June 17, 2015Bethlehem: The Messiah’s Birthplace? Page 1 of 9 Micah 5:1[2 in Christian Bibles] –...

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Micah 5:1[2 in Christian Bibles] – Bethlehem: The Messiah’s Birthplace?

A Counter-Missionary Education Lesson

by

Uri Yosef, Ph.D., Director of EducationVirtual Yeshiva of the Messiah Truth Project, Inc.

[The article on this topic is located here - http://thejewishhome.org/counter/Micah5_1.pdf]

Copyright © Uri Yosef 2015 for the Messiah Truth Project, Inc.All rights reserved

Counter-Missionary Education

http://thejewishhome.org/counter/Micah5_1.pdf


Introduction

In the opening verse of the second chapter in the Gospel of Matthew, its author declares that Bethlehem was the birthplace of Jesus:

The author then claims this event to have been the "fulfillment" of a prophecy in the Hebrew Bible, stating:

According to annotated Christian bibles, such as the New American Standard Bible [NASB] , Matthew 2:6 points to Micah 5:2 in the (Christian) "Old Testament", which corresponds to Micah 5:1 in the Hebrew Scriptures. Hence, Micah 5:1[2] has become a significant "proof text" in the Christian missionary's portfolio.

A rigorous analysis of the Hebrew text in Micah 5:1 demonstrates that the attempted application of this verse in the New Testament, and its subsequent mistranslation in the "Old Testament", are inconsistent with what the Hebrew Bible teaches.

Matthew 2:1(KJV) – Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, …

Matthew 2:5-6(KJV) – (5) And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, (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.


Micah 5:1[2] & Matthew 2:6

The respective passages separated into Segment A & Segment B

King James Version New Testament

King James Version "Old Testament"

Jewish Translation from the Hebrew

Hebrew Text

Matthew 2:6 Micah 5:2 Micah 5:1 ʠ,ʤʤʫʩʮ 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. -------------------- ------------------------------------

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.

And you, [of] Bethlehem [of] Efrat, who were to be insignificant among the thousands of Judah, from you [he] shall emerge for Me, to be a ruler over Israel; and his origin is from old, from ancient days.

ʤʕsʔʠʍʥʭʓʧʓʬʚ ʩʒˎʤʕ ʕyʍɹʓʠʸ ʩʑʕʁʺ ˣʩʍʤʑʬ

ʤʕʣ˒ʤʍʩʩʒɹʍʬˋ ʍˎʩʑʬ˃ ʍʑʮʬʒˣʮ ˣʩʍʤʑʬʠʒʁʒʩ

ʥʩʕʖʠʕʁˣʮ˒ ʬʒʠ ʕyʍʑʩʍˎʭ ʓʣʓ˟ʑʮʭʕʬˣʲ ʩʒʮʩʑʮʟ

King James Version

New Testament King James Version

"Old Testament" Jewish Translation from the

Hebrew Hebrew Text

Matthew 2:6 Micah 5:2 Micah 5:1 ʠ,ʤʤʫʩʮ

A

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.

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;

And you, [of] Bethlehem [of] Efrat, who were to be insignificant among the thousands of Judah, from you [he] shall emerge for Me, to be a ruler over Israel;

ʤʕsʔʠʍʥʭʓʧʓʬʚ ʩʒˎʤʕ ʕyʍɹʓʠʸ ʩʑʕʁʺ ˣʩʍʤʑʬ

ʤʕʣ˒ʤʍʩʩʒɹʍʬˋ ʍˎʩʑʬ˃ ʍʑʮʬʒˣʮ ˣʩʍʤʑʬʠʒʁʒʩ

ʬʒʠ ʕyʍʑʩʍˎ

B

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

and his origin is from old, from ancient days.

ʭ ʓʣʓ˟ʑʮʥʩʕʖʠʕʁˣʮ˒ʭʕʬˣʲ ʩʒʮʩʑʮʟ


Micah 5:1A[2A] – Preliminary Linguistic Analysis

King James Version New Testament

King James Version "Old Testament"

Jewish Translation from the Hebrew

Hebrew Text

Matthew 2:6 Micah 5:2A Micah 5:1A Aʠ,ʤʤʫʩʮ

A

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.

