'But in the end of days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of Hashem's house shall be established as the top of the mountains... and many nations shall go and say: Come, and let us go up' — 'and they shall beat their swords into plowshares... nation shall not lift up sword against nation'; every man shall sit under his vine and under his fig-tree; the daughter of Zion shall go even to Babylon — and there shall she be rescued.
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
But in the end of days it shall come to pass, That the mountain of Hashem’S house shall be established as the top of the mountains, And it shall be exalted above the hills; And peoples shall flow to it.
verse value 3747
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 67 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "hill" (הַ֣ר, 2 letters) and the longest is "house·of·Hashem" (בֵּית־יְהֹוָ֤ה, 7 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "in·end·of" (בְּאַחֲרִ֣ית), "day" (הַיָּמִ֗ים), "it·will·be" (יִ֠הְיֶ֠ה). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "house·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 40x in Micah); "to·it" (root על, 21x in Micah); "peoples" (root עם, 20x in Micah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·hills', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 3 words.
Rashi
And they flowed. And they gathered there together, like rivers that flow into the sea:
Ibn Ezra
"And it shall come to pass" – There is no doubt that this prophecy is for the future; therefore, he said: "In the latter days." The reason is: because he mentioned above that the Temple Mount will become a forest of high places, he returns to comfort Israel, saying that the glory of the Temple will yet return. And it is known that the Temple Mount is not high, yet the reason its name has spread far and wide is that from all directions they will return to it with offerings, as if it were at the head of all the mountains, and it will be exalted above the hills, until all the inhabitants of the land will see it.
"ונָהֲרוּ" – they will run; from the root נָהַר, for a river is always in motion.
Radak
“And it shall come to pass in the latter days.” After having spoken of the destruction of Zion and Jerusalem, He stated this consolation concerning them, and this shall be in the latter days, which are the days of the Messiah. And this consolation was stated by Isaiah in this language, with only a few words differing between them.
"The mountain of the House of the Lord" refers to the Temple Mount, which he said would become a forest of high places. Yet, a time will come when it will be established at the head of the mountains. And what he said, "established and exalted," does not mean that that mountain will be high in its physical body more than it was, but rather he means that the nations will exalt it and honor it, and they will come to worship there in the name of the Lord. He mentioned this because the nations used to worship their gods on the high mountains and on the exalted hills. He said that then they will worship God, blessed be He, as one community, and they will exalt this mountain above all the mountains and all the hills that they used to exalt and honor from the beginning.
“And nations flowed upon him.” “And they ran”—and from this [word] is the term “merotzet” (the running) of the many waters [called] a river.
Metzudat David
"In the latter days" – in the days of the Messiah.
"The mountain of the House of the Lord." The mountain upon which it will stand in the future.
Correct. It will be perfected on the important mountain, the head of all the mountains:
And he shall take. He shall be elevated in rank and importance:
And they shall flow. From the nations, they will be drawn to go to it, like a river that draws and flows continuously.
Metzudat Zion
"At the end." That is, at the conclusion.
Correct. Prepared and perfected:
And they shall flow. They shall be drawn like a river; and similarly, “And they shall flow unto the goodness of the Lord” (Jeremiah 31:12):
Malbim
“And it shall come to pass in the end of days” – this means that now, because of you, Zion shall be like a field that is plowed, and this state will continue until the end of days. At that time, in the end of days, it shall return and be rebuilt, because we will walk in the name of the Lord our God and cast away the evil of our deeds, as concluded by the verse: “For all the nations... and we will walk in the name of the Lord.” This prophecy was already foreseen by Isaiah (ibid., chapter 2), albeit with some variation in wording, for no two prophets prophesy in the same style. We have already explained it there in detail. He says that the mountain upon which the Holy Temple will stand shall be established at the head of the mountains, and it shall be elevated further by the hills beneath it. Nevertheless, all nations shall stream toward it, like a river flowing toward a lower place.
And many nations shall go and say: ‘Come you, and let us go up to the mountain of Hashem, And to the house of the God of Jacob; And He will teach us of His ways, And we will walk in His paths’; For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of Hashem from Jerusalem.
verse value 5275
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 101 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·the·mountain·of·Hashem" (אֶל־הַר־יְהֹוָ֗ה, 8 letters). 15 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "and·they·went" (וְֽהָלְכ֞וּ), "and·they·shall·say" (וְאָֽמְרוּ֙), "come" (לְכ֣וּ). The root הלך appears 3 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·mountain·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 40x in Micah); "for" (root כי, 20x in Micah). First appearance of the root גוי ("nations") in Micah. First appearance of the root רב ("many") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·his·paths', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 6 words.
Ibn Ezra
And they went, and they spoke—each one to his fellow.
"Let us ascend" – to the greatness of His exaltedness.
“For out of Zion shall go forth the Torah” – to all the nations, as it is written: “to call all of them by the Name of the Lord, and serve Him shoulder to shoulder.”
Radak
And they went, and said. Every nation shall say to its companion, “Come, let us go up.”
"And He will teach us His ways, for out of Zion shall go forth the Torah." This is the statement of the Prophet, not the statement of the nations. That is to say: Why do the nations say, "Come, let us go up," and [why does it say] "He will teach us His ways, for out of Zion shall go forth the Torah and the commandment to all the nations"? And the Teacher is the King Messiah, concerning whom it is said, "And He shall judge."
Metzudat David
And they went. Nation to nation:
And they said. These to those:
And He will teach us. The Omnipresent will instruct us through those who are knowledgeable in Torah.
"His ways." What is meant by "His ways"?
"For out of Zion": The true Torah is that which emanates from Zion, and there is no other in the world.
Metzudat Zion
“Lechu” (come). It is an expression of urging:
And He taught us. The matter of learning:
Malbim
“And they shall go,” and many nations shall go and say to one another: “Come, let us go up with you to the mountain of the Lord, and from the mountain we shall go to the Holy Temple, and He will teach us His great ways, and we shall walk of our own accord in His particular paths.” This means that by His showing us the roots and foundations of the true religion, we shall strive to attain also its branches and offshoots. For from Zion, where the Sanhedrin and the teachers of the religion sit, shall Torah go forth to the entire world, and the word of the Lord, which is the word of prophecy, shall go forth from Jerusalem, for the prophets shall be found throughout the city.
And He shall judge between many peoples, And shall decide concerning mighty nations afar off; And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruninghooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war any more.
verse value 6288
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 104 letters. The shortest word is "between" (בֵּ֚ין, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·their·spears" (וַחֲנִיתֹֽתֵיהֶם֙, 9 letters). 16 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "and·will·judge" (וְשָׁפַ֗ט), "between" (בֵּ֚ין), "and·reprove" (וְהוֹכִ֛יחַ). The root גוי appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "peoples" (root עם, 20x in Micah). First appearance of the root בין ("between") in Micah. First appearance of the root חרב ("their·swords") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'until·far·off', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 12 words.
