Tanach
Michah 5:1-5 מיכה ה׳:א׳-ה׳
Part of: Chapter 5
Reading: Hebrew · Simple EnglishHebrew · Faithful translationHebrew onlyHebrew · Simple EnglishHebrew · Faithful translationHebrew onlySimple English onlyFaithful translation onlySide by sideRashi
וְאַתָּה בֵּֽית־לֶחֶם אֶפְרָתָה צָעִיר לִֽהְיוֹת בְּאַלְפֵי יְהוּדָה מִמְּךָ לִי יֵצֵא לִֽהְיוֹת מוֹשֵׁל בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וּמוֹצָאֹתָיו מִקֶּדֶם מִימֵי עוֹלָֽם׃
But thou, Bet-leĥem-efrata, though thou art little among the thousands of Yehuda, yet out of thee shall he come forth to me that is to be ruler in Yisra᾽el; and his goings out are from ancient time, from days of old.
But thou, Bet-leĥem-efrata, though thou art little among the thousands of Yehuda, yet out of thee shall he come forth to me that is to be ruler in Yisra᾽el; and his goings out are from ancient time, from days of old.
Rashi
צָעִיר לִהְיוֹת בְּאַלְפֵי יְהוּדָה. רָאוּי הָיִיתָ לִהְיוֹת צָעִיר בְּמִשְׁפְּחוֹת יְהוּדָה מִפְּנֵי פְּסֹלֶת רוּת הַמּוֹאֲבִיָּה שֶׁבָּךְ:
you should have been the lowest of the clans of Judah—You should have been the lowest of the clans of Judah because of the stigma of Ruth the Moabitess in you.
מִמְּךָ לִי יֵצֵא. מָשִׁיחַ בֶּן דָּוִד וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר (תהלים קיח:כב) ״אֶבֶן מָאֲסוּ הַבּוֹנִים״:
from you shall emerge for Me—the Messiah, son of David, and so Scripture says (Ps. 118:22): “The stone the builders had rejected became a cornerstone.”
וּמוֹצָאֹתָיו מִקֶּדֶם. ״לִפְנֵי שֶׁמֶשׁ יִנּוֹן שְׁמוֹ״ (שם):
and his origin is from of old—“Before the sun his name is Yinnon” (Ps. 72:17).
לָכֵן יִתְּנֵם עַד־עֵת יוֹלֵדָה יָלָדָה וְיֶתֶר אֶחָיו יְשׁוּבוּן עַל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
Therefore will he give them up, until the time when she who travails has brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return to the children of Yisra᾽el.
Therefore will he give them up, until the time when she who travails has brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return to the children of Yisra᾽el.
Rashi
לָכֵן יִתְּנֵם עַד עֵת יוֹלֵדָה. יִתְּנֵם בְּיַד אוֹיְבֵיהֶם עַד בֹּא הָעֵת אֲשֶׁר חָלָה וְיָלְדָה צִיּוֹן אֶת בָּנֶיהָ, צִיּוֹן אֲשֶׁר הֶחֱזִיקָה עַתָּה חִיל כַּיּוֹלֵדָה וְעַכְשָׁיו הִיא קְרוּיָה יוֹלֶדֶת. וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ אָמְרוּ מִכָּאן אֵין בֶּן דָּוִד בָּא עַד שֶׁתִּפְשׁוֹט הַמַּלְכוּת הָרְשָׁעָה תִּשְׁעָה חֳדָשִׁים עַל כָּל הָעוֹלָם כֻּלּוֹ, אַךְ לְפִי פְשׁוּטוֹ זֶהוּ הַצָּעָה שֶׁפֵּרַשְׁתִּי:
Therefore, He shall deliver them until the time a woman in confinement gives birth—He shall deliver them into the hands of their enemies until the coming of the time that Zion has felt the pangs of labor and borne her children; Zion, which is now seized by the pangs of labor, is now called a woman in confinement. [I.e., now the labor pains will cease and the redemption will come about.] But our Sages state that from here we deduce that the son of David will not come until the wicked kingdom spreads over the entire world for nine months (Yoma 10b, Sanh. 98b). But, according to its simple meaning, this is the structure as I explained.
וְיֶתֶר אֶחָיו. שֶׁל מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָה כְּלוֹמַר שְׁאָר שֵׁבֶט יְהוּדָה:
and the rest of his brothers—The brothers of the King Messiah; i.e., the rest of the tribe [of Judah].
יְשׁוּבוּן עַל בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל. יִתְחַבְּרוּ עִם שְׁאָר הַשְּׁבָטִים וְהָיוּ לְמַמְלָכָה אַחַת וְלֹא יֵחָצוּ עוֹד לִשְׁתֵּי מַמְלָכוֹת:
shall return upon the children of Israel—Judah and Benjamin shall join the other tribes and become one kingdom, and they shall no longer be divided into two kingdoms.
וְעָמַד וְרָעָה בְּעֹז יְהֹוָה בִּגְאוֹן שֵׁם יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהָיו וְיָשָׁבוּ כִּֽי־עַתָּה יִגְדַּל עַד־אַפְסֵי־אָֽרֶץ׃
And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great to the ends of the earth.
And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great to the ends of the earth.
Rashi
וְרָעָה. וּפִרְנֵס אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל:
and lead Heb. וְרָעָה. And lead (וּפִרְנֵס) Israel.
וְיָשָׁבוּ. מִן הַגָּלֻיּוֹת:
and they shall return Heb. וְיָשָׁבוּ. They shall return now from the exiles.
כִּי עַתָּה יִגְדַּל. מַלְכָּם:
for then he shall become great I.e., their king.
עַד אַפְסֵי אָרֶץ. וֶהֱבִיאוּם מִנְחָה אֵלָיו בַּסּוּסִים וּבָרֶכֶב:
until the ends of the earth—And they shall bring tribute to him [the Messiah] with horses and chariots.
וְהָיָה זֶה שָׁלוֹם אַשּׁוּר ׀ כִּֽי־יָבוֹא בְאַרְצֵנוּ וְכִי יִדְרֹךְ בְּאַרְמְנוֹתֵינוּ וַהֲקֵמֹנוּ עָלָיו שִׁבְעָה רֹעִים וּשְׁמֹנָה נְסִיכֵי אָדָֽם׃
And this shall be peace; when Ashshur shall come into our land, and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight princes of men.
And this shall be peace; when Ashshur shall come into our land, and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight princes of men.
Rashi
וְהָיָה זֶה שָׁלוֹם. גָּמוּר וְקָבוּעַ בְּאֵין הֶפְסֵק עוֹד וְלֹא יִדְמֶה לִשְׁאָר הַתְּשׁוּעוֹת שֶׁהָיוּ צָרוֹת אַחֲרֵיהֶן:
And this shall be peace—A complete and permanent peace, without interruption, and it will not resemble the other redemptions after which there were troubles.
אַשּׁוּר כִּי יָבֹא. הֲרֵי כִּי מְשַׁמֵּשׁ בִּלְשׁוֹן ׳אִם׳, אִם יָבֹא בְּאַרְצֵנוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר בָּא עַתָּה:
should Assyria come Heb כִּי יָבוֹא. This כִּי serves as “if” - If he comes into our land as he comes now.
וַהֲקֵמֹנוּ עָלָיו שִׁבְעָה רֹעִים. שִׁבְעָה וּשְׁמוֹנָה, רַבּוֹתֵינוּ פֵּרְשׁוּ שְׁמוֹתֵיהֶן בְּמַסֶּכֶת סֻכָּה וְאֵינִי יוֹדֵעַ מֵהֵיכָן לָמְדוּ:
we will appoint over them seven shepherds and eight—Concerning the seven and eight, our Rabbis enumerated their names in Tractate Sukkah, but I do not know whence they derived them. [referring to Sukkah 52b]
וְרָעוּ אֶת־אֶרֶץ אַשּׁוּר בַּחֶרֶב וְאֶת־אֶרֶץ נִמְרֹד בִּפְתָחֶיהָ וְהִצִּיל מֵֽאַשּׁוּר כִּֽי־יָבוֹא בְאַרְצֵנוּ וְכִי יִדְרֹךְ בִּגְבוּלֵֽנוּ׃ {פ}
And they shall graze the land of Ashshur with the sword, and the land of Nimrod with the keen blade: thus shall he deliver us from Ashshur, when he comes to our land, and when he treads within our border.
And they shall graze the land of Ashshur with the sword, and the land of Nimrod with the keen blade: thus shall he deliver us from Ashshur, when he comes to our land, and when he treads within our border.
Rashi
וְרָעוּ אֶת אֶרֶץ אַשּׁוּר. וְיְרוֹצְצוּ כְּמוֹ (שם ב) ״תְּרֹעֵם בְּשֵׁבֶט בַּרְזֶל״:
And they shall break the land of Assyria Heb. יְרָעוּ. And they shall break, similar to (Ps. 2:9) “You shall break them (תְּרֹעֵם) with an iron rod.”
וְאֶת אֶרֶץ נִמְרֹד. הִיא בָּבֶל:
and the land of Nimrod—That is Babylon.
בִּפְתָחֶיהָ. בְּשַׁעֲרֵי מְדִינוֹתֶיהָ:
at its gates Heb. בִּפְתָחֶיה, at the gates of its provinces.
וְאַתָּה בֵּית לֶחֶם אֶפְרָתָה. שֶׁיָּצָא דָוִד מִשָּׁם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בּוֹ (שמואל א יז:נח) ״עַבְדְּךָ יִשַׁי בֵּית הַלַּחְמִי״ וּבֵית לֶחֶם קָרוּי אֶפְרָת שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית מח:ז) ״בְּדֶרֶךְ אֶפְרָת הִיא בֵּית לָחֶם״:
And you, Bethlehem Ephrathah—whence David emanated, as it is stated (I Sam. 17:58): “The son of your bondsman, Jesse the Bethlehemite.” And Bethlehem is called Ephrath, as it is said (Gen. 48: 7): “On the road to Ephrath, that is Bethlehem.”