"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, {though} thou be little among the thousands of Judah, {yet} out of thee shall he come fort…" — Micah 5:2

Micah 5:2 · KJV

“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. {everlasting: Heb. the days of eternity}”

— Micah 5:2

Verse 1

Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.

Verse 3

Therefore will he give them up, until the time {that} she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.

Micah 5 — Context

Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.

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. {everlasting: Heb. the days of eternity}

Therefore will he give them up, until the time {that} she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.

And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth. {feed or, rule}

Cross References

Matthew 2:6

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. {rule: or, feed}

John 7:42

Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?

Isaiah 9:6-7

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Luke 1:31-33

And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.

Genesis 49:10

The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him {shall} the gathering of the people {be}.

Isaiah 11:1

And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:

Psalms 90:2

Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou {art} God.

Colossians 1:17

And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.