Micah 5:5-9God Refines A Remnant to Rule The Nations

Translation & Sermon by Nate Wilson for Christ The Redeemer Church of Manhattan, KS, 13 Oct. 2024

Introduction

vs. 5-6 – Divine Rescue From Invasion

v. 7 God’s Sovereign Blessing of the Nations Through the Remnant

vs. 8-9 God’s Threatening Of The Nations Through The Remnant

Conclusion

Micah 5:5-9 Side-by side comparison of versionsA

DouayB (Vulgate)

LXXC

BrentonD
(Vaticanus)

KJVE

NAW

Masoretic HebrewF

5 And this man shall be [our] peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land, and when he shall set his foot in our hous­es: and we shall raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.

4 καὶ ἔσται αὕτη εἰρήνη· ὅταν Ἀσσύριος ἐπέλθῃ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν μῶν καὶ ὅταν ἐπιβῇ ἐπὶ τν χώρανG μῶν, καὶ ἐπεγερθή­σονταιH ἐπ᾿ αὐτὸν ἑπτὰ ποιμένες καὶ ὀκτὼ δήγματαI ἀνθρώπων·

5 And she shall have peace when Assur shall come into your land, and when he shall come up upon your countryX; and there shall be raised up against him seven shepherds, and eight attacks of men.

5 And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.

5 And this One will be peace! As for Assyria, when it invades our land and when it steps into our compounds, then we will erect against it seven shepherds, even eight anointed by men,

(ד) וְהָיָה זֶה שָׁלוֹם אַשּׁוּר כִּי יָבוֹא בְאַרְצֵנוּ וְכִי יִדְרֹךְ בְּאַרְמְנֹתֵינוּ וַהֲקֵמֹנוּJ עָלָיו שִׁבְעָה רֹעִים וּשְׁמֹנָהK נְסִיכֵיL אָדָם.

6 And they shall feed the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nemrod with the spears thereof: and he shall deliver [us] from the Assyrian when he shall come into our land, and when he shall tread in our border[s].

5 καὶ ποιμαν­οῦσιν τν ΧM Ασσουρ ἐν X ομφαίᾳ καὶ τὴν γῆν τοῦ Νεβρωδ ἐν τῇ τάφρῳN αὐτῆς· καὶ ῥύσεται ἐκ τοῦ Ασσουρ, ὅταν ἐπέλθῃ ἐπὶO τὴν γῆν μῶν καὶ ὅταν ἐπιβῇ ἐπὶ τὰ ὅρια μῶν.

6 And they shall tend the Χ Χ Assyrian with a sword, and the land of Nebrod with her trench: and he shall deliver [you] from the Assyr­ian, when he shall come upon your land, and when he shall invade your coast[s].

6 And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entran­ces there­of: thus shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land, and when he treadeth within our border[s].

6 and they will shepherd the land of Assyria with the sword – even the land of Nimrod at its entrances. Thus He will rescue from Assyria when it invades our land, even when it steps into our territory.

(ה) וְרָעוּP אֶת אֶרֶץ אַשּׁוּר בַּחֶרֶב וְאֶת אֶרֶץ נִמְרֹד בִּפְתָחֶיהָQ Rוְהִצִּיל מֵאַשּׁוּר כִּי יָבוֹא בְאַרְצֵנוּ וְכִיS יִדְרֹךְ בִּגְבוּלֵנוּ.

7 And X the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples, as a dew from the Lord, [and] as drops upon the grass, which waiteth not for man, nor tarrieth for the children of men.

6 καὶ ἔσται τὸ ὑπόλειμ­μαT τοῦ Ιακωβ [ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν] ἐν μέσῳ λαῶν πολλῶν ὡς δρόσος παρὰ κυρίου [πίπτουσα καὶ] ὡς ἄρνεςU ἐπὶ ἄγρωστινV, ὅπως μὴ συναχθῇW μηδεὶςX μηδὲ ὑποστῇ Y ἐν υἱοῖς ἀνθρώπων.

7 And X the remnant of Jacob shall be [among the GentilesZ] in the midst of many peoples, as dew [falling] from the Lord, [and] as lambs on the grass; that none may as­semble nor resist among the sons of men.

