Micah 4
Commentary from 10 fathers
And many nations shall go, and say, Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and they shall shew us his way, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Sion shall go forth a law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
καὶ πορεύσονται ἔθνη πολλὰ καὶ ἐροῦσι· δεῦτε, ἀναβῶμεν εἰς τὸ ὄρος Κυρίου καὶ εἰς τὸν οἶκον τοῦ Θεοῦ ᾿Ιακώβ, καὶ δείξουσιν ἡμῖν τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ πορευσόμεθα ἐν ταῖς τρίβοις αὐτοῦ· ὅτι ἐκ Σιὼν ἐξελεύσεται νόμος καὶ λόγος Κυρίου ἐξ ῾Ιερουσαλήμ.
и҆ прїи́дꙋтъ ꙗ҆зы́цы мно́зи и҆ рекꙋ́тъ: прїиди́те, взы́демъ на го́рꙋ гдⷭ҇ню и҆ въ до́мъ бг҃а і҆а́кѡвлѧ: и҆ пока́жꙋтъ на́мъ пꙋ́ть є҆гѡ̀, и҆ по́йдемъ по стезѧ́мъ є҆гѡ̀: ꙗ҆́кѡ ѿ сїѡ́на и҆зы́детъ зако́нъ, и҆ сло́во гдⷭ҇не и҆з̾ і҆ерⷭ҇ли́ма,
2–3And when the Spirit of prophecy speaks as predicting things that are to come to pass, He speaks in this way: "For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people; and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." And that it did so come to pass, we can convince you. For from Jerusalem there went out into the world, men, twelve in number, and these illiterate, of no ability in speaking: but by the power of God they proclaimed to every race of men that they were sent by Christ to teach to all the word of God; and we who formerly used to murder one another do not only now refrain from making war upon our enemies, but also, that we may not lie nor deceive our examiners, willingly die confessing Christ. For that saying, "The tongue has sworn but the mind is unsworn," might be imitated by us in this matter. But if the soldiers enrolled by you, and who have taken the military oath, prefer their allegiance to their own life, and parents, and country, and all kindred, though you can offer them nothing incorruptible, it were verily ridiculous if we, who earnestly long for incorruption, should not endure all things, in order to obtain what we desire from Him who is able to grant it.
The First Apology, Chapter XXXIX
2–3For Micah announced that the new law would be given in this way: “The law shall go forth out of Zion, and the word of the Lord out of Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people, and he shall vanquish and rebuke nations.” For that prior law that was given through Moses was given not on Mount Zion but on Mount Horeb. And the Sibyl showed that this would be destroyed by the Son of God. “But when all these things have been fulfilled which he spoke, at that time then the whole law is destroyed.”
Epitome of the Divine Institutes 4:17
After the experience of the troubles in which they would find themselves, made captive first by the Assyrians and later by the Babylonians, such a great transformation would occur regarding this place that the mountain on which God was reputed to dwell would become famous and would be shown to be superior to all the mountains and far surpass all mountains and all hills on account of the glory enveloping it as a result of the divine compassion. Large numbers from all quarters, even from foreign peoples, would hasten to assemble to reach this mountain of God, on which God is believed to dwell, and learn how they should regulate their lives and live as they ought.
Commentary on Micah 4:1-3
And he shall judge among many peoples, and shall rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into sickles; and nation shall no more lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn to war any more.
καὶ κρινεῖ ἀνὰ μέσον λαῶν πολλῶν καὶ ἐξελέγξει ἔθνη ἰσχυρὰ ἕως εἰς μακράν, καὶ κατακόψουσι τὰς ῥομφαίας αὐτῶν εἰς ἄροτρα καὶ τὰ δόρατα αὐτῶν εἰς δρέπανα, καὶ οὐκέτι μὴ ἀντάρῃ ἔθνος ἐπ᾿ ἔθνος ρομφαίαν, καὶ οὐκέτι μὴ μάθωσι πολεμεῖν.
и҆ разсꙋ́дитъ средѣ̀ люді́й мно́гихъ и҆ и҆з̾ѡбличи́тъ ꙗ҆зы́ки крѣ̑пки да́же до землѝ да́льнїѧ: и҆ раскꙋю́тъ мечы̀ своѧ̑ на ра̑ла и҆ сꙋ̑лицы своѧ̑ на серпы̀, и҆ не ктомꙋ̀ во́зметъ ꙗ҆зы́къ на ꙗ҆зы́къ меча̀, и҆ не наꙋча́тсѧ ксемꙋ̀ воева́ти.
And every one shall rest under his vine, and every one under his fig-tree; and there shall be none to alarm [them]: for the mouth of the Lord Almighty has spoken these [words].
καὶ ἀναπαύσεται ἕκαστος ὑποκάτω ἀμπέλου αὐτοῦ καὶ ἕκαστος ὑποκάτω συκῆς αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ὁ ἐκφοβῶν, διότι τὸ στόμα Κυρίου παντοκράτορος ἐλάλησε ταῦτα.
И҆ почі́етъ кі́йждо под̾ лозо́ю свое́ю и҆ кі́йждо под̾ смоко́вницею свое́ю, и҆ не бꙋ́детъ ᲂу҆страша́ющагѡ, занѐ ᲂу҆ста̀ гдⷭ҇а Вседержи́телѧ гл҃аша сїѧ̑.
The vine, and that not in a few places, refers to the Lord himself, and the fig tree to the Holy Spirit, as the Lord “makes glad the hearts of men,” and the Spirit heals them. Hezekiah is commanded to make plaster with a lump of figs—that is, the fruit of the Spirit—that he may be healed. According to the apostle this healing begins with love. For he says, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.” On account of their great pleasantness, the prophet calls these spiritual fruits figs. Of them Micah also says, “They shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid.” Now it is certain that those who have taken refuge and rested under the Spirit and under the shadow of the Word shall not be alarmed or frightened by the one who troubles the hearts of humankind.
Banquet of the Ten Virgins 10:5
He is indeed the field blessed by the Lord: not this earthly one, or rough with woods, or rocky with torrents, or marshy with stagnant waters, or barren of crops, or useless for vines, or infertile with stony gravel, or gaping and dry from drought, or soaked with blood, or uncultivated with thorns and brambles: but that field, of which the Church says in the Canticles: I have adjured you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the powers and fortitude of the field. For this is the field of which the Lord says: 'And the appearance of the field is with me'. In this field is found that grape which, when pressed, shed blood and cleansed the world. In this field is that fig tree under which the saints will rest, refreshed by the sweetness of spiritual grace. In this field is that fruitful olive tree, flowing with the ointment of the Lord's peace. In this field flourish pomegranates, which cover many fruits under the protection of one foundation of faith and nourish them with the embrace of charity.
On Jacob and the Blessed Life
However, since here in Genesis we read that paradise was planted by God in the East, and there the man whom God formed was placed; we can now find the author of this paradise. For who else could have created paradise but the all-powerful God, who spoke and things came into being, never needing those things which he desired to be generated? Therefore, he himself planted the paradise of which Wisdom says: Every planting that my Father has not planted will be rooted up. Good planting of angels, good saints. For saints are called under the fig tree and vine in that future time of peace, in which there is a type of angels.
On Paradise
For all [other] nations shall walk everyone in his own way, but we will walk in the name of the Lord our God for ever and ever.
ὅτι πάντες οἱ λαοὶ πορεύσονται ἕκαστος τὴν ὁδὸν αὐτοῦ, ἡμεῖς δὲ πορευσόμεθα ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου Θεοῦ ἡμῶν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα καὶ ἐπέκεινα.
Ꙗ҆́кѡ всѝ лю́дїе по́йдꙋтъ кі́йждо въ пꙋ́ть сво́й, а҆ мы̀ по́йдемъ во и҆́мѧ гдⷭ҇а бг҃а на́шегѡ въ вѣ́къ и҆ далеча́е.
They who are eager to go up into the mountain of the Lord and wish to learn thoroughly his ways promise a ready obedience, and they receive in themselves the glories of the life in Christ and undertake with their whole strength to be earnest in all holiness. “For let everyone,” he says, “in every country and city go the way he chooses and pass his life as seems good to him, but our care is Christ, and his laws we will make our straight path; we will walk along with him; and that not for this life only, present or past, but yet more for what is beyond.” It is a faithful saying. “For they who now suffer with him shall walk with him forever, and with him be glorified, and with him reign.” But “they” make Christ their care who prefer nothing to his love, who cease from the vain distractions of the world and seek rather righteousness and what is pleasing to him, and to excel in virtue. Such a one was the divine Paul, for he writes, “I am crucified with Christ; and now no longer I live, but Christ lives in me.” And again: “I determined not to know anything among you save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”
Commentary on Micah 2:4.5
In that day, saith the Lord, I will gather her that is bruised, and will receive her that is cast out, and those whom I rejected.
ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, λέγει Κύριος, συνάξω τὴν συντετριμμένην καὶ τὴν ἐξωσμένην εἰσδέξομαι καὶ οὓς ἀπωσάμην·
Въ то́й де́нь, гл҃етъ гдⷭ҇ь, соберꙋ̀ сокрꙋше́ннꙋю, и҆ ѿринове́ннꙋю прїимꙋ̀, и҆ и҆̀хже ѿри́нꙋхъ:
Now it is evident that no one can terrify or subdue us who have believed in Jesus over all the world. For it is plain that, though beheaded, and crucified, and thrown to wild beasts, and chains, and fire, and all other kinds of torture, we do not give up our confession; but the more such things happen, the more do others and in larger numbers become faithful, and worshippers of God through the name of Jesus. For Just as if one should cut away the fruit-bearing parts of a vine, it grows up again, and yields other branches flourishing and fruitful; even so the same thing happens with us. For the vine planted by God and Christ the Saviour is His people. But the rest of the prophecy shall be fulfilled at His second coming. For the expression, "He that is afflicted [and driven out]," i.e., from the world, [implies] that, so far as you and all other men have it in your power, each Christian has been driven out not only from his own property, but even from the whole world; for you permit no Christian to live.
Dialogue with Trypho, Chapter CX
And I will make her that was bruised a remnant, and her that was rejected a mighty nation: and the Lord shall reign over them in mount Sion from henceforth, even for ever.
καὶ θήσομαι τὴν συντετριμμένην εἰς ὑπόλειμμα καὶ τὴν ἀπωσμένην εἰς ἔθνος δυνατόν, καὶ βασιλεύσει Κύριος ἐπ᾿ αὐτοὺς ἐν ὄρει Σιὼν ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν καὶ ἕως εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.
и҆ положꙋ̀ сокрꙋше́ннꙋю во ѡ҆ста́нокъ и҆ ѿринове́ннꙋю въ ꙗ҆зы́къ крѣ́покъ, и҆ воцр҃и́тсѧ гдⷭ҇ь над̾ ни́ми въ горѣ̀ сїѡ́нѣ ѿнн҃ѣ и҆ до вѣ́ка.
And thou, dark tower of the flock, daughter of Sion, on thee the dominion shall come and enter in, [even] the first kingdom from Babylon to the daughter of Jerusalem.
καὶ σὺ πύργος ποιμνίου αὐχμώδης, θύγατερ Σιών, ἐπὶ σὲ ἥξει καὶ εἰσελεύσεται ἡ ἀρχὴ ἡ πρώτη, βασιλεία ἐκ Βαβυλῶνος τῇ θυγατρὶ ῾Ιερουσαλήμ. -
И҆ ты̀, сто́лпе па́ствы мглѧ́ный, дщѝ сїѡ́нѧ, къ тебѣ̀ прїи́детъ и҆ вни́детъ вла́сть пе́рваѧ, ца́рство и҆з̾ вавѷлѡ́на дще́ри і҆ерⷭ҇ли́мли.
“And you, O tower, O cloudy shepherd of the daughter of Zion, your time shall come.” These words refer to the impious king Zedekiah, whom the prophet calls “tower” because the people of Judea stayed under his shadow, and “shepherd” because of his administration of the kingdom, and “cloudy” because of the error of idolatry to which he adhered. Again, in the symbolic meaning of his words he calls the devil a cloudy shepherd, because in an allegorical sense he always attacks the daughter of Zion under a cloudy sky. And, after catching her, he drags her away from the light—indeed the one who acts maliciously hates the light. But later, the supreme and legitimate prince of the mystical Jerusalem destroyed this tyranny with his advent and drove the obscure shepherd away.
Commentary on Micah
8–9(Verse 8, 9.) And you, tower of the flock, cloudy daughter of Zion, there will come to you the first power, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem. Now why are you contracted with sorrow? Is there no king for you, or has your counselor perished? For pain has seized you like a woman in labor. LXX: And you, tower of the flock, darkened daughter of Zion, there will come to you the first principality, the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem from Babylon. And now, why have you known evil? Was not the king your husband, or has your plan perished, because pains have overtaken you like a woman in childbirth? The cloudy or desolate tower, which is called Ophel in Hebrew, we should not accept any other but that which Isaiah says: And I built a tower in the midst of it, that is, the vineyard. But the vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel (Isaiah 5:2). This tower, as long as it has a winepress, that is, an altar, and a wall around it, namely the assistance of the Angels, and the devil, the wild boar, does not enter the vineyard, it is not desolate, it is not dark, but having received its name from the shining Lord, it is called a city, which cannot be hidden on the mountain. Therefore the tower of the flock and the people of God (because the wicked tenants killed the son of the master of the house (Luke 20) is now desolate and forsaken, and under the name Ariel, cries out from the earth in Isaiah. And this tower is the daughter of Zion, or as Symmachus renders it in Greek: She is the daughter of Zion (Isaiah 29): and to her will come God, or the first power, which is the power of the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem. And the first power, or the first principality, comes to this tower, the one who said: I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last (Revelation 22:13). And he who from the assumed person of man says in Proverbs, 'The Lord created me in the beginning of his ways, before his works' (Prov. VIII, 22), or, as it is written in Hebrew, 'The Lord possessed me: Canaanite did not create me, but possessed me and had me,' signifies. And the first power came, and the kingdom of the daughter of Jerusalem, that after the first one comes the second, just as he confidently says: 'I am the light of the world' (John VIII, 12): thus he also gives to his disciples that they too may be called the light of the world, and he says to them: 'You are the light of the world' (John VI). But also, calling himself the true vine in the Gospel, he speaks of the believers through Jeremiah: 'Yet I planted you a choice vine, a completely faithful seed.' (Jeremiah 21) And since he is the living bread descending from heaven, he gave it to his disciples so that it might be called bread. Hence, the apostle Paul speaks confidently: 'For we, though many, are one bread.' (1 Corinthians 17) In this manner, the first authority and kingdom enter into Jerusalem, so that it may grant power and kingdom to those who believe in it. But what is read in some books: And the first prince shall enter (Al. shall journey), the kingdom of the daughter of Zion, and from (Al. is from) Babylon, we know that it has been added because it is neither in Hebrew, nor in the other interpreters. And it seems to me that it refers to the captivity of Babylon, that the people who came out from there came to Jerusalem. It follows: And now why do you contract with sorrow? or, as it is written in the Seventy, And now why have you known the evils which the Lord and the first power and kingdom said were coming? Why are you now contracting with sorrow, or why have you known evil? Immediately it is answered and said: Because the king is not for you, and your counselor has perished, because sorrow has seized you like a woman in labor. Or certainly when you have all these things, by your own fault, you do not deserve the help of either the king or the counselor. But when he says: Why have you known evil? it is to be understood in this sense, that everyone who deserves and suffers evil, is said to know evil, and to be ignorant of good. According to what is written in the first book of the Kings: The sons of Eli, sons of wickedness, did not know God (1 Sam. 2:12). And elsewhere: Whoever keeps the commandment will not know evil speech (Eccles. 8:5). And to the sinners: Depart from me, says the Lord, you who work iniquity, for I do not know you (Ps. 6:9). On the other hand, concerning the Lord: He who knew no sin, for us he made sin (2 Cor. 5:21), understood as God the Father. But the king, and the angel of great counsel, is understood to be the Savior, who perished for the unbelieving people, whom pains seized like a woman in labor: for he, thinking that Israel was to obtain the empire, was suddenly devastated. And just as a woman in labor cannot escape the pain: so he could not avoid and delay the impending captivity and the army surrounding the city. Let us read the Scriptures, and we will never find that holy women, except Rachel, gave birth with pain: because she was on the way and in the hippodrome, that is, in the race of horses, which are sold in Egypt, she gave birth to a son of pain, whom later the father called the son of his right hand (Genesis 35). Eve, expelled from paradise and hearing: 'In pain you will bring forth children' (Ibid., III, 16), is said to have given birth in pain. The wife of Phineas, contracted and unable to straighten herself, like the woman whom the devil bound in the Gospel (Luke XIII), gave birth after she learned of the capture of the ark of God and the ruin of the people (2 Samuel IV). But Sarah, because she was holy and had ceased to menstruate, after the birth of Isaac said: 'God has made me laugh; whoever hears will laugh with me' (Genesis XXI, 6). Therefore, those who occupied the tower of the flock, they are pains of the underworld and pains of death, who indeed surrounded and encircled even the Savior; but they were by no means able to obtain him, as he himself speaks in the seventeenth Psalm: Pains of death surrounded me, and rivers of iniquity troubled me, and pains of hell enclosed me. Some think that the squalid tower, or dark tower, and daughter of Jerusalem, are to be understood as the heavenly Jerusalem, which is the mother of the saints, of whom the Apostle also says: You have come to Mount Zion, and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem (Heb. XII, 22), which remains squalid as long as her sons are not brought back to her, and a king and counselor are not in her, and pains seize her like a woman in labor, because she has given birth in vain, seeing so many sons killed.
Commentary on Micah
And now, why hast thou known calamities? was there not a king to thee? or has thy counsel perished that pangs as of a woman in travail have seized upon thee?
Καὶ νῦν ἱνατί ἔγνως κακά; μὴ βασιλεὺς οὐκ ἦν σοι; ἢ ἡ βουλή σου ἀπώλετο ὅτι κατεκράτησάν σου ὠδῖνες ὡς τικτούσης;
И҆ нн҃ѣ вскꙋ́ю позна́ла є҆сѝ ѕло̀; не бѣ́ ли тебѣ̀ царѧ̀; и҆лѝ совѣ́тъ тво́й поги́бе, ꙗ҆́кѡ ѡ҆быдо́ша тѧ̀ болѣ̑зни, а҆́ки ражда́ющїѧ;
Be in pain, and strengthen thyself, and draw near, O daughter of Sion, as a woman in travail: for now thou shalt go forth out of the city, and shalt lodge in the plain, and shalt reach even to Babylon: thence shall the Lord thy God deliver thee, and thence shall he redeem thee out of the hand of thine enemies.
ὤδινε καὶ ἀνδρίζου καὶ ἔγγιζε, θύγατερ Σιών, ὡς τίκτουσα· διότι νῦν ἐξελεύσῃ ἐκ πόλεως καὶ κατασκηνώσεις ἐν πεδίῳ καὶ ἥξεις ἕως Βαβυλῶνος· ἐκεῖθεν ρύσεταί σε καὶ ἐκεῖθεν λυτρώσεταί σε Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου ἐκ χειρὸς ἐχθρῶν σου.
Болѣ́знꙋй и҆ мꙋжа́йсѧ и҆ приближа́йсѧ, дщѝ сїѡ́нѧ, ꙗ҆́кѡ ражда́ющаѧ: занѐ нн҃ѣ и҆зы́деши и҆з̾ гра́да и҆ всели́шисѧ на по́ли и҆ до́йдеши вавѷлѡ́на: ѿтꙋ́дꙋ и҆з̾и́метъ тѧ̀ и҆ ѿтꙋ́дꙋ и҆зба́витъ тѧ̀ гдⷭ҇ь бг҃ъ тво́й ѿ рꙋкѝ вра̑гъ твои́хъ.
“Writhe and groan, O daughter Zion, like a woman in labor, for now you shall go forth from the city and camp in the open country; you shall go to Babylon, and there you shall be rescued.” The meaning is that you will go into captivity, people of Zion, to be deported to Babylon, but after years you will come back from there, not with the soldier hastening after you, but with that leader who by ascending into heaven made captivity his own prisoner. You will follow him together with Paul’s brothers-in-arms and the princes of our army, who captivate all minds to the respect of Christ.
Commentary on Micah
(Verse 10.) Grieve and take action, daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor, for now you will leave the city and dwell in the country, and you will come all the way to Babylon; there you will be saved, there the Lord will redeem you from the hand of your enemies. LXX: Grieve and act courageously, daughter of Zion, like a woman giving birth, for now you will leave the city and dwell in the open field, and you will come all the way to Babylon; from there you will be saved, and from there the Lord your God will redeem you from the hand of your enemies. To whom it is commanded that she should grieve or give birth, and afterwards be brought forth, act courageously, it is not commanded in vain. But let her, enduring the pains patiently, go out of the city, and dwell in the plain or in the region, and come even to Babylon. And when she, sustaining captivity for sin, shall have borne what hath been inflicted on her bravely, then the Lord may deliver her, and her God may redeem her out of the hand of her enemies, that, being set free, she may say unto them that rejoice against her: 'Rejoice not against me, my enemy, because I have fallen; I shall rise again; although I have walked in darkness, the Lord is my light; I will bear the wrath of the Lord, for I have sinned against Him, until He justify my cause, and shall make my judgment, and bring me forth into the light, and I shall see His righteousness, and mine enemy shall behold it, and shame shall cover her.' (infra). And in the Psalms it is sung with a fitting voice: The Lord will not be angry forever, nor will he threaten forever (Psalm 102:9). And it belongs to the salvation of the one who is suffering to grieve and to act bravely, and Jesus, the son of Nun, is also a witness to this, to whom the Lord says: Be strong and act bravely (Joshua 1:1). But the daughter of Zion grieves and acts bravely because she has been cast down and has come out of the city naked, and she is being led captive into the field of Shinar, and she will be in Babylon until Zerubbabel comes and Ezra, whose name means helper, will deliver her from the hand of the Chaldeans. Since it is clear according to the literal meaning, it seems to me that the soul is understood to be expelled from the Church because of sin, and handed over to the enemy and avenger for the destruction of the flesh, so that the spirit may be saved by departing from the city which the force of the river delights, and not dwelling on the mountain where it was before, but in the plain, where the army of the Assyrians wanders, and being in the confusion of its vices, and after it has put on shackles, and has drawn the millstone, and has made flour for the Babylonians, to say upon returning to itself: How many hired servants of my father are filled with loaves, and here I perish with hunger! (Luke 15:17) And to welcome him as he returned to his father's house, and to be redeemed from the hand of a most harsh master. Let us take as an example what is commanded to the daughters of Zion, and it is said: Grieve and act manfully as a woman in labor, not for punishment, but for her benefit. Paul speaks to the Galatians: My little children, for whom I am again in the pain of childbirth until Christ is formed in you (Galatians 4:19). And he grieved for them for so long, and he gave birth to them again through repentance, who had perished through their transgression. If a physician is called to someone with a fever or a wound, they should say: Endure the pain and act courageously, quench your thirst, and bring a cautery, so that you may achieve a more certain recovery.
Commentary on Micah
And now have many nations gathered against thee, saying, We will rejoice, and our eyes shall look upon Sion.
καὶ νῦν ἐπισυνήχθησαν ἐπὶ σὲ ἔθνη πολλὰ οἱ λέγοντες· ἐπιχαρούμεθα, καὶ ἐπόψονται ἐπὶ Σιὼν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἡμῶν.
И҆ нн҃ѣ собра́шасѧ на тѧ̀ ꙗ҆зы́цы мно́зи глаго́лющїи: пора́дꙋемсѧ: и҆ воззрѧ́тъ на сїѡ́нъ ѻ҆́чи на́ши.
Now many nations are assembled against you. That is, in the meantime a mix of many different nations invades you under the command of Gog. Again there shall be profanation in Zion, and the eye shall gaze upon it, which means the holy places of Zion will be violated and greatly despised by those who did not know that they would have been thrashed by the revenging justice of God like sheaves gathered on the threshing floor.
Commentary on Micah
11–13(Verses 11-13.) And now many nations have gathered against you, saying: Let her be stoned, and let our eyes see her downfall in Zion. But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord, and they do not understand His plan, for He has gathered them like the hay of the threshing floor. Rise up and trample, daughter of Zion, for I will make your horn iron, and I will make your hooves bronze, and you will crush many peoples. And you will dedicate their plunder to the Lord, and their strength to the Lord of all the earth. LXX: And now many nations have gathered against you, saying, 'Let us insult and see with our own eyes in Zion.' But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord, and they do not understand His counsel, for He has gathered them like sheaves into a threshing floor. Arise and trample them, O daughter of Zion, for I will make your horns iron and your hooves bronze, and you will crush many peoples. And you will devote their multitude to the Lord, and their strength to the Lord of all the earth. O Jerusalem, O daughter of Zion, who will come to Babylon, and there you will be set free, and the Lord will redeem you from the hand of your enemies. But now many nations have gathered against you, who speak as if of an adulteress, saying: Let her be stoned, and let our eyes look upon her. As it is written in the Septuagint: Let us insult and rejoice, and let our eyes despise Zion; and they did not understand the will and plan of the Lord, for this reason the nations have gathered against you, so that you may crush them like the threshing floor crushes the chaff or straw. Rise up, therefore, daughter of Zion, and with the iron horns that I promise to give you, and with the bronze hooves that you will receive, scatter and crush the peoples, and kill them for the Lord of the whole earth. For He takes pleasure in such a victim and such a sacrifice. The Jews, seeing that these things have not yet been fulfilled, promise themselves the coming of Christ in the future, and they say that all nations will serve the Jewish people, and that the Roman empire, which they interpret as Edom, will be crushed under their hooves and scattered with their horns. It is easy to prove from all the Scriptures how foolish this is, but that is a matter of another time. Therefore, we who follow not the letter that kills, but the life-giving spirit, say that many nations of demons gather against the daughter of Zion, which is translated as the Church, and insult her in the present age, which is under the power of evil, and rejoice in the killing of her children, ignorant of the thoughts of the Lord and not recognizing His plan. For if they had known, they would never have crucified the Lord of majesty (I Cor. II, 8). Therefore, He will gather them as sheaves in the area, so that whatever appeared to have thorns and be scattered, empty and light, may be crushed by their hooves, and winnowed by their horns, and the pure remaining grain may be offered as gifts to the Lord. But what does it mean when he says: You will crush many peoples, and consecrate their multitude to the Lord, and their strength to the Lord of the whole earth. We read Numbers, and Jesus on the ship, and the first book of the Kings, and we will see how, concerning the subject peoples, when all things perish by the edge of the sword, both gold and silver, and also how a certain number of people and animals dedicated to the Lord as spoils. Finally, Achor, who stole something from the ban of Jericho, disturbed the people, and the name of the valley was imposed from sin, Emec Achor (), meaning valley of tumult, or disturbances (Joshua 7). But so that you may know, according to the Septuagint interpreters, who said: 'You shall consecrate their multitude to the Lord, and their strength to the Lord of all the earth,' the word 'consecration' should be understood in a positive sense: Theodotion translated it as 'multitude,' the Fifth Edition as 'benefit,' which means 'advantage,' and Symmachus as 'gain,' which means 'their profit.'
Commentary on Micah
But they know not the thought of the Lord, and have not understood his counsel: for he has gathered them as sheaves of the floor.
αὐτοὶ δὲ οὐκ ἔγνωσαν τὸν λογισμὸν Κυρίου καὶ οὐ συνῆκαν τὴν βουλὴν αὐτοῦ, ὅτι συνήγαγεν αὐτοὺς ὡς δράγματα ἅλωνος.
Сі́и же не разꙋмѣ́ша помышле́нїѧ гдⷭ҇нѧ и҆ не домы́слишасѧ совѣ́та є҆гѡ̀, ꙗ҆́кѡ собра̀ и҆̀хъ а҆́ки снопы̀ гꙋмє́нныѧ.
Arise, and thresh them, O daughter of Sion: for I will make thine horns iron, and I will make thine hoofs brass: and thou shalt utterly destroy many nations, and shalt consecrate their abundance to the Lord, and their strength to the Lord of all the earth.
ἀνάστηθι, καὶ ἀλόα αὐτούς, θύγατερ Σιών, ὅτι τὰ κέρατά σου θήσομαι σιδηρᾶ καὶ τὰς ὁπλάς σου θήσομαι χαλκᾶς, καὶ κατατήξεις ἐν αὐτοῖς ἔθνη καὶ λεπτυνεῖς λαοὺς πολλοὺς καὶ ἀναθήσεις τῷ Κυρίῳ τὸ πλῆθος αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν ἰσχὺν αὐτῶν τῷ Κυρίῳ πάσης τῆς γῆς.
Воста́ни и҆ и҆змлатѝ и҆̀хъ, дщѝ сїѡ́нѧ, ꙗ҆́кѡ ро́ги твоѧ̑ положꙋ̀ желѣ̑зны и҆ па́знѡкти твоѧ̑ положꙋ̀ мѣ̑дѧны, и҆ и҆стончи́ши лю́ди мнѡ́ги, и҆ возложи́ши гдⷭ҇еви мно́жество и҆́хъ и҆ крѣ́пость и҆́хъ гдⷭ҇еви всеѧ̀ землѝ.
“For I will make your horns, which the Babylonians broke, iron. You shall beat in pieces many people, and shall devote their grain to the Lord.” This will happen when, after taking possession of their land and wealth, you pay the tithe to the Lord of the entire earth. As I have said, God showed a sign of such great prosperity to the Jews who would be coming back from captivity. He also reserved the same thing for his church.
Commentary on Micah
Now shall the daughter [of Sion]* be completely hedged in: he has laid siege against us: they shall smite the tribes of Israel with a rod upon the cheek.
νῦν ἐμφραχθήσεται θυγάτηρ ᾿Εφραὶμ* ἐν φραγμῷ, συνοχὴν ἔταξεν ἐφ᾿ ἡμᾶς, ἐν ράβδῳ πατάξουσιν ἐπὶ σιαγόνα τὰς φυλὰς τοῦ ᾿Ισραήλ. * Where Brenton’s translation (LXXb) has restored “daughter [of Sion]”, the Alexandrine text (LXXa) reads “daughter of Ephraim” (Εφραιμ).
And at the last days the mountain of the Lord shall be manifest, established on the tops of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and the peoples shall hasten to it.
ΚΑΙ ἔσται ἐπ᾿ ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν ἐμφανὲς τὸ ὄρος Κυρίου, ἕτοιμον ἐπὶ τὰς κορυφὰς τῶν ὀρέων, καὶ μετεωρισθήσεται ὑπεράνω τῶν βουνῶν· καὶ σπεύσουσι πρὸς αὐτὸ λαοί,
И҆ бꙋ́детъ въ послѣ̑днїѧ дни̑ ꙗ҆вле́на гора̀ гдⷭ҇нѧ, ᲂу҆гото́вана над̾ вєрхѝ го́ръ, и҆ вознесе́тсѧ вы́ше холмѡ́въ, и҆ потща́тсѧ къ не́й лю́дїе,