Rashi
“Veshafat.” This “judgment (mishpat)” is an expression of reproof — desrimant in Old French:
Ibn Ezra
“And he shall judge” – The judge is the Messiah. Yefet said: It refers to the Holy Name, blessed be He, and the Word of God. Others said: It refers to the men of Jerusalem, as if it were saying, “And he shall judge her people,” and until this day there has not passed a generation in which there was not war; if this place was quiet, another was not. And the Scripture states: “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”
Radak
And he shall judge. The judge is the King Messiah. Similarly, “He will tell Jacob” refers to the One who will announce, and “He will say to Joseph” refers to the One who will speak. It means that if there will be war or disputes between nation and nation, they will come to judgment before the King Messiah, who will be lord over all the nations. He will instruct them and say to the one with whom the wrong is found: “Set right the wrong done to your adversary.” Because of this, there will be no war between nation and nation, for He will make peace between them, and they will have no need for weapons of war. Instead, they will beat them into plowshares and pruning hooks for agricultural work.
“La-itim.” The hoe (mara) with which one digs is called “et,” and the dagesh in the tav of “la-itim” stands in place of the quiescent letter that is in the word “et,” as in “his plowshare and his mattock (eto)” (I Samuel 13:20).
“Into pruning hooks.” These are the tools with which one prunes the vines and the other trees, as it is stated: “and your vineyard you shall not prune” (Leviticus 25:4).
Metzudat David
"And He shall judge." This means that as they shall request, so shall it be, for the judge, who is the Messiah King, He shall judge among the many nations regarding their disputes, and He shall clarify the judgment for the mighty nations dwelling from afar.
And they shall beat. They will break the weapons of war to make from them agricultural implements, for they will no longer wage war, nor will they learn it, for the Messiah will judge in their disputes.
Metzudat Zion
And he proved. A clear matter of words:
“Great.” Strong:
"And they shall beat them." The meaning of "beating" is:
Le’itim. The name of a digging tool, as in “his plowshare (machareshto) and his mattock (et)” (I Samuel 13:20):
Lemazmerot (pruning hooks). The name of the tool with which they cut the vine-branches, from the expression “and you shall not prune your vineyard” (Leviticus 25:4):
Malbim
"And He shall judge," and the judge who will be there, namely the Messiah King, will judge between many nations. The meaning is that then the causes for which nation will fight against nation and kingdom against kingdom will be abolished. For sometimes war arises from differences in religion and belief, and then "out of Zion shall go forth the Torah" as a universal law for all. And sometimes war arises from legal disputes and matters of contention between one people and another, in which case the sword will decide their disputes; and then the Messiah will judge between many nations. And sometimes rebellion arises within a state itself; regarding this it is said that then He will reprove the nations and bring them back to righteousness through His reproof. Consequently, they will beat their swords into plowshares, and nation will not lift up sword against nation, nor will they learn war strategies anymore at all.
But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig-tree; And none shall make them afraid; For the mouth of Hashem of hosts has spoken.
verse value 4433
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 49 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 4433 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "man" (אִ֣ישׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·shall·sit" (וְיָשְׁב֗וּ, 5 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "under" (תַּ֧חַת), "his·vine" (גַּפְנ֛וֹ), "and·under" (וְתַ֥חַת). The root תחת appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 40x in Micah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'one·who·frightens', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְיָשְׁב֗וּ [and·they·shall·sit] (324) + אִ֣ישׁ [man] (311) + תַּ֧חַת [under] (808) + גַּפְנ֛וֹ [his·vine] (139) + וְתַ֥חַת [and·under] (814) + תְּאֵנָת֖וֹ [his·fig] (857) + וְאֵ֣ין [and·nothing] (67) + מַחֲרִ֑יד [one·who·frightens] (262) + כִּי־פִ֛י [for·mouth·of] (120) + יְהֹוָ֥ה [Hashem] (26) + צְבָא֖וֹת [hosts] (499) + דִּבֵּֽר [has·spoken] (206) = 4433.
Rashi
For the mouth of the Lord of Hosts has spoken. And where did He speak? "And I will give peace in the land" (Leviticus 26:6).
Ibn Ezra
And they sat – all the people of the world.
“For the mouth of the Lord has spoken” — this [word is certain], and it is true beyond any doubt.
Radak
"And they sat." Israel, and all the nations as well, there will be no war in the world.
"For the mouth of the Lord of Hosts has spoken. And since He, blessed be He, has spoken, He will fulfill His word."
Metzudat David
“And they shall sit, each man.” Each shall sit under his vine, etc., and there shall be none to make him afraid [to move] from his place:
"for My mouth, etc." And so shall it be:
Metzudat Zion
Meharid. The word is derived from the root "harada," meaning trembling or awe.
Malbim
"And they shall sit," and furthermore, there will not arise strife and contention due to a lack of bread and due to poverty, for through this they would extend their hands to raid; rather, "each man shall sit under his vine," and there shall be no terror, so that no shield, sword, or war shall be found anymore. Selah.
For let all the peoples walk each one in the name of its god, But we will walk in the name of Hashem our God for ever and ever.
verse value 1963
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 54 letters. Verse gematria: 1963 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֚י, 2 letters) and the longest is "all·the·peoples" (כׇּל־הָ֣עַמִּ֔ים, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "all·the·peoples" (כׇּל־הָ֣עַמִּ֔ים), "they·will·walk" (יֵלְכ֕וּ), "in·name·of" (בְּשֵׁ֣ם). The root הלך appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·name·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 40x in Micah); "for" (root כי, 20x in Micah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: כִּ֚י [for] (30) + כׇּל־הָ֣עַמִּ֔ים [all·the·peoples] (215) + יֵלְכ֕וּ [they·will·walk] (66) + אִ֖ישׁ [man] (311) + בְּשֵׁ֣ם [in·name·of] (342) + אֱלֹהָ֑יו [his·God] (52) + וַאֲנַ֗חְנוּ [and·we] (121) + נֵלֵ֛ךְ [will·walk] (100) + בְּשֵׁם־יְהֹוָ֥ה [in·name·of·Hashem] (368) + אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ [our·God] (102) + לְעוֹלָ֥ם [to·ever] (176) + וָעֶֽד [and·ever] (80) = 1963.
Rashi
"They shall go, each in the name of his God." "They shall go to destruction" because they served idolatry; so too did Jonathan the Targumist translate it.
Ibn Ezra
For – these are the words of the Prophet, who reproaches Israel and comforts them: “If the House has been destroyed, we will not abandon the Torah of our God, who assured us and made us hear such things?” Or, the meaning is: “The going out of Israel from exile.” Therefore, the word “And we shall go” is the reason. For when the House is rebuilt, then the nations will bring the scattered Israelites as an offering to the Lord, and as they go, each person will go in the name of his God, until the men of the Temple teach them. Therefore, it follows after it.
