Micah 5

Mic. 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, who is to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." Here it may be noted concerning these two expressions in the verse, shall he come forth unto me, and that other, whose goings forth have been from of old, etc. that the verb come forth, in the former, and goings forth, in the latter, are words of the same root in the Hebrew.

Now in order to an understanding to this text, and a clear discovering of the great doctrines taught in it, it may be worth the while to observe particularly how these words, and words of that root, are used in the Hebrew Bible.

These words are often used to signify the proceeding or flowing forth of water, as from a fountain. Genesis 2:10, "A river went out of Eden;" Deuteronomy 8:7, "Fountains that spring out of valleys;" Ezekiel 47:1, "Waters issued out from under the threshold;" verse 8, "Waters issue;" so verse 12; Zechariah 14:8, "Living waters shall go out of Jerusalem;" Numbers 20:11, "And the waters came out abundantly;" Judges 15:19, "And there came water thereout, " i.e. out of the jaw-bone, or out of Lehi; Isaiah 58:11, "Like a spring of water," in the Hebrew, "A going forth of waters;" so Psalms 107:33, " Water springs, " in the Hebrew, " Going forth of water;" so verse 35, " Water springs; " Isaiah 41:18, "The dry land, springs of water."

They are often used to signify the rising of the sun or the rising of the light of the morning, or the proceeding of beams of light from a shining body, or luminary. Genesis 19:23, "The sun was risen on the earth;" Ezekiel 7:10, "The morning is gone forth; Isaiah 13:10, "The sun shall be darkened in his going forth;" Isaiah 62:1, " Go forth, as brightness;" Hosea 6:5, "Thy judgments are as the light that goeth forth;" Psalms 19:6, "His going forth is from the end of heaven;" Psalms 65:8, "The out-goings of the morning."

They are often used to denote the springing or sprouting of plants, or of something that grows like a plant. Job 14:2, "He cometh forth like a flower;" Isaiah 11:1, "And there came forth a Rod out of the stem of Jesse;" 1 Kings 4:33, " The hyssop that springeth out of the wall;" Deuteronomy 14:22, "All that the field bringeth forth; " Heb. "All that goeth forth out of the field;" Job 8:16, "His branch shooteth forth in his garden;" Daniel 8:8, "There came forth four notable horns;" Exodus 25:32, "Six branches shall come out of the sides of it;" so verse 33, 35, and Exodus 37:18; Exodus 37:21; Isaiah 42:5, "He that spreadeth forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it."

They are often used to express the proceeding of a word, or voice, from him, whose word or voice it is: Genesis 24:50, "The word proceedeth from the Lord;" Judges 11:36, "According to that which proceedeth out of thy mouth;" Esther 7:8, "As the word went out of the king's mouth;" Jeremiah 44:17, "Whatsoever thing goeth forth from my mouth;" Daniel 9:23, " Came forth the word; Isaiah 48:3, "They went forth out of my mouth;" Numbers 30:2, "Do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth;" Ezekiel 33:30, "What is the word that cometh forth from the Lord;" Numbers 32:24, "Do that which proceedeth out of your mouth;" Joshua 6:10, "Neither shall my word proceed out of your mouth;" 1 Samuel 2:3, "Let not arrogancy, or hard speech, come out of your mouth;" Job 37:2, "The sound that goeth out of his mouth;" Isaiah 55:11, "My word that goeth out of my mouth;" Lamentations 3:38, " Out of the mouth of the Most High proceedeth not evil and good;" Psalms 89:34, "Nor alter the thing which is gone out of my lips;" Heb. Alter the going forth of my lips.

They are very often used for proceeding by generation both from the father, and the mother.

