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Micah 5:2
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, being small among the clans of Judah, out of you one will come out to me who is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings out are from of old, from ancient times.
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Interpretation

Micah 5:2 shows a bethlehem that is lived within family life—see "out" and "bethlehem". Align bethlehem in generosity without notice—let wisdom become a road.

Context

Micah speaks here as prophetic oracle writing, highlighting bethlehem. Within ch. 5, a small unit frames the emphasis. It edges toward prophetic hope & judgment. Watch the terms “out” and “bethlehem”.

Authorship & Historical Background

Early attribution points to Micah for Micah. Many scholars judge Micah as follows: Oracles from rural prophet; edited.. Scholars commonly date Micah 8th century BC.. Here the thread of prophetic hope & judgment comes into view.

More details
Traditional:Micah
Modern scholarship:Oracles from rural prophet; edited.
Date:8th century BC.
Manuscripts & Textual Witnesses
In the Masoretic tradition the Hebrew text is preserved, standardized between the 6th–10th centuries CE. The Dead Sea Scrolls (1947-1956 discoveries) provide manuscripts 1000+ years older than medieval texts, generally confirming the Masoretic Text's reliability with only minor variations. The Septuagint (Greek translation, 3rd-2nd century BCE) offers an independent textual witness. Variations between manuscripts are typically minor: spelling differences, word order, or clarifications that do not affect the core meaning. Modern translations compare all available manuscripts to reconstruct the probably reflects the initial text text.
Sources & witness notes
MT