Глава 5

1. The humiliation that awaits Zion. 2–6. The birth of the Lord of Israel, His properties and significance for the greatness of the people. 7–9. The meaning of the “remnant of Jacob” for other nations. 10–15. Transformation of Israel. Micah 5:1. Now take up arms, daughter of hordes; They have laid siege on us, they will beat the judge of Israel on the cheek with a reed: In euros bible art. The 1st is placed at the end of the previous chapter, as the conclusion of Micah 4:9-13. But it is better to consider it as the beginning of a new speech. The meaning of Art. 1 is not clear and is defined differently by commentators. “Now take up arms (thithgoddi) daughter of the hordes,” in the above words it is unclear: 1) to whom the prophet is addressing and 2) what is the essence of the prophet’s invitation. According to the meaning of the text, Greek. - Slavic, where instead of “daughter of the hordes” the daughter of Ephraim is read, the prophet turns to Art. 1st to the kingdom of Israel (ten-tribes). It is in this sense that the appeal of the prophet St. is understood. Kirill Al. and many commentators (Yungerov). But although the word Εφραίμ is in Alex. code., from Kirill Al. in some of Holmes's manuscripts, in most manuscripts, including the code. Vatik., as well as the blessed one. Theodoret and Jerome, it is missing. Therefore it must be considered a later insertion by some interpreter. Context of speech understanding of Art. The 1st does not answer in relation to the kingdom of Israel. It is also impossible, together with some commentators (Ackerman, Cheyne, etc.), to include Art. 1 to the enemies besieging Jerusalem, e.g. Babylonians, because, as can be seen from v. 2nd, we are talking about the chosen people. According to Goonaker, instead of bath gedud (“daughter of the hordes”) one should read beth-gader, the name of a city whose name means “place of the fence.” The city is named instead of the entire country of Judea to create a play on words. But it’s easier to appeal Art. 1st refers to Jerusalem. The meaning of Jerusalem's name bath gedud is controversial. The expression of the Russian translation, daughter of hordes, can be understood by analogy with the biblical expressions: “man of knowledge” (Proverbs 24.5), “man of words” (Exodus 4.10), “son of death” (1 Samuel 20.31): “daughter of hordes,” i.e., a kingdom prepared for war, in combat readiness. The Prophet, according to the meaning of the Russian translation, invites Jerusalem to come out to fight the enemies, to “take up arms”, wanting to actually indicate the severity of the upcoming struggle. But this translation is only conjectural. LXX translated the beginning of the verse ' Εμφραχθὴσεται ἡμφραγμφ; glory “protect yourself with a fence”; Goonaker also translates. The Vulgate renders the expression in question; vastaberis filia patronis, "you will be devastated daughter of the robber." The newest commentators (Novak, Veldg., Marty) understand ch. gadad (“take up arms”) in the meaning - to torment oneself, to make cuts as a sign of mourning and, reading instead of bath-vgedud the verb. form hithgoded hithgoddi, translated: “torment yourself in painful sorrow.” But, as Goonaker rightly points out, such a translation gives a thought that does not correspond to the context, since the prophet predicts a favorable outcome of the struggle. - “They laid siege on us,” in glory. “army (Greek συνοχὴ, siege work, Jer 52.3; Judges 2:3) inflict on you”; but in many Greek handicraft, there is also a corresponding Hebrew reading ' Εφ᾿ ἡμᾶζ, "on us." “They will beat the judge of Israel on the cheek with a cane.” The prophet indicates the humiliation that lies ahead for the people. By the judge of Israel they mean either Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, or Hoshea, the last king of Israel, or, more correctly, a king in general. Since the prophet speaks of a judge without immediate definitions, it is assumed that he means the supreme judge mentioned in the law (Deut. 17.9), the title of which, they think, belonged to kings. Instead of Euro schopheth (judge) or perhaps achophthej (judges), LXX, apparently read schivthej, tribes; from here to the Slavs: “they will strike the tribes of Israel with a rod on the jaw.” Other Greek translators read according to the Hebrew. τὸν κριτην, judge. Micah 