"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; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."
The gospel of Matthew (2:5-6) claims that Jesus'
birth in Bethlehem fulfils this prophecy. But this is unlikely for two reasons.
- "Bethlehem Ephratah" in Micah 5:2 refers not to a town, but to a
clan: the clan of Bethlehem, who was the son of Caleb's second wife,
Ephrathah (1 Chr.2:18, 2:50-52, 4:4).
- The prophecy (if that is what it is) does not refer to the Messiah, but
rather to a military leader, as can be seen from verse 5:6.
This leader is supposed to defeat the Assyrians, which, of course, Jesus
never did.
It should also be noted that Matthew altered the text of Micah 5:2 by saying:
"And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda" rather than "Bethlehem
Ephratah" as is said in Micah 5:2. He did this, intentionally no doubt, to
make the verse appear to refer to the town of Bethlehem rather than the family
clan.5:2
[../tapitcode.html]Nahum
[../tapitcode.html]Habakkuk
[../tapitcode.html]Zephaniah