'But you, Beth-lehem Ephrathah, which are little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of you shall one come forth to Me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from ancient days' — and the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples as dew from Hashem; horses and chariots cut off, sorceries and graven images plucked out of the land.
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But you, Beth-lehem Ephrathah, Which are little to be among the thousands of Judah, Out of you shall one come forth to Me that is to be ruler in Israel; Whose goings forth are from of old, from ancient days.
verse value 5162
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 77 letters. The shortest word is "to·Me" (לִ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·his·origins" (וּמוֹצָאֹתָ֥יו, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 451: to·be, to·be. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "Beth-lehem" (בֵּֽית־לֶ֣חֶם), "Ephrathah" (אֶפְרָ֗תָה), "little" (צָעִיר֙). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root קדם ("from·of·old") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 4 words.
Rashi
“And you, Bethlehem Ephrathah” – From there David emerged, as it is stated concerning him (1 Samuel 17:58): “Your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.” And Bethlehem is called Ephrath, as it is stated (Genesis 48:7): “On the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.”
“[A youth] to be among the thousands of Judah.” You were worthy to be a youth among the families of Judah, on account of the worthless Ruth the Moabite who was in your lineage.
From you to Me it came forth. The Messiah, son of David, and as it is stated (Psalms 118:22): "The stone that the builders rejected."
“And his goings forth are from of old.” “Before the sun, Yinnon [shall be] his name” (Psalm 72:17):
Ibn Ezra
"And you" – the second verse joins two names: Ephrathah is Bethlehem, as it is written: "And they did not deal [kindly] with the house of Jerubbaal, that is, Gideon."
And the meaning of "tze'ir" is that it is small.
"From you" – all of this is for the sake of David, who is the head of the monarchy; therefore, "and his issues from of old" – refers to David. And behold, it will speak with Bethlehem Ephrathah, for from among the first of your descendants, a savior will come for Israel.
Radak
“And you, Bethlehem Ephrathah.” He said “Ephrathah” to indicate which Bethlehem is meant. Likewise, it is written, “And I buried him there in the way of Ephrathah; that is Bethlehem” (Genesis 48:7). And it says, “Bethlehem of Judah” , which implies that there was another Bethlehem. And it says, “You, Bethlehem Ephrathah, are too little to be among the clans of Judah.” Although you were small among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for Me one who is to be ruler in Israel. This is the King Messiah. The meaning of “to be” is: because you are counted among the cities of the thousands of Judah as small, even now in comparison to them, nevertheless, from you shall come forth to Me the Messiah, for he shall be from the seed of David, who was from Bethlehem. This is what it says, “And his origin is from of old, from ancient days,” for the origins of the Messiah in his time will be said to be from of old, from a long time ago, from Bethlehem—this is David, for there is a long time between David and the King Messiah.
[And this is the “God” who is “from of old, from ancient days.” There is an answer to those who say this: He did not rule in Israel, but they ruled over him. And what they say, “Who was from of old, from ancient days, but God?”—this is a lie, for God was before the days of old. And they say that his origins were from of old, from ancient days, meaning that then He came forth, whereas God is eternal, without beginning.]
[Another version: And the erring ones who say this verse refers to Yeshu, may his name be blotted out,, and say that he was born in Bethlehem, and this is the God who was from of old, from ancient days—there is an answer to them: Yeshu did not rule in Israel, but they ruled over him and hanged him. And what they say, “Who was from of old, from ancient days, but God?”—this is a lie, for God was before the days of old. And they say that his origins were from of old, from ancient days, meaning that then He came forth, whereas God is eternal, without beginning.]
And what is written, “From everlasting to everlasting, You are God”—this means before the world, as it is written, “Before the mountains were brought forth” (Psalm 90:2). Likewise, “From everlasting I have poured out” (Proverbs 8:23), before the world, as it is written, “Before You made the earth and the world” (Proverbs 8:26). And the Targum translates: “And you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,” etc.
Metzudat David
"And you, Bethlehem Ephrathah." Bethlehem in Judea is called Ephrath, as it is written, "The way of Ephrathah, which is Bethlehem" (Genesis 48:7). This is not the Bethlehem in Zebulun mentioned in Joshua.
“Though he be young, etc.” This means: You, the lineage of the House of David, who comes from Bethlehem, from Jesse the Bethlehemite—it was fitting that you should be the youngest and most despised among all the officers of Judah. And this is because you descend from Ruth the Moabite.
From you, to Me, he emerged. And yet, from you emerged for Me the King Messiah, to rule over Israel.
"And his origins are from of old." In this, he explains his words: the intention is not to say that the Messiah King himself will be born in Bethlehem, but rather that his origins are from Bethlehem from ancient days, from the days of King David, the father of the family. If so, the source and quarry of the Messiah are from Bethlehem, and not he himself.
Metzudat Zion
Least (small). Small and despised:
Regarding chiefs (not literally thousands). The matter of sovereignty is like “Do not trust in the prince” (below, 7):
Malbim
And you, Bethlehem (this has already been explained in the book of Ezekiel, chapter 37), that at the end of days the Ten Tribes will first be aroused, and upon them will be King Messiah, son of Joseph, and they will perform mighty deeds. And the tribe of Judah, who are scattered among the nations, weak and few in number, will accompany them and be subordinate to them under the kingship of Messiah, son of Joseph, until afterward, when Messiah, son of David, will arise, with the help of the Lord. Then all will accept upon themselves the kingship of the House of David, and then the wars will cease, for to Him the nations will inquire, and His resting place will be glory. And these matters our prophet, the seer, explained to us, saying: “And you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, from whom came forth David, son of Jesse, the Bethlehemite, and the sprout of the kingship of the House of David, you are the least among the thousands of Judah; from you shall come forth to Me One who is to be ruler in Israel.” That is to say: Now you are still small and insignificant, than you will be together with the thousands of Judah who are attached to you in this rank, from whom will come forth a man chosen by Me to rule in Israel. You are still small and weak, so that you will strengthen yourself together with the thousands of Judah who are with you in this manner, until you will rule with great dominion, and the King Messiah who comes forth from you, who is Messiah, son of David, will strengthen his power to rule in Israel, and his origins will be from of old, from the days of eternity. And this means that he will strengthen himself in a strong kingship according to his origins from of old, in the days of David and Solomon, who ruled with great and mighty kingship. You are small for this, weak and lacking strength, you together with the thousands of Judah who are with you.
