2:13 The one who can break through barriers will lead them out 1
they will break out, pass through the gate, and leave. 2
Their king will advance 3 before them,
The Lord himself will lead them. 4
4:9 Jerusalem, why are you 5 now shouting so loudly? 6
Has your king disappeared? 7
Has your wise leader 8 been destroyed?
Is this why 9 pain grips 10 you as if you were a woman in labor?
5:2 (5:1) As for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, 11
seemingly insignificant 12 among the clans of Judah –
from you a king will emerge who will rule over Israel on my behalf, 13
one whose origins 14 are in the distant past. 15
6:5 My people, recall how King Balak of Moab planned to harm you, 16
how Balaam son of Beor responded to him.
Recall how you journeyed from Shittim to Gilgal,
so you might acknowledge that the Lord has treated you fairly.” 17
1 tn Heb “the one who breaks through goes up before them.” The verb form is understood as a perfect of certitude, emphasizing the certainty of this coming event.
2 tn The three verb forms (a perfect and two preterites with vav [ו] consecutive) indicate certitude.
sn The “fold” from which the sheep/people break out is probably a reference to their place of exile.
3 tn The verb form (a preterite with vav [ו] consecutive) indicates certitude.
4 tn Heb “the
5 tn The Hebrew form is feminine singular, indicating that Jerusalem, personified as a young woman, is now addressed (see v. 10). In v. 8 the tower/fortress was addressed with masculine forms, so there is clearly a shift in addressee here. “Jerusalem” has been supplied in the translation at the beginning of v. 9 to make this shift apparent.
6 tn Heb “Now why are you shouting [with] a shout.”
7 tn Heb “Is there no king over you?”
8 tn Traditionally, “counselor” (cf. KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). This refers to the king mentioned in the previous line; the title points to the king’s roles as chief strategist and policy maker, both of which required extraordinary wisdom.
9 tn Heb “that.” The Hebrew particle כִּי (ki) is used here in a resultative sense; for this use see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 73, §450.
10 tn Heb “grabs hold of, seizes.”
11 sn Ephrathah is either an alternate name for Bethlehem or the name of the district in which Bethlehem was located. See Ruth 4:11.
map For location of Bethlehem see Map5-B1; Map7-E2; Map8-E2; Map10-B4.
12 tn Heb “being small.” Some omit לִהְיוֹת (lihyot, “being”) because it fits awkwardly and appears again in the next line.
13 tn Heb “from you for me one will go out to be a ruler over Israel.”
14 tn Heb “his goings out.” The term may refer to the ruler’s origins (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT) or to his activities.
15 tn Heb “from the past, from the days of antiquity.” Elsewhere both phrases refer to the early periods in the history of the world or of the nation of Israel. For מִקֶּדֶם (miqqedem, “from the past”) see Neh 12:46; Pss 74:12; 77:11; Isa 45:21; 46:10. For מִימֵי עוֹלָם (mimey ’olam, “from the days of antiquity”) see Isa 63:9, 11; Amos 9:11; Mic 7:14; Mal 3:4. In Neh 12:46 and Amos 9:11 the Davidic era is in view.
sn In riddle-like fashion this verse alludes to David, as the references to Bethlehem and to his ancient origins/activities indicate. The passage anticipates the second coming of the great king to usher in a new era of national glory for Israel. Other prophets are more direct and name this coming ideal ruler “David” (Jer 30:9; Ezek 34:23-24; 37:24-25; Hos 3:5). Of course, this prophecy of “David’s” second coming is actually fulfilled through his descendant, the Messiah, who will rule in the spirit and power of his famous ancestor and bring to realization the Davidic royal ideal in an even greater way than the historical David (see Isa 11:1, 10; Jer 33:15).
16 tn Heb “remember what Balak…planned.”
17 tn Heb “From Shittim to Gilgal, in order to know the just acts of the