Radak
"For all the nations shall go, each in the name of his god." Until that time, each will go in the name of his god, for they will not return to the good path until the Messiah King returns them to the good path after the war of Gog and Magog.
“And we.” But we, the House of Israel, will go in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever. For even though the Temple will be destroyed and we will be exiled from our land, we will not exchange our God for another god; rather, we will go in His name all the days, as it is written: “If we forget the name of our God, and spread out our hands to a foreign god” (Psalm 44:21).
Metzudat David
“For all the nations...” This is the statement of the prophet who said, “All this good shall be ours,” because all the nations, each one of them, goes in the name of its god, believing in the idols of its people. But we have not learned from them to follow their ways, for we go in the name of the Lord, believing in Him, and so we will believe in Him forever and ever. Therefore, we are worthy of good.
Malbim
For it explains how Israel will merit all this honor in the end of days: because throughout the entire duration of the long exile, even though all the nations will each go in the name of their gods, nevertheless we will go in the name of the Lord our God, and we will not forget the name of our God, even though we are killed all day for His sake. And this will be for "ever," meaning a long time. Therefore, in the end of days, the Torah will go forth from Zion to the entire world.
In that day, says Hashem, will I assemble her that halts, And I will gather her that is driven away, And her that I have afflicted;
verse value 2006
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "in·the·day" (בַּיּ֨וֹם, 4 letters) and the longest is "utterance·of·Hashem" (נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֗ה, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "let·me·gather" (אֹֽסְפָה֙), "that·limps" (הַצֹּ֣לֵעָ֔ה), "and·impeled" (וְהַנִּדָּחָ֖ה). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "utterance·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 40x in Micah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·will·gather', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. Full calculation: בַּיּ֨וֹם [in·the·day] (58) + הַה֜וּא [that] (17) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֗ה [utterance·of·Hashem] (117) + אֹֽסְפָה֙ [let·me·gather] (146) + הַצֹּ֣לֵעָ֔ה [that·limps] (200) + וְהַנִּדָּחָ֖ה [and·impeled] (78) + אֲקַבֵּ֑צָה [I·will·gather] (198) + וַאֲשֶׁ֖ר [and·that] (507) + הֲרֵעֹֽתִי [I·have·wronged] (685) = 2006.
Rashi
“I will gather the lame one.” I will bring in movable property, and so too does the Targum. And it appears to me that the term denotes healing, as in: “And I will gather up his leprosy” (II Kings 5).
"And those whom I have harmed." And those whom I harmed for their sin:
Ibn Ezra
"On the day" – "the lame" refers to Israel, who will not be able to walk quickly; and so it says: "the rejected."
“And the evil that I have done” – to them, that I have made her a reproach among the nations.
Radak
"On that day." On the day of the ingathering of the exiles, as it is stated: "In the latter days."
Aspeh. Like [the word] "I will gather" (ve'ehasseph), and similarly [the verse] "And David added yet more" (ve'yosaf od David), like [the word] "and he gathered" (ve'ya'asseph).
“The lame (ha-tzole’ah)” — [vocalized] with a tsere, like “noterah et ha-keramim” (she keeps the vineyards, Song 1:6), [also] with a tsere. And the meaning of “the lame” is Israel, who in exile are like the sick and the lame and the pained, for whoever is in distress is as though he limps. And likewise David said, “But in my adversity they rejoiced and gathered together” (Psalm 35:15). And so too is the meaning of “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened” (Isaiah 35:5), “then shall the lame leap like a deer” (Isaiah 35:6).
"And the driven away." That is, one who is distant from her place. And perhaps this was said regarding the Ten Tribes, who are very distant from their land. And the Targum [renders it]: "the lame one who stumbles, and the driven away who wanders."
"And that which I have made them suffer" – Just as I have made them suffer, so too will I do good to them. And the Targum renders: "And I shall be angry with them because of the sins of My people." Another textual reading: "And I shall be angry with them."
Metzudat David
“I will gather the lame one.” I will gather from among the nations of the world the congregation of Israel, which is like a lame person who cannot move from its place.
"And the outcast." The outcast of Israel, who has been scattered from their land to the lands of the nations, behold, I will gather them. This is a repetition of the matter stated in the preceding verse.
"And that which I have done evil." This means: According to the measure of that which I have done evil to her, so will I do good to her.
Metzudat Zion
“The lame one” (ha-tzole’ah). The lame [woman], as in “and he limped upon his thigh” (Genesis 32:32):
Malbim
"On that day," declares the Lord, "I will gather the lame" — I have already explained (in Isaiah 11:12) in the verse "And He will gather the outcasts of Israel and assemble the dispersed of Judah," that Israel, meaning the Ten Tribes, were not scattered in a great dispersion among the nations; rather, they were driven from their place and cast into a distant land, and their location was lost, requiring gathering from the outside inward. Regarding this, it says, "I will gather the lame." And the tribe of Judah was scattered to the four corners of the earth and requires assembling. Regarding this, it says, "and the dispersed I will assemble." And the tribe of Judah suffers many evils and distresses in the lands of their dispersion, unlike the Ten Tribes. Regarding this, it says, "and those whom I have afflicted," referring to the tribe of Judah, whom I have afflicted, whether in the time of the Second Temple through the Greeks and subsequently through the Romans, or throughout the duration of their exile.
And I will make her that halted a remnant, And her that was cast far off a mighty nation; And Hashem shall reign over them in mount Zion from thenceforth even for ever.
verse value 4036
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 64 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֤ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·mountain·of" (בְּהַ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·halting·one" (אֶת־הַצֹּֽלֵעָה֙, 7 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "the·halting·one" (אֶת־הַצֹּֽלֵעָה֙), "and·the·one·cast·far·off" (וְהַנַּהֲלָאָ֖ה), "into·a·nation" (לְג֣וֹי). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 40x in Micah); "over·them" (root על, 21x in Micah). First appearance of the root עתה ("from·now") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'mighty', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְשַׂמְתִּ֤י [and·I·will·put] (756) + אֶת־הַצֹּֽלֵעָה֙ [the·halting·one] (601) + לִשְׁאֵרִ֔ית [to·remnant] (941) + וְהַנַּהֲלָאָ֖ה [and·the·one·cast·far·off] (102) + לְג֣וֹי [into·a·nation] (49) + עָצ֑וּם [mighty] (206) + וּמָלַ֨ךְ [and·will·king] (96) + יְהֹוָ֤ה [Hashem] (26) + עֲלֵיהֶם֙ [over·them] (155) + בְּהַ֣ר [in·mountain·of] (207) + צִיּ֔וֹן [Zion] (156) + מֵעַתָּ֖ה [from·now] (515) + וְעַד־עוֹלָֽם [and·until·forever] (226) = 4036.
