the Week of Proper 24 / Ordinary 29
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King James Version
Matthew 2:6
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‘Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are important among the rulers of Judah. Yes, a ruler will come from you, and that ruler will lead Israel, my people.'"
And thou Bethleem in the londe of Iury art not the leest concernynge the Princes of Iuda. For out of the shall come the captayne that shall govern my people Israhel.
'O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,Micah 5:2; John 7:42; Revelation 2:27;">[xr] you are by no means least among the rulers of Judah. For from you will come a ruler who will shepherdgovern">[fn] my people Israel.'"Micah 5:2; 2 Samuel 5:2">[fn]
'AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR FROM YOU WILL COME FORTH A RULER WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.'"
‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not just an insignificant village in Judah. A ruler will come from you who will be like a shepherd for my people Israel.'" Micah 5:2
And you Bethlehem, land of Judah, Are in no way least among the princes of Judah: For out of you shall come forth a governor, Who shall be shepherd of my people Israel.
And thou Bethlehem, [in] the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
'AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, IN THE LAND OF JUDAH, ARE NOT IN ANY WAY LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR FROM YOU SHALL COME A RULER WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.'"
"‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'"
'You Bethlehem, land of Judah, Are in no way least among the princes of Judah: For out of you shall come forth a governor, Who shall shepherd my people, Israel'".
Bethlehem in the land of Judah, art in no wise the least among the princes of Judah; for out of thee shall come forth a Ruler, who shall feed my people Israel.
"`And thou, Bethlehem in the land of Judah, by no means the least honorable art thou among princely places in Judah! For from thee shall come a prince--one who shall be the Shepherd of My People Israel.'"
And thou, Bethleem, the lond of Juda, art not the leest among the prynces of Juda; for of thee a duyk schal go out, that schal gouerne my puple of Israel.
And thou Bethlehem, land of Judah, Art in no wise least among the princes of Judah: For out of thee shall come forth a governor, Which shall be shepherd of my people Israel.
'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of My people Israel.'"
'Bethlehem in the land of Judea, you are very important among the towns of Judea. From your town will come a leader, who will be like a shepherd for my people Israel.'"
And thou Bethlehem, land of Judah, Art in no wise least among the princes of Judah: For out of thee shall come forth a governor, Who shall be shepherd of my people Israel.
You Beth-lehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the chiefs of Judah: out of you will come a ruler, who will be the keeper of my people Israel.
‘And you, Beit-Lechem in the land of Y'hudah, are by no means the least among the rulers of Y'hudah; for from you will come a Ruler who will shepherd my people Isra'el.'"
And *thou* Bethlehem, land of Juda, art in no wise the least among the governors of Juda; for out of thee shall go forth a leader who shall shepherd my people Israel.
Also thou, Beth-lechem of Jehuda, wast not the least among the kings of Jehuda; for from thee shall come forth the king who shall be as a shepherd to my people Isroel.
Thou also, Bethlehem of Judaea, art not the little among the kings of Judaea, for a king shall come from thee who shall rule my people Israel.
And thou Bethlehem in the land of Iuda, art not the least among the Princes of Iuda: for out of thee shall come a Gouernour, that shall rule my people Israel.
‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.'"
‘You, Bethlehem of Judah, are not the least of the leaders of Judah. Out of you will come a King Who will lead My people the Jews.'"
‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"
And thou Beth-leem in the lande of Iuda, art not the least among the Princes of Iuda: For out of thee shall come the gouernour that shall feede that my people Israel.
Even you, Bethlehem of Judah, you are not insignificant in the eyes of the kings of Judah, for from you shall come out a king, who will shepherd my people Israel.
And, thou, Bethlehem, land of Judah, by no means least, art thou, among the governors of Judah, - For, out of thee, shall one come forth to govern, Who shall shepherd my people Israel.
And thou Bethlehem the land of Juda art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come forth the captain that shall rule my people Israel.
'And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel.'"
And thou Bethlehem [in] the lande of Iuda, art not the least among the princes of Iuda. For out of thee shall there come a capitain, that shal gouerne my people Israel.
‘Bethlehem in the land of Judah, you are by no means the least of the leading cities of Judah; for from you will come a leader who will guide my people Israel.'"
And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,are by no means least among the rulers of Judah:Because out of you will come a rulerwho will shepherd my people Israel.”
'You Beit-Lechem, land of Yehudah, Are in no way least among the princes of Yehudah: For out of you shall come forth a governor, Who shall shepherd my people, Yisra'el.'"
‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for from you will go out a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'"
"And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judea, in no way are you least among the governors of Judah, for out of you shall come out One ruling, who shall shepherd My people Israel." Mic. 5:2
And thou, Beth-Lehem, the land of Judah, thou art by no means the least among the leaders of Judah, for out of thee shall come one leading, who shall feed My people Israel.'
And thou Bethleem in the londe of Iury, art not the leest amonge the Princes of Iuda. For out of ye shall come vnto me the captayne, that shall gouerne my people Israel.
"And thou Bethlehem in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor that shall rule my people Israel."
‘ And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are in no way least among the rulers of Judah, for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel .'"
'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;For out of you shall come a RulerWho will shepherd My people Israel.' " Micah 5:2 ">[fn]
"Bethlehem ain't no little place among Judah. From you will come a cowboy who will gather all of the herd together and take care of 'em."
'AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.'"
‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah;For out of you shall come forth a LeaderWho will shepherd My people Israel.'"
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
thou: Matthew 2:1, Micah 5:2, John 7:42
a Governor: Matthew 28:18, Genesis 49:10, Numbers 24:19, 1 Chronicles 5:2, Psalms 2:1-6, Isaiah 9:6, Isaiah 9:7, Ephesians 1:22, Colossians 1:18, Revelation 2:27, Revelation 11:15
rule: or, feed, Psalms 78:71, Psalms 78:72, Isaiah 40:11, Jeremiah 23:4-6, Ezekiel 34:23-25, Ezekiel 37:24-26
Reciprocal: Genesis 35:19 - Ephrath Judges 17:7 - General Judges 19:1 - a concubine Ruth 4:11 - Ephratah 1 Samuel 17:12 - Ephrathite 2 Samuel 5:2 - feed 2 Samuel 7:7 - feed 1 Chronicles 2:51 - Bethlehem 1 Chronicles 11:2 - Thou shalt 1 Chronicles 17:6 - feed 1 Chronicles 17:7 - ruler 2 Chronicles 11:6 - Bethlehem Psalms 28:9 - feed Isaiah 55:4 - a leader Micah 5:4 - feed Micah 7:14 - Feed Matthew 21:5 - thy King John 7:27 - no man Acts 20:28 - to feed Hebrews 9:11 - Christ Revelation 7:17 - feed
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And thou Bethlehem in the land of Juda,.... This prophecy, which the chief priests and scribes produced, as pointing at the place of Christ's birth, is owned by both ancient and later Jews y to be a prophecy of the Messiah. The difference between Micah and Matthew is easily reconciled. Bethlehem is called by Micah, Bethlehem Ephratah, and by Matthew, Bethlehem in the land of Judah, and both were one and the same place. Bethlehem Ephratah was in the land of Juda, as appears from the prophecy of Micah itself, from Ruth 1:2 and the Septuagint version of Joshua 15:60 and is described in this manner by Matthew, partly to distinguish it from another Bethlehem in the land of Zebulun,
Joshua 19:15 and partly because its other name Ephratah was now disused, and so unknown to Herod, who was unacquainted with the books and prophecies of the Old Testament. Micah says this place was
little among the thousands of Judah. Matthew says, "not the least". But in this is no apparent contradiction, it might be "little" and yet "not the least"; besides, it might be "little" and "not little", or "not the least" in different respects, and at different times; it might be little, mean, and contemptible as to worldly splendour, riches, number of inhabitants, pompous buildings, c. and yet not be little or mean, when considered as the place of the birth of many great persons, such as Booz, Jesse, David, c. and especially Christ. It might be little in Micah's time, and yet not in Matthew's especially since it had received a considerable additional honour by Christ's being born there. Moreover, the words in Micah may be rendered, by way of interrogation, "art thou little, or the least?" To which the answer in Matthew is, "no, thou art not the least", c. or else the word ××ר may be understood, and the text be translated thus "it is a small thing that thou art among the thousands of Judah, for out of thee", c. a great honour shall be conferred on thee, the Messiah shall spring from thee. Again, what Micah calls "thousands", are in Matthew called "princes" the reason of this is, because the tribes of Israel were divided into thousands, and every thousand had its prince so that though here is a difference in words, yet none in sense. What Micah styles "a ruler in Israel", Matthew expresses by "a governor that shall rule or feed my people Israel"; but in this there is no contradiction. Add to all this, that it should be observed, that the Evangelist is not giving a version of his own, but of the chief priests and scribes; and therefore was it ever so faulty, they, and not he, must be chargeable with it; for he has acted the part of a faithful historian in giving it in the words in which they cited it z.