They are very often used for proceeding from a father by generation: 2 Samuel 16:11, "My son, my son, which came forth out of my bowels;" Genesis 10:14, "Out of whom came Philistim;" so 1 Chronicles 1:12; 1 Chronicles 2:53, "Of them came the Zarethites;" Isaiah 48:1, "Are come forth out of the waters of Judah;" 1 Kings 8:19, "Thy son that cometh forth out of thy loins;" Genesis 46:26, "That came out of his loins;" so Exodus 1:5. "That came out of the loins of Jacob;" Judges 8:30, "Threescore and ten sons;" so in the Hebrew; Genesis 15:4, "He that shall come forth out of thy bowels;" 2 Samuel 7:12, "Thy seed which shall proceed out of thy bowels;" 2 Kings 20:18, "And of thy sons which shall issue from thee;" Isaiah 39:7, "Thy sons which shall issue from thee;" Genesis 17:6, "Kings shall come out of thee;" Genesis 35:11, "Kings shall come out of thy loins;" 2 Chronicles 32:21, "They that come forth out of his bowels;" Jeremiah 30:21, "Their nobles shall be of themselves, and their governor shall proceed from the midst of them; so commonly the word, offspring, in our translation, is in the Hebrew a word of this root, that signifies as much as goings forth; Isaiah 22:24, "all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue;" Isaiah 48:19, "the offspring of thy bowels;" Isaiah 44:3, "my blessing upon thine offspring; " so Isaiah 61:9; Isaiah 65:23; Job 21:8; Job 27:14, and Job 31:8.

They are often used for that proceeding which there is in the birth, from the mother; Genesis 38:29, "his brother came out; " Genesis 38:28, "this came out first;" so verse 29 and verse 30. Job 38:29, " out of whose womb came the ice?" Ecclesiastes 5:15, "as he came forth out of his mother's womb;" and Job 3:11; Job 20:18; Job 1:21; Exodus 21:22, "so that her fruit depart from her;" Deuteronomy 28:57, "her young one that cometh out from between her feet;" Numbers 12:12, "when he cometh forth out of his mother's womb;" Job 38:8, "as if it had issued out of the womb."

Now concerning these things, I would make the following observations:

I. The generation of mankind, their proceeding from their fathers or ancestors, or of a particular stock and family, is often compared in the Old Testament to the issue of waters from a fountain: so Isaiah 48:1; Psalms 68:26, and other places.

II. The generation of mankind is often compared to the springing and shooting forth of plants: Isaiah 44:3; Isaiah 44:4, "I will pour my blessing upon thine offspring, and they shall spring up as among the grass, and as willows by the watercourses. Psalms 72:15, "They of the city shall flourish as the grass of the earth;" so Job 14:2, "He cometh forth as a flower," and many other places; and particularly is the birth of the Messiah often compared to the springing of a plant or branch; as in Isaiah 11:1, "There came forth a Rod out of the stem of Jesse," and many other places.

III. The birth of a prince is compared to the rising of a luminary; the birth of Christ in particular in that prophecy of Balaam, "A Star shall rise out of Jacob."

IV. It being thus, and the words used in this passage of Micah 5:2, which express the Messiah's coming forth out of Bethlehem, and also his going forth from everlasting, being the same or from the same root with those that are so often used to signify the issuing of waters from a fountain, and the sprouting forth of plants, and the going forth of a luminary; and not only so, but also abundantly used expressly to signify generation, or a being born: hence it is most reasonable and natural to understand the coming forth and going forth of the Messiah, here spoken of, concerning his GENERATION.

V. Considering these things, and the word used when it is said that the Messiah shall come forth out of Bethlehem, is so often used to signify a person's being born of his mother, and that to be born unto such a one, is a phrase used in the Scripture to signify that the person, to whom he is said to be born, is his father; hence when God says, "Out of Bethlehem shall the Messiah come forth unto me, " it is most natural to interpret it thus: "In Bethlehem shall the Messiah be born of a woman, who shall be his mother, but not as begotten of a man, or having any man for his father; but I only will be his Father; she shall not bear this child to any earthly father, but to me only."

VI. And when these words are subjoined, "Whose goings forth were of old, from everlasting," and the words goings forth are so very frequently used for generation of a father; hence it is most natural to interpret the text thus: "In Bethlehem shall the Messiah be born of his mother, who is begotten not by any man, but by me only as his Father; and this generation of him, by which I am his Father, will not be then a new thing; it is an eternal generation, it has been already of old, from everlasting."

VII. It greatly confirms the supposition, that the goings forth, which are said to be of old, from everlasting, intend his eternal generation, or proceeding from the Father, that Christ, with respect to his proceeding from the Father, is represented as the Father's glory and brightness, as though he proceeded from him, as brightness from a luminary; and as the Father's Word: and that the original word used here, is so from time to time used to signify the going forth of light, or brightness, and abundantly for the proceeding of a word from him whose word it is.

Habakkuk

Hab. 3:2