5:2. And you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, are you small among the thousands of Judah? from you will come to me one who is to be a ruler in Israel and whose origin is from the beginning, from the days of eternity. From general and insufficiently defined predictions of a glorious future, the prophet in v. 2 addresses the author of this future and announces the appearance of the Lord-Israel. "And you Bethlehem Ephrathah". The prophet speaks of Bethlehem of Judea (Matthew 2.1–6), where David and his house came from. The name Bethlehem (bethlehem, house of bread) refers to the fertility of the area in which Bethlehem is located. Another and, moreover, more ancient name for the city of Ephrath (cf. Gen. 35.19, 48.7; Joshua 15.59) also means fertile. At the same time, Ephrath is the name of the ancestor of the inhabitants of Bethlehem, who were called Ephrathites (Ruth 1.2; 1 Samuel 17.12). LXX has euros. beth-lehem Ephratha is transmitted Βηθλεὲμ οῖκος then υ ᾿Εφραθα. From this they conclude that originally in Heb. the text only stated - beth-ethratha, and that the name of Bethlehem was inserted later for a more precise definition of Beth-Ephratha (Marti, Novak, Wellg.). At the same time, Oort and Stade even believe that this insertion is erroneous and that the prophet speaks of Ephrath, who was in the tribe of Benjamin not far from Zevil, predicting the emergence of a new dynasty from this Ephrath, that is, the overthrow of the dynasty of David. But even if the name Bethlehem were a later gloss, which the presence of the name in all texts argues against, then the identity of Ephrath and Bethlehem is undeniable and is recognized by everyone. “Are you little among the thousands of Judah”: Heb. the people were divided by Moses into fifty, hundreds and thousands (Exodus 18), which division was preserved in subsequent times (Judges 6:15; 1 Samuel 10.19; 1 Chronicles 27.1); the city of Bethlehem, according to the meaning of the words of the prophet, was so small that it did not constitute a separate thousand of its inhabitants and was part of a thousand made up of several cities. The prophet points out the insignificance of Bethlehem in comparison with the glorious future ahead of the city. - “Out of you will come (jeze) to Me He who is to be Ruler in Israel.” In glory In the text in the above sentence, the word Elder has been added ("from you an Elder will come to me"), which corresponds to ἡγοὺμενος in the code. Alex., in Moscow. ed. LXX-ti; in Vatik. code., Kiril. Al., blessed Jerome, blessed Theodoret and Blessed. Theophylact does not have this word, which is why it can be considered an explanatory gloss. Ch. jeze, will happen, has a general meaning; but it is often used of origin in the sense of birth. As can be seen from the parallel expression Mic. 5:3 until she who is about to give birth gives birth, in v. 2nd the prophet speaks of the birth in Bethlehem of the future Ruler of Israel. It will happen to Me, that is, to God, for the glory of God, for the fulfillment of divine plans. "Whose origin (mazaothaj) is from the beginning (mikkedem), from the days of eternity." The newest commentators understand the words of the prophet as an indication that the future ruler will come from the house of David, the beginning of which dates back to the deepest antiquity (Urzeit, Vorzeit), “to the days of the age.” Since in the 8th century, when Micah prophesied, the beginning of the dynasty of David could not seem so ancient, commentators reject the attribution of the entire saying to Micah, attributing it to the post-exilic time, when the era of David, separated by captivity, could seem to be distant for centuries (Novak, Marty). Goonaker, finding the expression unnatural in the mouth of a post-captivity prophet, believes that Micah represents the time of David as ancient not from his point of view, but from the point of view of the future era of the Lord of Israel himself. Other authors (Keil, Orelli) understand the words of the prophet about the ancient origin of the Lord of Israel in the sense that already in the initial history this Lord appeared in the form of an Angel of Jehovah and that the entire history of Israel was a revelation (in the LXX ἐξοδοί, outcomes, exits), consisted of a number of phenomena of the power of the future Lord. Church