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;

And you, [of] Bethlehem [of] Efrat, who were to be insignificant among the thousands of Judah, from you [he] shall emerge for Me, to be a ruler over Israel;

ʤʕsˋʍʥʭʓʧʓʬʚ ʩʒˎʤʕʕyʍɹʓʠʸ ʩʑʕʁʺ ˣʩʍʤʑʬ

ʤʕʣ˒ʤʍʩʩʒɹʍʬˋ ʍˎʩʑʬʕʪʍʑʮʬʒˣʮ ˣʩʍʤʑʬʠʒʁʒʩ

ʬʒʠʕyʍʑʩʍˎ

ה ת' א( ו+ה ת' א( ה) ’means ‘and you’, where ‘you ו+ ת' is the 2nd-person, singular, masculine (א(gender pronoun. It is the noun here.

ם ח. ית־ל. ב4ה ת' ר' פ+ א.

This is an appositive, a sentence element that further identifies the noun – ה ת' in א(this case; it is masculine since the noun is masculine. In Hebrew, cities and towns are assigned the feminine gender, which rules out ם ח. ית־ל. (BEIT-LEhem) ב4as a reference to the city. The additional term ה ת' ר' פ+ can have several א.meanings: (1) to (the place called) Efrat, (2) of/from (the place called) Efrat, (3) Efrat, the other name of Bethlehem, and (4) Efrat, which is a place in (the district of) Bethlehem.

יר ע8 צ'

יות ה+ ל8

י פ4 אל+ ב+ה הוד' י+

This is an adjective clause, which is a clause that describes the noun. יר ע8 ,צ'‘young’, is a masculine adjective (it can also serve as a noun). יות ה+ is the ל8infinitive ‘to be’. ה הוד' י י+ פ4 אל+ among the thousands of Judah’, is an allusion to‘ ,ב+the division of the tribes into clans. [Such divisions remained in Israel through Solomon’s reign, and in Judah at least through the reign of Amaziah.]


Micah 5:1A[2A] – Who Is Being Addressed?

The linguistic analysis of Segment A gives rise to several possible scenarios as to whom Micah was addressing in this verse:

Scenario 1

The inhabitants of the city ם ח. ית־ל. Bethlehem, who may have comprised one of those ,ב4groups of “thousands”, one that had a low status among the other “thousands” in the Tribe of Judah. Yet, in spite of its insignificance, Micah prophesies that out of this “thousand” the promised Jewish Messiah will emerge.

Relative Strength Relative Weakness

---The population of Bethlehem probably was large enough to comprise more than one such clan of a “thousand”.

Scenario 2

A certain clan from Efrat, i.e., a group of families that trace their lines of decent to a common ancestor. In Hebrew, the name ם ח. ית־ל. ,literally means [the] House of Lehem ב4which may refer to a clan by that name who resides in Efrat, and who may have comprised one of the groups of “thousands”, one that had a low status among the other “thousands” in the Tribe of Judah. Here, too, in spite of its insignificance, it is prophesied that out of this clan the promised Jewish Messiah will emerge.


--- No one named ם ח. .is found in the Hebrew Bible – anonymous clan ל.


Micah 5:1A[2A] – Who Is Being Addressed? (Continued)

Scenario 3

An unnamed group of people hailing from Bethlehem, one that had a low status among the other “thousands” in the Tribe of Judah. Once again, it is prophesied that the promised Jewish Messiah will emerge out of this clan even though it was lowly.


---A clan of a “thousand”, or a group of people within it, destined for future greatness, is being addressed anonymously.

Scenario 4

A particular individual whose ancestors, and he himself, hail from Bethlehem. This person was insignificant in his youth, but was the one who God selected to be the king of Israel and the progenitor of the royal lineage out of which the promised Jewish Messiah will eventually emerge.


Several accounts in the Hebrew Bible fit into the characterization provided by Micah and help identify this special individual as David, who was the one son that Jesse regarded the least when God dispatched Samuel to find and anoint the next king of Israel.

The Prophet Nathan visited the aging King David and conveyed to him God’s promise of an everlasting dynasty, of which he was to be the progenitor, a dynasty that will eventually produce the promised Jewish Messiah.

The particular individual is not explicitly identified in the passage itself.


Micah 5:1[2] – Segment B

Why was Segment B left out by the author of Matthew 2:6?

Micah is prophesying that the promised future King of Israel, the Messiah, will come from a line that originates from Bethlehem, from the long ago past. This conflicts with Christian theology, since Jesus is considered as having existed from the beginning of time, from before Creation.

Which is the correct translation of the last phrase in Segment B?

A simple word study provides the clue to the answer.

Since the New Testament preceded the KJV translation of the Hebrew Bible, it seems that the KJV translators changed the meaning of the phrase in order to bring it into “harmony” with the accounts in the New Testament and, thereby, enhance its Christological appeal.

