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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." This has been read as a prophecy by the Old Testament prophet Micah that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem.

While a long stretch, the King James translastion could be read as a possible foretelling of the birth of Jesus, based on the use of the words "from everlasting." But, when we look at the original, we find a much more ordinary statement, relevant to the political times that Micah was writing about: (Jewish Tanach), "And you, Bethlehem Ephrathah-you should have been the lowest of the clans of Judah-from you [he] shall emerge for Me, to be a ruler over Israel; and his origin is from of old, from days of yore." Here we find "from days of yore", which the King James translators mistranslated as "from everlasting."

Thus we find that Micah, who lived long before the time of Jesus, knew nothing of him and said nothing about his birth.

"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." Matthew 2:5-6

The gospel of Matthew claims that Jesus' birth in Bethlehem fulfils this prophecy.

But this is unlikely for two reasons.

  1. "Bethlehem Ephratah" in Micah 5:2 refers not to a town, but to a clan: the clan of Bethlehem, who was the son of Caleb's second wife, Ephrathah see 1 Chorinicle 2:16, 2:50-52, 4:4..
  2. The prophecy does not refer to the Messiah, but rather to a military leader, as can be seen from verse 5:6 . This leader is supposed to defeat the Assyrians, which, of course, Jesus never did.

It should also be noted that Matthew altered the text of Micah 5:2 by saying: "And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda" rather than "Bethlehem Ephratah" as is said in Micah 5:2. He did this, intentionally no doubt, to make the verse appear to refer to the town of Bethlehem rather than the family clan.

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Some pious Christians see the birth of Jesus in the following: Micah 5:2: "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."

Is this really about Jesus? After all, it does notmention his name, nor does it identify him in any way. At 5:5, Micah tells us more about the man who will come out of Bethlehem: "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. " Jesus was centuries too late to fit this profile.

So why do some see a story here that evades careful reading and was never intended by the author? Burton L Mack (Who Wrote the New Testament) says there is a trick wherein one can ask any question of The Bible and get some kind of answer, then if the first answer does not appear to be helpful, one looks for another answer to the same question, until the right answer appears. With a little ingenuity, one can set up the comparison again with other emphases and make the answer come out right. In this way, it really is possible to point to hundreds of references that appear to describe Jesus, even to his birth if that is the answer sought.

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Q: What did the prophet Micah say about the birth of Jesus?
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What does the Qur'an say about Jesus Christ?

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Related questions

Who first preached Jesus coming?

We can say that the first prophet to clearly mention the coming of Jesus is the major prophet Isaiah who said 700 years before the birth of Jesus christ. That Jesus would come to save the world of their sin.


Who do mulsumins say Jesus is?

The Muslims consider Jesus as a prophet only.


Was there any other prophet after Jesus Christ?

Muslims say that Muhammad was a prophet after Jesus. Mormons say that Joseph Smith was a prophet after Jesus, as has been each of Smith's successors. And so on, so the answer really comes down to faith.


Why do people say that Jesus is God and what does it mean?

Jesus is not god, he is the son of god, if you believe. he is the prophet of the christian faith, if you do not believe he is or was the Prophet of Christianity then you are in fact not a christian.


What did Jesus say on day one of his birth?

On day one of his birth, Jesus was 1 day old. He was a baby, and he couldn't say anything at all!


Is Jesus a greater prophet than muhammed?

Yes, Muslims believe Jesus was born of virgin, Muhammad was not, Jesus performed miracles Muhammad did not, Jesus was taken to heaven Muhammad was not, Jesus will return to earth in future, Muhammad will not. therefore Jesus is greater than Muhammad


What is Micah 5 verse 2?

A:The prophet Micah was active in the rural area known as the Shephelah during the later part of the eighth century and the early seventh century BCE. Verse 5:1 portrays a siege, possibly one that may have occurred in 701 BCE.


Who were the second to learn about Jesus birth?

The Bible indicates that the Shepherds and the wise men simultaneously learned of the birth of Jesus, so I suppose you may say that they were equal second, after Jesus' parents to learn of his birth.


Just like Muslims believe that Jesus was an important prophet so do christians believe that Muhammad had any importance as a prophet?

No. Jesus' time was over 6 centuries before Muhammed and we believe that Jesus was and is the salvation of the world. Since Jesus, no more prophets are required because he is the answer. That is not to say that Muhammed was not a good person and teacher - just that we do not view him as any kind of prophet.


Is Jesus a prophet in the christian religion?

Yes, in Christianity, Jesus is considered to be a prophet. The following verse is a reference to Jesus being a prophet. "For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you." - Acts 3:22


What did judaism say about the birth of jesus?

In our tradition, Jesus was a regular human being born in the usual manner.


What old testament prophecies does the evangelist say are fulfiled?

The prophet Isaiah said 700 years earlier that Christ would be born to a virgin. That hewould be sent like a lamb to be slaughtered. Psalms say that they cast lots for the clothes of Jesus.