Cross-references: I Samuel 17:12; Ruth 1:2; Ruth 4:11
Therefore will He give them up, Until the time that she who travails has brought forth; Then the residue of his brethren shall return with the children of Israel.
verse value 2966
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "therefore" (לָכֵ֣ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "return" (יְשׁוּב֖וּן, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "will·give·them" (יִתְּנֵ֔ם), "until·time" (עַד־עֵ֥ת), "bearing" (יוֹלֵדָ֖ה). The root ילד appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "with·sons·of" (root על, 21x in Micah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'she·bore', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: לָכֵ֣ן [therefore] (100) + יִתְּנֵ֔ם [will·give·them] (500) + עַד־עֵ֥ת [until·time] (544) + יוֹלֵדָ֖ה [bearing] (55) + יָלָ֑דָה [she·bore] (49) + וְיֶ֣תֶר [and·remainder·of] (616) + אֶחָ֔יו [his·brothers] (25) + יְשׁוּב֖וּן [return] (374) + עַל־בְּנֵ֥י [with·sons·of] (162) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (541) = 2966.
Rashi
"Therefore, He will give them up until the time she gives birth." He will give them into the hands of their enemies until the time comes when Zion is in labor and gives birth to her children. Zion, who now holds fast with the strength of one in labor, is now called "the one who gives birth." And our Sages said: From here we learn that the Son of David will not come until the wicked kingdom has ruled over the entire world for nine months. But according to the simple meaning, this is the suggestion that I have explained.
“And his other brothers” – those of the King of Judah, namely, the rest of the tribe of Judah.
They shall return upon the House of Israel. They shall unite with the remainder of the tribes and become one kingdom, and shall no longer be divided into two kingdoms.
Ibn Ezra
Therefore—may God grant that Israel will stand firm in their distress at the time of its birth, until this ruler and his relatives join themselves with the children of Israel. And Yefet said: "For the Messiah will give them over," and the meaning is that He will abandon them, as it is said: "Therefore I have not given you over."
Radak
"Therefore He will give them." At the time of salvation, the Holy One, blessed be He, will bring Israel into distress and bring them until the time of a woman in childbirth, meaning that the pains of distress will seize them like the labor pains of a woman in childbirth, due to the intensity of their suffering, as it is stated in the prophecy of Daniel: "And there shall be a time of distress such as has not occurred since there was a nation until that time."
"And the rest of his brothers shall return to the children of Israel." The "rest of his brothers" refers to the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, who remained when the Ten Tribes were exiled. The term "his brothers" is a circumlocution for the Messiah.
“Al” – like “im” (with), and they are the Ten Tribes; that is to say, both these and those will return to their land. And Targum Jonathan renders it: “Therefore they will be delivered in the days of birth, to give birth, and the rest of their brothers will rely on them, the children of Israel.” And our Sages of blessed memory expounded on this and said: The Son of David will not come until the dominion [of the nations] has spread throughout the world for nine months, as it is stated: “Therefore He will give them up until the time she who is in labor has given birth.”
Metzudat David
"Therefore He will give them up." Since I have increased that family, I will add to increasing them, for this ruler is the Messiah King; he will destroy the multitude of Gog, of whom it was said above, "Arise and thresh," etc. And this is what it says: "He will give them up until the time," etc., meaning that He will give them up into great distress until they are like the time when a woman bends down to give birth, for she is in great pain.
"And the rest of his brothers" – This means that the survivors from the multitude of Gog, who are his brothers and the children of his people, will return upon the House of Israel to be subjugated to them.
Malbim
Therefore, the exposition of the verse is: “Therefore, until the time that she who gives birth has given birth” (and until the time that) “the rest of his brothers shall return,” [then] “He shall give them over to the House of Israel.” That is to say, for the entire duration of time before the ingathering of the exiles is completed—which is likened to the birth of the woman in labor, as it is written, “For she was in labor and gave birth to her children, Zion”—and until the time that the rest of the brothers of Judah return to their land, until that time, He shall give them (to the thousands of Judah) over to the House of Israel. This means that for the entire time that the general ingathering is not completed, and not all the exiles of Judah are yet gathered into the Land of Israel, during that entire time the House of Israel (who are the Ten Tribes and the Messiah son of Joseph, who is from among them) shall be the primary ones; they shall be the warriors and the rulers, and the House of Judah shall be subordinate to them (as it is written in Ezekiel there: “Behold, I take the stick of Joseph... and I will join to it the stick of Judah,” as explained there).