7 And X the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many people as a dew from the LORD, as the showers upon the grass, that tar­rieth not for man, nor wait­eth for the sons of men.

7 Then it will happen that the remnant of Jacob will exist in the midst of many peoples like dew from Yahweh, like showers upon vegetation which don’t wait-up for anybody or wait around for man-kind.

(ו) וְהָיָהAA שְׁאֵרִיתAB יַעֲקֹבAC בְּקֶרֶב עַמִּים רַבִּים כְּטַל מֵאֵת יְהוָה כִּרְבִיבִיםAD עֲלֵי עֵשֶׂב אֲשֶׁרAE לֹא יְקַוֶּהAF לְאִישׁ וְלֹא יְיַחֵלAG לִבְנֵי אָדָם.

8 And X the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles, in the midst of many peoples, as a lion among the beasts of the forest[s], and as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, when he shall go through, and tread down, and take X there is none to deliver.

7 καὶ ἔσται τὸ ὑπόλειμμα τοῦ Ιακωβ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐν μέσῳ λαῶν πολλῶν ὡς λέων ἐν κτήνεσιν ἐν τῷ δρυμῷ καὶ ὡς σκύμνος ἐν ποιμνίοις προβάτων, ὃν τρόπον X ὅταν διέλθῃ καὶ διαστείλας ἁρπάσῃ καὶ μὴ ᾖ ὁ ἐξαιρ­ούμενος.

8 And X the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many nations, as a lion in the forest among cattle X XAH, and as a lion's whelp among the flocks of sheep, even as when he goes through, and selects, and carries off his prey, and there is none to deliver.

8 And X the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many peopleX as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both tread­eth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.

8 It will also happen that the remnant of Jacob will be among the nations – in the midst of many peoples – like a lion among beasts of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep which, when it passes through – and pounces and tears to shreds, then there will be no one to rescue.

(ז) וְהָיָה שְׁאֵרִית יַעֲקֹב בַּגּוֹיִם בְּקֶרֶב עַמִּים רַבִּים AIכְּאַרְיֵה בְּבַהֲמוֹת יַעַרAJ כִּכְפִיר בְּעֶדְרֵיAK צֹאן אֲשֶׁר אִם עָבַר וְרָמַסAL וְטָרַף וְאֵין מַצִּילAM.

9 Thy hand shall be lifted up over thy ene­mies, and all thy enemies shall be cut off.

8 ὑψω­θήσεται ἡ χείρ σου ἐπὶ τοὺς θλίβοντάς σε, καὶ πάντες οἱ ἐχθροί σου ἐξολεθρευθήσονται.

9 Thine hand shall be lifted up against them that afflict thee, and all thine ene­mies shall be utterly destroyed.

9 Thine hand shall be lifted up upon thine ad­versaries, and all thine ene­mies shall be cut off.

9 Let Your hand rise up against Your adversaries and let all Your enemies be terminated.

(ח) תָּרֹם יָדְךָAN עַל צָרֶיךָ וְכָל אֹיְבֶיךָ יִכָּרֵתוּ.



1“‘Why then does not God give earlier relief?’ But we see the manner in which God intends to preserve his Church: for as the faithful often need some chastisement, God humbles them when it is expedient, and then delivers them. This is the reason why God allowed such liberty to the Assyrians before he supplied assistance.” ~J. Calvin

2So Gilby, Targum Jonathan, Cohen, Keil

3Calvin, Henry, Renaud, and Waltke saw Nimrod as a representation of Chaldea in distinction from Assyria. Chaldea did become a distinct empire, but during Micah’s time, Babylon was still part of the Assyrian empire. On the other hand, Psalm 83:1-16 and Isaiah 8:7 mention the Chaldean invasion that conquered Jerusalem and took exiles to Babylon as being “Assyrian,” so since the two empires were from the same part of the world and happened one right after the other, they reasonably may be lumped together.

