This answer is contributed by Ray Konig, the author of Jesus the Messiah, Jesus the Prophet, Jesus the Miracle Worker, and 100 Fulfilled Bible Prophecies.
By Ray Konig
Published: December 30, 2002.
Revised: January 13, 2024.
Question: A reader asks if Matthew made mistakes when he applied Micah 5:2 to Jesus as being a prophecy that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.
Response: No. It can be shown that Matthew was 100 percent correct and accurate when he wrote, in Matthew 2:1-6, that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecy in Micah 5:2.
Let's take a look at the reader's full question and then walk through it, point by point, with an explanation that shows that Micah 5:2 is a Messianic prophecy that is fulfilled by Jesus.
Here is reader's full question:
"The gospel of Matthew (2:5-6) claims that Jesus' birth in Bethlehem fulfils this prophecy. But this is unlikely for two reasons. 'Bethlehem Ephratah' in Micah 5:2 refers not to a town, but to a clan: the clan of Bethlehem, who was the son of Caleb's second wife, Ephrathah (1 Chr.2:18, 2:50-52, 4:4). The prophecy (if that is what it is) does not refer to the Messiah, but rather to a military leader, as can be seen from verse 5:6. This leader is supposed to defeat the Assyrians, which, of course, Jesus never did. It should also be noted that Matthew altered the text of Micah 5:2 by saying: 'And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda' rather than 'Bethlehem Ephratah' as is said in Micah 5:2. He did this, intentionally no doubt, to make the verse appear to refer to the town of Bethlehem rather than the family clan."
Within this question, there are five key claims being made:
1. The claim that Bethlehem Ephrathah refers to a clan, and not to the town of Bethlehem in Judah.
2. The claim that Micah 5:6 refers to a military leader who would conquer the Assyrians.
3. The claim that Matthew altered the text when he said 'Bethlehem' instead of 'Bethlehem Ephrathah.'
4. The claim that Micah 5:2 is not a Messianic prophecy.
5. The claim that Matthew misunderstood and misapplied Micah's prophecy.
These 5 claims that have been made by many critics for many years.
The word 'critics' is used here as a catch-all term for skeptics, atheists and other people who disagree with the Christian view that Micah 5:2, as well as the broader prophecy in Micah 5:1-6, is a prophecy about the Messiah.
Let's address each of these claims, in the order above. But first, let's show Micah's prophecy, followed by Matthew's treatment of the prophecy.
Micah wrote the Old Testament book of Micah about 2,700 years ago, which is about 700 years before the time of Jesus and Matthew. Here is Micah's prophecy about Bethlehem:
1 Now you shall gather yourself in troops, daughter of troops. He has laid siege against us. They will strike the judge of Israel with a rod on the cheek.
2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, being small among the clans of Judah, out of you one will come out to me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings out are from of old, from ancient times.
3 Therefore he will abandon them until the time that she who is in labor gives birth. Then the rest of his brothers will return to the children of Israel.
4 He shall stand, and shall shepherd in the strength of Yahweh, in the majesty of the name of Yahweh his God: and they will live, for then he will be great to the ends of the earth.
5 He will be our peace when Assyria invades our land, and when he marches through our fortresses, then we will raise against him seven shepherds, and eight leaders of men.
6 They will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in its gates. He will deliver us from the Assyrian, when he invades our land, and when he marches within our border. (Micah 5:1-6, WEB)
To offer a quick summary of Micah's prophecy, from a Christian view:
• Micah 5:1-6 is a Messianic prophecy that informs the people of Judah that they will be protected from annihilation from the Assyrians, who were about to invade the Kingdom of Judah and besiege Jerusalem.
• Jerusalem is identified in Micah 5:1 as the 'daughter of troops,' and as the place where the 'siege' soon would take place. Jerusalem is the capital for the Kingdom of Judah, where the king and his troops reside.
• The people of Judah would be protected from annihilation because they are the people through whom God is working his plan of salvation, and they are the people from whom God eventually would bring forth the promised Messiah.
• In Micah 5:1-2, the prophet is contrasting the powerful city of Jerusalem with the humble town of Bethlehem. The powerful city will be invaded and besieged, but the humble town will one day produce the Messiah, who will vanquish all enemies of God.
We will get into more details about this prophecy, later, when we review each of the 5 claims. Also, for reference, there are online articles that explain this prophecy in detail at: Bible prophecy: The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem and A detailed look at Micah 5:2 and the objections that skeptics have.
Matthew is the apostle who wrote the New Testament's Gospel of Matthew, during the first century of this era, which is about 2,000 years ago. Matthew was one of the original Twelve Apostles to Jesus. Here is what he wrote about Micah's prophecy:
1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, 2 “Where is he who is born King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east, and have come to worship him.” 3 When King Herod heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ would be born. 5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is written through the prophet,
6 ‘You Bethlehem, land of Judah, are in no way least among the princes of Judah; for out of you shall come a governor who shall shepherd my people, Israel.’” (Matthew 2:1-6, WEB)
In verse 1, Matthew records that Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judah. In verses 5-6, Matthew quotes religious leaders as they paraphrase Micah 5:2 and apply it as being a prophecy that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem in Judah.