And he shall stand, and shall feed his flock in the strength of Hashem, In the majesty of the name of Hashem his God; And they shall abide, for then shall he be great to the ends of the earth.
verse value 2378
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 54 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "name·of" (שֵׁ֖ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·ends·of·earth" (עַד־אַפְסֵי־אָֽרֶץ, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "and·shall·stand" (וְעָמַ֗ד), "and·shall·feed" (וְרָעָה֙), "in·strength" (בְּעֹ֣ז). The root יהוה 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 'his·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְעָמַ֗ד [and·shall·stand] (120) + וְרָעָה֙ [and·shall·feed] (281) + בְּעֹ֣ז [in·strength] (79) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + בִּגְא֕וֹן [in·pride·of] (62) + שֵׁ֖ם [name·of] (340) + יְהֹוָ֣ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱלֹהָ֑יו [his·God] (52) + וְיָשָׁ֕בוּ [and·they·shall·abide] (324) + כִּֽי־עַתָּ֥ה [for·now] (505) + יִגְדַּ֖ל [be·magnified] (47) + עַד־אַפְסֵי־אָֽרֶץ [to·ends·of·earth] (516) = 2378.
Rashi
And He will pasture. And He will provide sustenance for Israel:
And they shall return. From the exiles:
"For now he shall be great." Their king:
“Unto the ends of the earth.” And they shall bring them as a present upon horses and in chariots.
Ibn Ezra
“And he shall stand and feed” – He shall be the shepherd of Israel, with the strength of the Lord, and they shall dwell in safety.
Radak
"And he shall stand and feed." After the tribulation, the King Messiah shall arise and feed Israel with the strength of the Lord.
“With pride in the Name of the Lord.” [This refers to] the judgment that the Almighty will execute against those nations with His strength and His majesty, which He showed them, and all the ends of the earth will fear Him. And He will pasture Israel in tranquility and security, each under his vine and each under his fig tree, with no one to terrify them, as stated above. This is what is meant by “they shall sit,” namely, that they shall sit in security and in peace forever.
"For now shall He be magnified." The name of the Messiah shall be magnified now, after the judgment of the wicked; and Targum Jonathan renders: "and His name shall be increased."
Metzudat David
“And he shall stand and feed.” The King Messiah is He who will guide them with the strength of the Lord; that is to say, not by the might of His own hand, for this comes from the Lord.
In His pride. In the exaltedness of the name of the Lord His God; and this is a repetition of the matter stated in the preceding verse.
And they sat. Israel sat in their land in tranquility and ease.
"For now." This means that in this time His Name will be magnified, to be made known even to the ends of the earth.
Metzudat Zion
And he shall pasture. This means: He shall guide.
In the matter of pride. The subject of exaltation:
"Even at the ends." [This refers to] the extremities, for at the extremities of the earth it is nothing and ceases.
Malbim
"And he shall stand" — but afterward, the Messiah will arise from Bethlehem Ephrathah; that is, he will stand and prevail over the nations, and he will shepherd Israel. The verse explains: "And he shall stand in the strength of the Lord" — meaning he will stand against the nations by the power of God; "and he shall shepherd in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God" — meaning he will shepherd Israel through the sanctity of the Name of the Lord (as it is stated, "And his nostrils shall smell the fear of the Lord; and he shall not judge by the sight of his eyes"). "And they shall sit" — meaning that from that time on, they will no longer engage in warfare, but rather they will sit in peace and tranquility, as it is stated, "And his place of rest shall be glorious," for now, etc.
And this shall be peace: When the Assyrian shall come into our land, And when he shall tread in our palaces, Then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, And eight princes among men.
verse value 3970
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 74 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֥ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "this" (זֶ֖ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "citadel" (בְּאַרְמְנוֹתֵ֔ינוּ, 10 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "this" (זֶ֖ה), "citadel" (בְּאַרְמְנוֹתֵ֔ינוּ), "and·we·will·raise" (וַהֲקֵמֹ֤נוּ). 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "against·him" (root על, 21x in Micah); "and·when" (root כי, 20x in Micah). First appearance of the root אשור ("Assyria") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'peace', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 13 words.
Rashi
"And this shall be the peace." Complete and established, without any interruption thereafter, and it shall not be compared to the other salvations that were followed by afflictions.
"Ashur, when he comes." Here, "when" serves in the language of "if," meaning, if he comes to our land, as he has come now.
"And they appointed over him seven shepherds." Seven and eight—our Rabbis explained their names in the tractate Sukkah, and I do not know from where they learned this.
Ibn Ezra
"And this shall be peace" – meaning that people shall not fear Assyria if it comes into our land. And furthermore: "We will rise up against it" – the meaning is that if Assyria desires to come into our land, many princes of this ruler will rise up.
Seven—also eight, as in the expression: “Give a portion to seven and also to eight.” The meaning is twofold, because the princes are like shepherds, and thus it is not fifteen.
Radak
“And this shall be the peace of Ashur, when it comes.” In place of the fear that we instill at this time regarding Ashur, that it will come into our land.
“And when He treads in our palaces.” This will be peace for us from all fear, that we shall no longer fear forever. And the meaning of this “peace” refers to the Messiah, for he will be the cause of the peace, as it is said, “And He shall speak peace to the nations.” Or, the meaning of this “peace” is that an enemy will no longer come into our land, as is customary today.
“And we shall raise up over him.” Explanation: Over the enemy, if he should come in that time, just as in this time the king of Assyria came. If he should come then, we shall raise up over him seven shepherds and eight princes of men; that is to say, they shall stand against the enemy and strike him. And the shepherds and the princes shall be the officers of the Messiah king, who shall be the shepherds of Israel by his command, and princes appointed over them. And what is said, “seven, eight,” is like “Give a portion to seven, and also to eight,” that is to say, many shepherds and princes. And “shepherds and princes” is a double expression in different words, for the shepherds are the princes. And the Targum translates: “And seven kings shall be numbered over me, and eight great men.” And I am astonished: how does the Targum translate “over him” as “over me”? And it is possible to explain “over him” as “with him,” that is to say, with the Messiah king. And similarly, “And over him is the staff of Ephraim.” And our Sages of blessed memory said: Who are they, the seven shepherds? David in the center, Seth and Chanoch and Methuselah on his right, Abraham and Jacob and Moses on his left. And who are they, the eight princes of men? Jesse, Saul, Samuel, Amos, Zephaniah, Hezekiah, Elijah, and the Messiah.
