Micah 5:3Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The prophet reflects thoughtfully, contemplating that God is incapable of falsehood and will undoubtedly fulfill His promises. If Israel harbors such hopeful expectations for a leader who will arise to reign over them and rescue them from all harm, how can it be that they find themselves in captivity? After pondering the timing of that promise and recognizing their current reality, he offers an explanation: the delayed fulfillment is due to their numerous transgressions and their continuous unwillingness to repent. Therefore, he anticipates that, “I will give them,” meaning that, O Lord, you will hand them over to their adversaries, “until the time of rejoicing,” which refers to the birth of that divine Child from the virgin's womb.

The prophet also specifies the location of Christ's birth: ‘And you, Bethlehem-Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, out of you shall come forth to me One who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origins are from ancient times, from the days of eternity. Therefore He will leave them until the time when she who is in labor gives birth; then the rest of His brothers will return to the children of Israel. He will stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God, and they will dwell securely, for then He will be great to the ends of the earth’ (Micah 5:2-4).

I will sustain until the moment she gives birth; this signifies that God will persist in realizing His purposes until the time that the virgin delivers. The remaining brethren shall return to the children of Israel; this means that Christ's disciples will proclaim the message to the children of the house of Israel, as the Lord instructed, "Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt. 10:6). The prophet speaks of the disciples of Christ as His brethren.

From the time that Christ, the Lord in Israel, emerged from Bethlehem, which is also known as Ephrathah, His arrival was not limited to His earthly existence; rather, it transcended the confines of time, stretching from the very dawn of eternity. Throughout history, He conveyed His message through the prophets, and the divine word resided within their hearts as well as among the saints. The Lord will ultimately distance Himself from the Jewish people, granting them authority until the appointed time when the woman who is barren gives birth. This will fulfill the prophecy, "Rejoice, O barren, who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor; for the children of the desolate will be more than the children of the married woman" (Isa. 54:1, LXX).

The prophet foretells a time when patience and compassion will be extended towards the Jewish people until the moment of childbirth arrives. The Church, which Isaiah proclaims, encourages the barren to rejoice and those without children to shout with joy, for she has more spiritual offspring than those who are wed (Isaiah 54:1). The Prophet asserts that those born of her will be united with the believers from Israel. From this nation, alongside the divine presence of the Apostles, came the seventy disciples chosen by the Lord and the one hundred and twenty who were gathered following the Resurrection, as well as the five hundred witnesses to whom the Lord revealed Himself. Additionally, there were the three thousand whom Peter, the fisherman, drew to faith with his message.

In His profound love for the new creation, God made known His intention to descend to them in human form and provide redemption for Adam's transgression through His suffering. Consequently, they began to prophesy regarding the divine incarnation. Micah declared, "But you, Bethlehem, Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times." Thus, He will watch over them until a designated moment, at which time He will bring forth those destined to lead, and afterward, the remaining kin shall return to the children of Israel.

For this reason, I shall offer. The relationship with the prior verse is this: if a Savior is born in Bethlehem, we need not be dismayed by the lengthy period during which the Lord seems to abandon the people of Israel, nor by the Lord’s prolonged handing of them into the power of outsiders. The Lord's mercy endures. Thus, He may set aside His people, for He has ordained to lead them to salvation through considerable afflictions, until the One destined to bring forth the Messiah, the Lord of Israel, is revealed among them. With His birth, the light of salvation will break forth for all who believe in Him.