teachers, however, explain the words of the prophet in question as an indication of the nature of the future king, of the pre-eternal birth of the Lord of Israel. “This,” notes, for example. bliss Theodoret, - completely similar to what was said at the beginning of the Gospel: “in the beginning was the Word and the Word was to God. This one is from time immemorial to God” (John 1.1–2). This is also similar to what God said through the mouth of blessed David: “from the womb before the morning star I gave birth to Thee” (Ps 109.3). “His origin,” says the blessed one. Jerome, “it happened not only at the time when He became visible in the flesh, but from the beginning of eternity or from the beginning of the age.” As can be seen from Matthew 2.4–6, the ancient Jews understood the verse in question as a prophecy about the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem. The same understanding is expressed in the Targum on the book. Micah, in the Talmud (Berod. 68), in Midrat on the book. Crying also found in the Jewish interpreters Yarki, Kimhi and others (Yungerov, 195). But during the bliss. Theodoret the Jews explained Micah 5.2 in relation to Zerubbabel, and Blessed. Theodoret refuted this explanation, arguing against it that Zerubbabel was born after the captivity and in Babylon, and the Lord about whom the prophet speaks has origins from the beginning of eternity. As for the Church, it, according to the explanation of St. Matthew, always saw a messianic prophecy in the words of Micah (Justin, Blessed Theodoret, Jerome, Ephraim the Syrian) and at the fifth ecumenical council condemned the opinion of Theodore of Mopsuestia, who interpreted the verse in question in relation to Zerubbabel. It should be noted that Evang. Matthew cites the words of the prophet Micah, departing from their letter, but retaining their meaning. Micah 5:3. Therefore He will leave them until the time when she who is about to give birth gives birth; then their remaining brothers will return to the children of Israel. In Art. 3, the prophet talks about what the situation of the Jews will be before the coming of the Messiah. “Therefore He will leave them (ithnem) until the time”: therefore, that is, because deliverance will come only when the Messiah comes, and He has not yet come; “will leave them” – from Hebrew. “will give them”: the prophet speaks of Jehovah; sl. Nathan, at the same time, should be understood not in the sense that the Lord will save the Jews from destruction until the time of the Messiah (Blessed Jerome and many medieval interpretations), but in the fact that the Lord will deliver the Jews into the hands of enemies (cf. Judges 2:9; 1 Kings 8.46, 14.16; 2 Chronicles 30.7). Until she who is about to give birth gives birth. By “having to give birth to her,” interpreters mean the Church (Blessed Jerome, Theodoret), Jerusalem (Theodore of Mopsuestia), which through the pangs of birth will achieve a better position, Babylon, which will release captives as if imprisoned in its womb (Squid) and, finally, the Blessed Virgin, Mother of the Messiah. The latest interpretation is by Ephraim Sir., Kirill Alex. and many of the newest exegetes (Keil, Schegg, Reinke, etc.). This is the interpretation that must be offered by others. The Prophet does not give the immediate definition of “having to give birth to her.” Next, it is assumed to be known to the prophet’s listeners. In Micah 4.9–10, Micah assimilates the birth pangs of Zion; at the same time, Micah's contemporary, Isaiah, foreshadowed the Virgin (almah) who would give birth to Immanuel (Isaiah 7.14). Accordingly, the words of Micah 2.3 can be understood either in relation to Zion, or in relation to the almah of Isaiah. If by having to give birth we mean Zion, then the prophet’s expression will not receive a clear meaning. This meaning is obtained only when the words of Micah are interpreted in the same way as the words of Isaiah 7.14, as a prophecy about the Blessed Virgin Mary. Then they will return to the children of Israel and their remaining brothers, to the children of Israel - to the true Israel, faithful to the dynasty of David; “will return”, i.e. unite spiritually and in a religious sense, “their remaining brothers”: from Heb. “the remnant of his brothers”, i.e. brothers according to the flesh of the Lord of