Read in
EnglishFrançaisEspañol
Automatic translation

Français and Español open this page through Google Translate. Google provides the automatic translation on its own service. English is the original edition.

Translations may contain errors, especially in theological terms and Scripture quotations. Compare important passages with the English source and a published Bible translation in your language.

Downloaded PDFs and text inside images are not translated. Search uses English terms and Bible references. Your saved notes and reading progress stay in the browser where you created them.

If the translation is unavailable, try your browser’s translation option. Translation help ↗ · Google privacy ↗

The Jesus InquiryHISTORY · EVIDENCE · PERSPECTIVE
About
Home/Old Testament & Jesus
Text, context and interpretation

A ruler from Bethlehem

Royal and messianic interpretation

The earlier passage

Micah 5:1-6 →

1 Now you shall gather yourself in troops, daughter of troops. He has laid siege against us. They will strike the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek.

2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, being small among the clans of Judah, out of you one will come out to me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings out are from of old, from ancient times.

3 Therefore he will abandon them until the time that she who is in labor gives birth. Then the rest of his brothers will return to the children of Israel.

Read the full passage (6 verses)

1 Now you shall gather yourself in troops, daughter of troops. He has laid siege against us. They will strike the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek.

2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, being small among the clans of Judah, out of you one will come out to me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings out are from of old, from ancient times.

3 Therefore he will abandon them until the time that she who is in labor gives birth. Then the rest of his brothers will return to the children of Israel.

4 He shall stand, and shall shepherd in the strength of Yahweh, in the majesty of the name of Yahweh his God: and they will live, for then he will be great to the ends of the earth.

5 He will be our peace when Assyria invades our land, and when he marches through our fortresses, then we will raise against him seven shepherds, and eight leaders of men.

6 They will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in its gates. He will deliver us from the Assyrian, when he invades our land, and when he marches within our border.

Read the whole chapter →

The New Testament use

Matthew 2:1-12 →

1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying,

2 “Where is he who is born King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east, and have come to worship him.”

3 When King Herod heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

Read the full passage (12 verses)

1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying,

2 “Where is he who is born King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east, and have come to worship him.”

3 When King Herod heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

4 Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ would be born.

5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is written through the prophet,

6 ‘You Bethlehem, land of Judah, are in no way least among the princes of Judah: for out of you shall come a governor, who shall shepherd my people, Israel.’ ”

7 Then Herod secretly called the wise men, and learned from them exactly what time the star appeared.

8 He sent them to Bethlehem, and said, “Go and search diligently for the young child. When you have found him, bring me word, so that I also may come and worship him.”

9 They, having heard the king, went their way; and behold, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, until it came and stood over where the young child was.

10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.

11 They came into the house and saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Opening their treasures, they offered to him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 Being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country another way.

Read the whole chapter →

World English Bible. Longer passages show their opening verses first; expand them or follow the chapter links. Commentary below is separate from Scripture. Verse numbering can differ between translations.

Original context

Micah imagines a ruler associated with Bethlehem who will shepherd the people and bring security. The surrounding verses speak of Assyria and national danger. Bethlehem also connects the passage to David's origins.

How the New Testament uses it

Matthew 2 places a version of this promise in the response of the chief priests and scribes when Herod asks where the Messiah is to be born. Read Matthew's wording alongside Micah rather than assuming a word-for-word reproduction.

The Christian understanding

The Bethlehem birth narrative identifies Jesus with the expected Davidic ruler.

Other readings and questions

A reader can affirm the passage's Davidic or messianic hope without accepting that Jesus fulfils it. The promised peace and security also raise questions about how and when fulfilment is understood.

What the connection can establish

Matthew's use of Micah is evidence of Matthew's interpretation. Assessing the historical birthplace independently and deciding how the larger promise is fulfilled require additional reasoning. Verse numbering differs between some Bible editions.

Sources and further reading

The Scripture passages above are the primary texts for this comparison. Interpretive explanations are editorial synthesis. Named commentaries represent their authors or traditions, not every reader.

Checked 20 October 2026. Scripture source record · Corrections

What would you like to explore?