King James Version

New Testament King James Version

"Old Testament" Jewish Translation from the

Hebrew Hebrew Text

Matthew 2:6 Micah 5:2B Micah 5:1B Bʠ,ʤʤʫʩʮ

B ---------------------------------------------------

whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

and his origin is from old, from ancient days.

ʭ ʓʣʓ˟ʑʮʥʩʕʖʠʕʁˣʮ˒ʭʕʬˣʲ ʩʒʮʩʑʮʟ

Hebrew Pronunciation Reference Correct Translation KJV Rendition

ʭʕʬx ʲ ʩʒʮʍʩ yeMEI oLAM Isaiah 63:9,11 the days of old the days of old

ʭʕʬx ʲ ʩʒʮʩʑ kiy’MEI oLAM Amos 9:11; Micah 7:14; Malachi 3:4

as in the days of old

as in the days of old

ʭʕʬx ʲ ʩʒʮʩʑʮ miy’MEI oLAM Micah 5:1[2] from ancient days from everlasting


What Is Wrong with Matthew 2:6?

Legend: M=Masculine F=Feminine N=Neutral

Several minor edits in Segment A transformed Matthew 2:6 into a passage showing Bethlehem as the Messiah’s birthplace. The author was unable to do this with Segment B, lest he risked drawing the reader’s attention to David, who lived 200-300 years before Micah. Therefore, he omitted it.

Matthew 2:6 (KJV)

Micah 5:2 (KJV)

Micah 5:1 (Jewish) ʠ,ʤʤʫʩʮ

And thou But thou (different; “But” replaces “And”)

And you [of] [M] ʤʕsˋʍʥ

Bethlehem Bethlehem Bethlehem [F] ʭʓʧʓʬʚ ʩʒˎ in the land of Juda (different) Ephratah [of] Efrat [F] ʤʕʕyʍɹʓʠ not the least (different; note reversal of context)

little (different; can apply to people and places)

Insignificant [person(s)] [M] ʸ ʩʑʕʁ

art (different; change of context)

though thou be who were to be [N] ʺ ˣʩʍʤʑʬ

among the princes of among the thousands of among the thousands of [M] ʩʒɹʍʬ ʍˎ

Juda Judah Judah [M] ʤʕʣ˒ʤʍʩ for out of thee yet out of thee from you [M] ʕʪʍʑʮ (completely left out) unto me for Me [N] ʩʑʬ shall come shall he come forth [he] shall emerge [M] ʠʒʁʒʩ (completely left out) that is to be to be [N] ʺ ˣʩʍʤʑʬ a Governor (different; note the “G”)

ruler a ruler [M] ʬʒˣʮ

that shall rule my people Israel in Israel over Israel [M] ʬʒʠʕyʍʑʩʍˎ (completely left out) whose goings forth have been and his origin is [M] ʥʩʕʖʠʕʁˣʮ˒ (completely left out) from of old from old [M] ʭʓʣʓ˟ʑʮ

(completely left out) from everlasting (different; note change in timeline)

from ancient days [M] ʭʕʬx ʲ ʩʒʮʩʑʮ


Summary

The aim of this lesson was to determine whether, according to the Christian claim, Micah 5:1[2] foretells that Bethlehem will be the Messiah’s place of birth. The detailed analysis demonstrated the following:

• The best “fit” for who is being addressed by the Prophet Micah is King David.

• Bethlehem of Judea was the town from which King David's family originated, and this prophecy speaks of this city as the place where the messianic royal line originated, though not necessarily the birthplace of the Messiah.

• While this passage does not rule out Bethlehem of Judea from being the birthplace of the Messiah, as could be any other place, the notion that it is his birthplace was introduced in the New Testament as an interpretation by the Gospel writers.

• The KJV version of Micah 5:1[2] attempts to “harmonize” the passage with Christian theology and Matthew 2:6 by changing the meaning of the last phrase in the verse.

It is also worthwhile to note that, relative to the few attributes of the promised Jewish Messiah actually spelled out in the Hebrew Bible, which Jesus did not fulfill in any event, being born in Bethlehem of Judea, even if it were true, would be inconsequential.

Moreover, the rest of the fifth chapter of Micah proves, beyond a shadow of doubt, that Jesus cannot be the subject of the prophecy in Micah 5:1[2]. Micah 5:2[3] speaks of the return of the Jewish people to Israel during the lifetime of the prophesied ruler, and Micah 5:4-5[5-6] is about this ruler leading Israel in war against its enemies. The historical record testifies to the fact that neither of these events took place during the lifetime of Jesus.

June 17, 2015Bethlehem: The Messiah’s Birthplace? Page 1 of 9 Micah 5:1[2 in Christian Bibles] –...

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