4Gilby, cf. Cohen, Henry, Calvin, Keil, Waltke

5The closest I could find is the 3 + 4+ 1 kings in Daniel 11:1-41, one of whom “enters the glorious land.” But it doesn’t match Micah here because they are in succession to each other, they are not allies of Israel, and they are long after the Assyrian empire.

6cf. Henry: “…‘seven shepherds and eight principal men,’ that is, a competent number of persons, proper to oppose the enemy, and make head against him, and protect the church of God in peace... Seven and eight are a certain number for an uncertain. Note, When God has work to do he will not want fitting instruments to do it with…” Keil added: “Seven is mentioned as the number of the works proceeding from God, so that seven shepherds, i.e., princes, would be quite sufficient; and this number is surpassed by the eight, to express the thought that there might be even more than were required.”

7Isaiah 37:36-37 “And the angel of Yahweh went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when they arose in the morning, ‘Look at all these dead bodies!’ Then Sennacherib king of Assyria pulled out and went and returned home and sat in Nineveh.” (NAW)

8Daniel 1:1-6 uses Micah’s word “anointed” to refer to them.

9This bifurcation is debated. Calvin (followed by Hitzig, H Wolff, A Weiser, T. Lassow, and J.M.P. Smith) saw vs.7 & 8 as saying the same thing, but even Calvin’s own translator complained that he stretched the meanings too far to make them parallel. Keil noted “The refreshing dew and the rending lion cannot possibly be synonymous figures.” Waltke agreed, noting the differences between the consequences of watering grass and tearing prey, and listing W. Rudolph, R.E. Wolfe, and B. Renaud in support.

10This is actually from יֶ֣תֶר, a synonym for the word for “remnant” used in v.7 (שאר).

11This was Waltke’s position.

12טל… is always a sign of benediction” ~Renaud

13John 1:13, 3:3-5, 1 Peter 1:23, 1Jn 3:9, 4:7, 5:1, 5:4, 5:18, 1Cor. 15:47

14Matthew Henry (followed by Bruce Waltke and others) went a different direction in his interpretation: “[T]hey shall not rely upon human aids and powers, but on divine grace.” The Hebrew word for “wait” is sometimes translated “hope” and is sometimes used in the context of trusting in someone for salvation, so it is a fair alternate interpretation. Calvin (followed by Hitzig) interpreted it in the sense of dependence and provision coming from God instead of man. Keil’s interpretation was more like mine with an emphasis on God’s sovereignty: “As the falling of the dew in rain-drops upon the grass does not depend upon the waiting of men, but proceeds from Jehovah; so will the spiritual blessing, which will flow over from Israel upon the nations, not depend upon the waiting of the nations, but will flow to them against and beyond their expectation.”

15The Bible consistently portrays God (not man) as the one who controls rain: Gen. 2:5, 7:4, Exo. 9:18, Lev. 26:4, Deu. 11:14,17, 28:12, 24, 1 Sam. 12:17-18, 1 Ki. 8:35-36, 1 Ki. 17:14, 18:1, 2 Chr. 6:27, 7:13, Job 5:10, 28:26, 37:6, 38:26, Psa. 68:9, 135:7, 147:8, Isa. 5:6, 30:23, 45:8, Jer. 3:3, 5:24, 10:13, 14:22, 51:16, Eze. 13:13, 38:22, Joel 2:23, Amos 4:7, Zech. 10:1, Mat. 5:45, Acts 14:17, Heb. 6:7, Jas. 5:17-18

16Rom. 9:27 and 11:5 are the only places where the word “remnant/remainder” appear in the New Testament, and both times the word refers to Christians.

17https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/counts

18“Thys is it that Iacob dyd Prophecy of hys posterytye in the latter dayes to be fulfylled. Genesis [49:9, cf. Num. 24:9] shewynge to hys chyldren that whyche God had opened vnto hym of Iuda, whome he nameth to be lyke a Lyon” ~A. Gilby, 1551 AD

19In the physical world, victories like that of Mordecai over Haman, Charles Martel over the Mohammedans, or George Washington over the Redcoats come to mind.

20- a detail apparently missed in the New Living Translation and in Matthew Henry’s commentary.

21Including the NET Bible, Westminister Hebrew morphology, C. F. Keil’s commentary, and Waltke’s commentary.