Ibn Ezra
"And I will place them far off" – "and far off," meaning that they were distant, far removed from their land. Then the Lord alone will reign over them. The word is derived from the root meaning "far off" (halah), and not from "talah," for the root of "talah" is "talah" (to hang).
Radak
“And I will place” [referring to] “the remnant.” This teaches that they will not be entirely lost in exile; rather, a remnant of them will remain, who will return to their land in that time.
And behold, the one who is far off. This is the rejected one mentioned in the phrase "behold, the one who is far off." It is constructed in the nifal conjugation from the root "le'ah," which denotes a distant place or time. And the Targum renders "behold, the one who is far off" as "the one who is rejected," from the Aramaic word *bedarya*. And my master and father, of blessed memory, explained that "behold, the one who is far off" refers to the strong and fat one that goes far ahead of the flock, due to its great health. And similarly, he explained that "the limping one" is one who is unable to walk; "I will strengthen her," meaning I will add to her strength and make her a mighty nation.
Metzudat David
“Lesh’erit” (to a remnant): That there shall be a remnant for her among the nations, and they shall not be able to destroy her.
And behold, the people who have been weary in exile, upon their return to their land, will become a strong nation.
"And the Lord shall be King." From that time on, the Babylonians shall no longer rule over them, for the Lord shall reign over them, and His kingdom shall be on Mount Zion, for there His Divine Presence shall dwell from that time and forevermore, and it shall not move from there again.
Metzudat Zion
And the wearied one (ve-hanahala’ah). The matter of weariness, as in “Moab is wearied” (Isaiah 16:12):
Malbim
"And I will make the lame one a remnant" — meaning that the Ten Tribes, whom He called by the name "the lame," were lost from the totality of Israel, and it seems as though they do not exist at all, or that they did not remain in their faith and became like all the nations; I will place them so that they shall be a remnant of Israel and will be revealed.
“And her that was driven far off” — these are the tribe of Judah, who were the remnant of Israel, only that they drove her far off (hal’ah) from nation to nation, and from place to place, ever further onward; and they were very weak and diminished through killings and upheavals. “I will make them a mighty nation,” and the Lord will reign over them: (a) that they will be under the kingdom of the Lord and His providence; (b) that the kingship will be on Mount Zion; (c) that they will be “from now and forever” — that is, from the time of the redemption unto eternity, for they will no longer be exiled.
And you, Migdal-eder, the hill of the daughter of Zion, To you shall it come; Indeed, the former dominion shall come, The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.
verse value 4954
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 58 letters. The shortest word is "hill" (עֹ֛פֶל, 3 letters) and the longest is "Migdal-eder" (מִגְדַּל־עֵ֗דֶר, 7 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "Migdal-eder" (מִגְדַּל־עֵ֗דֶר), "hill" (עֹ֛פֶל), "to·you" (עָדֶ֣יךָ). The root אתה appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root אתה ("and·you") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·come', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: וְאַתָּ֣ה [and·you] (412) + מִגְדַּל־עֵ֗דֶר [Migdal-eder] (351) + עֹ֛פֶל [hill] (180) + בַּת־צִיּ֖וֹן [daughter·of·Zion] (558) + עָדֶ֣יךָ [to·you] (104) + תֵּאתֶ֑ה [will·come] (806) + וּבָאָ֗ה [and·will·go·in] (14) + הַמֶּמְשָׁלָה֙ [rule] (420) + הָרִ֣אשֹׁנָ֔ה [the·former] (561) + מַמְלֶ֖כֶת [kingdom] (530) + לְבַ֥ת [to·daughter·of] (432) + יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם [Jerusalem] (586) = 4954.
Rashi
“And you, tower of the flock.” The Targum [renders]: “And you are the Messiah of Israel, who is hidden from before the sins of the Congregation of Zion.” Explanation: “migdal” (tower) is in the sense of “a stronghold,” and the translation of “flock” is “the Congregation of Israel.” And it translated “of darkness” (ofel) in the sense of “darkness” (ofel). And one could explain that “raise up a flock” refers to the Temple, and “of darkness” is in the sense of “a tower of strength.” And so too: “Of darkness” and “He will examine” (Isaiah 32:14).
“To you it shall come.” The remnant of the lame and the outcasts—they shall all be gathered to you.
And the first kingdom shall come. The entire kingdom shall come to the House of David in Jerusalem, as it was in the beginning, before it was divided. And what is the first kingdom? The kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem.
Ibn Ezra
"And you" – Yefet said: "The Tower of David." And the correct interpretation is: Jerusalem, which is like a tower for the flock, namely Israel.
Ophel – like: “Ophel and the watchtower.” And there are those who say: that it is like it, and they ascended to a high Ophel, and so it is written: “to ascend to the top of the mountain” – they elevated themselves to ascend.
“Unto you it shall come” – and this word is joined to “and shall come.” The meaning is: “the government.” And so too: “Ended are the prayers of David, son of Jesse,” although the word “prayers” has an etnachta accent, it is joined to the word “David,” and so it is here.
Radak
"And you, O tower of the flock." This is the Tower of David, and it is called the Tower of the Flock because Israel is compared to a flock of sheep, as He compared them in many places. Zion and Jerusalem are the place of all Israel, who would gather there three times a year, and they were there like a flock within its enclosure. And it was the head of the kingdom of Israel. He repeated the matter with different words, and said, "the tower of the daughter of Zion," for "ofel" is like "migdal," just as it says, "ofel and bachen."
“Unto you it shall come, yea it shall come.” The matter is repeated in different words to strengthen it, for “ta’teh” (it shall come) is like “u-va’ah” (and it shall come).
“Tateh.” The aleph is silent.
The former dominion. This is the kingdom of the House of David; and the matter is repeated in different words, and he said “a kingdom unto the daughter of Jerusalem,” to strengthen it. And Targum Yonatan renders “and the Messiah of Israel who is hidden,” etc. He translated “ofel” as “tamir” (hidden), just as he translated “and he came to the Ofel” (II Kings 5:24) [with] “and he went to a hidden place.”
Metzudat David
“And you, O tower of the flock.” This is said of the city of Zion, which is the tower where all the tribes of Israel, who are called in many places by the name “flock,” will gather during the pilgrimage festivals. And to add further explanation, it says, “the hill of the daughter of Zion,” meaning: You, Zion, behold, to you shall come the gathered assembly of the lame and the outcast.
"And it shall come." And then the first kingdom shall come, and he returns to explain: "Behold, that kingdom shall come to the congregation of Jerusalem," meaning that then it shall also rule over the Ten Tribes, as in the days of David and Solomon; they shall no longer be divided into two kingdoms.