y Targum Jon. Jarchi, Aben Ezra, Kimchi & Abendana in loc. Abarbinel Mashmia Jeshua, fol. 62. 2. R. Isaac Chizuk Emuna, p. 279. z See my book of the "Prophecies of the Messiah", &c. ch. 6. p. 104-116.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
By the prophet - The Sanhedrin answered without hesitation. The question where he would be born had been settled by prophecy. This prophecy is found in Micah 5:2. In that prophecy both the place of his birth and the character of the Messiah are so clearly set forth that there was no room to doubt. It will be observed that there is a considerable difference between the passage as quoted by the Sanhedrin and as it stands in Micah. The main point, however, is retained - the place of his birth. We are not concerned, therefore, in showing how these passages can be reconciled. Matthew, moreover, is not responsible for the correctness of the quotation. He affirms only that the chief priests and scribes gave this answer to Herod, and that Herod was satisfied. Admitting that they did not quote the passage correctly, it does not prove that Matthew has not reported their answer as they gave it, and this is all that he pretends to give.
Art not the least - In Micah, âthough thou be little.â Though a small place so far as population is concerned, yet it shall not be small, or be the least in honor; for the Messiah shall be born there. His birth gave the place an honor which could not be conferred on the larger cities by all their numbers, their splendor, and their wealth. The birth of a distinguished personage was always supposed to give honor and importance to a city or country. Thus, seven cities contended for the honor of giving birth to Homer; Stratford-upon-Avon is distinguished as the birthplace of Shakespeare; and Corsica as the birthplace of Napoleon.
A Governor - A ruler. This is one of the characters of the Messiah, who is the king of his people, John 18:37. The word âruleâ here means to rule as a shepherd does his flock, in faithfulness and tenderness. Compare John 10:11; Isaiah 40:10-11; Isaiah 9:7.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Matthew 2:6. And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda — To distinguish it from Bethlehem, in the tribe of Zebulon. Joshua 19:15. Matthew 2:1.
Art not the least — In Micah 5:2, it is read, Though thou be little - צע×ר ××××ת tsair lehayoth, little to be. Houbigant, struck with the oddness of the construction of the Hebrew, by dividing the last word, and making a small change in two of the letters, makes the prophet agree with the evangelist, צע×ר ×× ×××ת tsair lo hayita, thou art not the least. Several learned men are of opinion, that the copy from which St. Matthew quoted, had the text in this way. However, some MSS. of very good note, among which is the Codex Bezae, have μη ελαÏιÏÏη ει, for Î¿Ï Î´Î±Î¼ÏÏ ÎµÎ»Î±ÏιÏÏη ει, Art thou not the least? This reconciles the prophet and evangelist without farther trouble. See the authorities for this reading in Griesbach and Wetstein.
Among the princes of Juda — In Micah 5:2, it is, the thousands of Judah. There is much reason to believe that each tribe was divided into small portions called thousands, as in England certain small divisions of counties are called hundreds. For the proof of the first, the reader is referred to Judges 6:15, where, instead of my FAMILY is poor in Manasseh, the Hebrew is, my THOUSAND (××פ×) is the meanest in Manasseh: and to 1 Samuel 10:19, Present yourselves before the Lord by your TRIBES and by your THOUSANDS: and to 1 Chronicles 12:20, Captains of the THOUSANDS of Manasseh. Now these THOUSANDS being petty governments, Matthew renders them by the word ηγεμοÏιÏ, because the word princes or governors was more intelligible in the Greek tongue than thousands, though, in this case, they both signify the same. See Wakefield.
That shall rule my people Israel. — οÏÏÎ¹Ï Ïοιμανει, Who shall FEED my people. That is as a shepherd feeds his flock. Among the Greeks, kings are called, by Homer, λαÏν ÏοιμενεÏ, shepherds of the people. This appellation probably originated from the pastoral employment, which kings and patriarchs did not blush to exercise in the times of primitive simplicity; and it might particularly refer to the case of David, the great type of Christ, who was a keeper of his father's sheep, before he was raised to the throne of Israel. As the government of a good king was similar to the care a good shepherd has of his flock, hence Ïοιμην signified both shepherd and king; and ÏοιμαινÏ, to feed and to rule among the ancient Greeks.