For background, Judah is a region in southern Israel, which includes the city of Jerusalem and the nearby town of Bethlehem. Also, the word Judea was used during Roman times, sometimes as a synonym for Judah, and sometimes to refer a broader area that included southern and central Israel.
Now, let's review each the 5 claims that were identified earlier:
Critics often have made the claim that Bethlehem Ephrathah refers to a clan of people rather than a town in Judah and that Matthew is in error in saying that it refers to a town.
Let's take a look at the meaning of the phrase, 'Bethlehem Ephrathah.'
We know from 1 Chronicles 4:4 that Bethlehem and Ephrathah are names of people, who lived in Judah, long before Micah wrote his prophecy.
We also know from Ruth 4:11 that Bethlehem has been a town in Judah since ancient times, and that Ephrathah was either another name for the town or was the name of the area that included the town, long before Micah wrote this prophecy.
So, when Micah uses the term 'Bethlehem Ephrathah,' in Micah 5:2, is he referring to people or to a town?
The correct answer is both. The town and the clan are inseparably intertwined. And that's a problem for the critics who claim that the phrase, 'Bethlehem Ephrathah,' can only refer to the clan. If these critics even allow for the possibility that the phrase can also refer to the town, then they are allowing for the possibility that they are wrong about Matthew, and that Matthew is right about Micah 5:2.
So, if Micah was intending to involve, invoke or otherwise include the town of Bethlehem in his prophecy, then why does he use the phrase 'Bethlehem Ephrathah'?
One possibility is that he wanted to make it doubly clear that he is talking about the town of Bethlehem in Judah, as opposed to another town named Bethlehem, which was in northern Israel, within the tribal land of Zebulun (Joshua 19:15, with context in Joshua 19:10-15).
Another possibility is that Micah is talking about the town of Bethlehem in Judah and the clan that is associated with it, which is the clan of Ephrathah.
And why would Micah do that?
Because, this is a prophecy about the Messiah, and previous prophets had already announced that the Messiah would be a descendant of David, who was ancient Israel's greatest king. And, David was an Ephrathite -- a member of the clan of Ephrathah. And, David was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judah.
These details are critically important for a correct understanding of Micah's prophecy.
About 3,000 years ago, which is about 300 years before the time of Micah, the first king of Israel, Saul, had turned away from God. And so, God sent the prophet Samuel to anoint a new king for Israel, a king who would be faithful to God.
That king was David, from the clan of Ephrathah. And where did God send the prophet Samuel, to find this faithful king? Bethlehem. God sent Samuel to Bethlehem, as in the town of Bethlehem in Judah, to find the king who would later became ancient Israel's greatest king.
With these details in mind, we have the opportunity to realize that God had directed the prophet Micah to reveal that the Messiah, who would be the greatest king of all, would also be found in the town of Bethlehem in Judah.
If critics were to take it upon themselves to learn the fuller meaning of Bible prophecies, they could relieve themselves of their faulty opinions.
Another indicator that Micah is definitely talking about the town of Bethlehem in Judah, rather than only the clan that is associated with it, is that he provides a contrast between Jerusalem and Bethlehem Ephrathah, in verses 1 and 2.
Just as surely as we should view Jerusalem as being a physical location in this contrast, we should also view the reference to Bethlehem as being a physical location.
In verse 1, Micah is referring to Jerusalem as the 'daughter of troops,' and as the physical location where the predicted 'siege' soon would take place, and so it follows that the reference to 'Bethlehem Ephrathah,' in verse 2, is being treated also as a physical location.
In this contrast, true safety will not come from King Hezekiah or his troops in the powerful city of Jerusalem, but from the promised Messiah who would be born in the humble town of Bethlehem in Judah. It is the Messiah who eventually will fully establish and rule over an eternal kingdom in which peace will be everlasting.
As alluded to earlier in this article, Judah was facing an existential threat from the aggression of the expanding Assyrian Empire. That empire invaded the Northern Kingdom of Israel, besieged its capital city of Samaria, conquered the Northern Kingdom, and obliterated the northern Tribes of Israel, who today are referred to as the Lost Tribes of Israel.
Assyria brought an end -- a permanent end -- to the Northern Kingdom of Israel. The northern tribes were so devastated by the Assyrians that they lost their distinct identities as tribes.
This is the existential threat that the Kingdom of Judah was facing when Micah gave his prophecy in Micah 5:1-6. Micah's prophecy is prophetically informing the people of Judah that all will not be lost for them, that they will not be obliterated like the north, that God will preserve them, because they are the people from whom the Messiah would later be born.
And, as explained in my books, it is during times of existential threats like this that God raised up prophets like Micah to remind people that all would not be lost, because the Messiah was still to arrive.
Given the contrast that Micah uses in Micah 5:1-2, as well as the full meaning and significance of the term 'Bethlehem Ephrathah,' Matthew is 100 percent accurate and correct in recording that Micah 5:2 is a prophecy about the Messiah's birthplace, in Matthew 2:1-6.
Another claim of some critics is that Micah's prophecy calls for a military leader who would conquer the Assyrians. This claim appears to be based on verses 5 and 6 of Micah's prophecy:
5 He will be our peace when Assyria invades our land, and when he marches through our fortresses, then we will raise against him seven shepherds, and eight leaders of men. 6 They will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in its gates. He will deliver us from the Assyrian, when he invades our land, and when he marches within our border. (Micah 5:5-6, WEB)
These verses are not actually saying that a military leader would conquer the Assyrians. Instead, they are assuring the people of Judah that they will ultimately be delivered from the wrath of the Assyrians. This verse makes it clear that the Assyrians will invade Judah, but that Judah ultimately will be preserved and protected.
As mentioned earlier in this article, this was a time of existential crisis for the people of Judah. The Assyrians brought an end to the Northern Kingdom of Israel and they had the ability to bring an end to the Kingdom of Judah. The Assyrians had the ability to bring an end to the northern tribes of Israel, and they could do the same for Tribe of Judah in southern Israel.
But, again, Micah's prophecy is informing the people that they will be protected from total annihilation. They would live to see another day. They would live to have descendants. And one of those descendants would be the promised Messiah -- who would be born in the town of Bethlehem in Judah.
Technically, Matthew isn't the one who is "altering" the text. That would be Jerusalem's religious leaders who are being quoted by Matthew:
4 Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ would be born. 5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is written through the prophet, 6 ‘You Bethlehem, land of Judah, are in no way least among the princes of Judah; for out of you shall come a governor who shall shepherd my people, Israel.’” (Matthew 2:4-6, WEB)
Note: The "he" in verse 4 is King Herod the Great.
As we can see in these verses from Matthew, the religious leaders of Jerusalem are paraphrasing Micah's prophecy and they are equating 'Bethlehem Ephrathah' with 'Bethlehem of Judea,' as in the town of Bethlehem in Judah.
So, yes, one could say that they are "altering" the text of Micah's prophecy, but they are not altering the meaning of the text. As established earlier in this article, 'Bethlehem Ephrathah' definitely involves the town of Bethlehem in Judah, and that is what is being communicated in Matthew 2:4-6.
The religious leaders are being 100-percent accurate with their paraphrasing of Micah's prophecy, as is Matthew in quoting them.
Micah's prophecy in Micah 5:2, and within the broader context of Micah 5:1-6, is completely Messianic.
As explained in my books, Micah's prophecy is a 'Son of David' prophecy, which is a subset of Messianic prophecies, because it speaks of the promised Messiah as being a descendant of King David, it speaks of this promised descendant as being extraordinary, and it is a prophecy that was given during a time of existential crisis.
These same three attributes -- being a descendant of David, being extraordinary, and being the subject of prophecy during an existential crisis -- are present in many other Messianic prophecies, including 2 Samuel 7:12-16, Isaiah 7:13-14, Isaiah 9:6-7, and Jeremiah 23:5-6.
In Micah's prophecy, the descendancy to David is addressed in Micah 5:2 when Micah speaks of 'Bethlehem Ephrathah.' Bethlehem is the town where David was born, about 3,000 years ago. And Ephrathah is the name of the clan to which David was born. David is an Ephrathite who was born in Bethlehem (1 Samuel 17:12). And this is significant because other Bible prophets, long before the time of Micah, had already established that the Messiah would be a descendant of David.
In Micah's prophecy, the extraordinary nature of this promised descendant is addressed in Micah 5:4, which notes that 'he will be great to the ends of the earth.' This points to a worldwide impact, which is an attribute that is uniquely and repeatedly assigned to the promised Messiah in more than a dozen Messianic prophecies throughout the Old Testament, including Daniel 7:13-14 and Zechariah 9:9-11.
And, as mentioned previously, this prophecy in Micah 5:1-6 was given during a time of extreme existential crisis.
Independent of any opinions that critics choose to embrace, Micah 5:1-6 clearly and unmistakably establishes itself as a Messianic prophecy.
As we look back from our present time, we can see that out of the billions of people who have ever lived, there is one who has achieved an unprecedented worldwide spiritual impact. And that person is Jesus.
His teachings, which are expressed through the religion of Christianity, are the first to have spread to people throughout the world. Christianity today is the world's largest and most widespread religion. It remains today the only religion that has a majority presence within one or more countries within each of the world's inhabitable continents.
Micah predicted that a descendant of King David would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) and would have a worldwide impact (Micah 5:4). And Jesus, who is recorded as being a descendant of David, and as being born in Bethlehem, has had a unique and extreme worldwide impact, unmatched by anyone who has ever lived.
Given this overwhelming evidence, which now spans the entire globe, one should consider the possibility that Matthew knew exactly what he was talking about when he identified Jesus as the fulfillment of Micah 5:1-6, which predicted that a person from Bethlehem would achieve a worldwide impact.
© 2002, 2025 Ray Konig.
Ray Konig is the author of Jesus the Messiah, Jesus the Prophet, Jesus the Miracle Worker, and 100 Fulfilled Bible Prophecies.
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Other articles about the Bethlehem prophecy in Micah 5:2
• The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem
• Bethlehem - Messiah's birthplace: A detailed look at Micah 5:2 and the objections that skeptics have