Book of Micah · Chapter 5 of 7
15 verses · 20 video commentaries from 7 courses · Berean Standard Bible
1Now, O daughter of troops, mobilize your troops; for a siege is laid against us! With a rod they will strike the cheek of the judge of Israel.
2But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel—One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity.
3Therefore Israel will be abandoned until she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of His brothers will return to the children of Israel.
4He will stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majestic name of the LORD His God. And they will dwell securely, for then His greatness will extend to the ends of the earth.
5And He will be our peace when Assyria invades our land and tramples our citadels. We will raise against it seven shepherds, even eight leaders of men.
6And they will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod with the blade drawn. So He will deliver us when Assyria invades our land and marches into our borders.
7Then the remnant of Jacob will be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the LORD, like showers on the grass, which do not wait for man or linger for mankind.
8Then the remnant of Jacob will be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, which tramples and tears as it passes through, with no one to rescue them.
9Your hand will be lifted over your foes, and all your enemies will be cut off.
10“In that day,” declares the LORD, “I will remove your horses from among you and wreck your chariots.
11I will remove the cities of your land and tear down all your strongholds.
12I will cut the sorceries from your hand, and you will have no fortune-tellers.
13I will also cut off the carved images and sacred pillars from among you, so that you will no longer bow down to the work of your own hands.
14I will root out the Asherah poles from your midst and demolish your cities.
15I will take vengeance in anger and wrath upon the nations that have not obeyed Me.”
Mic 5:1
Matthew explains Mary's virginity as a fulfillment of prophecy, quoting Isaiah 7:14. Matthew's version, based on the Greek Septuagint, states 'a virgin shall conceive and bear a son,' linking Jesus' birth to Old Testament predictions.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Who Says Mary Was a Virgin? · watch the clip
Mic 5:2
Matthew emphasizes that Jesus' birth in Bethlehem fulfills a prophecy. When the Wise Men inquire about the Messiah's birthplace, Herod's advisors cite Micah 5:2, indicating that the ruler of Israel would come from Bethlehem. Matthew interprets this passage as a direct prediction of Jesus' birth.
Summarized by AI · Did the Christmas Story Really Happen? The Birth of Jesus in History and Legend · Lecture 1: Did Jesus' Birth Fulfill Prophecy? | The Infancy Narrative in Matthew · watch the clip
The prophecy in Micah 5:2, stating that a ruler would come from Bethlehem, led early Christians to construct narratives of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem to demonstrate his fulfillment of scripture.
Summarized by AI · Earliest Christian Heresies · Lecture 4: The Ebionites · watch the clip
Matthew's Gospel emphasizes that Jesus' birth events fulfilled Old Testament prophecies, explicitly stating this five times in the birth narrative. Matthew interprets Micah 5:2 as a prophecy that the Messiah must be born in Bethlehem, thus shaping his narrative to ensure Jesus' birth aligns with this expectation, despite Jesus being known to be from Nazareth.
Summarized by AI · Face to Face on the Bible: The Birth of Jesus · Was Jesus Really Born in Bethlehem? Bart Ehrman and Jimmy Akin · watch the clip
Asked where the two birth narratives came from, Ehrman says neither evangelist copied the other or invented Bethlehem independently; over the fifty years before the gospels, people who knew the prophets' passage about a Messiah from Bethlehem, and who read Isaiah 7:14 as a virgin birth, told stories that Jesus must have been born there, and Matthew and Luke preserve two versions. Akin counters that if you do not credit the narratives there is no evidence for a first-century Jewish expectation of a Bethlehem Messiah apart from Matthew and John, and Luke never cites the prophecy, so a historical memory of the birth more likely drove Luke to the census and Matthew to Micah 5:2. Ehrman replies that Matthew's five problematic fulfillment citations in chapters 1 and 2, such as Herod's slaughter and the Nazarene prophecy, show his motive, that not naming prophecies is simply Luke's style, and that a real Bethlehem birth would not have produced two contradictory, implausible accounts.
Summarized by AI · Face to Face on the Bible: The Birth of Jesus · Was Jesus Really Born in Bethlehem? Bart Ehrman and Jimmy Akin · watch the clip
Wise men from the East follow a star to Jerusalem, seeking the newborn King of the Jews. King Herod, upon hearing this, consults his scholars who cite Micah 5:2, indicating Bethlehem as the birthplace. Herod then instructs the wise men to report back, but they are divinely warned not to. In response, Herod orders the killing of all male children two years and under in Bethlehem and its vicinity.
Summarized by AI · The Dark Side of Christmas · Lecture 1: Christmas as History and Story · watch the clip
In Matthew's narrative, the wise men, who are Gentiles, seek the newborn king of the Jews to worship him. When they inquire in Jerusalem, the Jewish religious leaders, knowledgeable in scripture, correctly identify Bethlehem as the Messiah's birthplace, citing Micah 5:2. However, these leaders do not go to worship him themselves, implying that the gospel will not be readily accepted by Jews, despite their scriptural knowledge, but rather by Gentiles.
Summarized by AI · The Dark Side of Christmas · Lecture 2: Dealing With the Dark Side · watch the clip
Matthew cites the prophet Micah to explain why Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Micah predicted that the ruler of Israel would come from Bethlehem, thus Jesus' birthplace is presented as a direct fulfillment of this specific Old Testament prophecy.
Summarized by AI · The Genius of the Gospel of Matthew: What Scholars Say About the First Gospel · Lecture 3: The Gospel in a Nutshell | Jesus as the “Fulfillment of Scripture” · watch the clip
The narrative of the Magi highlights a significant irony: pagan wise men from outside Israel follow a star to worship the newborn Messiah, while the Jewish religious leaders, despite knowing the scriptural prophecy of his birth in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), do not go to worship him. This illustrates Matthew's theme that Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, will be rejected by his own people, leading his message to be embraced by outsiders.
Summarized by AI · The Genius of the Gospel of Matthew: What Scholars Say About the First Gospel · Lecture 6: Matthew as Distinctively Matthew · watch the clip
Matthew's Gospel attempts to connect Jesus's residence in Nazareth with Old Testament prophecy, stating 'he shall be called a Nazarene.' However, the speaker points out that no such prophecy exists in the Hebrew Bible. This suggests that while there were theological motivations for Jesus to be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), his association with Nazareth was likely historical fact, not a fulfillment of prophecy, as Nazareth is not mentioned in the Hebrew Bible or other contemporary historical sources.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Why Bart really lost his faith. & what came after · watch the clip
Matthew's Gospel highlights the prophecy from Micah 5:2, which states that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. This prophecy is cited by Herod's scripture scholars to the wise men, guiding them to Jesus. This serves Matthew's broader message that Jewish leaders, despite knowing the scriptures, reject Jesus, while Gentiles embrace him.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Were Peter & Paul Really Martyred? History vs. Legend · watch the clip
Matthew implies Bethlehem is the family's original hometown, from which they flee to Egypt and then resettle in Nazareth. Luke, conversely, states Nazareth is their hometown, and they only visit Bethlehem for the census before returning to Nazareth. These differing origins and post-birth movements are difficult to reconcile, as they present conflicting reasons for Jesus' association with both Bethlehem and Nazareth.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Is the Christmas Story a Myth? · watch the clip
Matthew emphasizes Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, fulfilling Old Testament prophecies. His birth is presented as fulfilling Isaiah 7:14 (virgin birth) and Micah 5:2 (born in Bethlehem), and his flight to Egypt fulfills Hosea 11:1.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · How Many Jesuses Are in the New Testament? · watch the clip
Matthew's Gospel assumes Jesus had to be born in Bethlehem to fulfill the prophecy in Micah 5:2, which states that a savior would come from Bethlehem. This presented a challenge since Jesus' parents lived in Nazareth, requiring a narrative explanation for his Bethlehem birth.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Was Jesus Really Born in Bethlehem? · watch the clip
Early Christians believed Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecies, including the Messiah being born in Bethlehem, as stated in Micah 5:2. Both Matthew and Luke, despite knowing Jesus was from Nazareth, constructed narratives to ensure his birth occurred in Bethlehem, thereby affirming his messianic identity.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Was Jesus Really Born in Bethlehem? · watch the clip
Matthew repeatedly emphasizes that events surrounding Jesus's birth fulfill Old Testament prophecies. For example, Jesus's birth in Bethlehem fulfills Micah 5:2, his birth to a virgin fulfills Isaiah 7:14, and the flight to Egypt fulfills Hosea 11:1. This motif underscores that Jesus's life aligns with God's divine plan as revealed in scripture.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Gospel Discrepancies: Why Matthew and Luke Tell Different Christmas Stories · watch the clip
Matthew's infancy narrative highlights Jesus' fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. For instance, Jesus' virgin birth fulfills Isaiah 7:14, his birth in Bethlehem fulfills Micah 5:2, and his family's flight to Egypt and return fulfills Hosea 11:1. These 'fulfillment citations' underscore Jesus' role as the Jewish Messiah, whose life was preordained by God.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · The Gospel of Matthew is Pure Brilliance! · watch the clip
The story of the Magi in Matthew 2 serves as a brilliant illustration of the Gospel's core message. Non-Jewish wise men, guided by a star, seek and worship the newborn King of the Jews, while the Jewish scripture scholars, despite knowing the prophecies of his birth in Bethlehem, fail to worship him. This narrative foreshadows Jesus' rejection by his own people and the subsequent acceptance of his message by Gentiles.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · The Gospel of Matthew is Pure Brilliance! · watch the clip
The narratives of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem in Matthew and Luke likely serve theological motives rather than historical reporting. Gospel writers connected Jesus' birth to passages in Jewish scriptures, such as Micah, to fulfill messianic expectations, suggesting the stories were shaped to align with these prophecies.
Summarized by AI · Bart D. Ehrman · YouTube · Consensus Scholarship and the Life of Jesus · watch the clip
Mic 5:13
The only biblical texts condemning Asherah or her worship are found in the Deuteronomistic literature, composed during and after Josiah's reign (640 BCE). This suggests that prior to Josiah, there was no widespread issue with Asherah. The condemnation likely arose from Josiah's efforts to centralize worship in Jerusalem and institutionalize a single object of worship, Yahweh, serving his political and priestly interests.
Summarized by AI · The Israelite Goddess Asherah · The Israelite Goddess Asherah · watch the clip