Micah 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Mic 5:1
עַתָּה֙ תִּתְגֹּדְדִ֣י בַת־גְּד֔וּד מָצ֖וֹר שָׂ֣ם עָלֵ֑ינוּ בַּשֵּׁ֙בֶט֙ יַכּ֣וּ עַֽל־הַלְּחִ֔י אֵ֖ת שֹׁפֵ֥ט יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ס
Now, gather yourselves, daughter of troops. He placed a siege on us; with a rod, he will strike on the cheek the judge of Israel.
Paraphrase: Summon all your soldiers; organize them into regiments and prepare for battle! The Assyrians are coming to lay siege to our city. He is going to insult us (2Kings 19:16, 21) and slap us around to show off his pride and might.
Comments:
תִּתְגֹּדְדִי is hitpolel. In meaning, it should be understood as a hitpael. Here it is reflexive, gather yourselves. This verb often means to gash oneself especially in ritual practices. This meaning is unlikely here since Israel was forbidden to do this. (Deuteronomy 14:1; Leviticus 19:28) Note the play on words with בַת־גְּדוּד.
Waltke says that בַת־גְּדוּד is to be understood as “troop-like daughter” and is another name for Israel similar to “daughter of Zion.” He sees גְּדוּד as an attributive genitive. The word “troop” is chosen here since the armies of Israel are so small in comparison to their enemies.
Since Israel is under siege here, it is possible this is Sennacherib’s siege of Jerusalem. (2Kings 18:13f)
Mic 5:2
וְאַתָּ֞ה בֵּֽית־לֶ֣חֶם אֶפְרָ֗תָה צָעִיר֙ לִֽהְיוֹת֙ בְּאַלְפֵ֣י יְהוּדָ֔ה מִמְּךָ֙ לִ֣י יֵצֵ֔א לִֽהְי֥וֹת מוֹשֵׁ֖ל בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וּמוֹצָאֹתָ֥יו מִקֶּ֖דֶם מִימֵ֥י עוֹלָֽם׃
and you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, little to be among the thousands of Judah. From you, belonging to Me, will go forth to be a ruler over Israel, and His goings forth from ancient time from the days of eternity.
Paraphrase: But don’t be terrified to see him coming. I am going to send My own best champion to you, to deliver you from this enemy. His origin is before the long ages of the past, and His future is unending. His projects never fail; He always obtains His purpose. I will raise up this champion from the smallest and most insignificant town; indeed, this town is so small it hardly registers on the map. It’s the little village of Bethlehem (the one in Judah, not Zebulun). (Joshua 19:15)
Comments:
Mic 5:3
לָכֵ֣ן יִתְּנֵ֔ם עַד־עֵ֥ת יוֹלֵדָ֖ה יָלָ֑דָה וְיֶ֣תֶר אֶחָ֔יו יְשׁוּב֖וּן עַל־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
Therefore, he will give them up until the time of her delivery, and the rest of his brothers shall return to the sons of Israel.
Paraphrase: Therefore, YHWH will give Israel into the hands of her enemies until the time the daughter of Zion comes into labor. At this time, the rest of Israel who survived the attacks of the enemy will repent of their covenant unfaithfulness and will return to God and His people.
Comments:
Mic 5:4
וְעָמַ֗ד וְרָעָה֙ בְּעֹ֣ז יְהוָ֔ה בִּגְא֕וֹן שֵׁ֖ם יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהָ֑יו וְיָשָׁ֕בוּ כִּֽי־עַתָּ֥ה יִגְדַּ֖ל עַד־אַפְסֵי־אָֽרֶץ׃
And he will stand and shepherd in the strength of YHWH, in the majesty of the Name of YHWH, His God, and they will dwell because now He is great unto the ends of the earth.
Paraphrase: Then the Ruler from Bethlehem will step up and show Himself. He will take the responsibility of shepherding the people of God relying on the strength that He receives from YHWH, the Great King. His authority and majesty also come from the fact that this Ruler from Bethlehem has taken his stand beneath the Name and standard of YHWH, the Great King. YHWH is His God and the One who has sent Him on this mission of salvation. As a result of His shepherding and leadership, the people of God will dwell in safety. His might and fame will extend to the remotest parts of the world.
Comments:
Mic 5:5
וְהָיָ֥ה זֶ֖ה שָׁל֑וֹם אַשּׁ֣וּר׀ כִּֽי־יָב֣וֹא בְאַרְצֵ֗נוּ וְכִ֤י יִדְרֹךְ֙ בְּאַרְמְנֹתֵ֔ינוּ וַהֲקֵמֹ֤נוּ עָלָיו֙ שִׁבְעָ֣ה רֹעִ֔ים וּשְׁמֹנָ֖ה נְסִיכֵ֥י אָדָֽם׃
and this One, will be peace. Assyria if he enters our land and if he marches against our fortresses, then we will cause seven shepherds to rise up before him and eight important men.
Paraphrase: By His powerful sovereignty, this mighty Ruler will establish peace throughout the land. When the king of Assyria enters our land to conquer it, when he marches up to our fortresses and puts the a siege in place, then we will raise an army of strong men who will resist him and throw him out of our land.
Comments:
Waltke asserts that both כִּי in this verse are introducing a protasis. The apodosis follows with וַהֲקֵמֹנוּ.