22The Greek root in Acts is διωκω (“hunt down”), a synonym to the word in the LXX of Micah (θλίβοντάς – “afflict”).

23Isa. 5:25; 9:12,17,21; 10:4 all speak of the Lord’s hand stretching out to strike, using the verb נטה, but the verb Micah uses here (רום) does occur in a similar statement in Isaiah 26:11 “Yahweh, Your hand is lifted up, but they will NOT see. Let them see the people's zeal and be ashamed. Also, let Your enemy's fire consume them.” (NAW)

AMy original chart includes the following copyrighted English versions: NASB, NIV, ESV, Bauscher’s version of the Peshitta, and Cathcart’s version of the Targums, but I remove these columns from my public, non-copyrighted edition of this chart so as not to infringe on their copyrights. NAW is my translation. When a translation adds words not in the Hebrew text, but does not indicate it has done so by the use of italics or greyed-out text, I put the added words in [square brackets]. When one version chooses a wording which is different from all the other translations, I underline it. When a version chooses a translation which, in my opinion, either departs too far from the root meaning of the Hebrew word or departs too far from the grammar form of the original text, I use strikeout. And when a version omits a word which is in the original text, I insert an X. I also place an X at the end of a word if the original word is plural but the English translation is singular. I occasionally use colors to help the reader see correlations between the various editions and versions when there are more than two different translations of a given word. The only known Dead Sea Scrolls containing Micah 5 are 4Q81 (containing parts of verses 2-3 and dated between 175-50BC), 4Q82 (containing parts of verses 7-8 and dated between 30-1 BC), the Nahal Hever Greek scroll (containing parts of vs. 2-7 and dated around 25BC), and the Wadi Muraba’at Scroll (containing parts verses 1-2 & 6-13 and dated around 135 AD). Where the DSS is legible and in agreement with the MT, the MT is colored purple. Where the DSS supports the LXX/Vulgate/Peshitta with omissions or text not in the MT, I have highlighted with yellow the LXX and its translation into English, and where I have accepted that into my NAW translation, I have marked it with {pointed brackets}.

BDouay Old Testament first published by the English College at Douay, A.D. 1609, Revised and Diligently Compared with the Latin Vulgate by Bishop Richard Challoner, Published in 1582, 1609, 1752. As published on E-Sword.

C“Septuagint” Greek Old Testament, edited by Alfred Rahlfs. Published in 1935. As published on E-Sword.

DEnglish translation of the Septuagint by Sir Lancelot Charles Lee Brenton, 1851, “based upon the text of the Vaticanus” but not identical to the Vaticanus. As published electronically by E-Sword.

E1769 King James Version of the Holy Bible; public domain. As published electronically by E-Sword.

FFrom the Wiki Hebrew Bible https://he.wikisource.org/wiki/%D7%9E%D7%99%D7%9B%D7%94_%D7%91/%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%AA .
DSS text comes from https://downloads.thewaytoyahuweh.com

GBHS suggested that the third letter, resh, when read as the very similar-looking letter daleth instead (or perhaps trilled by a lector and mistaken for the sound of a daleth) could have been translated “ground/land” as the LXX did. N.H. reads βαρ--- (dashes represent illegible letters) referring to something “expensive/heavily-built/weighty.”

HN.H. (επεγερουμεν) is active, 1p, like the MT, Vulgate, Peshitta, and Targums.

ILXX follows the homonym נשׁך (“bite”) rather than what is written in the MT נסך (“outpouring/prince”). This is not the first time in Micah that the LXX has confused the word in the MT for a different word which sounds the same but does not look the same. This could be evidence of the LXX translator translating as he listened to someone reading rather than reading the Hebrew for himself. The earlier Nahal Hever Greek translation does not suffer from this problem; it translates with the word αρχοντας (“rulers”) followed by Theodotian (αρχηγους). Αquilla, however, translated it καθεσταμενους (“antagonists”) and Symmachus χριστους (“Anointed ones” – closest to the MT) – all of which are persons rather than an impersonal “attack” as per the LXX.

