rd

Micah 5

2 The destruction of Jerusalém. 2 The excellencie of Beth-léem.
1.Now assemble thy garrisons, ô daughter aof garrisons: he hath laid siege against us: they shal smite the judge of Israél with a rod upon the cheek.
2.And thou Beth-léem Ephráthah art blittle to be among the thousands of Judáh, yet out of thee shal he come forth unto me, that shal be the ruler in Israél: whose cgoings forth have been from the beginning and from everlasting.
3.Therefore will he give them up, until the time that dshe which shal beare, shal travail: then the remnant of their brethren shal return unto the children of Israél.
4.And he shal estand, and feed in the strength of the Lord, and in the majesty of the Name of the Lord his God, and they shal dwell still: for now shal he be magnified unto the ends of the world.
5.And he fshal be our peace when Asshúr shal come into our land: when he shal tread in our palaces, then shal we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principle men.
6.And they shal destroy gAsshúr with the sword, and the land of Nimród with their swords: thus shal he hdeliver us from Asshúr, when he cometh into our land, and when he shal tread within our borders.
7.And the iremnant of Jaakób shalbe among many people, as a dew from the Lord, and as the showers upon the grass, that waiteth not for man, nor hopeth in the sons of Adám.
8.And the remnant of Jaakób shal be among the Gentiles in the middes of many people, as the lyon among the beasts of the forest, and as the lyon’s whelp among the flocks of sheep, who when he goeth through, treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.
9.Thine hand shal be lift up upon thine adversaries, and all thine enemies shalbe cut off.
10.And it shal come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, that I will cut off thine khorses out of the middes of thee, and I will destroy thy charets.
11.And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and overthrow all thy strong holdes.
12.And I will cut off thine inchanters out of thine hand: and thou shalt have no more sothsayers.
13.Thine idols also will I cut off, & thine images out of the middes of thee: and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands.
14.And I will pluck up thy groves out of the middes of thee: so will I destroy thine enemies.
15.And I will execute a vengeance in my wrath and indignation upon the heathen, lwhich they have not heard.

Notes

1-a.
He forewarns them of the dangers that shall come, before they enjoy these comforts, showing that forasmuch as Jerusalem was accustomed with her garrison to trouble others the Lord would now cause other garrisons to vex her, and that her Rulers should be smitten on the face most contemptuously.
2-b.
For so the Jews divided their country, that for every thousand there was a chief captain & because Bethlehem was not able to make a thou- sand, he calls it little, but yet God will raise up his captain and governor therein: and thus it is not the least by reason of this benefit, as Mat. 2.6.
2-c.
He shows that the coming of Christ and all his ways were appointed of God from all eternity.
3-d.
He compares the Jews to women with child, who for a time shall have great sorrows, but at length they should have a comfortable deliverance, John 16.21.
4-e.
That is, Christ’s kingdom shall be stable and everlasting, and his people, aswell the Gentiles as the Jews shall dwell in safety.
5-f.
This Messiah shall be sufficient safeguard for us, and though the enemy invade us for a time, yet shall God stir up many which shall be able to deliver us.
6-g.
These whom God shall raise up for the deliverance of his Church, shall destroy all the enemies thereof, which are meant here by the Assyrians and Babylonians which were the chief at that time.
6-h.
By these governors will God deliver us when the enemies come into our land.
7-i.
This Remnant or Church which God shall deliver, shall only depend on God’s power and defence, as does the grass of the field, and not on the hope of man.
10-k.
I will destroy all things wherein you put your confidence, as your vain confidence and idolatry, and so will help you.
15-l.
It shall be so terrible that the like has not been heard of.