiah who was born in Bethlehem is eternal and everlasting. However, a better translation is “from the past, from days of long ago.”

We saw that, in this verse, these expressions refer to the time of King David: from the past, from days of long ago. This repetition does not mean that the Messiah existed since the beginning of creation, nor that he is eternal. We see this same expression “days of long ago” (בימי עולם) in Malachi 3:4, where it says, “Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto YHVH, as in the days of long ago, and in the past.” It uses the same expressions as in the end of this verse, just reversed. It does not mean “eternal” or “everlasting” since Jerusalem was a poetic expression for hundreds of yea

rs ago.

In conclusion, this verse of Micah is one of many that refer to the “son of David,” some directly and some, like this, indirectly. It speaks of being from the tribe of Judah, a Bethlehemite, who will be involved with the end of the Jewish exile in Babylon. It ends by referencing this lineage of kings established long ago when David was chosen as a youth.

Style: out of context, bad translation, misapplied, irrelevant

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