Metzudat Zion
Ophel. The matter of a tower and a fortress, as in “ophel and bachan” (a hill and a watchtower) (ibid. 32):
“Adecha” (unto you). [It means] “to you,” as in “it touches you (tiga adecha)” (Job 4:5):
"Thou shalt come." The term "coming" (bi'ah) is akin to "the morning comes" (Isaiah 21:12).
Malbim
“And you, O tower of the flock,” [the verse] turns His face toward the aforementioned Mount Zion, saying to it: “You, Mount Zion, who are the tower of this flock, namely the flock of the lame and the outcasts, initially you will be like a tower for the sheep, and subsequently you will be an ‘ofel,’ which is a strong fortress.” And it explains that this will occur in three stages: First, “Daughter Zion, unto you it shall come,” meaning that the exiles will begin to gather, and the exiles of Judah and Benjamin—who are called “Daughter Zion” because they were exiled from Zion in the destruction of the Second Temple—will gather to you. And afterward, “the first dominion will come,” meaning a small dominion will arrive, wherein they will have some measure of governance and leadership, similar to what the Israelites had in the early days before there was a king over the children of Israel, when they had judges who led them. And afterward, “the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem will come,” meaning they will have a fixed kingdom, which is the kingdom of the House of David, after which the Messiah King will reign in a fixed kingdom. (And this is also explained in Ezekiel, chapters 34:23–24 and 36:24–25, and in Amos 9:11), that the kingdom of the House of David will be revealed gradually; initially there will be only the level of a judge, and it will rise little by little until the Lordship belongs to the Lord. See there.
Now why do you cry out aloud? Is there no King in you, Is your Counsellor perished, That pangs have taken hold of you as of a woman in travail?
verse value 2235
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "aloud" (רֵ֑עַ, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·has·seized·you" (כִּֽי־הֶחֱזִיקֵ֥ךְ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 75: why, like·a·woman·in·travail. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "why" (לָ֥מָּה), "you·cry·out" (תָרִ֖יעִי), "king" (הֲמֶ֣לֶךְ). 11 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root מה ("why") in Micah. First appearance of the root אבד ("he·perished") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'aloud', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 7 words. Full calculation: עַתָּ֕ה [now] (475) + לָ֥מָּה [why] (75) + תָרִ֖יעִי [you·cry·out] (690) + רֵ֑עַ [aloud] (270) + הֲמֶ֣לֶךְ [king] (95) + אֵֽין־בָּ֗ךְ [none·in·you] (83) + אִֽם־יוֹעֲצֵךְ֙ [if·your·counselor] (237) + אָבָ֔ד [he·perished] (7) + כִּֽי־הֶחֱזִיקֵ֥ךְ [that·has·seized·you] (180) + חִ֖יל [strength] (48) + כַּיּוֹלֵדָֽה [like·a·woman·in·travail] (75) = 2235.
Rashi
"Now. That you are rebelling against Me:"
Why do you cry out [for] a friend? Set your heart to consider: why do you need to seek allies and beloved ones, the kings of Egypt and the kings of Assyria, to help you?
Ibn Ezra
"Now why do you sound the alarm?" – "Sound the alarm" means: raise a cry and lift up your voice like a war cry, as it is written: "And Joshua heard the voice of the people crying out, and behold, the term applies equally to a mighty shout and to a weak one." Thus, "sound the alarm" also refers to the language of crying out and weeping.
“The king is not in you” – The meaning is: Why do you cry out as though you have no savior and no counselor? And because of this, the pain has seized you like that of childbirth. Is not the Lord your king and your counselor, who says to you: Do not cry out, but rather suffer the pains of labor and give birth, from the phrase “she was in labor and also gave birth.” For if you go forth now and walk into exile and come as far as Babylon, there you will be saved, there you will be redeemed – for the Lord is your king and your counselor.
Radak
"Now why do you cry out, O distressed one?" Their meaning is the matter of a teruah [lamentation cry] for mourning, like "and a teruah at noon," and "distressed" is a noun, and from it [we derive] "the voice of the people in distress." And this [verse] is spoken with reference to Zion and Jerusalem; and it uses the feminine form with reference to the city, or with reference to the congregation. It says: "Now that you are near to exile from your land, why do you continue to mourn and weep? Remember also the day of comfort and salvation."
"The king is not in you." Is it not so that your King and your Counselor is the Holy One, blessed be He? And even though the Holy One, blessed be He, now hides His face from you, He is still your King and your Counselor. And if He now exiles you from your land, He will yet redeem you from the Babylonian exile, and the time will come when He will redeem all of Israel, who are scattered and lost in the ends of the earth. And regarding this it is said: "And now, gather yourselves together..."
Metzudat David
"Now, why do you sound the alarm? Why do you join with foreign allies to seek help from the kings of Egypt? Is the Lord your King not within you? Has your counselor perished?" This means: Do you not have prophets who advise you to return to God? And if you do so, will He not help you?
"Because He has held you fast." That is, that trembling and terror have seized you like a woman in childbirth from the fear of the Chaldeans, whose coming upon you is destined. And because of this, you seek help from the kings of Egypt, as if there is no power in My hand to save you.
Metzudat Zion
“Tari’i rea.” [Rea here] has the sense of a companion and beloved [friend]:
He held you firmly. The meaning of "holding" is:
Chil. [It means] terror and trembling:
Malbim
Now, after having informed [us] of what will be in the end of days, he returns to the intermediate time, which he said: “Therefore, because of you, Zion shall be plowed as a field.” And he sees in his prophecy what was done in the days of Jehoiakim and Zedekiah, until they were exiled to Babylon. And he says: “Now” (meaning: before the end of days), “Why do you cry out with a cry? Why do you make heard the voice of a cry of destruction? Is there no king in you? Has your counselor perished? For behold, now there is still in you a king and counselors. If so, what is this? Why have you been seized with anguish as a woman in childbirth?” For a woman in childbirth, at the time when she is prepared for her womb to open and for the child within her to come out, is seized with anguish and contractions. And this depicts how she is prepared for the gates of her city to be opened, for her people to go into exile, and for much blood to be shed within her. That is to say: How is it that you are prepared to be subdued and to go into exile, while you still have a king and counselors? Why do you not gird yourselves with strength?
Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, Like a woman in travail; For now shall you go forth out of the city, And shall dwell in the field, And shall come even to Babylon; There shall you be rescued; There shall Hashem redeem you from the hand of your enemies.
verse value 5212
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 78 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "there" (שָׁ֣ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "daughter·of·Zion" (בַּת־צִיּ֖וֹן, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 340: there, there. 12 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "twist" (ח֧וּלִי), "and·burst·forth" (וָגֹ֛חִי), "you·go·out" (תֵצְאִ֨י). The root שם appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 40x in Micah). First appearance of the root נצל ("you·will·be·snatched·away") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'like·a·woman·in·travail', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 14 words.