Metzudat David
“And this shall be peace.” The publicizing of His Name will be the cause of the peace. Even Assyria, when it comes into our land, etc., will not lack peace, for it will not come to war as in the past, but will come in submission:
"And we raise up over him." We will rule in his land and appoint over him governors under our authority.
“Seven shepherds.” This means leaders who guide the people, instructing them in the way.
"Princes of men." Human beings who rule over the people.
Metzudat Zion
“Let him tread.” From the language of treading and walking.
"In our palaces." From the language of "palace" and "temple."
Nesi'im. The matter of sovereignty:
Adam. He means to say: important ones.
Malbim
(4-5) “And it shall be,” etc. This means that now He will grow to the ends of the earth, and this will be through peace. The greatness of King Messiah will extend to the ends of the earth, not through wars, but through the power of peace. This very thing will be His greatness: that He will not need war, for all the nations will accept His Torah, His religion, and His dominion over them. The parsing of the verses “And this shall be the peace, and it will save from Assyria, when it comes into our land” is that the peace will then save us from Assyria, so that we will not need to fight against it as in the past. For the peace that will then exist will save us from Assyria, for it will submit beneath us and seek a covenant of peace. And what is stated, “Assyria, when it comes into our land,” etc., until “and the land of Nimrod at its entrance,” is a parenthetical statement. It means that until now, before Messiah ben David arises, while Messiah ben Joseph still reigns, we were required to engage in war throughout the days of the war of Gog and Magog. And if Assyria comes into our land until now, or even when it passes through our borders, we were required to raise up against it seven shepherds who would fight it. And they shepherded the land of Assyria with the sword, until they needed the sword and war. And they also shepherded the land of Nimrod (which is the kingdom of Babylon, where Nimrod was the first king) at its entrance, meaning they were required to go to the entrance of their land and shepherd them and break them there through war and siege. But now it will not be so; rather, “And this shall be the peace, and it will save,” meaning the peace will save us from Assyria when it comes into our land.
Regarding the matter of the seven shepherds and eight princes, there are already many explanations in the commentaries. And one can say further that it alludes to the preceding time. You heard that the enemy began to cut off Israel, which was in the days of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu (II Kings 13:7), until the king of Assyria came and exiled them in the days of Hoshea, son of Elah. There were eight princes, meaning kings, of the ten tribes: Jehoahaz, Jehoash his son, Jeroboam his son, Zechariah his son, Menachem, Pekahiah, Pekah, Hoshea—these are eight (for Shallum was killed immediately and is not counted). And after this, there were seven shepherds from the House of Judah: Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon, Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, Jehoiachin, Zedekiah.
And one can also interpret it regarding the future. According to the prophecy of Ezekiel, who prophesied about the wars of Gog and Magog in chapter 32 and chapter 38: behold, according to what he prophesied about the war in chapter 32, that Assyria will then come upon the Land of Israel to make war with Edom, as I explained there, then seven shepherds will come, namely: Egypt, Elam, Meshech, Tubal, Edom, the princes of the North, Sidon. And the war about which he prophesied in chapter 38 has eight princes, namely: Gog, prince of the land of Magog, Meshech, Tubal, Persia, Cush, Put, Gomer, and the house of Togarmah. And there I explained that at one time he will come to the land but will not enter Jerusalem, and regarding this it says, “when it comes into our land”; and at one time he will come as far as Jerusalem, and regarding this it says, “and when it treads in our palaces.”
And they shall waste the land of Assyria with the sword, And the land of Nimrod with the keen-edged sword; And he shall deliver us from the Assyrian, when he comes into our land, And when he treads within our border.
verse value 4645
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 69 letters. Notable word values: "and·when" (וְכִ֥י) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "and·when" (וְכִ֥י, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·our·border" (בִּגְבוּלֵֽנוּ, 7 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "and·they·will·pasture" (וְרָע֞וּ), "land·of" (אֶת־אֶ֤רֶץ), "in·the·sword" (בַּחֶ֔רֶב). The root ארץ appears 3 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·when" (root כי, 20x in Micah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·her·openings', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְרָע֞וּ [and·they·will·pasture] (282) + אֶת־אֶ֤רֶץ [land·of] (692) + אַשּׁוּר֙ [Assyria] (507) + בַּחֶ֔רֶב [in·the·sword] (212) + וְאֶת־אֶ֥רֶץ [and·land·of] (698) + נִמְרֹ֖ד [Nimrod] (294) + בִּפְתָחֶ֑יהָ [in·her·openings] (505) + וְהִצִּיל֙ [and·he·will·deliver] (141) + מֵֽאַשּׁ֔וּר [from·Assyria] (547) + כִּֽי־יָב֣וֹא [when·he·shall·come] (49) + בְאַרְצֵ֔נוּ [in·our·land] (349) + וְכִ֥י [and·when] (36) + יִדְרֹ֖ךְ [he·treads] (234) + בִּגְבוּלֵֽנוּ [in·our·border] (99) = 4645.
Rashi
“And they shall devour the land of Assyria.” And they shall crush [it], as in (Psalm 2:9) “you shall break them with a rod of iron”:
"And the land of Nimrod." This is Babylon.
In its openings. In the gates of its provinces:
Ibn Ezra
And they shall shepherd – this is a metaphor, meaning that they will rule over you by force.
“And the land of Nimrod” – this is Babylon.
“Befatichah” – upon the sword, as it is written: “And they were open” (והמה פתיחות). Some say: “At the gates of the land, and behold, they will deliver from Ashur.”
