‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’” Matthew 2:6

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‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
Are not-at-all least in the governors of Judah.
For out of you will come forth – ruling,
Who will shepherd My people Israel’” (CG).

The previous verse noted that the chief priests and scribes told Herod that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem of Judea. The prophet who led them to this conclusion is next cited, beginning with, “And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah.”

The citation is from Micah 5:2. However, the words diverge from the Hebrew and Greek texts, more so from the Greek. However, Matthew is not citing the text, he is citing what the chief priests and scribes said to Herod. They could have simply been citing the verse from memory without even going to a text.

For example, the corresponding words from Micah in the Hebrew text say, “And you, Bethlehem Ephrathah.” The reason Micah says Ephrathah is because there were two places called Bethlehem in the Old Testament, one in Judah and one in Zebulun (Joshua 19:15). Micah noted the distinction between the two.

However, when those before Herod stated where the Messiah would be born, this was unnecessary. They were in Judah, and Bethlehem was right down the road. Therefore, it would make sense to simply say “Judah,” something Herod would have been more familiar with. Next, they continue the quote, saying of Bethlehem, “Are not-at-all least in the governors of Judah.”

This again deviates from the Hebrew a little. It literally says, “Insignificant, to be, in thousands Judah.” The difference between “governors” and “thousands,” however, is not that great. In the Hebrew, the term thousands speaks of a group who are governed by others. In Jethro’s advice to Moses in Exodus 18, he explained what Moses should do. This was accepted and became a standard in Israel –

“Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.” Exodus 18:21

As for the Greek, Matthew uses a word found only here in Scripture, oudamós. It is a single word that signifies “by no means” or “not at all.” There is no comparable single word in English that matches in intent. As such not-at-all will do. Matthew next continues with, “For out of you will come forth – ruling.”

The verb is a present participle of a word signifying “to lead.” As such, “ruling” matches the intent. It also matches the intent of the Hebrew, which is also a verbal participle. The Hebrew says, “From you, to Me, comes out to be – ruling.” The Lord, speaking through Micah, told the people of Israel that one would come from Bethlehem who would be ruling, and “Who will shepherd My people Israel.”

The Hebrew only reads “in Israel.” However, later in Micah 5:4, it then says, “And stood and pastured.” The meaning carries the same intent as what the men said to Herod. Thus, it was understood that this coming One would be both a ruler and a shepherd of His people.

Taken together with other prophecies concerning the coming Messiah, no other person apart from Christ Jesus could fulfill the expected requirements. It was understood by those of Israel that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem. This does not change because the word of God is written and settled.

Therefore, any supposed Messiah must be from Bethlehem. But it has already been seen that He must also be from the house of David, something that can no longer be determined.

And more, He had to come before the destruction of the temple by the Romans as prophesied in Daniel 9, and so forth. Therefore, either Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the Hebrew prophecies or there will never be a fulfillment of them, and they are simply false writings that have no basis in reality.

Life application: Of the words of this verse, Cambridge says –

“The LXX. [the Greek Old Testament] is singularly different both in words and construction—a proof of the Hebrew original of this gospel; for the Greek translation of the prophecy is evidently independent of the LXX.”

It is a ridiculous claim. Matthew elsewhere exactingly cites the LXX, almost letter for letter. Moreover, it has been seen that although this citation is somewhat similar to the Hebrew, it is not exact. Further, it skips in thought from Micah 5:2 to Micah 5:4. Thus, it is evident that the scribes were merely telling Herod the substance of what the Hebrew text said, maybe even from memory.

To claim that the original gospel of Matthew was written in Hebrew is to then dismiss clear evidence within the gospel, one which has already been seen, that it was written in Greek. Matthew 1:23 said –

“Behold, the virgin will have in womb, and will bring forth a Son, and they will call His name Emmanouél,” which is being translated, “With Us: The God.”

Matthew would not have said “which being translated” if he had written his gospel in Hebrew. As such, the verse itself would not be inspired by God because it has those additional words – “which is being translated” – that would have been later inserted by some unknown scribe without any justification.

The original New Testament writings were all compiled in Greek. The evidence of this is overwhelming. The reason for this is because God was beginning a new dispensation and taking the world in a new direction while Israel was under punishment for their rejection of Christ. Be careful when reading commentaries. Consider what is being said and don’t just accept what you read.

Glorious God, thank You for the word You have given us. It tells us of Your love for the people of the world, and yet it tells us of the tragedies – self-inflicted wounds – that we incur when we depart from You. Israel has yet to learn this lesson, but they will some glorious day. You have covenanted with them, and You will restore them to be shepherded by our marvelously glorious Lord Jesus. Amen.