Rashi
Choli. The language of "chilchila" (weakness/decay), like "[for] pangs have seized you" (here), and the term applies to a woman who has given birth.
And "gachon." Kneel and bow upon your belly. And likewise in the language of the Mishnah: "a wall that bulges into the public domain."
"You shall go forth from the city." From Jerusalem, to go into exile:
"And you shall dwell in the field." May Your Divine Presence be plowed up like a field.
Ibn Ezra
Choli – Since it mentioned "chil" [labor] as [in the case of] a woman giving birth, it says: "Choli v'gochi" [labor and pain] brought forth the child, just as: "For You are gochi [who brought me forth] from the womb."
Makriyah – this is Jerusalem and all the towns surrounding it. And the meaning is: the settlement.
"And you shall dwell in the field" – when you go into exile.
"And you shall come to Babylon" – The exile of Nebuchadnezzar; there I will redeem you.
Radak
“Choli ve-gochi.” “Choli” pertains to the root of “chil,” as in “chil yoledah” (the pain of childbirth); and “gochi” pertains to the concept of sighing, for it derives from “Atah gochi mi-beten” (You brought me forth from the womb), which is a matter of bringing forth, and sighing is the bringing forth of breath. He says: If you have to suffer and ache because of your sin, you have to suffer and sigh, for “in your sins you shall now go forth from your city,” namely, from Jerusalem and Zion, which is called “Ir Chanah David” (the city of David’s resting place); or alternatively, from every city and city in the Land of Israel. And despite all this, remember the consolation, and do not think that your hope is lost.
“And you shall dwell in the field.” This is like captives whom they remove from their cities and place in the field until all of them are gathered together, and afterward they lead them all into captivity to the land of the exiles.
"And you shall come to Babylon." For there is the place of exile for those whom Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, exiled.
There you will be saved. It is clear:
Metzudat David
“Sick and groaning.” This means: Therefore, breath and emptiness will help you; and you, congregation of Zion, are full of trembling and sighs like a woman in childbirth, for you will soon go forth from the city into exile.
"And you shall dwell in the field" – like the exiles, and He will not bring you into an inn, until you come to Babylon.
“There you shall be delivered, etc.” In Babylon you will be emptied of all good, and the kings of Egypt will not help you; and in Babylon the LORD will redeem you, etc. — for when the downfall of Babylon comes, you will go out free, without aid from the kings of the nations:
Metzudat Zion
Choli. From the word “chalchalah” (trembling):
And "go'achei." The matter of the sigh is that a sigh is the expulsion of breath, and it pertains to the meaning of "For You are He who drew me forth from the womb" (Psalms 22:10), which concerns the idea of drawing out and expelling, and it is close to the language of groaning mentioned by our Sages of blessed memory.
Mikriah. From the city:
TANZELI. The matter of "riqut" (emptiness/bareness) is like [the verse] "And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments" (Exodus 33:6):
From the palm. Immediately:
Malbim
“Sickly” – He answers that you will indeed become sickly, and furthermore, you will lie on your stomach and groan to give birth to a child, like a woman in childbirth. For now you will go forth from your city; this is an analogy: just as the child is brought forth from the womb, so too will you go forth from the city, and you will dwell in the field. For many will dwell in the field, like those who went to settle in Egypt and among the other nations surrounding the Land of Israel, and you will come as far as Babylon. These are those who were exiled to Babylon. There you will be saved (from the hand of your enemies), for those who dwelled in the field were subsequently killed by the Chaldeans, as explained in Jeremiah; only the exiles of Babylon were saved. And likewise, there the Lord will redeem you from the hand of your enemies, for the exiles of Babylon were redeemed and returned to the Land of Israel in the days of Cyrus.
And now many nations are assembled against you, That say: ‘Let her be defiled, and let our eye gaze upon Zion.’
verse value 2728
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "now" (וְעַתָּ֛ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "who·say" (הָאֹמְרִ֣ים, 6 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "now" (וְעַתָּ֛ה), "were·gathered" (נֶאֶסְפ֥וּ), "against·you" (עָלַ֖יִךְ). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "against·you" (root על, 21x in Micah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'many', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְעַתָּ֛ה [now] (481) + נֶאֶסְפ֥וּ [were·gathered] (197) + עָלַ֖יִךְ [against·you] (130) + גּוֹיִ֣ם [nations] (59) + רַבִּ֑ים [many] (252) + הָאֹמְרִ֣ים [who·say] (296) + תֶּחֱנָ֔ף [will·be·profaned] (538) + וְתַ֥חַז [and·let·it·grasp] (421) + בְּצִיּ֖וֹן [upon·Zion] (158) + עֵינֵֽינוּ [our·eyes] (196) = 2728.
Rashi
Those who say "Tachnaf." Now Zion shall be bound guilty for her sins, and her iniquity shall be visited upon her.
"And our eyes shall behold Zion." And our eyes shall see in it that which we desired to see in it.
Ibn Ezra
"And now" – the opinion of many commentators is that this refers to the future, in the days of the Messiah, and the proof is: "But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah." And Rabbi Moses the Cohen said that it speaks of the Second Temple and the ruler is Zerubbabel, and the meaning of "Arise and thresh" is like: "Who are you, O great mountain," for Zerubbabel was from the descendants of Jehoiachin, and it is written concerning him: "And a governor on his throne."
Tachnef – like the polluted land, which cannot endure.
Radak
"And now." This refers to the ingathering of the exiles in the days of the Messiah, and it states that "now" you are assured of this consolation, even if it is to be realized over a long period, just as the matter that was for them now, in their time.
"Many nations" – this refers to Gog and Magog, and the many peoples with him.
Regarding those who say, “She will flatter,” they reason in their hearts: “Now Zion will flatter, and she will be held liable, and she will be destroyed because of her sins, just as she was destroyed previously.”
“And our eyes shall behold in Zion.” And our eyes shall behold in Zion that which we have hoped for. And similarly, “and my eye has gazed upon my enemies” (Psalm 54:9). And “ve-techaz” is a shortened form of “ve-techezeh” (it shall behold).
Metzudat David
"And now": This means that in the time when I prophesy concerning him in the end of days, the redemption will be more complete, and this is when many nations will gather against you, namely Gog and Magog, and the many nations that are with him.
“Those who say.” Who will now say: “The land is [now] liable to be smitten for her iniquity, and our eyes shall behold in Zion what we have hoped for”:
Metzudat Zion
Tachnaf. "She shall be liable," just as it is said, "You shall not defile the land" (Numbers 35:33).