Radak
And they shall graze. These are the shepherds who shall graze the land of Assyria with the sword. And the explanation is: "and they shall graze" means "and they shall break," similar to "and they shall graze his branches," which means they shall break his crown.
“And the land of Nimrod.” This is Babylon, as it is written, “And the beginning of his kingdom was Babylon.” He mentions both Asshur and Babylon because they destroyed the Land of Israel, and they will destroy it again.
“b’pithayahu” – “b’charavotav” (with their swords), like “v’hem p’tichot” (and they are open), whose meaning is “swords,” implying that by their weapons of war they will slay them. And the Targum [renders] “b’pithayahu” as “b’tokhf karkha” (with the strength of its siege).
And He will save. The King Messiah will save us by destroying the land of Assyria and Babylon, along with their princes and officers, so that no enemy will ever again emerge from that land to come into our land and trample our borders. And the word "ki" (for/that) is used here in place of "she-" (that), just as in the verse "for He gave bread to your host", where "ki" is used in the same manner as "she-".
Metzudat David
And they shall shepherd (rule). They shall rule the land of Ashur with the sword; that is to say, they shall slay with the sword those who resist the rule of the land of Nimrod. It is Babylon, as it is stated regarding Nimrod: “And the beginning of his kingdom was Babylon” (Genesis 10:10).
In the matter of "at the gates." This means that they shall lead them with public proclamation at the gates of the city.
"And He will deliver from Assyria, etc." This means that by appointing governors from the children of Israel in Assyria, the King Messiah will deliver Israel from Assyria, which will come into our land. For since the fear of these governors will be upon them, they will not come to war, but only to show submission.
Metzudat Zion
And they shall pasture. They shall guide:
Regarding "her gates (biftacheha)": [It is derived] from the word "petach" (opening).
And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples, As dew from Hashem, as showers upon the grass, That are not looked for from man, Nor awaited at the hands of the sons of men.
verse value 4353
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 75 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "as·dew" (כְּטַל֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "like·showers" (כִּרְבִיבִ֖ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: and·it·shall·be, Hashem. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "as·dew" (כְּטַל֙), "like·showers" (כִּרְבִיבִ֖ים), "upon·grass" (עֲלֵי־עֵ֑שֶׂב). 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 40x in Micah); "peoples" (root עם, 20x in Micah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·grass', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 7 words.
Rashi
Like dew from the Lord: it does not come into the world through human agency, nor do people seek favor from others regarding it. So too, Israel should not hope for the help of any person, but only in the Lord.
Ibn Ezra
"And there shall be a remnant of Jacob" – those who were unable [to return], who joined themselves with the House of the Bread, for their place will be distant, since they are still in exile.
“Like dew from the Lord” – The meaning is that they should place their trust in the Name alone, and not in the kings of the nations who are in their lands, just as dew is not in human control but is in the hand of the Lord. Alternatively, it teaches that Israel will cause the nations to call upon the Name of the Lord, and they will be among them, as it is said: “I will be like dew to Israel” (Hosea 14:6), and “every nation shall not hope in a man”.
Radak
"And the remnant shall be" – those who remain after they have been refined, as it is said, "And I will refine them as one refines silver," etc.
“Among many peoples.” This refers to the gathering of the nations of Gog and Magog against Jerusalem, and Israel will be among them like dew from the Lord. For dew comes from the Lord, from the heavens, and one does not hope for a person to bring it to him, but rather he hopes in the Lord, for He is the One who causes dew and rain to fall upon the land. So too, in that salvation, Israel will hope only in the Blessed Holy One, for He is their Savior, and there is no other Savior. For they will be a small people, and the nations gathered against them will be many; who can save them except Him? And His salvation will descend upon them as dew descends upon the earth. And afterward it says, “Like abundant rains upon the grass.” For “abundant rains” refers to heavy rainfall, and the grass is greater than the tender grass. So too, they will continue to grow, and their good will continue to increase.
“He shall hope in a man.” He shall set his hope in human beings. The matter is expressed twice in different words.
Metzudat David
“Among many nations.” This refers to Gog and the kings who are with him.
“Like dew from the Lord.” This means that then they will not place their trust in the nations of the world, but rather they will place their trust in the Lord, just as the expectation of the descent of dew is from the Lord alone. Similarly, the expectation of the rains, upon which they rely, will not be placed in any person who will cause them to descend, for it is not in man’s power. Thus, then they will hope in none other than the Lord.
"And he shall not linger, etc." This is a repetition of the idea stated in the preceding verse.
Metzudat Zion
Like showers (kirvivim). It is the heavy rain, as in “and the showers were withheld” (Jeremiah 3:3):
“Yichal.” From the language of “tochelt” and “tikvah,” meaning hope and expectation.
Malbim
“And the remnant of Jacob” — even the remnant that will remain then among the nations and will not go to the Land of Israel will be like dew from the Lord. That is to say, they will not be as they are now, receiving sustenance through the nations among whom they dwell; rather, they will be like dew that comes directly from the Lord. Moreover, they will be like rain upon the grass, which causes the grass to grow while deriving no benefit from it in return. So too, they will bestow good and kindness upon the nations among whom they dwell, while receiving nothing from them in return, for they will not rely on any person to obtain good and kindness from him, since they will receive all their sustenance directly from the Lord, without any intermediary.
And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the nations, in the midst of many peoples, As a lion among the beasts of the forest, As a young lion among the flocks of sheep, Who, if he go through, treads down and tears in pieces, And there is none to deliver.
verse value 5276
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 81 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָה֩) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "forest" (יַ֔עַר, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·flocks·of·sheep" (בְּעֶדְרֵי־צֹ֑אן, 8 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "among·the·nations" (בַּגּוֹיִ֗ם), "like·a·lion" (כְּאַרְיֵה֙), "in·beasts·of" (בְּבַהֲמ֣וֹת). 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "peoples" (root עם, 20x in Micah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·flocks·of·sheep', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 6 words.