JCalvin asserted that this simply means that after the exile, Israel would regain its sovereignty, in other words, the line of kings would be broken, but they would later be able to govern themselves, but the following phrase “against it” rather militates against Calvin’s view, for the text indicates a defense mounted against Assyria (“it”).

K“even eight” – NIV, “yea eight” ~Keil
“This Phrase of .vii. and .viii. Betokeneth abundaunce & plenteth of captaynes lyke as ye xi. chap of Eccle.” ~A. Gilby

LRare word only here and Josh. 13:21; Ps. 83:12; Ezek. 32:30; Dan. 11:8 (and Deut. 32:38 describing drink offerings), denoting those over whom oil had been poured them to anoint them for an office.

MΝ.Η. did not omit the word “land” in the MT like the LXX did.

Ncf. Aq. (σειρομασταις “daggers”), Sym. (πυλων) & Theod. (πυλαις) = “gates,”, but N.H. translated with the better synonym παραξ--- (passages” cf. E παραξιφισιν αυτων) and got the plural correct (unlike the LXX) but omitted the possessive pronoun which is in the LXX and MT and other ancient versions.

ON.H. rendered οτι ελθη εις which amounts to the same meaning as the LXX.

PGeneva, KJV, AJV, and NKJV render “waste/destroy” as though the root were רעע, but the historic Latin, Aramaic, and Greek versions all translated it as the root רעה (“shepherd” – which includes the ideas of feeding and ruling). Keil was certain that “רָעוּ [is] from רָעָה, not from רָעַע.” Calvin suggested that “shepherd” could have both a positive (“feed”) and a negative (“destroy”) meaning.

Q“The verses move from the defensive posture of chiefs defending their homeland against Assyria to the offensive posture in v 4(5) of their ruling Assyria’s homeland.” ~B. Waltke
This Hebrew word has received a wide range of translation: Quinta of Hexapla/Dodecapropheton Murabbaat/Aquila/Kimchi/Ibn Ezra/Gilby/Calvin/Geneva/AJV/NIV/NET/NLT = “[drawn/sharp] sword[s],” cf. Vulgate = “spears,” Symmachus/Rashi/KJV/Marckius/Newcome/Henderson/Owen/Keil/Waltke/NASB/ESV = “entrances” cf. Nahal Hever = “passages,” LXX = “trench,” Peshitta = “wrath,” Targums/Caspari/Hitzig/Keil = “fortified cities.”

Rwāw-relative... a summarizing epexegetical use (‘and so...’)” ~B. Waltke (following Keil)

SThe Peshitta and Targums read as though this were the word לא (“not”), but Vulgate and LXX agree with MT (“when”). Unfortunately all the DSS have lacunae here, so we can’t compare with what they had recorded.

TN.H. rendered with the synonym -λοιπον

Ucf. Aquilla = ψεκαδες (“drips”?), Sym. & Theod. = νιφετος (“rain-clouds”?)

VAquilla = ποαν (?), Sym. & Theod. = χορτον (“hay”)

WAq. (‘υπομενει) & Theod. (μενει) = “remain” correcting the LXX to the MT and other ancient versions.

Xcf. the more literal translations of Aq. (ανδρα) and Theod. (ανθρωπον) = “man”

Ycf. Aq. περιμενει (“wait around”) and Theod. ελπισει (“will hope in”)

ZAlthough the Peshitta supports this redundancy, it is not in the Nahal Hever or the MT, Vulgate, or Targums (although it does occur in them in the next verse).

AAThis verb of being is masculine, so the feminine noun “remnant” is not its subject. The subject of this verb is unexpressed, and that requires adding a second verb of being to link “remnant” with its predicate nominative. The same thing happens at the beginning of the next verse. Waltke was the only commentator I found who caught this.