And it gazes (vatachaz). Like “vatechezeh,” and it is the matter of seeing and observing, as in “and you shall look out (ve-atah techezeh)” (Exodus 18):
Malbim
And now, he again turns and sees in his prophecy what will be after their redemption in the days of Cyrus, that after they returned in the Second Temple period, many nations gathered against you. This refers to the gathering of many different nations against Israel subsequently, generation after generation, such as the Greeks and then the Romans, and thereafter throughout the entire duration of the exile, until the final assembly when they will gather against them in the days of Gog and Magog. All of this is encompassed in his words, wherein he sees that many nations gather against Israel on several occasions after their redemption in the days of Cyrus.
Those who say, “She will flatter and our eyes will gaze upon Zion,” mean that these assemblies will be in two ways: sometimes they will desire that Zion flatter them, meaning that she will be submissive and subjugated to them, like a servant who flatters his master, as was the case in the days of the Greeks and the Romans, who desired that Israel be under their dominion as a tax-paying, servile people. And sometimes they will say, “Our eyes will gaze upon Zion,” meaning that they will imagine that the visions which the prophets saw concerning Zion were spoken about them, because they have entered into the place of Israel, and that upon them the Lord will dwell, and concerning them the seers saw visions. For thus the Ishmaelites will think, and for this reason they will assemble for war against Jerusalem to conquer it, as is known, and their like; and likewise, for this reason, the host of Gog and Magog will assemble to conquer Jerusalem and to gaze upon it with the visions which the seers saw, according to their understanding that these visions were seen concerning them.
But they know not the thoughts of Hashem, Neither understand they His counsel; For He has gathered them as the sheaves to the threshing-floor.
verse value 2495
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 47 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֤א, 2 letters) and the longest is "thoughts·of" (מַחְשְׁב֣וֹת, 6 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "and·they" (וְהֵ֗מָּה), "know" (יָֽדְעוּ֙), "thoughts·of" (מַחְשְׁב֣וֹת). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 40x in Micah); "for" (root כי, 20x in Micah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·counsel', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְהֵ֗מָּה [and·they] (56) + לֹ֤א [not] (31) + יָֽדְעוּ֙ [know] (90) + מַחְשְׁב֣וֹת [thoughts·of] (756) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + וְלֹ֥א [and·not] (37) + הֵבִ֖ינוּ [they·understood] (73) + עֲצָת֑וֹ [his·counsel] (566) + כִּ֥י [for] (30) + קִבְּצָ֖ם [gathered·them] (232) + כֶּעָמִ֥יר [as·the·swath] (340) + גֹּֽרְנָה [threshing-floor] (258) = 2495.
Rashi
"For He has gathered them like a sheaf to the threshing floor." And their end is that He will gather them to the Valley of Jehoshaphat and the surroundings of Jerusalem for battle, just as one gathers a sheaf in order to thresh it there, so too the host of Gog and Magog will be gathered for their downfall. And the Holy One, Blessed be He, says to the House of Israel: "Arise and thresh, Daughter of Zion."
Ibn Ezra
"And they" – We have not found when this war occurred, for how is it written? Therefore, it is in the future, like: "Behold, the day is coming to the Lord."
Radak
And they did not know the thoughts of the Holy One, blessed be He. Why did He stir up their spirit to come against Jerusalem? For they thought to plunder its spoils and to destroy it. They came up against it, but they did not understand His counsel: why did He stir them up to come against it? For it is He, the Holy One, blessed be He, who stirred them up, as it is written in the prophecy of Ezekiel: “I will bring you up from the remotest parts of the north, and I will bring you to the mountains of Israel.”
“For He will gather them like a sheaf to the threshing floor.” Just as a person gathers the sheaves of the field to the threshing floor to thresh them there, so too will the Holy One, blessed be He, gather the nations against Jerusalem, and Israel will thresh them there.
Metzudat David
"And they." But they did not know the thoughts of the Lord, why He placed it in their heart to gather and come upon Zion, for He gathered them for their evil, as one gathers the sheaves of grain to the threshing floor to beat them with a rod and tread them.
Metzudat Zion
Like a sheaf (ke’amir). Thus is a bundle of ears of grain called, as in “nor his bosom [full] of sheaves” (Psalms 129:7):
Gorenah. It is the place where the grain is brought in:
Malbim
“And they did not know the thoughts of the Lord”: “The counsel of the Lord” is the ultimate end desired by Him in His action, and “the thoughts” are the intermediate means that He will employ in order to prepare for the counsel, which is the ultimate end. The prophet explained that all the gathering of the nations against Zion is entirely from “the thoughts of the Lord,” meaning that they are intermediate means to thereby achieve His counsel, meaning the ultimate end desired by Him. All their gatherings will be preparations and intermediate steps toward the gathering that will take place in the end of days, which itself will be a preparation by which He will achieve His counsel. There He will judge them for their deeds, and there they will recognize the true religion. And through the signs and wonders that they will see then, the remnant will return to the true faith, and the wicked will be consumed like chaff driven by the wind from the threshing floor. This is what it says: “They did not know the thoughts of the Lord, nor understand His counsel,” meaning that all of this serves as intermediate means to achieve His counsel. This is because He will gather them like a heap of grain on the threshing floor, just as one gathers the sheaf to the threshing floor to thresh it and remove the chaff and husks, leaving only the good grain and produce. So too, He will thresh them in the war of Gog and Magog, and so too He will remove the chaff, which is the destruction of the wicked who acted wickedly against the Holy One, blessed be He. And so too He will separate the produce, meaning that righteous converts and those who recognize the true religion will be separated from them.
Arise and thresh, O daughter of Zion; For I will make your horn iron, And I will make your hoofs brass; And you shall beat in pieces many peoples; And you shall devote their gain to Hashem, And their substance to the Lord of the whole earth.
verse value 5917
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 91 letters. The shortest word is "arise" (ק֧וּמִי, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·your·hoofs" (וּפַרְסֹתַ֙יִךְ֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 351: I·will·put, I·will·put. 12 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "arise" (ק֧וּמִי), "and·tread·out" (וָד֣וֹשִׁי), "for·your·horn" (כִּֽי־קַרְנֵ֞ךְ). The root שום appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 40x in Micah); "peoples" (root עם, 20x in Micah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'many', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 6 words.
Rashi
And I will devote to destruction. An expression of consecration (hekdesh):
“Betsa’am.” What they gathered from robbery and violence.
And their wealth. And their possessions:
Ibn Ezra
"Arise, I will place your horn in iron" – this is a metaphor, for the nations are like a heap of grain in the threshing floor.
“בצעם” – like “בצע.” And the meaning is like “הונם,” for it is a doubling of the word.
Radak
“Arise and thresh, for I will set your horn as iron.” To gore her and overthrow them.
"And I will make your hooves of bronze." To tread them down. This is what is stated: "And you shall thresh many peoples, for He shall make them like dust for treading."