Rashi
"As a lion among the beasts of the forest, so shall their king rule over all."
“And he tramples and tears.” “Tramples” refers to the lion’s trampling when it is hungry and devours its prey on the spot; “tears” refers to when it carries the carcass to its lair for its cubs and lionesses.
Ibn Ezra
"And it shall come to pass" – when they desire to enter the Temple.
Radak
"And he shall be like a lion among the beasts of the forest." The lion is the great one, and he has power and might over the strong beasts of the forest, such as the leopard, the bear, and the wolf; he will pass over them, trample them, and devour them as he wishes, and there is no one to rescue. The lion cub is the small one of the lion species, but he is greater than a cub. The lion cub does not have power over the beasts of the forest to devour them, but he has power over flocks of sheep, and he will devour them, and there is no one to rescue. So too shall Israel be among those nations that are massing against Jerusalem, that they will destroy them and kill them, as it is written in the prophecy of Ezekiel and in the prophecy of Zechariah.
Metzudat David
"And the remnant of Jacob" – this means that therefore their hand will be strengthened, and they will be among those numerous gentiles like a lion among the beasts of the forest, and like a young lion among flocks of sheep; if any of them pass by them, it tramples and tears them apart, and there is no one who can save himself from its hand. So too, they will slaughter the host of Gog and Magog, and there will be no one who can stand against them.
Metzudat Zion
“Regarding beasts of the forest.” This means wild beasts of the forest. Similarly, it is written: “and the teeth of beasts” (Deuteronomy 32:24).
Like a young lion. A young lion:
And he shall tread. The matter of treading with the foot:
Malbim
“And the remnant of Jacob” — concerning the aspect of might against their enemies, who until now were like a sheep driven away among lions, as it is stated: “A scattered sheep is Israel; lions have driven them away.” Now, however, they will be like a lion and like a young lion. There is a difference between “nations” (goyim) and “peoples” (amim): “nations” are lesser than “peoples” and have no king, whereas “peoples” are distinguished and have a king. Conversely, the term “nation” (goy) denotes a larger collective than the term “people” (am). The lion is the elder, and the young lion is the younger. The custom of the lion is to go out to its prey into the forest, and it tears apart large beasts. The young lion sits in its lair, lying in wait, and does not go out after its prey, tearing apart only small beasts. With this, the verse depicts that among the great nations, which are lesser, they will be like a lion among the beasts of the forest: although the nations will be like large beasts of the forest, they themselves will be like a great lion in opposition to them, until they go out to the lands of the nations to fight them and tear them apart. And among the many peoples, who are smaller than the nations but are more distinguished, they will be like a young lion among flocks of sheep, which does not go out after its prey; so too, they will not go out to them to fight them in their lands, for the majority of them will accept the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who come to their dwelling place to wage war against them in the Land of Israel, like the peoples that will assemble against Mount Zion in the host of Gog and Magog, they will tear them apart like a young lion that tears apart in its dwelling place, and they will be weak before them like flocks of sheep. And it explains: “If it passes through and tramples” — meaning that the lion passes through the forest outside its dwelling place and tramples, and the young lion tears apart in its dwelling place, and there is no one to rescue from their hand.
Let Your hand be lifted up above Your adversaries, And let all Your enemies be cut off. .
verse value 1829
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "will·rise" (תָּרֹ֥ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·all·your·enemies" (וְכׇל־אֹיְבֶ֖יךָ, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "will·rise" (תָּרֹ֥ם), "your·hand" (יָדְךָ֖), "above·your·adversaries" (עַל־צָרֶ֑יךָ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "above·your·adversaries" (root על, 21x in Micah). First appearance of the root כרת ("shall·be·cut·off") in Micah. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'above·your·adversaries', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: תָּרֹ֥ם [will·rise] (640) + יָדְךָ֖ [your·hand] (34) + עַל־צָרֶ֑יךָ [above·your·adversaries] (420) + וְכׇל־אֹיְבֶ֖יךָ [and·all·your·enemies] (99) + יִכָּרֵֽתוּ [shall·be·cut·off] (636) = 1829.
Ibn Ezra
Terem – Their might shall be seen over all, and the Holy One, blessed be He, shall utterly destroy the enemies.
Radak
“Lift up your hand.” It is clear:
Metzudat David
"Raise your hand." Then you shall raise your hand to overpower your adversaries, and they shall all be cut off.
Metzudat Zion
"Be exalted (lifted up)." From the language of exaltation:
"צריך" – from the language of "צר" and "אויב" (distress and enemy):
Malbim
"Lift up your hand": they will not need to fight their enemies with both hands; one hand will suffice to raise it against the enemy. And there is a distinction between an enemy (tzar) and a foe (oyev): the enemy actively oppresses and battles him, whereas the foe seeks his harm but does not actively oppress. Regarding the enemies who battle you, "lift up your hand," but the foes will be cut off by themselves.
And it shall come to pass in that day, says Hashem, That I will cut off your horses out of the midst of you, And will destroy your chariots;
verse value 2497
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 49 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֤ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֤ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "on·that·day" (בַיּוֹם־הַהוּא֙, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "on·that·day" (בַיּוֹם־הַהוּא֙), "your·horses" (סוּסֶ֖יךָ), "and·I·will·cause·to·perish" (וְהַאֲבַדְתִּ֖י). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "utterance·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 40x in Micah). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·your·midst', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 2 words. Full calculation: וְהָיָ֤ה [and·it·shall·be] (26) + בַיּוֹם־הַהוּא֙ [on·that·day] (75) + נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֔ה [utterance·of·Hashem] (117) + וְהִכְרַתִּ֥י [and·I·will·cut·off] (641) + סוּסֶ֖יךָ [your·horses] (156) + מִקִּרְבֶּ֑ךָ [from·your·midst] (362) + וְהַאֲבַדְתִּ֖י [and·I·will·cause·to·perish] (428) + מַרְכְּבֹתֶֽיךָ [your·chariots] (692) = 2497.
