Micah 4:8

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. AND THOU, O TOWER OF THE FLOCK. Following up the metaphor of sheep (note, ), Jerusalem is called the "tower," from which the King and Shepherd observes and guards His flock: both the spiritual Jerusalem, the Church, now, whose towerlike elevation is that of doctrine and practice (, "Thy neck is like the tower of David"), and the literal hereafter (). 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 Bethlehem,...

Micah still continues the same subject, — that the miserable calamities of the people, or even their ruin, will not prevent God to restore again his Church. _Thou tower of the flock, _he says, _the fortress of the daughter of Zion, _doubt not but that God will again restore to thee thy ancient kingdom and dignity from which thou seemest now to have entirely fallen. But interpreters take the tower of the flock in various senses. Some think that the devastation of the city Jerusalem is pointed out, because it became like a cottage, as it is said in Isaiah; and עפל, _ophil, _they render “obscure,” for its root is to cover. But another explanation is simpler, — that the holy city is called the tower of the flock, because God had chosen it for himself, to gather his people thence; for we know that they had there their holy assemblies. _Thou, _then, _the tower of the flock, _and then, the fort...

1-8 The nations have not yet so submitted to the Prince of Peace, as to beat their swords into ploughshares, nor has war ceased. But very precious promises these are, relating to the gospel church, which will be more and more fulfilled, for He is faithful that has promised. There shall be a glorious church for God set up in the world, in the last days, in the days of the Messiah. Christ himself will build it upon a rock. The Gentiles worshipped their idol gods; but in the period spoken of, the people will cleave to the Lord with full purpose of heart, and delight in doing his will. The word "halteth," describes those who walk not according to the Divine word. The collecting the captives from Babylon was an earnest of healing, purifying, and prospering the church; and the reign of Christ shall continue till succeeded by the everlasting kingdom of heaven. Let us stir up each other to atte...

Verse 8. _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_, Genesis 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 strong-hold of the daughter of Zion_, the fortress of the Jewish people. _EVEN THE FIRST DOMINION_] What was this? The Divine _theocracy_ under Jesus Christ; this former, this _first dominion_, was to be restored. Hence the angel called him _Immanuel_, God with us, ruling among us....

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 Genesis 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 w

EXPOSITION MICAH 4:1 § 4. _The prophet suddenly announces the future glory of the temple mountain and the ideal happiness of the people_ MICAH 4:1 BUT. There is no adversative particle here; the verse is merely connected with what precedes without any expressed contrast. What is implied is that it was impossible that the temple, to which God's high promises attached, should lie waste forever. The passage, Micah 4:1, occurs in Isaiah 2:2, The question as to which prophecy is the earlier cannot be settled. Possibly both prophets borrowed the language of some earlier work

AND THOU, O TOWER OF THE FLOCK,.... The words "Migdal Eder" are left by some untranslated, and think that place to be intended so called, which was near to Bethlehem, Genesis 35:19; and perhaps is the same which Jerom t calls the tower of Ader, about a mile from Bethlehem: this is supposed to be the place where the shepherds were watching over their flocks at the time of Christ's birth, the tidings of which were first brought to them here; and the Jewish u doctors speak of it as near Jerusalem, and as a place of pasture; for they say, that cattle between Jerusalem and Migdal Eder, and in an equal space to every wind; the males were used for burnt offerings, and the females for peace offerings; and this place is thought to be referred to in the latter clause of this verse: others think that Bethlehem itself is meant, to which the dominion came; but rather, as in the next chapter, the rule...

Micah 4:1. _But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it._ God's cause and kingdom shall not be hidden away in a corner: «the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains,» an Alp upon other Alps, higher than all the other hills. The day is coming when the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ shall be the most conspicuous thing in the whole world, «and people shall flow unto it.» The heathen, the people who knew nothing about it, shall flow to it like a great river. Micah 4:2. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob;

CHAPTER 4 _ 1. The future of glory (Micah 4:1) _ 2. The restoration and the final victory (Micah 4:6) Micah 4:1. The last verse predicted the long desolation and ruin of Zion. This is followed at once by a great prophecy of the future of glory in store for Zion. Isaiah also uttered this great prediction. Not that Micah copied Isaiah, nor Isaiah Micah, but the same Spirit gave to the men the same prophecy. It concerns the latter days, which means the coming of Messiah's kingdom on earth. These days are not yet here. To apply these words, even in a spiritual way, to the present age, or to the Church, is a serious mistake. The house of the Lord is not the Church, but the house in Jerusalem, to which in the kingdom the

MICAH 4:6 TO MICAH 5:1. EXILE AND RESTORATION: ISRAEL'S VICTORY OVER THE NATIONS. The reference to the Babylonian exile (Micah 4:10) shows that the passage is not earlier than the sixth century, Micah himself being concerned with Assyria, not Babylon. The sequence of thought is not clear, and it has been suggested that Micah 4:9 f. should precede Micah 4:6; Micah 4:11 ff. is apparently a distinct prophecy, describing a siege of Jerusalem which is eschatological rather than historic (_cf._...