AB“In 5:6–8(7–9) Micah ripens his theme regarding the role of the remnant of Jacob among the nations in Israel’s eschatological figure. He planted the seed in 2:12–13: out of the remnant that God gathered as a flock into Jerusalem during the Assyrian invasion of Judah and siege of its capital, I AM, their true King, would lead them forth triumphantly. He watered it in 4:6–7: out of the gathered remnant of Jacob, whom I AM had lamed once again before conferring his blessing on them, the King, who miraculously led them out of the city in triumph, promises to make them a great nation under his eternal Kingship. In 5:6–8(7–9) he nourishes it to maturity: that great nation, spiritually unified under their eternal King and having been handed over by I AM to his faithful Messiah for his skillful shepherding, will be I AM’s instrument both of life among the nations, like a gentle rain falling upon plants, and of death, like a lion mauling its victims.” ~B. Waltke, 2007 AD

ACLXX and Peshitta seem to have followed a different Hebrew text which added the words “with the nations” here. The redundancy with the subsequent phrase results in no difference of meaning, however.

ADRelatively-rare word, only here and Deut. 32:2; Ps. 65:11; 72:6; Jer. 3:3; 14:22, always in parallel with dew or rain.

AE“relative clause emphasizes divine initiative and the remnant’s dependency on God… rain does not look expectantly to man to send it forth… but to God.” ~Waltke

AFWhile this could be interpreted as a future tense, Waltke labeled it a “frequentive piel,” and that is the way all the English versions have translated it.

AGWaltke was pretty much alone in moving the meaning of this from “waiting/tarrying/delaying/lingering” to “painful expectation” to match his interpretation of the previous verb “look expectantly.” Anticipation/hope is in the range of meaning of קוה, but I question whether it is in the meaning of יחל. This affects the interpretation of this verse, whether it is about the remnant (represented as rain) being a blessing to the nations when they put their hope in God instead of man (which was Waltke’s take - and is very Biblical) or whether it is about the sovereign action of God in bringing blessing through His people to the nations (which is my interpretation, and which is also in agreement with Scripture).

AHBrenton appears to have inadvertently skipped the phrase “of the forest” which is in the Greek text.

AIW.M., the only DSS legible at this point starts the word with -ב (“with/in/at”) instead of with the comparative -כ (“like/as”). All the ancient versions read with a comparative, so I wonder if my transcription of W.M. is mistaken here.

AJAccording to Micah’s simile, the “remnant of Jacob” is compared to a “lion” and a “young lion,” and the “many nations” are compared to the “beasts of the forest” and “flocks of sheep.”

AKcf. Mic. 2:12 where “flocks” refer to Jews. Waltke noted the synecdoche of wild “beasts of the forest” and domesticated “flock of sheep” – a merism for “all animals.”

ALThis word is a synonym to derek in vs. 5 & 6 and denotes “stepping/stamping/treading,” so Peshitta and LXX seem to be off with “cut out/select,” as is the NIV “maul.” It seems to correlate to the way that felines “pounce” or strike with their limbs to knock down and incapacitate prey. The subsequent word denotes the way felines use their claws to “tear/rip up/shred” their prey. Waltke labeled these three verbs “gnomic perfects” (describing common experience). According to OSHB cantillation and Waltke, the Masoretic accents indicate that “and pounces and rips” go with “when it passes through,” and there is a more disjunctive accent that sets apart “and there will be no one to deliver.” Waltke called the אם (“if/when”) a “protasis im” and the -ו before אין an “apodasis vav.”

AMcf. Psalm 50:22 “Please understand this, you who forget God; otherwise I will rip you to shreds and there will be no escape.” (NAW)
Hosea 5:14 “For I will be like a lion to Ephraim, And like a young lion to the house of Judah. I, even I, will tear them and go away; I will take them away, and no one shall rescue.” (NKJV)

ANThe masculine gender makes God the referent rather than the feminine “remnant.” Malbim, however, said it could refer to either God or the remnant. The NIV and NET bibles (and Waltke, in his commentary) added the word “triumph,” interpreting the raised hand as a celebratory sign after a victory (cf. Cohen) rather than a threatening sign before a strike, but the parallel passages in Isaiah argue persuasively that it is the latter. Keil agreed with me, “This wish (târōm is optative) closes the promise of the attitude which Israel will assume among the nations of the world. For târōm yâd (high be the hand), compare Isa. 26:11. High is the hand which accomplishes mighty deeds, which smites and destroys the foe.”

14