“And I will devote them to destruction.” As it is stated in the prophecy of Zechariah: “The wealth of all the nations shall be gathered, and He shall say: ‘Upon the bells of the horses shall be: Holy to the Lord.’” It is possible that part of the spoils of the nations will be for Israel, and part of it will be holy to the Lord.
Metzudat David
“Arise and thresh.” Since He compared them to a shock of grain, He used the term that applies to a shock of grain. That is to say: “Behold, now that they have all gathered and come, arise and strike them down. Even though your strength has weakened because you are in exile, behold, I will strengthen you and make your horn iron to gore them, and I will make your hooves bronze to trample them.”
And you shall grind fine. You shall grind them very fine:
"And I will lay them under ban." This is the prophet's statement on behalf of Israel: "Then I will devote their coveted wealth to the Lord."
"And their camp, etc." The matter is repeated in what is stated:
Metzudat Zion
And thresh (ve-dushi). From the expression of threshing (dishah):
"And your hooves." They are like the shoes on the feet of beasts, as it says, "in the hooves of his horses" (Ezekiel 27). And he spoke figuratively:
Copper. Copper:
And you shall beat fine (ve-hadikot). The matter of grinding, as in “I beat them small, I stamped them” (II Samuel 22:43):
"And I will devote them." The matter of consecration is like that of any herem in Israel (Numbers 18:14).
Bitz’am (their gain). The coveting of their wealth, as in “gain of money (betza kesef)” (Judges 5):
"Ve-chilam." This too refers to wealth, as it is written: "And they shall plunder your wealth" (Ezekiel 26).
Malbim
“Arise and thresh, daughter of Zion,” [this verse] alludes to the time of the war of Gog and Magog, when [God] will gather them together like a heap of grain in the threshing floor, in order to separate the chaff from the wheat. And He commands the daughter of Zion that she should arise and thresh, like an ox that treads [the grain], for “I will make your horn iron,” to fight with the horn and gore the multitude of Gog; and “your hooves I will make bronze,” for the purpose of threshing, to separate the grain from the chaff, and to crush many nations, and to remove the husk—that is, to destroy the wicked—until only clean flour remains. And I will devote to the Lord their spoil: the plunder and violence that they took from Israel shall be devoted as a ban and consecrated to the Lord, for Israel is holy to the Lord, and their property is like consecrated property. And even their own wealth, which they did not acquire through plundering Israel and which is not subject to the ban, nevertheless it shall belong to the Lord, on account of His being the Master of all the land, for everything belongs to Him.
Now shall you gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops; They have laid siege against us; They smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.
verse value 4390
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 49 letters. Notable word values: "they·smite" (יַכּ֣וּ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "thered" (שָׂ֣ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "you·shall·gather·yourself" (תִּתְגֹּדְדִ֣י, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "you·shall·gather·yourself" (תִּתְגֹּדְדִ֣י), "daughter·of·troops" (בַת־גְּד֔וּד), "in·the·rod" (בַּשֵּׁ֙בֶט֙). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "against·us" (root על, 21x in Micah). First appearance of the root מצור ("siege") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'against·us', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words.
Rashi
"Now band together, O daughter of a troop. Now, at the time of her evil decree upon the sin, because it has grown strong, band together, O daughter of a troop, O daughter of the Chaldeans; gather together troops, for now is the time when you will succeed in the troop that has laid siege against us."
With a rod, they strike the cheek. What caused you to succeed? That which Israel mocks regarding their prophets and judges, and they strike them on the cheek—thus they acted. And so we find in the Pesikta, and thus Isaiah says (Isaiah 50:6): "I gave my back to those who strike."
Ibn Ezra
"Now you shall be gathered, daughter of troops" – this is an expression of elegance. The meaning is: the assembly of the troops, which laid siege to Jerusalem, and they were in their land striking the Judge of Israel. And the correct interpretation in my eyes is: that the Judge of Israel is the Messiah or Zerubbabel; therefore, it follows with: "And you, Bethlehem Ephrathah." And the Scripture spoke according to their thought, like the verse "They divided my garments among them," and it wrote concerning Balak "and he fought against Israel," because he said: "Perhaps I can fight against him," and he did not fight, but only according to his thought did the Scripture speak, like it said: "Perhaps I can fight against him." And so the men pursued after them until the Jordan, and yet the spies were still in Jericho.
Radak
"Now you shall be gathered, daughter of a host." Now, in that time, you will be gathered, for hosts will come upon you; according to this interpretation, you will be called "daughter of a host," meaning a swarm of bees.
A siege has been laid against us. Gog of Magog has laid a siege against us with all his bands and armies.
"With a rod they shall strike upon the cheek the judge of Israel." Just as it is stated, "And half of the city went into exile, etc.," and then the judges and the great ones who are in Israel will be despised, until they strike them with a rod upon the cheek, as an act of humiliation.
Metzudat David
“Now you shall gash yourself.” That is, at that time you, O daughter of a [great] troop, will gash yourself in mourning and sorrow; and by way of elegance it is a play on words — “you shall gash yourself (titgodedi), O daughter of a troop (bat gedud)”:
“A siege He has laid upon us.” This means that this is the retribution for the siege He laid upon us in the days of the destruction of the Second Temple.
In the tribe, etc. And in the days of the Exile, we were despised in their eyes, and even the Judge of Israel they struck with a rod on the cheek, and it was a blow of humiliation; and so it is said, “He gives his cheek to the one who smites him, he is filled with reproach” (Lamentations 3:30).
Metzudat Zion
"tittagoded." The matter of cutting the flesh, as in "you shall not cut yourselves" (Deuteronomy 14:1):
Gedud. The matter of a troop/band, as in “a troop raids” (Hosea 7:1):
Matzor (siege). Thus is the encirclement of armies around a city to capture it called:
With the rod. With the staff:
The cheek. So is called the place next to the eye:
Malbim
Now, he explains who are the nations that will assemble then against Jerusalem, whom Israel will trample underfoot. He says that this host that will come against Jerusalem in the end of days will be the children of the nations that besieged Jerusalem and destroyed it in ancient times, such as the children of Assyria, the children of Babylon, and the children of Rome. And this is what it says, "Now you shall be gathered," meaning that the host that will assemble now in the war of Gog will be the daughter of the host that besieged us in ancient times; the daughter born of that host, which besieged us in ancient times, they will assemble now in the army of Gog and Magog. And similarly, it will be the daughter of the host that with a rod struck the cheek of the judge of Israel, for their fathers struck the judges of Israel with a rod on the cheek (for a blow to the cheek is a blow of humiliation, and likewise a blow with a rod, and all the more so if they strike with a rod on the cheek, and this is what they did to the judge of Israel, and all the more so to the multitude of the people among them). The daughter of this host, they will assemble against Jerusalem and receive their retribution in the end of days.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim