The Struck Judge and the Ruler from Bethlehem

Micah sets humiliation and hope side by side. A besieged ruler of Israel is struck on the cheek; then tiny Bethlehem Ephratah is named as the place from which God will bring forth a ruler for Israel. Bethlehem matters because it is David’s town. The promise therefore reaches backward to Davidic kingship while pointing forward to a future ruler.

The ruler’s “goings forth” are described as “from of old, from everlasting” in the KJV. The Hebrew expression can denote ancient days and naturally evokes deep antiquity and Davidic origins. Christian theology has strong New Testament grounds for Christ’s preexistence, but Micah’s Hebrew phrase by itself should not be made to carry more linguistic weight than it can. This is a good example of letting the whole canon establish doctrine while still translating the original phrase honestly.