Israel-Messiah. Thus, the fruit of the coming of the Messiah will be, according to the prophet, the restoration of Israel to its integrity. Micah 5:4. And He will stand and feed in the power of the Lord, in the greatness of the name of the Lord His God, and they will live in safety, for then He will be great to the ends of the earth. In Art. 4, the prophet describes the activities of the future ruler as a shepherd. “And He will become,” that is, He will become like a shepherd inspecting his flock, like a guardian, in general, he will take control of his people. Instead of words, he will fall into glory. from the Greek “he will see and shepherd his flock,” the words “his flock” represent a positive addition that has no correspondence in Hebrew. i.e., the verbs “will see” (δψεται) and “will fall” (καὶ ποιμανεἰ) are a double translation of Hebrew. i.e., the verbs are veraah, which (with Ain) means to graze and (with Aleph) to see. “In the greatness of the name of the Lord His God”: according to the text of Heb. these words are spoken about the Lord of Israel, and in the LXX they are understood in relation to the people under His control; from here to glory “They will abide in the glory of the name of the Lord their God”; This reading cannot be accepted, since the divine greatness of the members of the Messianic Kingdom is not assimilated in the Bible. For then He will be great to the ends of the earth: the LXX again speaks of members of the Messianic Kingdom - διὸτι νυν μεγαλυνθὴσονται, “for they will then be exalted,” although in some manuscripts there is also unity. number, as in our glory. text. Micah 5:5. And He will be peace. When Assur comes to our land and enters our palaces, we will set up seven shepherds and eight princes against him. “And He will (seh) be peace” (schalom): according to the meaning of the Russian translation, the prophet characterizes the future reign of the Lord of Israel, designates His properties by assimilating the name “peace” to Him. The Messiah appears to be the culprit and source of peace even before Moses in the book. Genesis (Gen. 49.10) and the prophet Isaiah, who called the future king “prince of peace” (Is. 9.6). Likewise, the apostle, wanting to indicate in one word the work of the Messiah, says: “He is our peace” (Eph 2.14). However, the translation of Micah's words in question accepted in the Russian text is not confirmed by the Greek translation. LXX euro seh (Russian “He”) is conveyed either by the word αυτῆ (this or her, i.e. the land mentioned at the end of Article 4) or ἅυτη (this or such), agreeing with the following εἰρηνη (“such will be the world”). The newest commentators (Novak, Marty, Goonaker) also believe that the pronoun. seh (this) indicates further schalom, and the whole expression is understood in accordance with the LXX. The peaceful nature of the rule of the ruler of Israel will be a consequence of the power with which Israel will defeat her enemies. This power will be such that Israel will triumph over the entire hostile world. The prophet names the Assyrians as representatives of this world. Will enter our halls (bearnmothenu). LXX read beadmathenu (from adamah earth), similar in style, and therefore translated - “will come upon your country,” which reading, as more natural, should be preferred to the Hebrew one. “We will set up against him seven shepherds and eight princes” (nesiche): a vague indication of the strength of Israel, the power of its defense (cf. Am 1.3; Eccl. 11.2). LXX instead of nesiche (from samekh) they read neschiche (from tires) and, deriving the latter from naschachc wound, they translated δήγματα ενθρώπων or as in Slavic: “the osm of human ulcers”; probably LXX meant the disasters that befell Assyria. Micah 5:6. And they will shepherd the land of Asshur with the sword and the land of Nimrod at its very gates, and He will deliver from Asshur when he comes to our land and when he enters our borders. The prophet reinforces the idea of ​​the future triumph of Israel over its enemies. The land of Nemrod, i.e. Babylon (Gen. 10.9). By calling separately the “land of Asshur” and the “land of Nimrod” that belonged to it, the prophet indicates the vastness of the territory in which the power of Israel will manifest itself. At its very gates (bipthacheha), that is, in its fortifications (Keil, Jungerov). LXX have an unclear ἐν τη τἀφρφ αύτῆς, in its pit or in a ditch circled around the city. Vulg. reads in lanoeis ejus, with his spears; reading the Vulga. passed into our glory. text; since this reading maintains parallelism of members, it should be preferred to the Hebrew one. Probably the current Heb. bipthacheha came from bapthichah (pthichah - sword, spear). Micah 5:7. And the remnant of Jacob among many nations will be like dew from the Lord, like rain on the grass, and they will not depend on man and rely on the sons of Adam. The prophet speaks of the remnant, Jacob, that is, the renewed Israel, and compares it to drops of dew or rain. What is the meaning of the prophet comparison? Usually this comparison is understood as an indication of the beneficial sign of the new Israel for the pagan world, for which Israel will be the same as dew and rain are for Palestine (Blessed Theodoret, Cyril Al., Sanctius, Jungerov, etc.). But the second half of the verse - “he will not depend on man” gives grounds to the newest commentators (Novak, Marty, Goonaker) to understand the comparison of the prophet as an indication that the remnant of Israel will increase, like drops of dew or rain, and that this increase will depend not on people, but on God, just as dew and rain depend not on people, but on God. The text is in Greek. after the name of Jacob the word ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν was added, slav. “in the heat of the moment,” which suggests a loss in Heb. current bagoim that once existed. By the way, dew in glory. i.e., respectively, Greek. πίπτουσα, added “falling”. Instead of the expression “like rain (kirvivim) on the grass” in Slav. “like lambs (rechichim) on the grass”, which Blessed Theodoret explains: “just as hungry lambs destroy the grass, so they, like the grass, will destroy wickedness.” Meaning in Greek. the text is obviously not natural; it is assumed that the Greek ἄρνες (lambs) arose from the original ρανιες, drop (Kopell, Yakimov). Instead of Russian will not depend on man (lo jekaweh leisch) in glory. “let not one be gathered”: the LXX piel form jekaweh (from kavah to be bound), meaning “to hope”, was mistaken for the niphal ikavveh and translated συναχθῆ, will gather. Instead of the words “will not ... rely” (jejachel) in slav. “will stand below” (μηδὲ ὑποσῆ), since the LXX produced jejachal from chail, strength (will have no force). Adam's proper name in Greek. and glory conveyed by the common noun “man” (slav. “in the son of men”). Micah 5:8. And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations, among many nations, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a skiman among a flock of sheep, which, when it comes forth, it tramples and tore, and no one can save from it: Micah 5:9. Your hand will rise above your enemies, and all your enemies will be destroyed. In a number of images, the prophet depicts the power of the new Israel (Church) and its head - the Messiah, who is the lion of Judah (Gen. 49.9) and the star of Jacob (Numbers 23.24). Micah 5:10. And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, I will destroy thy horses from among thy midst, and destroy thy chariots: Micah 5:11. I will destroy the cities of your land and destroy all your fortifications: Micah 5:12. I will pluck out sorcery from your hand, and you will have no one who reads the clouds; Micah 5:13. I will destroy your graven images and graven images from among you, and you will no longer worship the work of your hands: Micah 5:14. I will uproot your sacred groves from among you and destroy your cities: Micah 5:15. And I will take vengeance in anger and indignation on the nations who are disobedient: Prophet in v. 10–15 describes the state of the people under the dominion of the future Ruler. Since His Kingdom will be the kingdom of the world, and on the other hand the Kingdom of God, the people’s weapons of war will be destroyed, such as war horses, chariots, fortified cities, and objects and means of false worship, i.e., idols, idols (mazzeboth, pillars), sacred groves, various kinds of sorcery. At the end of Art. On the 14th, instead of reading thy cities (areicha), which does not correspond to parallelism (“thy groves”), the newest commentators suggest reading thy trees (ezecha). You might be interested in: