Micah 2:13 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Micah 2:13
The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the LORD on the head of them.
to break out (in many applications · definite article + verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
up
עָלָ֤ה'a.Lah
H5927
to ascend · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
before
לִפְנֵיהֶ֔םlif.nei.Hem
H6440
the face (as the part that turns) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
up
פָּֽרְצוּ֙pa.re.Tzu
H6555
to break out (in many applications · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person common plural
through
וַֽיַּעֲבֹ֔רוּvai.ya.'a.Vo.ru
H5674
to cross over · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
gate
שַׁ֖עַרSha.'ar
H8179
an opening · noun, common masculine singular absolute
out
וַיֵּ֣צְאוּvai.Ye.tze.'u
H3318
to go (causatively · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural
king
מַלְכָּם֙mal.Kam
H4428
a king · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
pass
וַיַּעֲבֹ֤רvai.ya.'a.Vor
H5674
to cross over · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
before
לִפְנֵיהֶ֔םlif.nei.Hem
H6440
the face (as the part that turns) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
LORD
וַיהוָ֖הva.Yah.weh
H3068
Jehovah · conjunction + proper noun, a title
head
בְּרֹאשָֽׁםbe.ro.Sham
H7218
the head (as most easily shaken) · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Isaiah 52:12 For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward.
Isaiah 45:1-2 Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of k…
Zechariah 9:14-15 And the LORD shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord GOD shall blow the trumpet, and shall go w…
John 10:27-30 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
Hebrews 2:14-15 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might…
Revelation 7:17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe aw…
Zechariah 10:12 And I will strengthen them in the LORD; and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the LORD.
Hebrews 6:20 Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Micah 2:12–end
After threatenings of wrath, the chapter here concludes, as is usual in the prophets, with promises of mercy, which were in part fulfilled when the Jews returned out of Babylon, and had their full accomplishment in the kingdom of the Messiah. Their grievances shall be all redressed. 1. Whereas they were dispersed, they shall be brought together again, and shall jointly receive the tokens of God's favour to them, and shall have communion with each other and comfort in each other (Mic 2:12): "I will surely assemble, O Jacob! all of thee, all that belong to thee, all that are named of the house of Jacob (Mic 2:7) that are now expelled your country, Mic 2:10. I will bring you together again, and…
The breaker--Jehovah-Messiah, who breaks through every obstacle in the way of their restoration: not as formerly breaking forth to destroy them for transgression (Exo 19:22; Jdg 21:15), but breaking a way for them through their enemies.
they--the returning Israelites and Jews.
passed through the gate--that is, through the gate of the foe's city in which they had been captives. So the image of the resurrection (Hos 13:14) represents Israel's restoration.
their king--"the Breaker," peculiarly "their king" (Hos 3:5; Mat 27:37).
pass before them--as He did when they went up out of Egypt (Exo 13:21; Deu 1:30, Deu 1:33).
the Lord on the head of them--Jehovah at their head (Isa 52:12). Me…
The breaker is come up - He who is to give them deliverance, and lead them out on the way of their return. He who takes down the hurdles, or makes a gap in the wall or hedge, to permit them to pass through. This may apply to those human agents that shall permit and order their return. And Jehovah being at their head, may refer to their final restoration, when the Lord Jesus shall become their leader, they having returned unto him as the shepherd and bishop of their souls; and they and the Gentiles forming one fold under one shepherd, to go no more out into captivity for ever. Lord, hasten the time!
The Church Fathers
Before their face they divided and passed through the gate, and went out through it. Their king went out before their face: but the Lord their prince (Heb. shall be) before them. Therefore I said to you: Ascend through the division, you who have risen with Christ, and seek those things that are above: because the Angels, whether the Father and Son, and Holy Spirit, have divided what seemed to obstruct, and have made a way for those who wish to enter, and because they have invaded the path, not only have they entered the gate, but they have also passed through it. But they entered because their king also entered the same gate, and he opened for them the way, so that they could walk without any difficulty. For he himself is the Lord, and king, and shepherd, and the way and the gate, and he says: I am the gate: through me whoever enters will be saved: he will enter and he will go out, and he will find pastures (John 10:9). Concerning this gate, it is also prophesied elsewhere: This is the gate of the Lord, the righteous shall enter through it (Psalm 117:20). But whoever enters, should not remain in the state in which they entered; but should go out to the pastures, so that in entering there may be a beginning, in going out and in finding pastures, there may be the perfection of virtues. Whoever enters is still in the world, and through creatures understands the Creator. But whoever goes out, transcends the whole creation, and considering all that can be seen as nothing, will find pastures above the heavens, and will feed on the word of God, and will say: The Lord feeds me, and I shall lack nothing (Psalm 23:1). This is why, in order to understand the Gospel testimony: He will enter and He will go out, and will find pasture; and what is now said through the Prophet: And they passed through the gate, and went out through it: which passage and going out, however, cannot be attributed to our king and Lord Christ, who is king and Lord. For immediately it is connected: But the Lord shall be the Prince.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Micah, The Book Of — Three sections of this work represent three natural divisions of the prophecy—1, 2; 3-5; 6,7—each commencing with rebukes and threatening and closing with a promise. The first section opens with a…
Micah · .Foretells the restoration of Israel — .Foretells the restoration of Israel
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
John Gill on Micah 2:13
The breaker up is come up before them,.... Not the enemy, either the Assyrian or Chaldean army, or any part thereof, going up before the rest, breaking down the walls of the city, either of Samaria or Jerusalem, so making way for entrance therein; nor Zedekiah, as Joseph Kimchi, who made his escape through the wall broken down; nor the Maccabees, who were instruments of great salvation and deliverance to the Jews after the captivity, and before the coming of Christ. Kimchi makes mention of an exposition, which interprets "the breaker" of Elijah, that was to come before the Messiah; "and their king", in the latter part of the text, of the branch the son of David; that is, the Messiah; which s…
Micah 2:12-13
12. I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold: they shall make great noise by reason of the multitude of men.
12. Congregans congregabo te totum Jacob; colligens colligam residuum Israel; simul ponam eum tanquam oves Bosra, tanquam gregem in medio ovilis sui; tumultuabuntur prae hominibus (id est, propter hominum multitudinem.)
13. The breaker is come up before them: they have broken up, and have passed through the gate, and are gone out by it: and their king shall pass before them, and the LORD on the head of them.
13. Ascendet effractor…
In Mic 2:12, Mic 2:13 there follows, altogether without introduction, the promise of the future reassembling of the people from their dispersion. Mic 2:12. "I will assemble, assemble thee all together, O Jacob; gather together, gather together the remnant of Israel; I will bring him together like the sheep of Bozrah, like a flock in the midst of their pasture: they will be noisy with men. Mic 2:13. The breaker through comes up before them; they break through, and pass along through the gate, and go out by it; and their King goes before them, and Jehovah at their head." Micah is indeed not a prophet, prophesying lies of wine and strong drink; nevertheless he also has salvation to proclaim, on…