Chisholm writes about numerical sayings:
The x/x + 1 pattern has two basic functions. Sometimes this device indicates an indefinite number, in which case no itemized list follows. When so used the numerical saying can point to a relatively small number (Deut. 32:30; Job 40:5; Isa. 17:6; Hos. 6:2) or communicate the idea of abundance or completeness, the pattern 7/8 being a logical choice in the latter case because of the symbolic significance of the number seven (Eccles. 11:2; Mic. 5:5). At other times the x/x + 1 pattern indicates a definite number of items, in which case a list corresponding to one of the numbers, almost always the second, is attached. Examples include 1/2 (Ps. 62:11–12), 3/4 (Prov. 30:15–16, 18–19, 21–23, 29–31), and 6/7 (Job 5:19–22; Prov. 6:16–19). “The Numerical Sayings in Amos,” Bibliotheca Sacra 147 (1990): 190. See also Gesenius §s.
Mic 5:6
וְרָע֞וּ אֶת־אֶ֤רֶץ אַשּׁוּר֙ בַּחֶ֔רֶב וְאֶת־אֶ֥רֶץ נִמְרֹ֖ד בִּפְתָחֶ֑יהָ וְהִצִּיל֙ מֵֽאַשּׁ֔וּר כִּֽי־יָב֣וֹא בְאַרְצֵ֔נוּ וְכִ֥י יִדְרֹ֖ךְ בִּגְבוּלֵֽנוּ׃ס
And they will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword and the land of Nimrod in all her entrances and he will cause us to be rescued from the Assyrian because he entered into our land and because he marched within our borders.
Paraphrase: This army will not simply be defensive; it will proceed even to the land of Assyria itself and will assert its sovereignty over this nation. With it’s military skill and power, it will subjugate the worst and most formidable enemy Israel has ever known. The land of Assyria, with all its fortresses will fall before this army, and we will be rescued from his imperialist ambitions. This enemy defied the living God by assaulting His people; he profaned the holy land by marching through it with bold defiance; and for this, he will pay a bitter price.
Comments:
The land of Nimrod would normally be Babylon; but here, it seems more likely to be a repetition of Assyria. Likewise, “entrances” or “gates” is probably a synonym with fortresses (v5); gates being a metonymy for the entire fortress.
Mic 5:7
וְהָיָ֣ה׀ שְׁאֵרִ֣ית יַעֲקֹ֗ב בְּקֶ֙רֶב֙ עַמִּ֣ים רַבִּ֔ים כְּטַל֙ מֵאֵ֣ת יְהוָ֔ה כִּרְבִיבִ֖ים עֲלֵי־עֵ֑שֶׂב אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹֽא־יְקַוֶּה֙ לְאִ֔ישׁ וְלֹ֥א יְיַחֵ֖ל לִבְנֵ֥י אָדָֽם׃
An
Paraphrase: Thi
Comments:
Mic 5:8
וְהָיָה֩ שְׁאֵרִ֨ית יַעֲקֹ֜ב בַּגּוֹיִ֗ם בְּקֶ֙רֶב֙ עַמִּ֣ים רַבִּ֔ים כְּאַרְיֵה֙ בְּבַהֲמ֣וֹת יַ֔עַר כִּכְפִ֖יר בְּעֶדְרֵי צֹ֑אן אֲשֶׁ֧ר אִם עָבַ֛ר וְרָמַ֥ס וְטָרַ֖ף וְאֵ֥ין מַצִּֽיל׃
Mic 5:9
תָּרֹ֥ם יָדְךָ֖ עַל־צָרֶ֑יךָ וְכָל־אֹיְבֶ֖יךָ יִכָּרֵֽתוּ׃פ
Mic 5:10
וְהָיָ֤ה בַיּוֹם־הַהוּא֙ נְאֻם־יְהוָ֔ה וְהִכְרַתִּ֥י סוּסֶ֖יךָ מִקִּרְבֶּ֑ךָ וְהַאֲבַדְתִּ֖י מַרְכְּבֹתֶֽיךָ׃
Mic 5:11
וְהִכְרַתִּ֖י עָרֵ֣י אַרְצֶ֑ךָ וְהָרַסְתִּ֖י כָּל־מִבְצָרֶֽיךָ׃
Mic 5:12
וְהִכְרַתִּ֥י כְשָׁפִ֖ים מִיָּדֶ֑ךָ וּֽמְעוֹנְנִ֖ים לֹ֥א יִֽהְיוּ־לָֽךְ׃
Mic 5:13
וְהִכְרַתִּ֧י פְסִילֶ֛יךָ וּמַצֵּבוֹתֶ֖יךָ מִקִּרְבֶּ֑ךָ וְלֹֽא־תִשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֥ה ע֖וֹד לְמַעֲשֵׂ֥ה יָדֶֽיךָ׃
Mic 5:14
וְנָתַשְׁתִּ֥י אֲשֵׁירֶ֖יךָ מִקִּרְבֶּ֑ךָ וְהִשְׁמַדְתִּ֖י עָרֶֽיךָ׃
Mic 5:15
וְעָשִׂ֜יתִי בְּאַ֧ף וּבְחֵמָ֛ה נָקָ֖ם אֶת־הַגּוֹיִ֑ם אֲשֶׁ֖ר לֹ֥א שָׁמֵֽעוּ׃ס