Rashi
"And I will cut off your horses." This is the aid of Egypt upon which you rely to provide you with horses.
Ibn Ezra
"And it shall come to pass that I will cut off your horses" – from waging war, for there is no need.
Radak
“And it shall be, and I will cut off your horses.” This means that you will not need horses and chariots, for there will be peace for you forever after the war of Gog and Magog. And Targum Yonatan renders: “And I will remove the horses of the nations from among you, and I will destroy their chariots.”
Metzudat David
"And I will cut off your horses." This means that you will not be saved by the might of the horse and chariots, but only by the help of God.
Malbim
"And it shall be," meaning, this shall be at the beginning, while the war of Gog is still before them; they will need to tear [their garments] and raise their hands [in prayer]. But "on that day," meaning, after the war of Gog and Magog, then they will no longer need war at all, for the Lord will cut off their enemies. Now, for war one needs: 1) horses and chariots, and therefore it says, "and I will cut off your horses"; 2) one needs cities of weapons and fortified cities; concerning this it says:
And I will cut off the cities of your land, And will throw down all your strongholds;
verse value 2325
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "cities·of" (עָרֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·your·strongholds" (כׇּל־מִבְצָרֶֽיךָ, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "cities·of" (עָרֵ֣י), "Your·land" (אַרְצֶ֑ךָ), "and·I·will·tear·down" (וְהָרַסְתִּ֖י). 5 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Your·land', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: וְהִכְרַתִּ֖י [and·I·will·cut·off] (641) + עָרֵ֣י [cities·of] (280) + אַרְצֶ֑ךָ [Your·land] (311) + וְהָרַסְתִּ֖י [and·I·will·tear·down] (681) + כׇּל־מִבְצָרֶֽיךָ [all·your·strongholds] (412) = 2325.
Rashi
"And I will destroy your cities." And you will not need fortified cities.
Ibn Ezra
"And I will destroy the cities of your land" – that is, those surrounded by walls. For were it not for the fear of the enemy, it would be better for a person to dwell in unwalled villages, where the air is spacious. And the meaning is: that there will be peace in the land, and there will be no need for fortresses.
Radak
“And I will cut off the cities of your land.” This means that they are cities surrounded by walls, yet they will no longer need walls, because there will be peace for them and no strife among the people within them. And the phrase “and I will cut off” implies: by means of the fact that I will multiply you and grant you peace, it will be as if I were cutting down the walls of your cities, so that they will no longer be called cities but rather open villages. And similarly it is stated: “Jerusalem shall be inhabited as villages” (Zechariah 2:8). And similarly, the interpretation of “and I will throw down all your strongholds” is in this vein. Moreover, the dwelling in open villages is better for the health of the body than dwelling in walled cities and towns. And our Sages of blessed memory said: One does not remove [a person] from a city to a town, because dwelling in towns is difficult. And they asked: From where do we know that dwelling in towns is difficult? As it is stated: “And the people blessed all the men who volunteered to dwell in Jerusalem” (Nehemiah 11:2). The reason is that the air in towns is confined, whereas in open villages it is spacious and good for the health of the body. And the Targum translates: “And I will destroy the cities of the nations from your land, and I will break down all their strong fortresses.”
Metzudat David
“the cities of your land.” A city surrounded by a wall is called simply a “city,” whereas if it lacks a wall, it is called an “open city.” Therefore, it states: “Behold, then you shall not have cities surrounded by walls to take refuge in, for war has not yet come upon you.”
And I will destroy, etc. It is a repetition of the matter stated in:
Metzudat Zion
“And I will destroy.” The matter is of shattering and breaking.
Mivtzarecha (your fortresses). The fortified cities:
Malbim
"And I will destroy your cities" – meaning, the cities that belong to the land and the state. For the chariot cities and the armory cities did not belong to the people, but rather to the state as a whole, and they are called "the cities of the land." And regarding the fortresses, He said, "And I will tear down all your fortresses." They had sorcerers and cloud-consulters who would determine when they would succeed in battle. Regarding this, He said:
And I will cut off witchcrafts out of your hand; And you shall have no more soothsayers;
verse value 1549
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·soothsayers" (וּֽמְעוֹנְנִ֖ים, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "witchcrafts" (כְשָׁפִ֖ים), "from·your·hand" (מִיָּדֶ֑ךָ), "and·soothsayers" (וּֽמְעוֹנְנִ֖ים). 6 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·your·hand', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְהִכְרַתִּ֥י [and·I·will·cut·off] (641) + כְשָׁפִ֖ים [witchcrafts] (450) + מִיָּדֶ֑ךָ [from·your·hand] (74) + וּֽמְעוֹנְנִ֖ים [and·soothsayers] (272) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + יִֽהְיוּ־לָֽךְ [they·shall·be·to·you] (81) = 1549.
Ibn Ezra
“And I will cut off the sorcerers” – This refers to the workings of nature, for from nature the sorceries come.
"ומעוננים" – they gaze at the clouds to know the future.
Radak
“And I will cut off sorceries from your hand.” This means “from your dominion,” just as it is said, “And he took all his land from his hand,” implying that there shall be no sorcerers or diviners in your land, as they are today. The meaning of “I will cut off” is that He will remove the heart of stone from your flesh. And the meaning of “diviners”: our Sages of blessed memory said, “A diviner is one who holds the eyes [of another to cast a spell].” Rabbi Akiva says, “This is one who calculates seasons and hours, saying, ‘Today is favorable for going out, tomorrow is favorable for acquiring.’”
Metzudat David
“And I will cut off sorceries from your hand.” When you see that I watch over you, you will no longer engage in witchcraft to know what is yet to come.
Metzudat Zion
And those who conjure with clouds. The meaning of *keshof* is like *ma'onan* and *menachesh* (Deuteronomy 18:10).
Malbim
(11-13) "And I will cut off sorceries from your hand": When there was among them idolatry, including carved images, pillars, and Asherah poles, regarding this it says, "And I will cut off your carved images... and I will overthrow your Asherah poles." And "I will destroy your cities"—namely, the cities in which they served idolatry shall become like apostate cities.
And I will cut off your graven images and your pillars out of the midst of you; And you shall no more worship the work of your hands.
verse value 3512
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "again" (ע֖וֹד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·not·you·will·bow·down" (וְלֹא־תִשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֥ה, 9 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "your·graven·images" (פְסִילֶ֛יךָ), "and·your·pillars" (וּמַצֵּבוֹתֶ֖יךָ), "and·not·you·will·bow·down" (וְלֹא־תִשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֥ה). 8 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·your·midst', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְהִכְרַתִּ֧י [and·I·will·cut·off] (641) + פְסִילֶ֛יךָ [your·graven·images] (210) + וּמַצֵּבוֹתֶ֖יךָ [and·your·pillars] (574) + מִקִּרְבֶּ֑ךָ [from·your·midst] (362) + וְלֹא־תִשְׁתַּחֲוֶ֥ה [and·not·you·will·bow·down] (1156) + ע֖וֹד [again] (80) + לְמַעֲשֵׂ֥ה [to·work·of] (445) + יָדֶֽיךָ [your·hands] (44) = 3512.
Ibn Ezra
"And I will break down your carved images" – [meaning] wood and stone:
Radak
"And I will break down your images." And the meaning of "And I will break down" is as explained above, and so too is the meaning of "And I will tear down."
Metzudat David
“And I will cut off your idols.” For then you will recognize that there is no god besides Me.
"Of the work of Your hands." The idols, which are the work of human hands:
And I will pluck up your Asherim out of the midst of you; And I will destroy your enemies.
verse value 3134
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "your·cities" (עָרֶֽיךָ, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·destroy" (וְהִשְׁמַדְתִּ֖י, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "and·I·will·pull·up" (וְנָתַשְׁתִּ֥י), "your·Asherim" (אֲשֵׁירֶ֖יךָ), "and·I·will·destroy" (וְהִשְׁמַדְתִּ֖י). 5 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·your·midst', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: וְנָתַשְׁתִּ֥י [and·I·will·pull·up] (1166) + אֲשֵׁירֶ֖יךָ [your·Asherim] (541) + מִקִּרְבֶּ֑ךָ [from·your·midst] (362) + וְהִשְׁמַדְתִּ֖י [and·I·will·destroy] (765) + עָרֶֽיךָ [your·cities] (300) = 3134.
Rashi
“And I will destroy your enemies.” [Targum:] “I will destroy your adversaries (ba’alei devavach)”; and likewise (Isaiah 14:21) “and they fill the face of the world with foes,” and likewise (I Samuel 28:16) “and has become your adversary (ar)”:
Ibn Ezra
ונתשתי – “and I will destroy.” The cities in which the Asherim were, so that they shall not be mentioned. And Rabbi Marinus said: “ki’ireikh” (that is, your enemies), similar to “vehiyeh arkho” (and he became your adversary).
Radak
"And I will overthrow, and I will destroy your cities." Your enemies, like "and he became your enemy," and so too the Targum: "And I will destroy your adversaries." And there is one who explains it as we explained, "And I will cut off the cities of your land."
Metzudat David
ונתשתי. This means: You will no longer prostrate yourself to the Asherim.
“And I will destroy your cities (arecha).” And then I will destroy your enemies:
Metzudat Zion
ונתשתי. The meaning is uprooting, as in "to uproot and to tear down" (Jeremiah 1:10).
Asheirecha (your asherim). From the expression of “asherah,” which is a worshipped tree:
Arecha (your enemies). Your foe, as in “and he became your enemy (vayehi arecha)” (I Samuel 16):
And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the nations, Because they hearkened not.
verse value 2543
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·nations" (אֶת־הַגּוֹיִ֑ם, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Micah. Unique to this verse in Micah (hapax): "and·I·will·make" (וְעָשִׂ֜יתִי), "in·anger" (בְּאַ֧ף), "and·in·fury" (וּבְחֵמָ֛ה). 8 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·nations', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְעָשִׂ֜יתִי [and·I·will·make] (796) + בְּאַ֧ף [in·anger] (83) + וּבְחֵמָ֛ה [and·in·fury] (61) + נָקָ֖ם [vengeance] (190) + אֶת־הַגּוֹיִ֑ם [the·nations] (465) + אֲשֶׁ֖ר [because] (501) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + שָׁמֵֽעוּ [they·hearkened] (416) = 2543.
Radak
"And I will make." That which they did not hear: The Targum [renders it] "that they did not accept the teaching of the Torah."
Metzudat David
“And I will execute vengeance…” – With a poured-out wrath, I will execute vengeance upon the nations that have never heard of such an extraordinary vengeance.
Malbim
"And I will make," and later "I will execute vengeance upon the nations that will not heed [the call] to return to the true faith and accept upon themselves the sovereignty of Heaven, as elucidated at the end of Zechariah.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Radak
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim