Micah 4:8
in Micah 4And you, O watchtower of the flock, O stronghold of the Daughter of Zion—the former dominion will be restored to you; sovereignty will come to the Daughter of Jerusalem.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And thou, O tower of the flock, the hill of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, yea, the former dominion shall come, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.
KJV
And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem.
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This verse in Micah 4
Commentary
8 notes on this verse(Verse 8, 9.) And you, tower of the flock, cloudy daughter of Zion, there will come to you the first power, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem. Now why are you contracted with sorrow? Is there no king for you, or has your counselor perished? For pain has seized you like a woman in labor. LXX: And you, tower of the flock, darkened daughter of Zion, there will come to you the first principality, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem from Babylon. And now, why have you known evil?
This site's exposition
assemble her that halteth
on Micah 4:6-8
In that day the Lord gathers the halting and the driven out and the afflicted, turning what was cast off into a strong nation over which the Lord himself reigns in Zion from that time forward. The tower of the flock, Migdal-eder, is addressed directly as the place to which the first dominion returns, the same watchtower name Jacob camped near outside Bethlehem (Genesis 35:21), which the bench sets beside the ruler who will come from that same district in the next chapter. The kingdom returning to the daughter of Jerusalem answers the fallen dominion of the house of David that the book has assumed throughout.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"And you, O tower, O cloudy shepherd of the daughter of Zion, your time shall come." These words refer to the impious king Zedekiah, whom the prophet calls "tower" because the people of Judea stayed under his shadow, and "shepherd" because of his administration of …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
The strong-hold - Ophel, a strong fort, is likewise put for the whole city. The first dominion - The former dominion; the government (after seventy years captivity) shall return to the former royal family, and continue in it 'till Shiloh come. This, in the type was fulfilled, under Zerubbabel and his successors; but the whole antitype concerns the Messiah's kingdom.
And thou, O tower of the flock,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
O tower of the flock - I think the temple is meant, or Jerusalem; the place where the flock, the whole congregation of the people assembled to worship God. Newcome retains the Hebrew word עדר eder, a tower in or near Beth-lehem, Gen 35:21 or, as some think, a tower near the sheep-gate in Jerusalem, I believe Jerusalem, or the temple, or both, are meant; for these were considered the stronghold of the daughter-of Zion, the fortress of the Jewish people. Even the first dominion - What was this?
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
In large pastures it was usual to erect a high wooden tower, so as to oversee the flock. JEROME takes the Hebrew for "flock," Eder or Edar, as a proper name, namely, a village near Beth-lehem, for which it is put, Beth-lehem being taken to represent the royal stock of David (Mic 5:2; compare Ge 35:21).
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
And thou, O tower of the flock - “‘Tower of Ader,’ which is interpreted ‘tower of the flock,’ about 1000 paces (a mile) from Bethlehem,” says Jerome who lived there, “and foresignifying (in its very name) by a sort of prophecy the shepherds at the Birth of the Lord.” There Jacob fed his sheep Gen 35:21, and there (since it was hard by Bethlehem) the shepherds, keeping watch over their flocks by night, saw and heard the Angels singing, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” The Jews inferred from this place that the Messiah should be revealed there . Stronghold - (Ophel ) of the daughter of Zion Ophel was a strong place in the South of Jerusalem, the last which the wall, enclosing Zion, reached, before, or as, it touched on the Eastern porch of the temple , with whose service it was connected. We know that, after the captivity, the Nethinim, who did the laborious service of the temple, dwelt there Neh 3:26; Neh 11:21. It lay very near to the priests’ district Neh 3:28. It was probably, a lower acclivity, “swelling out,” (as its name seems to mean ,) from the mountain of the temple. In the last war, it was held together with “the temple, and the adjoining parts to no slight extent, and the valley of Kedron.” It was burnt before the upper city was taken. It had been encircled by a wall of old; for Jotham “built greatly upon its wall” 2Ch 27:3, Manasseh “encircled it” 2Ch 33:14, (probably with an outer wall) “and raised it exceedingly,” that is, apparently raised artificially the whole level. Yet, as a symbol of all Jerusalem, Ophel is as remarkable, as the “tower of the flock” is as to Bethlehem. For Ophel, although fortified, is no where spoken of, as of any account . It is not even mentioned in the circuit of the walls, at their dedication, under Nehemiah Neh 12:31-40, probably as an outlying, spot. […]
The words behind it
14 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאַתָּ֣ה | veatah | and you | H859 → | 1094 times |
| מִגְדַּל־ | migdal- | O Migdal | H4029 → | |
| עֵ֗דֶר | ʾeder | Eder | H4029 → | |
| עֹ֛פֶל | ʾofel | O hill of | H6076 → | |
| בַּת־ | bat- | [the] daughter of | H1323 → | 588 times |
| צִיּ֖וֹן | tziyon | Zion | H6726 → | 154 times |
| עָדֶ֣יךָ | ʾadeikha | to you | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| תֵּאתֶ֑ה | teteh | it will come | H857 → | |
| וּבָאָ֗ה | uvaah | and it will come | H935 → | 2568 times |
| הַמֶּמְשָׁלָה֙ | hamemshalah | the dominion | H4475 → | |
| הָרִ֣אשֹׁנָ֔ה | harishonah | <the> former | H7223 → | |
| מַמְלֶ֖כֶת | mamlekhet | a kingdom | H4467 → | |
| לְבַ֥ת־ | levat- | to [the] daughter of | H1323 → | 588 times |
| יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם׃ | yerushalim | Jerusalem | H3389 → | 643 times |
וְאַתָּ֣הand you
veatahH859 →1094 times
מִגְדַּל־O Migdal
migdal-H4029 →
עֵ֗דֶרEder
ʾederH4029 →
עֹ֛פֶלO hill of
ʾofelH6076 →
בַּת־[the] daughter of
bat-H1323 →588 times
צִיּ֖וֹןZion
tziyonH6726 →154 times
עָדֶ֣יךָto you
ʾadeikhaH5704 →1261 times
תֵּאתֶ֑הit will come
tetehH857 →
וּבָאָ֗הand it will come
uvaahH935 →2568 times
הַמֶּמְשָׁלָה֙the dominion
hamemshalahH4475 →
הָרִ֣אשֹׁנָ֔ה<the> former
harishonahH7223 →
מַמְלֶ֖כֶתa kingdom
mamlekhetH4467 →
לְבַ֥ת־to [the] daughter of
levat-H1323 →588 times
יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם׃Jerusalem
yerushalimH3389 →643 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Revelation 22:5There will be no more night in the city, and they will have no need for the light of a lamp or of the sun. For the Lord God will shine on them, and…
it leads to
- Daniel 7:27
Then the sovereignty, dominion, and greatness of the kingdoms under all of heaven will be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Daniel 7:18
But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and possess it forever—yes, forever and ever.’
- Isaiah 60:19–20
No longer will the sun be your light by day, nor the brightness of the moon shine on your night; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your…
- Revelation 20:4
Then I saw the thrones, and those seated on them had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for…
- 1 Peter 1:3–4
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
- Daniel 7:27
Through
Obadiah 1:21The deliverers will ascend Mount Zion to rule over the mountains of Esau. And the kingdom will belong to the LORD.
it leads to
- Revelation 11:15
Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and loud voices called out in heaven: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Zechariah 14:9
On that day the LORD will become King over all the earth—the LORD alone, and His name alone.
- James 5:20
consider this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
- Revelation 11:15
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Micah
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PlaceJerusalemZionThe eastern ridge David took from the Jebusites and made his stronghold, the name the Psalms and the prophets give the city the LO…
- PlaceJerusalemJerusalemThe city David took from the Jebusites and made his capital, where Solomon built the temple, where Christ was crucified and rose,…
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Carl Friedrich Keil, The Twelve Minor Prophets; Ephrem the Syrian, COMMENTARY ON MICAH; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Micah; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament.