Micah 5:2 - But you, O Bethlehem Eph'rathah, who are little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. -- Revised Standard Version.
The Duoay-Rheims renders this verse:
And thou Bethlehem Ephrata, art a little one among the thousands of Juda, out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be the ruler in Israel: and his going forth is from the beginning, from the days of eternity.
This verse is often quoted and referred to as proof that (1) that the Messiah is God, since (2) the Messiah had no beginning. Usually the reference is connected to the King James Version or one of the translations that have "from everlasting" or "from eternity" in the last part of the verse. Obviously, both the translations above do not agree with the King James rendering of Micah 5:2. Why is this?
Within the scriptural doctrine that Jesus is the firstborn creature (Colossians 1:15), we can see why Micah 5:2 should be understood as rendered by the Revised Standard Version. However, many translators who believe that Jesus is God have also rendered Micah 5:2 without a phrase denoting from everlasting, or from eternity. Let us examine why the translation as given in the Revised Standard Version is correct, based on Hebraic usage.
As far as I have been able to determine, the Hebrew phrase used is nowhere else rendered in the King James Version (or any other translation) as "from of old, from everlasting," except in Micah 5:2. Micah 5:2, then, would be a unique rendering as it appears in the KJV, and apparently only rendered so in order to support the idea that Jesus had no beginning.
Let me illustrate, using the KJV with Strong's numbers:
But thou, Bethlehem [01035] Ephratah [0672], [though] thou be little [06810] among the thousands [0505] of Judah [03063], [yet] out of thee shall he come forth [03318] (8799) unto me [that is] to be ruler [04910] (8802) in Israel [03478]; whose goings forth [04163 - descent, ancestry] [have been] from of old [06924], from everlasting [03117] [05769].
The numbers we should note are Strong's #s 3117 & 5769.
#3117 is often transliterated as "Yowm" and, used in the plural as in Micah 5:2, is usually rendered as "days." It refers to a duration of time designated as 'days', but does not mean eternity.
http://bible.crosswalk.com/Lexicons/Hebrew/heb.cgi?number=03117 #5769 is the Hebrew word usually transliterated as "'olam" or "'owlam." Of itself, it does not mean eternal.
http://bible.crosswalk.com/Lexicons/Hebrew/heb.cgi?number=05769 Since the two words are used together, "days" establishes the duration of "olam" to "days", not eternity. Thus, the Revised Standard Version is correct in the way it has rendered this verse. Additionally, the KJV only renders this combination as "everlasting" in Micah 5:2, and, as far as I have been to ascertain, no where else.
To illustrate this, let us look two chapters later in Micah, to Micah 7:14, where we find the same combination:
Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days [#3117] of old [#5769]. -- King James Version.
Note that the KJV here does not render the phrase as "from everlasting," but as "in the days of old."
Now look to Deuteronomy 32:7:
Remember [02142] (8798) the days [03117] of old [05769], consider [0995] (8798) the years [08141] of many [01755] generations [01755]: ask [07592] (8798) thy father [01], and he will shew [05046] (8686) thee; thy elders [02205], and they will tell [0559] (8799) thee. -- King James with Strong's numbers.
Again, the KJV recognizes the word "days" in reference OLAM, rendering it as "days of old," not as "from everlasting." It is apparent that Moses was not telling the Israelites to remember eternity, but he was telling them to remember the former days of Israel.
Some other scriptures that contain "yowm olam" are Isaiah 63:9,11 and Amos 9:11. These scriptures also bear out that the phrase does not mean "from everlasting." Two more scriptures in which YOWM modifies OLAM are Psalm 51:9 and Psalm 77:5, and thus give further testimony that OLAM modfied by YOWM does not mean "from everlasting."
Furthermore, when used of the past, there are only a few instances where the the word *olam* takes on the meaning of eternal. The following scriptures show this: Genesis 6:4; Deuteronomy 32:7; 1 Samuel 27:28; Ezra 4:15,19; Job 22:15; Proverbs 22:8; 23:10; Isaiah 51:9; 58:12; 61:4; 63:9,11; Jeremiah 6:16; 18:15; 28:8; Jonah 2:6; Micah 7:14; Malachi 3:4, as well as many others. Indeed, it is only in reference to Yahweh's past existence that it takes on the meaning of eternal past. (Psalm 90:2) "Even then, it still expresses the idea of continued, measurable existence, rather than a state of being independent of time considerations." -- "Lexical Aids to the Old Testament", under #5769, Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible.
Therefore, we do not find any other text in which OLAM is modified by YOWM that is given the meaning of "without a beginning." If there is no other text to establish such a meaning for "YOWM OLAM," then Micah 5:2 would appear to be the only one; but then, to say that it means this in Micah 5:2 and no where else in the Bible, and offer this as proof that Jesus had no beginning, would be circular reasoning. In other words, the trinitarian would claim that YOWM OLAM in Micah 5:2 means "from everlasting" because the trinitarian believes that Jesus had no beginning, and then claim that, because of their belief in this, Micah 5:2 is proof that Jesus had no beginning.
Many Hebrew scholars recognize the above, and therefore many modern translators have not rendered the phrase in Micah 5:2 as "from eternity," or "from everlasting."
English Standard:
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,from you shall come forth for meone who is to be ruler in Israel,whose coming forth is from of old,from ancient days.
New International:
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."
New Living:
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village in Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past.
New Revised Standard:
But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.
Good News:
The Lord says, "Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are one of the smallest towns in Judah, but out of you I will bring a ruler for Israel, whose family line goes back to ancient times."
The Message:
But you, Bethlehem, David's country, the runt of the litter - From you will come the leader who will shepherd-rule Israel. He'll be no upstart, no pretender. His family tree is ancient and distinguished.
Complete Jewish Bible:
But you, Beit-Lechem near Efrat, so small among the clans of Y'hudah, out of you will come forth to me the future ruler of Isra'el, whose origins are far in the past, back in ancient times.
New Century Version:
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are too small to be among the army groups from Judah, from you will come one who will rule Israel for me. He comes from very old times, from days long ago."
God's Word Translation:
You, Bethlehem Ephrathah, are too small to be included among Judah's cities. Yet, from you Israel's future ruler will come for me. His origins go back to the distant past, to days long ago.
Young's Literal:
And thou, Beth-Lehem Ephratah, Little to be among the chiefs of Judah! From thee to Me he cometh forth -- to be ruler in Israel, And his comings forth [are] of old, From the days of antiquity.
Today's New International Version:
"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."
New International Readers' Version:
The Lord says, "Bethlehem, you might not be an important town in the nation of Judah. But out of you will come a ruler over Israel for me. His family line goes back to the early years of your nation. It goes all the way back to days of long ago."
Rotherham's Emphasized:
Thou, therefore, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though, little, to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee, shall Mine come forth, to be ruler in Israel, - whose comings forth, have been from of old, from the days of age-past time.
JPS:
But thou, Beth-lehem Ephrathah, which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall one come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from of old, from ancient days.
=============
Jesus, being the firstborn creature, did exist from ancient days, being with his God and Father before the world of mankind was made (John 1:1,2; 17:1,3,5). This does not mean that the firstborn creature had no beginning.
Jesus, of course, now having been raised from the dead, dies no more (Romans 6:9; Hebrews 7:5; Revelation 1:18), and is thus eternal, possessing a life that will never end, even as restored man will become eternal, possessing life that will never end. -- Psalm 37:29.
Christian love,
Ronald
